Dear Members and Friends of CalPilots

We recently received notice from the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) that the National Park Service (NPS) is considering closing the Stovepipe Wells airport in the Death Valley National Park.

According to the RAF, if the Park Service does not receive at least 400 comments from the pilot community regarding Stovepipe Wells, they will ignore the pilot’s input. WE NEED YOU TO COMMENT BEFORE DECEMBER 23.

I strongly encourage anyone who would like to help preserve our access to this airport to fill out this form:

Comment on proposed closure of Stovepipe Wells airport

It doesn’t take long, maybe ten minutes. This short amount of time could help preserve a valuable national resource. The complete message from the RAF is below. It contains some information that my be useful as you complete the comment form.

Sincerely,

Carol Ford, President

Managers of Death Valley National Park in California are seeking public input regarding future use of the park’s Stovepipe Wells Village. One of the park’s proposals is to change the Stovepipe Wells airstrip into a dedicated night sky viewing area due to the prohibitive maintenance expense of repaving the runway. This is due to the park’s perceived lack of visitation to the strip, combined with a growing interest in attendees in night-sky astronomy. With this change, the airstrip is in danger of closing entirely to light aircraft visitation.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) believes that pilot activity and stargazing can successfully co-exist with minor changes to existing infrastructure, and we are urging members to submit comments to the park in support of both pastimes.

Death Valley National Park is more specifically proposing the following change (the following text was captured from the park’s official Facebook page):

• Night Sky Viewing to Replace Airstrip: night sky viewing events in the park regularly attract over 250 people, and very few people use the airstrip at Stovepipe Wells. The park proposes changing the airstrip into a place where astronomical societies can set up and camp with their large telescopes, while providing an opportunity to experience the park’s spectacular dark skies. The Furnace Creek Airport, 18 miles away, would still be available for small planes.

If the Park Service does not receive at least 400 comments from the pilot community regarding Stovepipe Wells, they will ignore the pilot’s input. WE NEED YOU TO COMMENT BEFORE DECEMBER 23.

Additional details and comment submission form can be found at the following link:

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=297&projectID=72747&documentID=107887

The RAF suggests the following talking points for members who wish to comment:

· Pilots support stargazing. This is a very successful combination of compatible pastimes. This has been proven at Havana, Illinois, where fly-in stargazing events draw many campers both by air and car. The Blue Canyon airport at Nyack, in Tahoe National Forest is another perfect example.

* Current facilities at Stovepipe Wells are at about 1/2 mile hike away. The airstrip will see a significant increase in visitation should facilities such as a dedicated camping area, as well as toilets be provided to visitors to the airport.

· At 3,260 x 65 ft and a significant existing visitors area, there is ample room for both activities at Stovepipe.

· Providing for under-wing camping at the airstrip helps disperse usage, and puts no additional strain on the NPS campground.

· Its daylight use by small planes minimizes impact to campers and star gazers.

· This airport has historical value, having been established in 1948.

· Stovepipe Airstrip provides another feasible way to access this special land. For many, driving to Stovepipe Wells represents a huge investment of time, and access by small plane opens up that opportunity.

Thank you in advance for your support of this RAF Call to Action! The RAF will be following up with final comments on our website in the near future.

Questions may be directed to CA State Liaisons Rick Lach: rlach@theraf.org and/or Katerina Barilov: kbarilov@theraf.org

Our monthly online chapter meeting will begin at 19:00 on Wednesday, December 16th.

Our program will be given by chapter member Mark Siemens on “My COVID Project: The Making of Scarlett”. Mark will detail the saga of transforming his recently acquired Cessna 182 into a 21st century dream plane, and lessons learned doing it.

Here is the info to join the party:

Time: Dec 16, 2020 19:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 810 7732 2252
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Topic: Do you know all your airport signs and markings, and how they affect your movement of you and your aircraft around the airport?
On Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 12:00 Pacific Standard Time (13:00 MST, 14:00 CST, 15:00 EST, 10:00 HST, 11:00 AKST, 13:00 Arizona, 20:00 GMT)

Select Number:
WP15102902

Description:
Pop quiz: What is the new ICAO standard marking for a taxiway approaching a runway? What is the difference between a relocated threshold and a displaced threshold and what does that indicate to pilots?What is a runway approach holding sign and what are pilots expected to do?

Most pilots have an operational knowledge of the most common runway signs and markings, but if you travel to a larger airport, are you knowledgeable about some of the less common signs and markings? If it has been awhile since you sat through ground school, you may want to join us for a refresher on airport signs and markings. In this safety seminar, we will review the common markings and signs as well as delve into other less common but still important signs and markings.

This safety seminar is open to current and aspiring Private Pilots, and will be of particular interest to student pilots and those who are preparing for a flight review.

