Young Man’s Work Pays Off
Matt Cooney’s interest in aviation began in high school when he took an elective aviation science class. He thought it was going to be an easy class with lots of field trips. As it turned out, it wasn’t easy, but it did change his life. One of his assignments was to interview someone involved in aviation, so he contacted a family friend, Neil, who was formerly a United Airlines captain. After the interview, they went flying… taking off from the runway in Neil’s backyard.

Neil mentioned that his glider club offered a scholarship, so Matt wrote a winning essay and earned a $500 scholarship. He loved the rush he felt in the glider. That was the beginning of his pilot training.

After a while Matt’s friends told him that he should become a pilot, because all he could talk about was airplanes and flying. Right around that time, he ran into his old friend Gil Rivera, who was an instructor at American Flyers, but had just been hired by an airline. Realizing how attainable an aviation career really is, he decided to train full time. He earned his Private Pilot certificate and his Instrument Rating in minimal time. He’s well into his Commercial now.

Recently, he took his first passengers for a flight. His mother, Robin, and grandparents, Jack and Helen, appreciated Matt’s piloting skills as well as the colors of the changing leaves.

After he finishes his Commercial training, Matt plans to get his Multi-engine and then attend our CFI Academy. Although he’s not sure if he wants to fly corporate or airliners, he is sure that he wants to be a flight instructor.

A Legend in the Making

T.M. Smith is regarded as the oldest living American Flyers graduate. Smitty, as he's affectionately known around Addison Airport in Dallas, earned his CFI-A during the early summer of 1946 in an American Flyers Fairchild PT-19 open cockpit trainer. Sixtyone years later he is still flying in American Flyers airplanes, but now he is a very active FAA designated pilot examiner.

Five years after earning his instructor certificate, Smitty got his DC-3 ATP type rating at American Flyers. He spent many years as Chief Pilot at various flight schools, gaining the knowledge and expertise it takes to be effective examiner. For the last 20 years he has been giving checkrides and loving it.

The Dallas Morning News featured an article about Smitty in late September. After it was printed, former students started contacting him, which was a delight to Smitty. The article says that he has examined 10,000 students, and that doesn't bring into account how many he taught himself. One has to wonder exactly how many pilots there are flying who have in one way or another been influenced by Smitty.

Retirement doesn't appear to be on the horizon for this 86 year old pilot – a fact American Flyers applauds. Smitty's 66 years in aviation validates the theory that the secret to a long life is simply doing what you love to do. We're glad he shares it with us.

Destinations...

Whether you feel the need to escape the falling temperatures or the humdrum of the daily grind, you can find relief for both in the Keys. Fly into the Florida Keys Marathon Airport, a perfect central location, and rent a car or ride the shuttle to your choice of lodging.

Visit Key West to discover the magic that has drawn great minds for centuries. Rent a bike to ride around the island. Enjoy sunset at Mallory Dock. Don't get tired yet, there's plenty to do at night. A trip to the Keys would not be complete without a visit to Islamorada, the Sport Fishing Capital of the World. You can also visit the History of Diving Museum and the Theater of the Sea Aquarium.

When you pack your bags, don't forget pen and paper. You never know when you might be inspired to write the next great American novel.

Did You Know…
that on February 18, 1930 a gentle Guernsey cow named Nellie Jay (a.k.a. Elm Farm Ollie) was the first cow not only to fly in an airplane, but to be milked en route. As part publicity stunt and part scientific observation during the International Air Exposition in St. Louis, Nellie Jay was flown 72 miles, from Bismarck, MO to St. Louis. The 24 quarts of milk she produced during the flight was packaged in paper cartons and dropped to the ground via small parachutes. It was reported that Charles Lindbergh received a glass of Nellie's milk that day.

I suppose if she'd done exceptionally well, the milk industry would have found a way to keep cows flying and we'd have to catch our milk rather than make a trip to the grocery store.

Laugh Out Loud

ATC: Piper N 4444D, traffic at your 2 o'clock, 500 ft below you.

