The Newsletter of your Cessna Pilot’s Society                      Volume II issue 2.0

Welcome back to “NOTAMS”.  This periodic newsletter is sent to Members of the Cessna Pilots Society to keep everyone informed of Society News, Gatherings, and interesting threads under discussion on our forums. 

Whether we’re addressing a maintenance challenge, encouraging those seeking an enhanced rating, or planning that next big trip, the camaraderie and enthusiasm for flight that come from a participation on the forums adds to your enjoyment of aviation. We welcome you to join in. Registered members need just click on the links.

"Official"  Business:

1. Candidates to fill the four renewing chairs on the Board have been elected by preponderance. Please congratulate Bruce Cohen, Tom Mallon, and welcome back for returning service both Dan Barley and Doug Oakley. Compliments and our gratitude go to these volunteers who will help guide us through the next couple of years.
2. CPS Members 'Represent' for our Group at AOPA Regional Fly-Ins. Networking through an initial introduction by our own Rich Largent at last year's Triple Tree Fly-In,  Doug Oakley has taken the lead in securing a place for CPS to exhibit and promote our group at all the 2014 AOPA Regional Fly-Ins.  The first of these was at San Marcos and was quite successful.  John Mathews headed up the effort for CPS to display at Indy along with Doug Oakley & Brock Boss. Read up and pitch in if you can.  There are 4 more Regionals and we sure could use some Member assistance manning the CPS Canopy.  Read about this important recognition of CPS,  and how you can be part of this effort here.
3. Steve Wolf and Dan Downing will be flying the CPS flag at the Rocky Mountain Aviation Expo.   After reading of the excellent reception CPS experienced at AOPA San Marcos,  Steve and Dan decided to branch out and set up to promote CPS at the Rocky Mountain Aviation Expo on June 21, 2014.   Read about it here. This kind of Member-driven effort are what makes this group something special, and worthy of sharing.  If you're in the area, stop by to say hello, or maybe lend a hand... Rocky Mountain Aviation Expo link: http://www.rmaexpo.org/

DESTINATIONS:  VA ---  The CPS 2014 Fly-In:

Our 2014 Fly-In “Charlottesville VA”  June 25 through June 29, 2014.   With Spring finally arriving after what for most in the USA was a hellacious winter,  almost every aviator is thinking “Airplanes and Destinations” now that one will not need to dig a path through the snow to the runway. Besides the traditional destinations like Oshkosh, many in the CPS family are thinking “Charlottesville VA”, site for our annual 2014 CPS gathering. This year’s event is hosted by Greg and Pat Wright (their second time to play host to this group!).   The good news is that there is still time to plan to attend this event.  Read up this and plan on attending! 

http://www.cpsgtg.com

Forum discussion: HERE

CPS fly-ins are different. Specifically targeted to be fun not only for the pilots, but for the family and friends the pilot brings along. Held each year by a volunteer host in a different part of the country, this year’s event returns to the East coast in scenic Virginia. With mountains and smooth sand beaches within easy reach, there are more than a few attractions for everyone.

Greg and Pat have planned out a great few days. You can choose to do as much or as little as you wish. With fly-out destinations like Kitty Hawk within 1.5 hrs ‘Skyhawk’ time, many will take a pilgrimage to Mecca during the gathering. Some will take the Thursday group trip out to Udvar Hazy which is an experience not to be missed. Group bus is the prime choice, or fly yourself into KIAD to park w/ Landmark ($43 facility fee). Friday or Saturday some will go on the wine tour (which is a favorite fun outing for many). There will also be a group tour of the historic residence of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.  

Southern Hospitality coupled with a few days making new friends can’t be beaten. The Wrights have arranged very favorable hotel accommodations at the Charlottesville Double Tree. Link to the hotel:  Hilton Doubletree

Food: No one has ever starved to death at a CPS fly-in event. Terrific food options will be available and we’re conscious of the need to keep things ‘pilot casual’. You can leave the formal wear at home. See the website for dining options for both group and on-your-own ideas. 

Those who have attended past events can testify to the camaraderie and esprit d’corps that pervades throughout. It is an opportunity as well as a destination of merit. 

