Wiscasset Airport Advisory Committee members Ray Soule, far left, and Kerry Leeman and Airport Manager Frank Costa take part in the committee’s June 21 meeting at Wiscasset Municipal Airport.
A summer stay at Wiscasset Municipal Airport for Texas Flying Legends is “on hold,” Airport Advisory Committee member Steve Williams said June 21. Williams made the announcement at the panel’s monthly meeting.
In an interview, Williams said the group’s earlier plans for off-site, private shows are now on hold and, since those shows were the reason the planes were coming to Wiscasset, the July-August stay is on hold, also. No events had been planned at the airport; Airport Manager Frank Costa had said a Legends’ stay would add to fuel sales and the group might reimburse the airport for housing planes the Legends planes would displace from privately owned hangars. But the stay was never set in stone and the airport has lost nothing if the group does not come, he said June 27.
Also at the meeting, Costa said the airport’s one-year, $960, unlimited service agreement with QT Petroleum of Colorado has already paid for itself with savings on parts and labor. Earlier this year, the airport got a break on costs to replace a digital screen and more recently got 40 percent off the replacement of an $800 motherboard that takes credit cards for fuel sales, Costa said. When it went, the airport continued sales by taking customers’ credit card information to process later. The new motherboard is now in place, he said.
The committee meets next at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 at the airport on Chewonki Neck Road.
http://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com
Crooks caused thousands of pounds worth of damage after stealing a safe from a museum at East Midlands Airport.
A call to a break-in at the Aeropark at the Castle Donington airport came in to Leicestershire Police just after 9pm on Sunday (June 25).
An untidy search was carried out by the offenders at the Hill Top charity attraction, causing damage to a display cabinet in the museum.
A spokesman for the aviation museum and airport viewing area said: "After a very successful open day, two offenders broke in to the Aeropark and after causing extensive damage to the shop and staff room and breaking the door to the hangar, they then stole a safe out of the shop which had a considerable amount of money inside.
"All in all they not only stole the takings but caused thousands of pounds in damages which we will have to pay to be replaced
"As a lot of people know we are a charity and we rely on public funding and donations, which is why we have our open days.
"They are to raise money to keep the aircraft in the best shape we can.
"All of the people that work here are volunteers and we have put in an enormous amount of time, money and hard work over the past few months to make your experience with us a better one.
"To say we are gutted and disappointed is putting it mildly.
"As you can see from the photos we need to replace, doors, windows and parts of the shop, even toys, so we would like to appeal to the public, if you can help in any way by either donating even a small amount or even if you can donate a door or window, anything that needs replacing, we would be extremely grateful.
"Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully the police with catch the people that did this heartless act."
The Aeropark has started a Just Giving page to try and raise funds to repair the museum after the break in.
A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said: "Enquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made.
"If anybody has any more information relating to the incident please call 101 and quote incident number 17000268666."
Original article can be found here: http://www.nottinghampost.com
PERRY TWP. It wasn’t model airplanes, action movies or video games that attracted a young Logan Riley to aviation. He caught the flying bug a bit later in life, as a sophomore at Perry High School.
Riley said an aerospace-engineering course at school that taught him about aviation history, science and mathematics helped to steer him toward the friendly skies.
“I had Lego planes as a kid, but really, it was school (that piqued my interest),” he said. “I was not really into planes until my sophomore or junior year. That’s when I decided I’d work on getting a pilot’s license.”
On May 23 — just days before graduating from high school — Riley, 19, earned a set of wings via a private pilot’s license, which is a major step in proceeding closer to his overall target of garnering a commercial license. The best part about flying, he said, is sharing a ride with family members and friends.
“I like flying other people and letting them have a new experience,” said Riley, who’s slated to attend Bowling Green State University this fall, where he plans to become an aviation and flight technology major.
Attaining his private flying license wasn’t a cinch, Riley said, adding that he would attend flight school courses after regular high school hours and on weekends. He also squeezed in a few lessons last year between his summer job as a counselor at the Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs.
“It’s easy to fly, but hard to become a pilot,” said Riley, who mainly flies a Cessna 150 out of Akron Fulton International Airport.
Hours of studying, written and oral exams, flight training and tests, course work and flight simulations were all part of flight education requirements, Riley said. The most time-consuming and intense exercise was the oral test, he said, which consisted of four to five hours of questioning by an instructor on any topic related to aviation.
“I’d get asked, ‘What documents are needed to be air (ready),’” Riley recalled, adding that the answer to the query is an aircraft worthiness report, registration, certificates, an operations handbook, etc.
Riley began taking courses at American Winds College of Aeronautics last November and concluded in May. Denise Hobart, chief flight instructor at the school, said he was an eager, enthusiastic and capable student.
“Logan is one of those kids who makes you love your job,” Hobart said Tuesday, noting that although teen pilots are not rare, the accomplishment of earning a license is no small task. “It’s nice to see young kids with ambition set goals and achieve them. He was very detailed and dedicated.”
