April 2020

Dearest Friends and Family of W10,
We again hope we are finding you and those you care about healthy and well.  We have really appreciated the vast open space of W10 over this past month with all the green colors, chirping birds and the occassional sound of GA planes in action.  Even though the grass is growing quickly we don't really mind getting outside for a trip around the field with the lawn mower.

W10 Gatherings
Our May Saturday social that was scheduled for this upcoming weekend will be cancelled.  We're crossing our fingers for June but we just don't know what the responsible thing to do will be by then.

The Cafe in the Woods is still open for take out / call in orders / curbside pickup Tuesday - Saturday from 9am-3pm.  As you are aware, things have been changing quickly, so best to check with them before flying in. 

We have also temporarily suspended all flight school sessions and talks.  W10 is still operational though as long as all social distancing precautions are met.  

Spotlight on Scarlett and the South Whidbey Flying Club
Be sure to check out ThisIsWhidbey.com for an upcoming article featuring our very own Fred Lundahl, The South Whidbey Flying Club, and Scarlett the Cessna 150.  We look forward to this publication and thank Fred once again, for his dedication and passion for flying and sharing it with others.

W10 Camping
Words getting out that the camp sites here at W10 are a favorite destination to spend a nice relaxing weekend.  The weather can still be a bit touchy but from my experience with camping, there's gotta be at least some rain involved with every camping trip, right?  Anytime the Muk is closed there is always the crew car available to grab some food or go to the grocery store, and Whidbey Doughnuts has a full menu and will deliver to the airport.  The two sites are first come first served but if you let us know in advance we can reserve it for you and ensure everything is prepped and ready for your stay.  Just call or e-mail us if you have any questions.

W10 Projects
Tree Clearing
The weather has not lent itself to allow us to work much on cleaning up the tree debris/stumps but the access road on the far east side has been cleared so we can get to the South end without having to bring machinery onto the field.  We will continue to move forward little-by-little.

Northern Border Fence
We are hoping to replace the fencing on the North end of the runway very soon.  As you may know, the current fencing is a mixture of broken posts and untamed wire ropes.  This project should not interfere with any operations on the airfield but hopefully it will look a lot nicer in the near future.
 
PAPI(!)
We got a good deal on a set of Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights that were being removed from another airport.  We would like to convert these from AC power to battery with solar chargers and pilot control (PCL) for installation at W10 to help guide planes over the trees.  If you are interested in helping out with the conversion and are a little handy with electronics let us know.  We will get to it eventually ourselves, but a motivated volunteer could expedite this quite a bit I think.

EAA Chapter
Again a reminder that we would like to start an EAA chapter this year.  If you think that you would like to be involved please let us know, and we will bring you into the discussion for how we get started.  Just call or e-mail us and we will add you to the list.

Young Eagles @ W10
W10 would love to host another Young Eagles event in the future.   In order to host such an event we rely on volunteer pilots to participate.  If you are interested in becoming a Young Eagles pilot there are some requirements that must be met, so go do that now so you can be ready when we are able to get together and go flying again! 

For more information about these requirements you can visit the EAA Young Eagles page.

If you are interested in participating at the W10 event please send us a quick email at [email protected].  If you would like to get in touch with a pilot who has volunteered for this program before, just let us know and we'll hook you up.  It is a very rewarding day!

Instructor's Corner
From the desk of Dave Bennett:

Remembering special use transponder codes  
There aren’t many codes to remember, however, I seem to fumble when special transponder codes come up occasionally on a Boldmethod quiz.  First of all, they are printed on my lap board.  A good back-up solution, but they should be one of the many items we commit to our internal permanent non-volatile memory locations. 
There are of course three codes we need to know:

• 7500 – Unlawful interference or hijacking.
• 7600 – Lost communications.  There are a number of ways to lose communications, but if you still have electrical power and are unable to contact ATC, this lets them know.
• 7700 – Emergency.  Engine out (time permitting), inadvertent IMC, lost or any situation in which you are uncomfortable with and have declared an emergency.

 To help me remember the correct code, I recall a story about an incident involving a police officer/student pilot. He had just departed on a cross country flight in Southern California, when he decided to use flight following.  He contacted ATC where he was instructed “Roger 352Bravo, squawk ALT.”, indicating he should set the transponder to the ALT mode from ON or STBY. The student pilot promptly complied, setting his transponder code to his easterly heading altitude of ODD + 500 ft.  In this case, he was flying at 7500ft, so he set his code to 7500.  After a brief pause, ATC requested he verify he had the correct code set.  A few minutes later, he was contacted by ATC with an odd question “352Bravo, is there a gun on board your aircraft”.  Being an off-duty police officer, he noted his service revolver and answered “affirmative”.  “Ok 352Bravo, what is your destination?”.  
This was the student’s first-time using flight following, so he was very impressed with how helpful ATC was, providing him vectors and detailed instructions, all the way to the airport.  The same ATC voice provided assistance, assuring he was properly aligned with the runway and subsequent landing.  Once he landed, the same friendly voice asked him not to change to ground control but to taxi to the end of the runway, stop and await further instructions.  As directed, he taxied to the end of the runway and stopped.  Once halted he was met by a special “ground crew”, several officers with high caliber guns, who proceeded to shoot out his tires.   After some rather intense questioning and the revelation that he was the only person on board, he was left to deal with closing his flight plan and moving a disabled aircraft.  I’m sure the follow up phone call to his flight instructor was one the both of them have committed to their own internal permanent non-volatile memories.
I think of this story and remember the hijack code is 7500.  Emergency code is 7700. That leaves 7600 left for lost communication. 
Piece of cake.

W10 Swag
Whidbey Airpark Caps (other cap colors available upon request) in Black or White text* ($20)
Cinch Bags* ($15) 
W10 oval vinyl stickers ($5) 
50 sheet post-it notes ($3)
*Add a custom name or tail number to the cinch bags or back of cap for an additional $5.
Available now so you can represent your favorite little airport in the woods.  All proceeds go towards the airport to help with maintenance and improvement projects.  ​

Tara and Sky Rudolph
Phone: 360-321-0510
e-mail: [email protected]