Kyle Smathers started flying in 2011 and is passionate about aviation. Kyle graduated from SJSU with an Aerospace Engineering degree, and now works as a CFI at San Carlos Flight Center. He is a Commercial: ASEL, Instrument Airplane Pilot. He offers training in Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, High performance transition, Complex transition and Flight review.

To view further details and registration information for this webinar, click here.

Topic: For most pilots, we are used to operating at paved, asphalt runways. But what happens if we land somewhere without one?
On Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 19:00 Pacific Standard Time (20:00 MST, 21:00 CST, 22:00 EST, 17:00 HST, 18:00 AKST, 20:00 Arizona, 03:00 GMT)

Select Number:
WP15102993

Description:
There was a time when all airports didn’t have asphalt, pavement, or concrete. Nowadays it’s hard to think about operating at an airport without paved ramps, taxiways, and runways. But if you come across one, will you know how to operate safely?.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Chief Pilot Herb Patten to discuss operations at unpaved airports. Sure you were taught soft field takeoff and landing during your private pilot training, but how does that compare to operating on a real soft field like a grass runway. Learn effective techniques for approaching an unpaved runway including what to expect on landing, rollout and taxing along with what hazards exist on unpaved runways. We will also discuss the details of airports with unpaved runways that are in close proximity to San Carlos.

If you are ever interested in what it takes to safely operate at unpaved airports, join us for this seminar.

Herb Patten is the Chief Pilot at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFI and an FAA certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor who teaches private pilot ground school at San Carlos Flight Center. He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating, has flown over 2,000 hours into at least 130 different California airports. He is the current Executive Director of the Upwind Foundation, famous for its Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. In 2015, Herb was named a Master Instructor by the National Association of Flight Instructors.

To view further details and registration information for this webinar, click here.

Our monthly IMC club meeting will be from 7 to 8 pm on Wednesday, December 2. Our special topic will be “CFII Q&A” with Scott Thompson. Scott will provide some additional info on flying Victor airways that came up as questions at last month’s meeting, and there will be an open mic session for Q&A with our resident CFII. There will also be a cold weather ‘What would you do?’ video problem solving scenario.

The link to join the meeting is provided below; all are invited to participate.

Topic: December IMC club
Time: Dec 2, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 874 9077 0753
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If you would like to get Wings program credit for this week’s IMC club meeting, you can register here.

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It’s with great excitement that we announce our Ray Scholar, Hannah Treehan, completed her First Solo this morning!!

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Topic: IFR pilots usually do not expect a WAAS or GPS failure while flying IFR let alone on an RNAV APP, what happens next?
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 19:00 Pacific Standard Time (20:00 MST, 21:00 CST, 22:00 EST, 17:00 HST, 18:00 AKST, 20:00 Arizona, 03:00 GMT)

Select Number:
WP15102680

Description:
Instrument approaches have evolved greatly over the years. From the old VOR/DME approaches to ILS, and RNAV GPS approaches. With each new type of approach came more precision. GPS and WAAS-based instrument approaches have changed the way we fly. These approaches are very precise and have decreased our reliance on ground-based navigation facilities. But what happens if they fail?

San Carlos Flight Center invites Assistant Chief Pilot Brian Eliot to discuss what to do when you are flying an RNAV approach, and encounter an RNAV or WAAS failure. These RNAV approaches are easier to fly and more precise than the traditional approaches. With WAAS and GPS services available 99.99% of the time, it is hard to think about what to do if they were to fail. Sometimes failures do happen, and it is crucial that we know how to handle them.

Join us, as Brian discusses what to do and how to train for these rare occurrences. You will then be prepared to handle this outage like a pro.

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

To view further details and registration information for this webinar, click here.

Topic: IMC Topics Are Taken From Real Life Events and Discussed to Aid the Decision Making Process for Pilots.
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 19:00 Pacific Standard Time

Location:
online
Lincoln, CA 95648

Select Number:
WP25102675

Description:
This is an audience participation event. After a brief Audio/Video presentation we ask “What Would You Do”? Everyone is encouraged to join in the discussion. Videos depicting actual flights that encountered challenges are chosen from a library provided by EAA . Pilots of all skill levels are encouraged to attend. Click the link below for more information and to register TODAY.

To view further details and registration information for this seminar, click here.

Topic: Safety lessons from insurance company accident claim files.
On Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 19:00 Eastern Standard Time (16:00 PST, 17:00 MST, 18:00 CST, 14:00 HST, 15:00 AKST, 17:00 Arizona, 00:00 GMT)

Select Number:
EA23102480

Description:
This lively webinar will feature a series of photos, culled from actual Avemco claim files, along with claim data specific to Avemco records. The pictures and data will focus on weather and in-motion awareness. There will also be a review of some odd-ball pilot incidents, that hopefully provide education for encounters that occur not only in the air but on the ground.

Host: Gene Benson. Presenter: Bryon Schwartz, Avemco Senior Aviation Underwriter

To view further details and registration information for this webinar, click here.