Hobart said a private pilot shares the same airspace as a major commercial airliner. It’s common for a small aircraft, such as one Riley would be piloting, to land at Akron-Canton Airport right before or after a Southwest Airlines plane.
“You have to be as serious and aware as any other pilot,” she said. “Logan was one of those students who got everything quick.”
Earning his wings
Income earned from the Akron Rotary Camp helped to pay for flight school, which cost about $8,000 over approximately six months of classes, Riley said. Overall, he paid for about three-fourths of his schooling tab.
“Managing time with my (high school) work was probably the toughest part,” he said about earning his pilot’s license. “I was gone or studying all the time.”
Riley is in his second summer of counseling at the camp. He job includes feeding and bathing special-needs campers, in addition to assisting them with activities, such as board games and athletics.
In the future, Riley wants to wind his love of flying into helping people and eventually form a foundation to provide flights to special-needs children.
“I want to fly kids who have special needs for fun, or give them a lift to a hospital if they need clinical help,” he said. “It would be a good way to help people.”
Story and photo gallery: http://www.cantonrep.com
ST. JAMES CITY, Fla. It’s a question of what’s worse — mosquitoes or the fight against them.
The Lee County Mosquito Control District, which uses Buckingham Airport in Lehigh Acres for its aerial spraying efforts, wants to buy the private Woodstock Airport on Pine Island, arguing it’s a more efficient location.
But residents like Will Peratino, who lives near the airport, voiced their concerns about the lack of information they’ve received about the district’s plans during Tuesday night’s community meeting at the Pine Island Fire Department.
“The immediate community would like to see what your real plans are,” he said. “They have not disclosed any of those documents nor have they disclosed any financial analysis that they did to show that this would be cost effective.”
Fellow resident Jamie Saunders is worried about her privacy.
“I’ve got a pool out there where I swim in and I don’t want a helicopter flying over my pool all day long,” she said.
Shelly Redovan, deputy director of the district, said the purchase wouldn’t cause a significant change in flight patterns and will allow helicopters to fly directly to marsh areas.
“You could actually leave a helicopter or a couple of helicopters there during the evening and then start up the next day straight from there, as opposed to the transition time coming from Buckingham out there” Redovan said.
However, others like David Grueser are open to the idea if the district helps maintain Woodstock Road.
“They said they want to be good neighbors and they want to pay their fair share, and that’s all you can ask,” he said.
Story and video: http://www.winknews.com
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: GAA17CA370
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, June 26, 2017 in Cottonwood, AZ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/22/2017
Aircraft: AERO-ACE CE 1, registration: N473CQ
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that, immediately after takeoff, the airplane drifted hard to the right. He applied left aileron and left rudder to no avail. Subsequently, the right wing and landing gear impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest nose down.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the accident site reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 200° at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots. The pilot was departing on runway 32.
As a recommendation, the pilot reported that a higher takeoff speed would have helped him better control the airplane.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff in gusting crosswind conditions.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N473CQ
NTSB Identification: GAA17CA370
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, June 26, 2017 in Cottonwood, AZ
Aircraft: AERO-ACE CE 1, registration: N473CQ
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that, immediately after takeoff, the airplane drifted hard to the right. He applied left aileron and left rudder with no avail. Subsequently, the right wing and landing gear impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest nose down.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the accident site reported, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 200° at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots. The pilot was departing on runway 32.
As a recommendation, the pilot reported that a higher takeoff speed would have helped him better control the airplane.
Two pilots are okay after their planes were involved in two separate crashes at the Cottonwood Airport Monday.
Fire officials say the first incident happened at around 7:30 a.m. when the pilot of a Flight Design GMBH was trying to land and skidded off the runway. The pilot was uninjured.
The second incident happened just after 2:30 p.m., when a single-engine homebuilt Aero Ace was involved in an accident while taking off. That pilot was also uninjured. The cause of the incidents are both being investigated.
https://gcmaz.com
COTTONWOOD - Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Monday, June 26, Cottonwood Fire and Medical Department and the Cottonwood Police Department responded to an aircraft accident at the Cottonwood Airport.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel found that the pilot and lone occupant of the aircraft had already exited the plane and were not injured. The pilot reported that the accident occurred while landing the aircraft.
The accident is currently under investigation.
Around 2:30 p.m. the same day, the Cottonwood Fire and Medical Department and the Cottonwood Police Department responded to another aircraft accident at the airport. Emergency personnel found that the pilot was the lone occupant of the aircraft, and had already exited the plane. The pilot refused medical treatment.
The cause of this accident is under investigation as well.
https://www.verdenews.com
Wiscasset Airport Advisory Committee members Ray Soule, far left, and Kerry Leeman and Airport Manager Frank Costa take part in the committee’s June 21 meeting at Wiscasset Municipal Airport. 