While we book it as a ‘fly-in’ there are lots of folks from across the nation that actually utilize commercial travel or drive to attend. For some it is a time and distance equation where they cannot allow the vagaries of travel by GA to preclude their return to work obligations, for others it is about convenience. Many CPS Members happily volunteer empty seats for the fly-out parts of the event to those who arrive via commercial air or by car. You won’t be left out.

First timers and New Members: For those who have never attended one of these events, it is somewhat difficult to convey the inclusiveness. No matter what you fly (or if you fly), you and yours will be welcomed. You can do as much or as little as you wish. Organized events are available IF you want to participate, and no one thinks twice if you choose to go off and find an adventure of your own. Especially for those new to CPS, it is a terrific chance to put faces to the names you read when going through the forum discussions. There is always room at the table for you and yours.

Here is a link for those who would like to check into the idea of attending a traditionally terrific family oriented fly-in where your kids, spouse, and friends actually have a good time.
 

Olde Business: A review of the 2013 fly-in….

The 2013 CPS Fly-In to MMV was a terrific success.  Where once there was anticipation, and excitement, there are now wonderful memories, pictures, visions of a special place and a very special group of people. 

Months of detailed planning by our own Bill Seidl and his drafted committee paid off with a bullet as each event unfolded with seamless ease. This is the hallmark of an all-volunteer team with both spirit and leadership. From the website (including some mountain flying tips that should be etched in stone in every pilot’s bible) to the final wave good-bye, Bill and his team saw that every contingency was considered and addressed.

In the process, Bill carried out an exceptional fly-in event as have those volunteers that have preceded him in this undertaking. Personalized, and with style. Nicely done Bill, and to the entire CPS team.
Also in the CPS tradition, we had our share of folks that took their time so as to arrive in safety. Those who showed the most restraint earned our trust and highest praise. 

En-route to the event, there were some impromptu gatherings of the flock. The Sprang and Wright crew independently managed to find themselves in Yellowstone one extra day as the weather over the Rockies played with everyone’s heads. Individually taking full advantage of the layover, each party rented a car, and ran into each other TWICE inside the ‘narrow confines’ of nearby Yellowstone Park. The odds are staggering.

The crew from N292LC met up w/ Nina and Frank by accident at Yellowstone airport when the boys stopped in by car after touring Yellowstone Park to buy a couple T-shirts (The LC guys were laid over, in Bozeman, and took the time to take in Yellowstone).

Lastly, at Jessup NV,  The Watsons, Nina/Frank, Wrights, Jim and Linda Morgan,  N292LC, Team Sprang, and all managed to be on the ground at the same time filling up on cheap fuel and getting a head start on the laughs that would fill the next few days. Nice.

We managed to make it into MMV and were greeted by ground personnel from our own club. Gary Skinner and Tom managed to keep us from bending aluminum on the ground while Bill did the meet and greet. There was a look of shock on his face as we all started to pile into the field…. ‘Hey, this is happening and it’s for real”.  

As the airplanes started to line up and tie down, there were smiles all round and little quiet congratulations were given out freely. For many, it was a true cross country with the Sprangs winning the award for greatest straight-line distance flown all the way from Sarasota FL. 

Some folks brought family, some brought friends, others flew in commercial and their company was truly special. There was a bell-chime of friendship that called pilots together that week.

You can read about the events in the Forum Archives. Our last dinner together was at the Evergreen Aviation Museum. We dined in absolute style on great food underneath the starboard side wing of the Spruce Goose. For those in attendance, it is something that will be remembered for a lifetime.

And a lifetime’s memories are really what we’re making in this pursuit. CPS is a gathering by choice, by people that have chosen to throw in together for our mutual benefit and cause. No dues, non-profit, run by airmen for airmen. Bill and his crew held the torch high on this occasion, the rest of us do the same in our daily conversation.

We had more than a couple of ‘International’ members show up at MMV. Among those who choose to cross the boarder, we have Keith and Heather Dorken. The Dorkens have made the annual CPS gathering one of their personal ‘must take’ flights each year missing only one event since they were introduced to the group. This flying couple are the subject of this issue’s ‘Member Profile’.