Piper N4444D: Well, we see a light coming towards us…

ATC: Look again – there's probably a plane behind that light.

http://www.chris.brady.ukgateway.net/pilotjokes.htm

Gallery

"P-26" Bill Boeing & the P-26 "Peashooter"

William E. Boeing was born in Detroit on 1 October 1881. He was the son of a timber merchant and after graduating from Yale, went West to establish himself in the lumber industry. He was irrevocably bitten by the aviation bug during a 1914 ride in a Curtiss seaplane. He learned to fly and decided he could build better airplanes. Pacific Aero Products Co. – later changed to Boeing Airplane Co. – was incorporated on 15 July 1916. Its first airplane made its first flight two weeks later. Boeing won a contract for 50 from the Navy after the U.S. entered World War I. This was the beginning of Boeing’s ascendancy as one of the largest plane makers in the world. A further contract for the production of 200 Thomas Morse Scout fighters made Boeing the largest producer of fighters. The P-26 was a Boeing design that was notable on several fronts. It was the last Boeing design produced under the leadership of Bill Boeing, who retired in 1934. The P-26 was the first monoplane operated by the United States Army Air Corps. It was the first all-metal design. But it was also the last open cockpit fighter, last fixed landing gear fighter, last with an externally braced wing, and the last Boeing fighter produced.

Words of Wisdom

The aircraft G-limits are only there in case there is another flight by
that particular airplane. If subsequent flights do not appear likely,
there are no G-limits.

One of the beautiful things about a single-piloted aircraft is the
quality of the social experience.

If a mother has the slightest suspicion that her infant might grow up to be a pilot, she had better teach him to put things back where he got them.

The ultimate responsibility of the pilot is to fulfill the dreams of the countless millions of earthbound ancestors who could only stare skyward… and wish.

http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_jokes_2004713.asp

ABC's of Radio Communications Etiquette

Sometimes when you move from one locale to another, you notice little things, like how nice drivers are in this new town. Small courtesies can mean a lot when you're rushed and anxious. Just as following rules and being courteous on the road makes driving safer and more enjoyable, courteous communicating on the nations airwaves makes flying safer and more enjoyable. Here are a few things you can do for yourself and the people you come in contact with over the radio.

Always listen before keying the mic to make sure you won't be stepping on anyone's transmission.
Be diligent in listening for ATC's calls to your N-number.
Copy down clearances fully and carefully.
Drop the unnecessary words. Say what you want to say in the fewest words possible.
Expect and anticipate ATC instructions so that you don't get behind the airplane.

These are just a few ideas to help you communicate with efficiency and professionalism. We all need to occasionally brush up on our communication skills by reviewing the AIM and the Pilot/Controller Glossary from time to time. There is also some good communication skills software on the market so you can practice on your computer at home. Happy Flying during the Holidays!

Ask the Pilot Professor
By Dr. Michael Bliss

Q: I hear quite a bit about the emphasis on crew coordination in the airlines. What can I draw from that concept for my flying which is most often done with a non-pilot in the right seat?

A: There are a number of ways to work together with a non-pilot to make the cockpit a safer place to operate. If you often fly with the same person, train them on what you are doing and what they should be helping you watch for. For example, you can brief them on the assigned taxi route and how to help you look for taxiway and runway markers. You should adopt the practice of maintaining a "sterile cockpit" during taxi, runup and takeoff, as well as approach and landing. Ask for help with looking for other aircraft, looking for the airport, remembering to switch fuel tanks, not missing calls from ATC and a host of other things. Begin to think of the nonpilot as a resource, not just a passenger. This practice will enhance safety and make it more fun for the non-pilot. Who knows, you might be the inspiration to them in becoming a pilot.

Night Flying

As the days get shorter, the chances that you'll find yourself flying in the dark get greater. When you fly at night even the most familiar environment seems different, especially when you fly only occasionally. A little preparation will go a long way in making sure you'll be safe in an environment that suddenly seems unfamiliar. The best place to start is by pulling out your FARAIM (the 2008 edition is available in our pilot shop) and refreshing your memory of the regs and some of the possible hazards associated with night flying.

Some of the areas you'll want to refresh in your memory are:

61.57 (b) covers the regulations on night experience.
91.151 refers to the fuel requirements in VFR conditions.
91.155 details basic VFR weather minimum.
91.205 outlines the instrument and equipment requirements for night.
91.209 gives rules for aircraft lights.
AIM Chapter 2 covers aeronautical lighting and other airport visual aids to refresh your memory on various airport lighting.
AIM Chapter 8 discusses medical facts for pilots, such as hypoxia, night vision and scanning, and illusions in flight.

In addition to reviewing the FARAIM, before you fly at night you can go over your IM SAFE checklist and consider upping your personal minimums at night. Another good idea is to go flying with an instructor after dark. You can get in some good practice, ask questions, and work on specific areas that may be weak. Nighttime can be a magical time to be in the air… a timeto be at peace with the world, all the business forgotten on the ground. The better prepared you are, the more you can enjoy the peace.