May 2023

Hello, Friends and Family of W10!
Hopefully everyone is rested and ready to have some fun this spring/summer.  We are about to do the first mow and it is already May!!!!  Usually we start the mowing in March.  I am looking forward to all of the upcoming activities and all the potential there is for getting together and building our W10 community.  

Saturday Social @ W10
Be sure to come out this Saturday, May 6th at 10 am to Seabiscuit bakery for some yummy treats, coffee and good conversations with fellow aviators.

W10 Political Update
The surrounding Crawford community, both residential and commercial, will continue to keep pressure on the county to pursue a solution to Crawford Road.  There has already been an article released in the paper about the situation as we try to start getting the greater community informed about the issue.  With this stage we are encouraging anyone who wants to share their thoughts by writing a letter to the editor. 

Now that Crawford Road has gained some momentum, We are now actively pursuing getting compatibility protections in place for not just W10, but for all of Island County's airports.  We spoke at the commissioner's meeting on Tuesday and will be attending the Planning Commission meeting on Monday as we have been informed that they will be discussing this very issue in the agenda and airports are a huge part of that.  We have been told that this meeting is formatted similar to the commissioners meeting where the public is allowed 3 minutes each to speak before the meeting gets started.  Sooooooo, if anyone else wants to join us in the BOCC meeting room in Coupeville on Monday at 2pm, then feel free.  It is clearly stated in the current Comp Plan that they are obligated to protect airports against incompatible use but there is nothing in place to define that nor nothing in the Planning Department that they have to guide them when a permit application comes in.  So far, our experience is that they look at what the zoning allows but the zoning does not take incompatible use into consideration.  

As you can imagine, as Sky and I have several plans to invest in putting more infrastructure in and improving old infrastructure, if the airport is not protected then our plans will likely need to be modified.
We will continue to keep you all updated. 

THUNDER RUN 2023
The date has been set so check your calendar and sign up to volunteer!!!
JULY 8th, 2023
W10 will, again, be participating in this drill (click here for EVAC's flyer) as we prepare for large scale emergencies.  There are several different ways to participate in this endeavor.  If you are a pilot then signing up to volunteer to fly food donations is one way to get involved, but there are also a lot of other ways to participate in this event.  We also need ground crew to help unload the donations, prepare it in an organized way for Good Cheer and help load it into the Good Cheer truck.  We will also need individuals watching for any safety concerns.  If you are a HAM operator then there is a special spot for your skills too. 

All volunteers from Island County will need to register with the county.  Just click HERE for the form.
You are not required to be a CERT volunteer to participate (see more information below), but you do need to attend an aviation familiarization class.  This year we are proud to say that our very own, Dave Bennett, is hosting the class and working directly with the county to create an educational training resource for this event.  This will take place in mid-June at AJ Eisenberg airport. Exact date and time to follow.

For those interested in joinng CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).  There is another training weekend coming up in which you have the opportunity to get certified.  On May 19th - 21st a CERT training will be held at the Bayview Fire Station.  If you are interested in registering for CERT, just email Kristina with the Island County Department of Emergency Management at [email protected] . 

Pilots please click HERE to email your interest to volunteer for the Thunder Run.  There are 3 emails attached to the link.  Sky Terry with EVAC, Ron Conlin with Island County Department of Emergency Management and W10.  

W10 Cessna 150 Flight SimulatorYes,  Sky has still been out of town but we are looking at a possible hole in his schedule coming up so there is still time to get in on the list to help with the Sim. 
If interested please email [email protected] and we will get a group together and start orientation and planning on this project.  We are hoping for some folks in the group with some decent X-Planes experience, but interest is more important than experience if you are willing to learn. 
Once it is up and running we will make another announcement for availability.  Long term goal is to get it certified, but we will want to work with it a bit first and ensure it is in a stable hardware/software configuration before we go for certification.
Instructors CornerFrom the desk of Dave Bennett, AGI:
During a cold, blustery April day, I went browsing through the AOPA’s Air Safety Institute web site.  In doing so, I ran across an article in the Safety Highlights section on the Cessna 150/152. 
The report summarizes accident history with attention to specific systems and characteristics that have affected an airplane model’s safety record.

