February 2019

Saturday Social
First off, a reminder that our monthly Saturday Social at The Muk is this coming Saturday March 2nd at 10am. Although we are travelling, so can't make it ourselves, it's not really about us.  Please come out, talk airplanes with your fellow pilots, and let us know what we missed.

Last Month's Saturday Social
Last month we had a great turnout at our monthly social so thank you to everyone who attended.  We had the High School Aviation Club speak about what they were doing as well as an impromptu talk on helicopters, and Boeing Field operations.  For those that missed it, Fred presented the Aviation Club with a Radio Controlled P51 that was donated by the wife of Captain Michael A. Clinkscales.  Captain Clinkscales had a long history and passion with aviation and wanted to rekindle this passion but passed away unexpectedly before he had the chance to.  We send our deepest sympathies to his wife and we hope to continue to honor him by treasuring the items he has left behind.

Skiing at W10 - No Lift Pass Required
It is hard to believe that February is almost over, and it seems like much of the month was spent in challenging weather (although offered some locals an opportunity to try out a new pair of skis - check our FB page for the video).  We are looking forward to springtime as we have many projects that we would like to make progress on.  Of course, we’ll keep you all informed when volunteers are needed.

Congratulations Aaron Simpson!
Now for the exciting news closer to home—we want to send a HUGE congratulations to Aaron Simpson for getting hired on by Horizon Air.  Aaron began his aviation career right here at W10 with Fred Lundahl (CFI) and Scarlett (Cessna 150).  Aaron has worked hard to fuel his passion and it’s now paying off.  We are excited to for Aaron as he continues to reach for the skies and can’t wait to see what his future holds.

Fly Washington
The NW Aviation Conference was this past weekend and we got the newest information from WSDOT with regards to the Fly Washington Passport Program they are launching.  The official launch date is now April 1st (they made clear that this is not a hoax).  W10 has our stamp ready to go.  For now, the mailbox that will house the stamp will be up near the office on the West side just up the hill from the red shipping containers.  I tried to get some of the passports but they only ran a small batch of them so far and only certain airports are able to disperse them.  The list of airports with the books and all the other information about the program can be found on their website: www.flywashington.org.  The passport booklets are very similar to a real passport and done up very nicely.  Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to be a pilot to participate and it is not a requirement to have to “fly” into the airport.  Driving is okay but they encourage you to get to know the airport a bit while you are there in case you want to fly there in the future.  Some airports that are participating are a bit more challenging to get into *cough* W10 *cough* and SAFETY should be on the top of everyone’s list.  The program is always open to anyone or business that would like to be a sponsor too. 

2019 WSDOT Airport Reference Guides, Hot Off the Press
WSDOT also has printed up some new 2019 WA State Airport Reference Guides.  I again, tried to pick a bunch of them up to have available here at the airport but they could not agree to give me more than 1 for the time being.  The printing of these booklets is getting very costly and they are brain-storming on ideas about how to continue to provide this resource.  It would not be surprising if they need to be purchased in the future.   We are going to try to obtain more copies but we need to pick them up in Olympia at WSDOT’s office.  We will be trying to arrange this, but in the meantime feel free to come by the office to look at the copy we do have and we can make copies of anything you need. The data can also be downloaded/printed from their web site.

FATPNW - Your flying friends in the NW
FATPNW is also growing into a fantastic aviation group.  There are now nearly 10,000 members.  Membership is free although if you join the premium program for an annual fee there are many discounts available to you from a large variety of sponsors.  They have several events throughout the year for folks to participate in including BBQ’s and camping.  They have been working on getting a scholarship program together and they have finally gotten to the point to where they were able to distribute their first set of scholarships to help individuals as they pursue their education in aviation.

Don't forget to register
WSDOT Aviation wanted to send out a reminder to be sure to get your plane’s tail number(s) registered with them or file for your exemption.  renewal deadline was January 1st.  If you have any questions or concerns with regards to your aircraft registration they would like you to contact Tracy Paul with the WSDOT Aviation Division at 360-709-8015 or [email protected]. 

NOTAM on NOTAMS: Know your NOTAM's people!
WSDOT and the FAA have also asked us to let you know that a new FAA Primer on NOTAM's is now available. You are encouraged to brush up.  It is quite, um, detailed? You should be able to find the answer to any question you do or don't have.

Crew Car!!!  Whaaat?!?!
Last but not least, W10 is pleased to announce we now have a courtesy car available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  It’s a white 1996 Ford Taurus (icon of the 90's automotive heyday, and now you can drive one for yourself!).  We are still in the process of setting up the logistics like where and how to borrow it and we have not gotten the W10 decals on it yet but we should have those details along with a bit of maintenance done in the very near future.  Whoo-Hoo!

Blue Skies!
Sky and Tara Rudolph