Finish-up Student Isn’t Finished

Luke Gibson of Redondo Beach, CA earned his instrument rating during the first days of September and he is now nearing the time of his commercial flight test. It’s all part of his goal for a career in aviation. The experience and ambiance of the industry and pastime of aviation is something inherent in Luke; his father is a glider pilot, and his grandfather was a retired Air Force pilot who had a long career as an aircraft engineer with General Electric. “It’s always been in the family,” says Luke.

When Luke graduated from Torrence High in 2006, he went to work for nearby South Bay FBO as a line technician. It was here that he began his flight training. After eighteen months of flying and no license, Luke decided to make the move to American Flyers in Santa Monica. The instructors were great, and the training was “so much fun,” he said. In a matter of months, Luke earned his private pilot license and immediately began working on his instrument rating, which he earned in September. “I was super stoked,” said Luke after his successful test. Luke is hoping to have his commercial certificate complete before the CFI Academy begins in October.

When looking ahead, Luke would like to work as a flight instructor while attending college; he also is interested in adding a seaplane rating to his certificate. While not sure of exactly his dream position, it will “definitely” be in aviation.

During his breaks from flying for training, Luke enjoys flying for fun at his old FBO where he rents his aircraft. His favorite flights are with his father or friends, touring the California coast as far as San Francisco. While he has a ways to go, he has made a great start.

Part of the Flyers Family

While many pilots come through the doors of American Flyers, many graduates come back to see their old school and reminisce with familiar faces. For Gary Solkovits of Coral Springs, Florida, he had many good tales to tell on his most recent visit to the Chicagoland area.

Gary was a student of Aviation Training Enterprises, (the precursor to American Flyers) at Midway Airport in Chicago in 1968. He was already a CFI, but desired to earn an instrument rating. So impressed was he with the professional staff, that he stayed on to earn his Instrument Instructor rating, multi-engine rating and ATP certificate.

Since leaving American Flyers, Gary has had an extraordinary career as a Lear Jet pilot, NASA pilot, an Oshkosh air-boss, air show pilot, experimental jet pilot, and finally, the owner of his own company which provides jet discovery flights, and the first company approved by the FAA to issue type ratings in the Czech-built Aero L-39.

Gary and the L-39 have a relationship that goes back to 1999,when he took his first flight in one. A few flights and a trip to Czechoslovakia later, Gary was convinced; the L-39 was for him. He purchased one in Hamilton, Ohio in 2001, the same year he started his current business: Jet Fighters International Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Gary is an active airshow pilot, routinely touring the country putting his L-39 through its paces for aviation enthusiasts from coast to coast. He has over 450 hours in the L-39 and of all the jet fighter/trainers he has flown, it is his favorite.

After all these years and amazing accomplishments, he still finds time to visit his old school.

Destinations

As the year winds down, a little rest and relaxation is in order; a chance to release some stress and take in a scenic view is just what can help before winter.

This fall, take a trip out to the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort. Nestled in the heart of the Death Valley National Park, this oasis has an airstrip (Furnace Creek, L06) on the grounds, and offers a wide range of activities and amenities for a day-trip, or a long weekend.

The resort features two hotels: the 4-Diamond rated, 66-room Furnace Creek Inn, and the more family oriented 224-room Furnace Creek Ranch. Each one offers fine and casual dining with a view of the desert and the encircling Panamint Mountains. Recreational activities include climbing, backpacking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, tennis, golf, basketball and volleyball. To relax, try out the guests-only sauna, which features seasonal massages or take a swim in one of two spring-fed pools.

National Park activities include desert tours, sightseeing, and the nearby Borax Museum – the oldest structure in Death Valley, which features mining and railroad history artifacts. It will be a welcome stay in a desert hideout that is just right for seeing out the year. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.furnacecreekresort.com.

November Trivia

The history of the phonetic alphabet dates back to World War I, when the forces of Great Britain adopted what was known as “Western Front” slang, or signalese, which was the phonetic spelling used by signallers for use primarily in visual communication. It was formally adopted by the Royal Navy during this time, and featured words such as: Apple, George, Vinegar and Xerxes. The informal signalese counterparts were: Ack, Gee, Vic and X-ray.

The purpose of an international radiotelephony spelling alphabet was to ensure the intelligibility of voice signals over radio links. The first international alphabet was adopted by the International Telecommunications Union in 1927, which made continued improvements until 1932, when the alphabet was standardized by the International Commission for Air Navigation, a predecessor to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and was used in civil aviation until the beginning of World War II.

In 1941 the U.S. created the Joint Army/Navy (JAN) phonetic alphabet to standardize all its armed forces branches; it was known as the Able Baker, after the first two letters. In 1943 the United Kingdom adapted its RAF alphabet to a nearly identical form to America’s JAN alphabet to further facilitate communication between the Allies.

After the war, a new international version was drafted by the International Air Transport Association and was presented to ICAO, which implemented it in 1951. After revising it with the help of speakers from 31 nations and governments such as the U.K. and the U.S., the final version, which is in use today, was adopted by the ICAO on March 1st, 1956.

Source: wikipedia.com

November Joke

During night ops training, the instructor wanted to simulate a landing light failure:

Tower: Cessna 1234, cleared to land runway 31.
Pilot: Cleared to land, Cessna 1234. We'll switch off the landing light for training purposes.
Tower: Roger. Do you want us to switch off the runway lights as well?

Source: landings.com

Ask the Pilot Professor
By Dr. Michael Bliss

We recently received a letter from a reader who did not agree with the way that the FAA deals with Temporary Flight Restrictions. He pointed out that some of these TFRs (e.g. Disney Land) have been around since 9-11-2001 and hardly seem to fall into the “temporary” category. His point was that pilots could more effectively avoid these areas if they were depicted on Sectional/Terminal Charts. We all understand why truly temporary flight restrictions aren’t depicted on charts but if they are to be active indefinitely, it only makes sense that they be charted.

His other point was that the upper limit of a TFR is given as an AGL altitude and he again thought they would be easier to avoid if they were given in MSL altitudes, the same as Class B and C airspace.

We thought that these comments were worth sharing as a reminder to all of us to make sure we check for TFRs every time we fly.

You can find both a list and a map depiction of current TFRs on the FAA web site at http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr_map_ims/html/index.html. However, always check with Flight Service for recently imposed TFRs.

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