President’s Corner

by Darren Coomler
Welcome Chapter 1541 Members and Friends,

Well, when I wrote this letter last month, I fully expected Placer County would be at a lower COVID tier by now, but as many of you know we are still in the Red tier. I am still optimistic that soon we will move to the less restrictive tier and can start planning or face to face meetings. And the tiers end in June if the current plan holds.

I have mentioned earlier the enjoyment I get from listening to podcasts related to aviation. One of the podcasts I listen to on a regular basis is “Aviation News Talk” hosted by Max Trescott. He starts his podcasts with miscellaneous aviation related news, and in the latest podcast #187 he relayed an article from a Nebraska newspaper of an unoccupied plane taking flight on its own and crashing.

The story from the Journal Star said that a Piper Cub had taken off on its own, flew over a mile, climbed to 200 ft, and then crashed. It stated that the plane was being worked on, and the mechanic hand propped the plane with the throttle full open, the flaps were set right to fly, and off it went!

One of things I enjoy for our chapter’s IMC meeting is a review of difficult situations and how you could possibly have made different choices for an optical outcome. I think the mechanic involved in the story probably has a half dozen “I should have done that” actions he wishes he had performed. Lastly, another item I found interesting in the article is that the NTSB was called to the site to review the accident and deemed it not an accident by their definition. Apparently, the aircraft needs to be occupied to be considered an accident.

Hope you all enjoyed this little story, and until we can meet face to face and share similar stories try listening to podcasts. I look forward to seeing you all soon.