Cool Conversations From the Forums:

Maintenance:

F & M Filter Adaptor ICA caution.  One of our Members catches the problem: http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=261452#Post261452

0-300 Valve sticking: http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=257514&page=all

Securing the Cowl options:  http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=256579#Post256579

Generator to Alternator Conversions:   http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=257482#Post257482

Interior Spruce Up for Straight-Tail: http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=260555#Post260555

Prop Leaks:  http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=258599#Post258599

Rear Vent Refurbishment:
1)   http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=258599#Post258599

2)  http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=254290&page=4

Does Flying Dry out the Engine? Power Dehumidifier Thread:
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=259585&page=all

Convenience Items:

With summer coming soon, it’s a good time to revisit one of the most useful and simple home-brewed solutions to those hot cabin problems:
The Redneck Air Conditioner

Simple Stuff:  Bendy Aerosol Straws…
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=258720#Post258720

Pilot Skills:

What would you do?
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=264271&page=all

Dive N Drive or CD for the NP Approach?
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=263293&page=all

Insurance Concerns: What about letting others use your airplane?
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=261498&page=all

Lessons from the past: Treat new Passengers Right
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=255116&page=all

Avionics:

The Free-Flight ADSB Solution: http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=263525&page=all

Angle of Attack:
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=249438&page=all

Buying an airplane. Someone comes home smiling w/ a 150 http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=251974&page=all

One of our own goes solo! 
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=250083&page=all

Never Again: 
Sobering recording of Austin Controllers talking down a VFR pilot caught in IMC…
http://www.cessna-pilots.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=261600#Post261600

Quick Peek: “Member Profile”:   Keith and Heather Dorken…

Keith Dorken: “Heather and I use our plane for cross country travel. Since 2005 when we bought (ourselves) our first 182 (C-GJYM), subsequently replaced with C-GYKH a TR182 in 2008 for 'more' speed, we have travelled to every province and territory in Canada, all but 5 states in the USA (Alaska, Hawaii, and for some reason Maine, Connecticut and New Hampshire: hint for next CPS GTG ....), and further south to the Bahamas.

We have also shared travel with our friends Ron and Nancy in their PA-31 (Navajo) for longer travel to Guyana in 2012 where we visited 11 difference countries in a 3 week period.

We first made acquaintance with the CPS group starting in 2006 when we travelled to Moscow, Idaho for (at that time) the CPAGUGT, hosted by Judy Parrish. We enjoyed that trip so much that we have tried to travel to all the subsequent CPS get-togethers (except for Oak Island in 2010) to meet up with old friends. We have made many friendships and traveling to a common location to meet friends makes the travel more enjoyable.

The CPS forums provide much more than simple interaction with friends. The forums are a source of technical information not easily obtainable elsewhere. The knowledge base at CPS is large and if the answer doesn't already exist in the forums, it soon will be if you post a question.

At one time there were other forums as well as CPS in which we participated, but we are now down to just CPS.”

Wrap-Up:

So that’s about it for this issue. 

Comments or suggestions,    Subscription/Unsubscribe requests and Membership information?   newsletter@PROTECTED

Have something to contribute? Questions and Discussions always welcome.  Start a thread!

Know someone that might benefit from a membership?    You are welcome to forward this email. 

Interested in joining? Membership request/registration is easy, and at no cost.  Click Here

TWITTER:   Follow us on Twitter (a new idea for CPS)  https://twitter.com/CessnaPilots

‘NOTAMS’ is the newsletter of the Cessna Pilots Society.  “CPS” is an all-volunteer group of aviation enthusiasts who maintain a forum for the unofficial exchange of ideas relating to technical, operational, and functional issues relating specifically to Cessna aircraft.  We provide a venue whereby the members may also choose to discuss destinations, and other subjects that touch on the aviation lifestyle.  No political discussions are permitted. The daily workings of CPS are overseen by a Board of Directors that also moderate the forum if needed. We also welcome members that fly other brands who wish to participate for the friendship, and unique access to a diverse set of good minds.   Dedicated owners, operators, AMT’s and all aviation enthusiasts are welcome at CPS.

The Cessna Pilots Society is not affiliated or endorsed by Cessna/Textron Corporation or its subsidiaries. All Cessna model designations and models are the property/trademark of Cessna/Textron.

Content Copyright© CPS NOTAMS 2014