Surprisingly, the C150 was not designed as a trainer, Cessna marketed the overwhelming majority of 150s under the model name “Commuter”.  I can personally attest to the C150 being an excellent commuter, having taken her from W10 to KPAE and a short walk to Boeing. It is a great way to avoid long summer ferry commutes! 

The C150 was produced from 1958 to 1977.  The C152 upgrade and replacement of the C150 was produced from 1977 – 1985.  As of 2015, there were still 12,0000 Cessna 150s and 152s in service.
It turns out that the C150/C152 “simplicity, reliability and handling qualities place them among the world’s most popular training aircraft.”   Our own local C150M affectionately known as “Scarlett” is a testament to the 150’s utility as a trainer.  As Scarlett is also designed as an “Aerobat”, she is great for spin training as well.  Scarlett’s owner, Fred Lundahl - CFI and AOPA Distinguished Flight Instructor, offers instruction to students and pilots here at W10.  Fred is incredibly experienced, knowledgeable and generous with his time.

Reading through the report, I extracted some interesting notes in the summary report on the C150/152:

• Over the last 20 years, accident rates involving these aircraft have fallen twice as fast as the overall flight activity in all piston airplanes.
• Two thirds of C152 accidents took place during flight instruction.
• Most of the training accidents occurred during takeoff, landing or go-arounds.
• On personal flights, C150s and C152s experienced fewer mechanical failures than comparable aircraft but were more prone to fuel exhaustion.
• The C150 and 152 showed a greater vulnerability to errors in aircraft configuration, particularly flap settings and appropriate carburetor heat.
• While accident rates for commercial airlines are usually noted in accidents per 100,000 flight hours, the FAA does not estimate flight activity of GA aircraft with the necessary detail to determine accident rates.

As Scarlett and Fred have demonstrated, the C150 is an excellent trainer under the demanding conditions here at W10.  The local conditions often leave less room for error which seems to help students remember salient parts of the daily lessons. For example, erroneous flap settings stand out as a leading cause in general C150/152 accidents. Fred reminds us that the trees at the north end get taller during any attempt at a go around with the full 40deg of flaps.  He also reminds us why pilots have a right-hand thumb and the importance of correct carburetor heat settings during takeoff and go arounds. 

As loss of control and “sloppy airmanship” during take offs and landings are a significant cause of C150 and C152 accidents, Fred, Scarlett and W10 again offer an excellent training ground to the student pilot.  There is no getting away from the constant reminder that the departure and approach paths at W10 are “well defined” by nature.  The trees also offer a continuous reminder to maintain the correct airspeed during take off and approach.

W10 is a unique training opportunity for pilots of all experience.  Hats off to Fred for his role in finding, obtaining and maintaining this wonderful C150M Aerobat and his incredible selfless dedication to turning students into safe pilots! 

The entire report can be obtained at:
https://www.aopa.org/-/media/Files/AOPA/Home/Pilot-Resources/ASI/safety-highlights/Cessna152SafetyHighlights.pdf

If you have questions related to aviation, or if you have any suggestions about other educational opportunities, you can reach Dave Bennett at [email protected].
Ground School @ W10
Ground school is held based on interest by enough potential students.  Please let us know if you are interested in taking ground school.  Ongoing discussions are in the works regarding other possible class offerings.  Feel free to share your ideas and interests.  

Please contact Dave Bennett at [email protected] for further information or if you would like to attend ground school! Proceeds go directly to Whidbey Airpark (W10) to help cover maintenance, improvements, future programs, and facilities.
Scarlett and the South Whidbey Flying Club
We are so proud and excited to watch Rowen continue to follow his aviation career.  Amongst his numerous ratings he earned at Embrey Riddle, he has just obtained his CFI rating, passing on the first attempt!!! 
Here's what's even cooler!  Rowen is currently building his hours and passing his knowledge on to the next generation of aviators here at W10.  So as you see Scarlett getting yet another student trained up, it may not be Fred in that left seat.  Way to go Rowen!!!  We are excited to see the South Whidbey Flying Club growing.  More CFI's means more students and more dreams being realized.

