Tuesday, August 25, 2009

New Fun Place to Fly - Pine Mountain Lake Airport Hotel Charlotte, Groveland, CA

Hotel Charlotte is a BB Hotel in the authentic Gold Rush era town of Groveland, and we offer transportation to and from the Pine Mountain Lake Tuolumne County airport for our hotel guests. We will also transport our hotel guests to and from the public golf course at Pine Mountain Lake. We have Traditional Rooms for 1 or 2 persons, or Large Rooms for 2 to 3 persons, and Family Suites for 2 to 5 persons. All rooms have an en suite bathroom with shower, many rooms have classic claw foot tubs too, and all rooms have TV. High speed internet computer and WiFi in the parlor are free for hotel guests, and a buffet style scrambled egg, sausage, and pancake breakfast is included in the rate for all guests. In addition to the hotel, we offer Vacation Rental properties as well, which can sleep from 4 to 30 people, within walking distance of the Pine Mountain Lake golf course. Submitted by Lynn Upthagrove. - Got Comments? - Got Photos?
     

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Plane Crashes and Cubemates

I work for a large company and I think I'm the only pilot in the bunch. I have airplane stuff all over my cube. Aircraft pictures, aviation related bumper stickers, stuff from AirVenture, you name it, I've got it.

As you can well imagine, I get a lot of comments from passersby. "Oh, your a pilot?"

"You betcha!" I usually reply. "The most fun you can have with your pants on!"

Most people are really interested in the fact that I'm a pilot and I own my own aircraft. The vast majority of people that drop into my cube to chat say things like "I've always wanted to learn how to fly" or "How much does it cost to take lessons?".

Then there are those who are really hooked and have specific questions. "How hard is it to land an airplane? Where do you go to learn how to fly? How much does it cost? Do you have to pay the airports to land your airplane? Would you take me for a ride? I'll pay for the gas!"

I always enjoy these conversations, since apparently it IS my favorite subject. I find that the majority of people are really intrigued by flying and find it fascinating.

But here lately, there have been a few plane crashes and everybody in the whole damn building wants to come over and talk to me about it. For some reason, this really ticks me off. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it really bothers me.

They really make a big deal about any crash and always want to know what I think about it and what I think may have happened to cause it. Sometimes I feel like they're insinuating "See. You're nuts for being a pilot. It's dangerous". Maybe I'm taking it as an insult to what I love. I really don't know. All I know is that I wish they would just stay away from my cube.

I guess I feel like I need to defend my love for aviation, that I'm not a coward as "some" are. I want to venture out and grab life by the collar and really live. Risk is a part of life, an essential part of life. It's what makes us tick and brings joy into our lives. Without a degree of risk, we would never get married, go after the job we want, move to another town, drive a car, jump off the high dive, I could go on and on.

By being a private pilot, I now have tales of adventures in aviation that I can pass on to my grand children, seeing the world from a personal perspective that only a privileged few can ever experience. A few with a true desire to live life fully.

Smitty

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Saturday, January 3, 2009

Another Experimental Aircraft is Ready to Touch the Sky

Bob Rogers, former President of EAA Chapter 1246 in McKinney, has announced that his Bushby Mustang II (N62BT) has received its Special Airworthiness Certificate as of December 20, 2008!



For years, it was only a slowly growing collection of aluminum parts and pieces, but now, his Mustang II is a real airplane, ready to fly!



After his first visit to Oshkosh in 1990 he discovered that maybe there was a way to realize his dream of owning his on airplane. He would build it himself!

He settled in on the Bushby Mustang II. He noted that it seemed fairly straightforward to build, came in a kit, was not real expensive, and was well tested, having been around for over 20 years. He also thought it was the best-looking kit plane among all the choices available to his pocketbook. An an aluminum, two-place airplane that was moderately priced and relatively fast (180-200 mph).



He chose the Mazda rotary engine as his power plant. Properly prepared, it has a power to weight ratio which is much higher than other automobile piston engines and which approaches that of a turbine engine. Real World Solutions, Inc. of Bell, Florida ("RWS") has developed a compact, lightweight, planetary-geared PSRU to fit several auto engine conversions, including the Mazda rotary engine. By all accounts, this PSRU is virtually bullet-proof. Even with a radiator for cooling, the Mazda rotary engine, PSRU, and all accessories weigh about the same as a Lycoming 180 hp aircraft engine installation.

His Mazda rotary auto-engine conversion does not use a magneto system for ignition. However, it does have a highly reliable stock electronic crank angle sensor, with four high-performance coils, powered by the alternator and backed-up with a standby alternator and the battery. Each rotor is served by dual spark plugs; only one plug per chamber is required to keep the engine running, but firing of both plugs is desirable for optimum burning of fuel in the combustion chamber (just like a certificated aircraft engine). The fuel and ignition controller (manufactured especially for this aircraft conversion application by Real World Solutions, Inc. of Bell, Florida) has two separate units, either one of which will fully operate and control the fuel and ignition system.

Congratulations Bob!
Smitty

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Thursday, January 1, 2009

Avgas is still way too expensive

I just don't get it. Yesterday I filled up my SUV and it wouldn't even hold twenty dollars worth of gas. Wow, $1.33 per gallon! Yet I looked out on AirNav.com and found a wide range of avgas fuel prices. Everything from $2.75 to $5.70, and those prices were at small airports! The larger airports were way over 6 bucks a gallon.



I am guessing that maybe the Avgas at these airports is high because they are re-cooping the money they spent on the fuel they already have at previous prices. It's hard to know what's going on.

Your thoughts or knowledge on this subject will be greatly appreciated not only by me, but other pilots out there who are bewildered as well. Feel free to comment below.

Smitty
FunPlacesToFly.com

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