Yep - we're tired of the impacts COVID-19 too...

The Great Recovery

<<First Name>>,

I'll admit that's a slightly misleading title for this section due to the ongoing COVID-19 nightmares we find ourselves in. The impact to life is not to be taken lightly. Despite this, our Club and general aviation is in its own aviation recovery phase fueled by you.

In summary, we’re adding new members, we have an exclusive early look at the Invisible Sky documentary (read below) the airplanes are going on new cross county adventures and the potential for socially safe gatherings (online and in person) have slowly returned. The truth of the situation is that your patience has ensured our club will remain viable for some time. From nose gear replacements (see "tailwheel PA-28 conversion photo above) to wayward engine starters, you have handled it all.

What’s next? Where do we go from here? How can we do the most good? Send your thoughts and ideas and stay tuned for more.

IMC/VMC Club

Reminder that our Sept meeting is Thurs Sept 10 at 8 pm. As usual, we will underpin our discussion on a real-world scenario. We will be using Zoom as before. For security, please enter the following ID and passcode to join:

Meeting ID: 858 6374 0287
Passcode: IMC151409

"Brewhaha in Asheville." You are looking forward to a weekend trip to Asheville, NC visiting the Biltmore Estates and some of the local breweries. Hopefully, you can even score a case of Gaelic Ale to bring home. The flying club airplane is available and the weather looks reasonable outside of the normal afternoon convective activity. The FBO has a tie down for you and recently revamped their fee schedule and fuel pricing - no need to tap into the retirement fund! All systems appear to be a go for this long-awaited trip - but - hazards and surprises await.

Join us to discuss this trip, including preflight considerations for mountainous terrain, weather and logistics. Of course, there are always unplanned contingencies to be handled. let's see if we can complete the trip without undue risk."

Photos from previous Zoom meetings below.

Visit EAA Chapter 1514

Who would win this race...?

New member Jacki took this photo of her new baby (Hostess One) alongside her other rides. I honestly think this is in the running for coolest photo op for a Flying Club airplane, anywhere, ever. Thanks for sharing!

Our Club and members of this mailing list have the opportunity to see an advance, exclusive, private online screening (via YouTube, Zoom, Google Meetings, etc...) of the Invisible Sky documentary. I'll be reaching out with a signup to gain access and a date or dates that it will be screened.

About the Documentary

At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, 2006, a Cessna 206 piloted by 24-year-old Georgina Joshi crashed while on final approach to Bloomington/Monroe County Airport in Indiana. The accident killed all five people onboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the government agency tasked with investigating all aviation accidents, investigated the accident and found that Georgina was the sole probable cause of the accident, blaming “pilot error.”

Georgina was an accomplished pilot and the family found that NTSB’s report left many questions unanswered.

Unsatisfied with the NTSB’s findings, Georgina’s mother Louise Addicott and her father Yatish Joshi, retained independent experts to review the available information and further investigate the accident. The investigation led to a ten-year fight to uncover the truth and hold the NTSB accountable for its decisions.

Invisible Sky Website

Member Spotlight

We’re happy to welcome Andy, Jacki, Steven and Mark to this lovely group of misfits and aviation enthusiasts. With a combined nearly 20,000 hrs of flight experience, these three will boost us and challenge us in ways we haven’t yet seen. I suspect that:

Their shared experience will make us all safer pilots - use our social ties and make contact.
Our network will reintroduce them to the wonderful world of GA to the benefit of them, their family and their friends
The experiences we will all have will make lifelong friends

We also look forward to welcoming Andrew - a student pilot just starting his own aviation journey. Please reach out as we try to help you make the transition into shared ownership. We’re glad you’re here.

"See yah Later" to Three Members

Over the course of the last three months, three very active members left the Savannah area for new professional opportunities. Brandon, Conor and Will - thank you both for supporting the vision in such style and keep us in mind as you get settled in your new positions. This might be the perfect opportunity to spread the HCA brand across the US.

A Recap in Photos

Safety Corner

The Expanded Envelope Exercises

I've been telling everyone about the Expanded Envelope Exercises (E3) and recommend you read this AIN online article about it. Our very own Aviator Clay has recently flown the exercises and brought back great reviews. The best news is you'll get to do them in the airplane you already own or operate. Ed is a a long time supporter of the Club and standing by to make us all safer pilots. Contact us to get started.

