TEMPORARY RUNWAY CLOSURE FOR CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT THE SAN CARLOS AIRPORT

The San Carlos Airport runway and taxiways will be temporarily closed to all flight operations for construction work associated with South Bayside System Authority’s (SBSA) new sewer line.

The airport will be closed during the period shown below:

• Tuesday, September 11th from 10:00 PM until 7:00 AM Wednesday, September 12th

PLEASE NOTE – The dates and times of these runway closures listed above are subject to change due to weather or other issues. Additional closures may occur as SBSA continues to construct their sewer line. Dates and times of any future closures will be provided as soon as that information becomes available. Please contact the San Carlos Airport Office at (650) 573-3700 if you have any questions. Pilots should verify all airport closure information by obtaining officially disseminated FAA NOTAMs prior to flight.

The FAA is scheduled to flight check the VASIs on Friday Aug. 10th. We can expect multiple passes at various altitudes, perhaps by their Learjet, at unexpected times.

To the General Aviation Community,

Click here: MBNMS Pilot Outreach Letter_Jul2012 for a 1-page letter (PDF format) from the superintendent of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary that highlights some current and upcoming changes that the FAA is making to the Los Angeles and San Francisco sectional and terminal area charts. The charts will display new notices about flight operations in coastal areas that may be relevant to your activities.

If you wish to verify the authenticity of this email message, feel free to contact me using the information below.

Thank you.

–
Scott Kathey
Federal Regulatory Coordinator
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
99 Pacific Street, Bldg 455A
Monterey, California 93940
Phone: 831-647-4251
Website: http://montereybay.noaa.gov/

Synopsis: Flyabout tells the autobiographical story of Monika Petrillo’s journey piloting a small single-engine airplane around the continent of Australia. Her father, a pilot with limited experience himself, is riding shotgun. As the only woman pilot in a group of eleven people, Monika sets out to experience the true freedom of flight above one of the most untouched places on earth. The idea of the Walkabout, a spiritual journey Aborigines have valued for thousands of years, further inspires her to seek an elusive spiritual experience herself. However, a tight schedule, mechanical failures, sudden loss of visibility and unpredictable crosswinds keep her both too busy and too uptight. But what impacts her most is the unexpected conflict that arises between her father and herself.

Director: Monika Petrillo | Producer: Monika Petrillo
Genre: Documentary | Produced In: 2006 | Story Teller’s Country: U.S.
Tags: Australia, Oceania, Relationships, Culture, Harmony, Disharmony

If you like the movie and would like to help Monika, log in to the movie’s web site and add your rating.

Runway and Taxiway Closures

The San Carlos Airport will be temporarily closed to all flight operations during the dates and times shown below as a result of the Vertical Challenge Helicopter Event:

NO FLIGHT OPERATIONS
Friday, June 15th from 3pm until 4pm
Friday, June 15th from 8pm until 8:50pm
Saturday, June 16th from 10am until 4pm
Sunday, June 17th from 9am until 10am

The FAA will be restricting all access to the entire east side hangar areas including Bravo, Hotel, Sierra, Twin & Transient tiedown aprons during the runway closure periods during all air show activities.

Please contact the Hiller Museum or Airport Office for more information. Dates and times are subject to change. Pilots should obtain official FAA NOTAM’s prior to flight.

Attendance is limited to the first 200 people to RSVP. Please reserve your seat by clicking here and filling out the form.

What: Learn about the future of AVGAS
Where: Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos, CA
When: Friday, June 29, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Special Guest: Lars Hjelmberg, Founder and CEO of Hjelmco Oil

Supporters: Hiller Aviation Museum, Rabbit Aviation Services, Business Association of San Carlos Airport, and the FAA Safety Team (FAAst Team)

The fuel currently used in piston-powered aircraft, 100LL (low lead) AvGas, is the last leaded fuel in production. For years, environmental protection agencies worldwide have been working with refiners and other regulatory agencies to develop an un-leaded replacement for 100LL.

100LL AvGas is a federally regulated fuel product that must meet very specific ASTM standards to comply with airframe and engine manufacturer specifications. The fuel is special, requiring special handling which most refiners and distributors refuse to deal with and as a result, there are very few AvGas manufactures. 100LL AvGas is also used across a very wide spectrum of aircraft/engine types – from low-powered to high-performance aircraft that operate at high altitudes under very demanding conditions. Therefore, the development of a replacement unleaded fuel has been problematic from a technical perspective.

Tetraethyl-lead (TEL) used in 100LL AvGas acts as an octane booster to prevent engine detonation and pre-ignition. It also provides improved heat transfer for valve seats and piston rings. Due to the relatively small demand for AvGas, the TEL used in the AvGas has a very limited production.