If you are interested in aviation and would like to know more about learning to fly or about the South Whidbey Flying Club, contact Fred Lundahl via [email protected].  

W10 Projects

• Grounds keeping
  • Mowing & weed eating - It's finally time to get started!
  • Tree debris clean-up - lots of storm debris 
  • Removing scotch broom & blackberries
  • Filling dips and rehab grass
  • Extend fence
  • Patch runway cracks- Eric Hansen is leading this effort and due to the project scope (size of them) we are awaiting a bid from Skip (out of KOKH)
  • Pressure wash the moss off of the runway
• Vehicle maintenance
  • Lawn mowers
  • Courtesy cars
  • Fire truck
  • Loaner bikes (including 1 electric bike) - would really love someone to give these guys a bit of TLC.  Even if it means just keeping the tires pumped - we have a pump available.
• Facilities
  • Porter hangars
    • Roof & gutter replacement
    • Repair/rebuild doors
    • Siding
  • New FBO building
  • Northend Hangars
• Special projects
  • Convert PAPI hardware to LED & Solar, then install
  • Set up runway cameras and get them streaming to the internet (thank you to Dave Riffle for volunteering to work this project) 
  • Set up Live ATC stream for the field - Thank you Dan for helping with this one!!!
  • Run firewood processor to turn cleared trees into firewood and prep area for the future hangars
  • Eric Hansen is working on the possibility of getting a weather station up on the tower SW of the airpark. 
• Political Advocacy
  • Join Tara (and sometimes Sky) most Monday's at 3pm for a Fireside chat hosted by Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon.
  • Attend other meetings (ie. Commissioner's meetings, planning commissioner's meetings, transportation (TAC) meetings, etc.)

*If you would like to volunteer for an upcoming project please contact [email protected].  If we seem slow getting back to anyone, we plead for your patience as we are working on many things.  Rest assured we are 100% grateful for your interest and will gladly accept any available help.

W10 Classifieds
Seabiscuit Bakery is now open 7 days a week! and they have extended their hours from 7a.m.- 3 p.m. or until sold out. Follow Seabiscuit on FaceBook and check out their Pizza nights and Friday's Cocktail's and Crumb's nights.  Click HERE to link to Seabiscuit's website.

MAXAIR DRIFTER • $18,500 • FOR SALE • N-registered with AW cert. 79hrs on Rotax 582 & warp drive propeller. Fly with 850 wheels or on full lotus amphibious floats. Toe brakes. 406 ELT. Hand held radio w intercom. Many new components. Unrestricted visibility from front seat. Fly it home today. Fun summer adventures await. $18,500obo. • Contact Drew Bradford , Owner - located Langley, WA 98260 United States • Telephone: 206.841.9652
(More pictures available at Barnstormers.com)


Nose cozy for sale! 
The nose cozy located on the northwest side of the runway is for sale. The nose cozy will help protect the nose of your aircraft from the elements, is secured in its location, and has permanent tie down anchor points for your plane. The door facilitates being able to pull your airplane into the nose cozy without having to worry about pinning yourself between the nose cone and the nose cozy.
 
Asking $750 – Contact Kristin at [email protected] for more information
  


Job listing! We are looking to hire construction personnel for our QuickSilver Construction team! Seeking dependent and motivated folks that would be comfortable with both residential and commercial projects. Upcoming projects may include hangars, a multi-use facility, and small community projects. 
Please send your resume to [email protected]. 

Job listing! Get your resume ready, QuickSilver Aerospace, LLC is looking for high quality Engineers to join our Flight Test Team.  We are looking for individuals with top notch problem-solving skills that enjoy a variety of challenges, are able to travel globally, are well organized and can work independently as well as with a team.  For further information contact Sky at [email protected]

2017 Fisher Dakota Hawk
FOR SALE in LANGLEY: 2017 Fisher Dakota Hawk tailwheel LSA.  Only 7 hours on the airframe - both regular and tundra tires.  Engine: Continental 0-200 100HP with total time of 1700hrs (900 since top overhaul).  Prop: Cessna 150 low time.  All documentation /certification included.  Asking $18,000.  Contact Byron (360) 202-5337.


*If you have something you'd like to put in the classified section,  just let us know and we can add it to the newsletter.