Read the AIN Article

Growin' Pains

An important note is that with growth comes many learning opportunities. Until now, our Aviators have enjoyed the ease directly communicating face-to-face. COVID-19 has meant that our interactions have changed somewhat (awkward screenshot from our most recent online meeting above) and we’ll have to work harder to maintain our sense of community. This also means that many of our checklists, how-tos and checkouts will be overhauled to reduce frustration and improve our time-to-flight for new members. We’re all volunteers doing the best that we can and learning at every step.

Changes or reminders for our standard ops:

The Bylaws exist for a reason - you can always suggest improvements to be voted on
"Introductory Flights" to prospective members (cost absorbed by the Club)
System/checkout flights in less complex airplane(s) may not need a CFI if incoming member is highly experienced and recently current.
New voting processes for approving incoming members based on interaction and bios
New safety review process for long or challenging cross-country missions
Share, Share, Share - we owe it to ourselves to learn from each other. Since we're social distancing, a blog post or newsletter article is the next best thing you can do to help someone else.

We're all Students...

With one student almost through the PPL checkride barrier, one new applicant is interested in joining as an aviator and learning with us. Email hostesscityaviators@gmail.com to learn more about our new applicant and how you can help him along the way. Although primary training is not our primary mission, our Bylaws allow for a few student members who also share our vision.

What's going on in Statesboro?!

We've never been closer to seeing a small flying club get started at KTBR as we are now. Lately this has meant connecting a few of our long time followers and helping them to set the framework for what's possible. If you or someone you know is interested in starting or joining a Club in the Statesboro area (or anywhere for that matter) contact us at hostesscityaviators@gmail.com.

For the HCA Aviators

Maintenance

Best part about having a shared ownership? Everyone takes responsibility of the upkeep of the birds. Thanks to everyone who has spent time and some money showing love to the airplanes. Being a non-profit with the absolute smallest margins, many of you have donated simple maintenance items without dipping into our shared fund - we all pay close attention and send our thanks.

Hostess One (N4405T) in the past months experienced a bent nose fork (replaced) following an excursion into the grass. The pilot was able to control the excursion well and avoided damage to the airframe. Not being one for a one-time show, Hostess One also had its starter replaced not once, but twice following a starter overheat out (warranty replacement). Comm/Nav 2 continues to be a weak point but, options for replacement are being worked. Of course nothing is free - we'll have to find clever ways to fund these upgrades without eroding the maintenance fund.
Hostess Two (N6223V) continues to be a champ with newly installed carpets (Thanks Kristian) and ongoing upgrades and tweaks to make her the ideal cross country platform. This is a clean airplane online with minor squawks all being worked.

Special thanks to Gene and Jason who have spent many hours doing the minor tasks that keep things running smoothly. Also thanks to Andy and Tammy who are already making things their own.

Finances

In a word, Fair. In another word, Improving. The outlook is strong, maintenance is being kept up with and our bills are being paid. Email if you’d like a closer look or have grants in mind we might apply for. Two grant applications were made for funding community activities (primarily through the EAA Young Eagles program). These grants will help with the upgrades desperately needed on Hostess One. The Club falls flat on its face if we can't continue our non-profit mission and be conservative with our finances - help to help you as much as practical.

Insurance

I wish we could stop these powerful storms from destroying dozens of airplanes and pilots would always remember to put the gear down but yet, here we are. The new reality is that insurance rates are up - very far up. Earlier this year our club had to take steps to cut spending during the COVID slowdown - one of these steps was to temporarily adjust the insurance policy for Hostess Two. This means there's currently a higher time requirement to fly this airplane. Many of us weren't affected but for those who were, we will reassess the financial situation at the end of 2020/start of 2021 and make decisions then. See the above discussion on finances.

Bylaws and Operating Rules

There may be a few changes that we have been discussing over the months up for a vote shortly. Got suggestions or comments? You know what to do.

Thanks for reading!

Lots to cover and probably much more that I left out. Get in touch and let's continue the conversation.

Forgive any typos, I'm an engineer.

- Jawanza