Marshall Co. Flying Club 

Come Fly with Us !

MARSHALL COUNTY FLYING CLUB NEWS

January 19, 2008

We re-elected our club board of directors for the 2008 business year in our annual January meeting. Reports from Barb and Ron indicated we had extra maintenance costs and payments to a few members that recently retired from the club under the old fee policy.  Ron also reported that the planes were flown less than anticipated. Despite that fact that the above resulted in a slight operating loss for the year, we were able to get 5 new members, and the board of directors, with the approval of the membership, has decided to leave the airplane rates unchanged for now.  To help meet our fixed expenses, the monthly dues were increased by $5, effective February 1, 2008.

Kent reported the Arrow had a new prop and engine re-build this year, which was a little sooner than we anticipated, but its performance is much stronger and  the plane ride in 50T is very smooth. The equipment upgrade for the Arrow is scheduled for February 7th. This will include a 4 place 340 audio panel as well as a Garmin 430 WAS capable GPS.  The Cessna also had some updates including a 4 place intercom and a set of shoulder harnesses.

Additional discussion involved operational concerns.  Club members were reminded of their responsibility after any flight, to clean the windshield and leading edges. Members were also reminded about engine oil procedures and to ask Kent or Neil if they are not certain which oil grade to use during different times of the year. Members were also reminded to report when they take any oil from the FBO hangar.

A reminder regarding cold weather flying was given by Neil.  DO NOT FLY when the temperatures are below 20 F.  We were also reminded to remember to operate the planes as if you own them individually. Proper power settings must be observed to avoid early engine replacement! Don't forget to cycle the prop on the Arrow several times prior to take-off.

Keep thinking about new members; We are fortunate to have added several new members in the last year. Members are the lifeblood of our club. When you compare our costs to other clubs in the area, there is no question we have the best value. Add to that a friendly atmosphere and you have a great argument to entice pilots to our club. Also don't forget we have a deal for a free introductory ride.

FLIGHT PROFICIENCY & INSURANCE

In order to comply with insurance and club proficiency guidelines, pilots must log two hours and three landings in the club plane or the same make and model as the insured aircraft. Flyers meeting proficiency guidelines for the Arrow are also certified for the Cessna. A second option is to have a CFI check out before flight. Pilots will not be allowed to fly without complying with these guidelines because they may not be covered under our insurance contract. Contact Barb, Neil or Gerald if you need a CFI check out. We will notify pilots when they are not in compliance based on our plane flight logs.

Keep 'em flying! This is great time to be out and about flying. Even if it's just to keep in practice. If you have some interesting flying experiences, please send a note to John (brack7@insightbb.com)   to post on our site. Pictures are particularly of interest.