There has been a lot of news recently about unleaded alternatives to 100LL, including a UL 91, which is being pushed by Lycoming Engines and TOTAL in Europe (see this news story – http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2012/120419lycoming-eu-bless-ul-91.html), 94UL, which is being pushed by Continental, a new 100UL being developed by a startup called Swift Fuel, and G100UL being developed by GAMI.

Additionally, recent national publications like Bloomberg have highlighted the potential health risks of leaded aviation gasoline. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&refer=&sid=aCfotEYJYr3Y

Lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft and leaded aviation gasoline are Federally-regulated. EPA received a petition to determine whether lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft endanger human health and the environment. The EPA is currently conducting a national-scale analysis of the local impact of lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft. It’s time to understand what the alternatives are to 100LL and where we are in the certification process.

In 1979, a Swedish company called Hjelmco Oil, founded by Lars Hjelmberg, developed an unleaded 80/87 grade AVGAS. In 1991, the company developed a 91/96 grade unleaded AVGAS, which is very close to 100 octane. Continental, Lycoming, Rotax, and radial engine manufacturer Kalisz have all cleared the Hjelmco AVGAS 91/96 UL for use in many of their engines. The fuel has been widely used throughout Sweden for decades and millions of flight hours, including by the Swedish Air Force, and is the preferred fuel for general aviation there.

We are honored to have Lars Hjelmberg join us on June 29th at 10:00 AM at the Hiller Aviation Museum for a town hall seminar about the development of unleaded aviation fuel and to conduct a comprehensive question and answer session. This is an event you won’t want to miss if you are interested in the future of aviation gasoline.

Refreshments will be provided.

www.hiller.org
www.rabbitsql.com
www.basca.org
www.faasafety.gov

During the Presidential TFR on May 24, 2012, Acting Airports Manager Jim Wadleigh and staff organized a Foreign Object Debris walk at San Carlos Airport. SCAPA thanks all participants including Hans Plesman from San Carlos Aviation and Supply who provided four dozen Krispy Kreme donuts.

thanks to Chris St. Peter for the photos

Message from the KSQL Air Traffic Manager

While the airport community eagerly awaits the annual return of Hiller Aviation Museum’s Vertical Challenge, many people are behind the scenes are preparing the environment for the most efficient transition from operational-airport to show-ready and back again with minimal disruption to the regular users of the airport. One specific item comes to mind as a potential problem, so I’ve decided to bring it to your attention and ask for your help.

On the evening of Friday, June 15, the event’s festivities kick off with a “Twilight Show”, scheduled from 8:00 until 8:50pm which poses one specific challenge for the Tower; resuming control of the airfield at the conclusion of the air show, then terminating Control Tower Operations by 9:00pm. For the sake of orderly operations, I would ask everyone to consider their specific need for services during this period (i.e. IFR or VFR flight following, etc.) and understand the workload involved; ten minutes is short and this time compresses greatly with numerous simultaneous requests. If you must depart IFR or if you must have the Tower coordinate your VFR flight following, please consider departing earlier in the day; with few alternatives, this is the best solution to ensure a safe and orderly airport environment. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Respectfully,

Casey B. Giddens
Air Traffic Manager

Saturday, May 19th is International Learn to Fly Day, and San Carlos Flight Center is celebrating with an open house.

Click here for details.

Forward this invitation to your friends, family, co-workers, your regular passengers, and anyone else who’s ever wondered what it takes to fly.

San Carlos Learn to Fly Day activities start at 10:00am with an Open House at San Carlos Flight Center, 655 Skyway Rd, Suite 215, next door to the Hiller Aviation Museum at San Carlos Airport.

Meet our instructors, view our training aircraft on display and maybe take a short flight on our exclusive crosswind landing simulator, the only one like it on the West Coast.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

10am-3pm: San Carlos Flight Center Open House

11am: Learning to Fly Presentation (SCFC Classroom)

12-1pm: BBQ lunch* (RSVP required)
* FREE lunch to the first 100 to register

Win demo flights, t-shirts and more. Bring your friends and family!

SCAPA is happy to welcome our newest member, Hans P. Plesman, proprietor of San Carlos Aviation & Supply, LLC. Hans assumed operation of the pilot shop, located in the terminal at KSQL, in September 2011. Mrs. Joyce Maganini the previous owner of the store for more than 25 years, helped at the store until the end of March 2012.

Hans passed along the following summary.

San Carlos Aviation & Supply intends to increase the business and the inventory offered at the store. We started to carry now tires (mainly for Cessna and Piper), batteries, spark plugs, TKS anti-icing fluid for the weeping wing and increased the selection of lubricants for aeroplane engines including Aeroshell in four grades and Phillips Aviation Oil in two grades as well as oil and air filters.

We continue to stock most of the FAA aeronautical charts including now Alaska and even Mexico as well as en-route, approach plates and AFD’s.

Apparel will be part of our business including official licensed Cessna and Boeing merchandise and many more. Pilot training books and other material are available for the student pilot and recurrent flight training books are available as well. The whole line of Max Trescott books and CD ROMs are stocked.

