Newsletter March, 2024

Mike


We have been working hard to flush out the details of our events schedule; it will be a busy year for those of us going on these adventures.

April 20 – we are still tentatively planning on lunch at Montauk, NY (KMTP) but the landing fee is $40 (more for Baron’s). Within a short walk is Inlet seafood, a great restaurant in a dramatic setting with ocean beaches and hiking trails adjacent. Land at 11AM, walk down to the area at 11:30, restaurant actually opens at 12noon.

May 11 (changed from May 18) – Westfield, MA (KBAF) for lunch and a visit to the museum afterwards. Mike Shehl is organizing I have Young Eagles that morning (I do it monthly) so depending on things, I’ll be late or on time or not at all. The museum has a great collection of old interesting aircraft.

May 30 to June 2 – Chatham, MA (KCQX). Great town on Cape Cod with nearby attractions including beaches, Wildlife Refuge, lighthouses, museums and a great little town with shops and restaurants. I am staying at the Chatham Wayside Inn downtown. There are numerous accommodations of all types. Since it is a little early season, there should be some availability. I reserved a rental car through National to be dropped off at the FBO.

June 6 to 9 – Formation flying at Barnes (KBAF), Paul Stavrides organizing.

June 23 to 29 – Twillingate. Being organized by Michael Madigan, Brent Hippert and I. There have been some changes to the itinerary, but the following is cast in stone:

— June 22 – Ginny & I will fly to Maine somewhere & stay overnight, TBD

–June 23 – Arrive in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, CYDF. They do have fuel. Leave the airplane
there all week. Stay overnight, I booked Madigan and myself in the nearby Holiday Inn Express. Michael Madigan & I will share a rental car, which I booked.

–June 24 – Drive 4+ hours to Twillingate. Twillingate, located on Iceberg Alley, is Newfoundland and Labrador’s ultimate outport experience and adventure. An ocean playground with icebergs, whales, rugged coastline and unique island culture – the island connected to Newfoundland by bridges and causeways at the end of Route 340. It is a small island and lodging accommodations are unusual.

o We will schedule an iceberg tour and hopefully get tickets to the playhouse.

o There are no big resorts. There are 2 motels, The Anchor Inn and the North 99. There are B&Bs and lots of houses to rent (surprisingly). The Madigans, Hipperts and I jointly rented a big house out of town on the water with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. I recommend contacting Outport Realty. I talked to Marie Magnin, 709-893-2160.

— On June 27, we are driving to Gros Morne (4+ hours). Soaring fjords and moody mountains tower above a diverse panorama of beaches and bogs, forests and barren cliffs. Shaped by colliding continents and grinding glaciers, Gros Morne’s ancient landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gros Morne National Park is truly one of the world’s most unique and spectacular tourism destinations.

o Gros Morne National Park is large, with seven different communities located in the South, Centreal and Northern section of the Park. Each area has numerous accommodations to chose from including B &B’s, Hotels, Inn’s, Cottages, Hostels, RV Parks, and Parks Canada Campsites. I have not yet made arrangements for lodging in Gros Morne.

I have been to both Twillingate and Gros Morne. And both are spectacular. Gros Morne is a national park on par with any national park in North America. Note that we are doing Twillingate first for the icebergs. They arrive in the spring and eventually melt. Many icebergs get stuck in the irregular coastline around Twillingate. The tourist season up there starts July 1, a holiday.

Mike McNamara
610-220-3140
mikemcnamara88@aol.com

Mike McNamara

From the President February 2024

Newsletter February, 2024

Aram Basmajian gave a talk on single pilot IFR including use of the autopilot on February 10 at 10AM at KRDG, Reading, PA and it was a very engaging talk with lots of audience participation. His talk concentrated on accident trends and how autopilots reduce workload.

Since I added a Garmin GFC500 a couple years ago after 20 years of flying with a Brittain wing leveler, I was interested and I did learn some things.

I counted 37 attendees which included NEBG members and many other area pilots. Bill VanArtsdalen from the FAA was also there to talk about the FAAST Team and the Wings program.



Afterwards we had lunch in Klinger’s restaurant.

Our next event is tentatively planned for April 20 to have lunch at the great restaurant near Montauk, NY Airport (KMTP). We have not been able to confirm anything due to it being closed for the winter. Being organized by Michael Madigan.

Note date change for lunch at KBAF, Westfield MA. Museum afterwards. The date is now MAY 11, not May 18 as previously scheduled. Organized by Michael Shehl, who also organizes our Facebook page. Thanks Michael.

Mike McNamara
610-220-3140
mikemcnamara88@aol.com

KRDG Reading February WINGS Event

The first NEBG event of 2024 was to sponsor an FAA WINGS seminar in the departure lounge of KRDG. We had about 33 attendees, many of them aircraft owners of other than Beechcraft products.

We want to thank Aram Basmadjian for taking the time to put together this event. Thanks also to the FAA WINGS team and Bill VanArtdalen for getting this together.

Aram Basmadjian FAA WINGS

Coffee and danish provided by the NEBG for the attendees. Both a summary of the event and Aram’s PowerPoint slides are below.

There were quite a number of aircraft there. Here’s a photo of the ramp outside the restaurant:

–paul
N155JA

Aram’s PowerPoint as a PDF:


SUMMARY:

Speaker: Aram Basmadjian Date: February 10, 2024 Location: Reading Regional Airport (RDG) Target Audience: Single-pilot Instrument Flight Rated (IFR) pilots, primarily Beechcraft owners but open to all

Main Topic: Using the autopilot effectively to reduce workload and improve situational awareness during IFR flight.

Key Points:

  • Challenges of Single-Pilot IFR: Increased workload, multitasking demands, decision fatigue.
  • Benefits of Autopilot: Allows pilot to focus on other tasks, reduces fatigue, improves overall safety.
  • Importance of Knowledge: Understand your specific autopilot’s capabilities and limitations (RTFM!).
  • Basic Autopilot Operations: Know how to engage/disengage, switch modes, and troubleshoot common issues.
  • Setting Up for Departure: Pre-program desired altitude and heading before takeoff.
  • Vertical Modes: Understand the differences between IAS, VS, VNAV, and ALT modes and choose the appropriate one for the situation.
  • Autopilot Tips:
    • Don’t engage AP until desired modes are selected.
    • Use pitch wheel on mode controller for minor altitude adjustments in ALT mode.
    • Reactivate lateral mode after changing nav sources.
    • Use APR for approaches with vertical guidance, NAV otherwise.
    • Practice TOGA (Take Off / Go Around) mode in VFR first.
  • SIDs/STARs: Follow specific procedures for loading and flying these routes with the autopilot.
  • Approach Procedures: Use the “5 A’s and 5 T’s” checklist for a smooth and safe approach.

Additional Information:

  • The talk was sponsored by the FAA Safety Team and the NorthEast Bonanza Group.
  • The presentation materials were available to attendees.
  • Information about the FAA WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program was provided, including how to participate and earn credits.

Overall, this talk provided valuable information and tips for single-pilot IFR pilots on how to use the autopilot effectively to enhance safety and situational awareness.