Our aim is to offer the best aviation pilot shop open 7 days a week in the greater Bay Area.

Pass-by and say hello.
Hans P. Plesman

The San Carlos Airport runway and taxiways will be temporarily closed to all flight operations, for the emergency repair of South Bayside System Authority’s (SBSA) sewer line that runs under the west side of the airport, during the periods shown below:

PLEASE NOTE – The dates and times of the runway closure period listed above are subject to modification or cancellation due to weather or other scheduling issues. Additional closures are likely to occur as SBSA continues to repair their sewer line. Dates and times of any future closures will be provided as soon as that information becomes available. Please contact the San Carlos Airport Office at (650) 573-3700 if you have any questions. Pilots should verify all airport closure information by obtaining officially disseminated FAA NOTAMs prior to flight.

From SCAPA member Ettore Leale: The San Carlos airport community is invited to attend The Harvard Club of San Francisco’s May 1st event featuring Einar Enevoldson of The Perlan Project.

The Perlan Project http://perlanproject.org is dedicated to building and flying a manned research glider to 90,000 feet in altitude, or “near space”, to study what role the strong stratospheric winds called the “polar vortex,” play in ozone depletion and how they influence global weather patterns. The Perlan Project has a three-part mission of science, engineering, and education. The scientific objective is to fly and record data in the stratospheric mountain lee waves. These wind waves play a dominating role in ozone depletion. These giant mountain waves, as they break and tumble, cause air mixing in the upper stratosphere that impact global weather patterns.

The engineering challenge is to build an aircraft that will fly in a virtual vacuum of only 3% of the sea-level atmospheric pressure; the experience in designing and flying the Perlan aircraft will be useful to scientists designing a future airplane to fly on Mars where conditions are similar. The educational opportunity is to inspire young people to seek careers in math, science, engineering and aviation through educational partnerships with schools across the country.

Einar is a lifelong glider pilot, former jet fighter pilot in the USAF, and exchange officer with the Royal Air Force where he attended the Empire Test Pilot’s School in Farnborough, England. Following graduation, he served as a test pilot on the Hunter, Lightning and Javelin British fighter aircraft from 1966 to 1967. From 1968 until 1986 Einar was a NASA research pilot at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.

Among the many planes he flew for NASA were the YF-12A (Interceptor version of the SR-71), the oblique wing AD-1, Controlled Deep Stall Sailplane and the X-24B Lifting Body. He was twice awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. In 1992 Einar first envisioned the Perlan Project when a LIDAR image of a stratospheric mountain wave, at 75,000 feet above Northern Scandinavia was first shown in Germany. Einar believed that such mountain waves could be used to fly a sailplane to astonishing heights.

Einar and Steve Fossett proved this concept when they set a world record altitude for gliders of 50,671 feet on August 30, 2006 in the Perlan I glider, in stratospheric mountains waves generated by Polar Vortex winds over el Calafate in the Argentine Andes.

The event is open to the public, with an admission charge of $15 for non-HCSF members. Please advertise this event to airport community.

See event details at: http://www.harvardclubsf.org/article.html?aid=430

Note: the Harvard Club is located at 275 Battery Street, 25th Floor, in San Francisco. There is an admission charge of $15 for non-HCSF members.

Please join us at the next SCAPA General Membership Meeting on Wed. April 25, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Hiller Museum. We are very pleased to announce that Ed Rosiak, President of the California Pilots Association will discuss Airports 101, the three-tier model for protecting our airports. Other speakers may be added to the agenda.

The Acting Airports Manager will update us on issues at the airport and we will deal with several business items including the election of Board members.

For any last minute updates about the meeting, visit http://www.sancarlosairport.org

Please join us!

A combined EAA Chapter 639 and Half Moon Bay Pilots Association Meeting will be held on Wed. April 11th at 7:00pm at the 3 Zero Cafe. (As always, 2nd Wed. of each month at 7:00pm).

We will use the meeting to plan and prepare for Dream Machines on April 28th and April 29th. Please come and help us get ready for the BIG event. We still need more volunteers to work Dream Machines so tell your friends.

Also note: Take a look at the EAA 639 HMB Pilots website at
http://639.eaachapter.org

As noted on the web site we have programs planned for our May 9th meeting (presentation by Col. Yates re Pillar Point Air Force Antenna) and our June 13th meeting (presentation by re Marine Sanctuary).

The Half Moon Bay Pilots Association is recruiting for aviation knowledgeable volunteers for Dream Machines on April 28 and 29. Their most pressing need is
people to assist in ground control of visiting aircraft. This actually is both fun and interesting and comes with a free lunch and free entry. One or both days are available. We hope to provide volunteers with ample breaks for them to see the show.

Contact Brent Gammon
gammon25 at yahoo.com