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Newsletter OCTOBER 2024

We are set to meet on Saturday, November 2 at KRDG, Reading, PA.

The airport has graciously again allowed us to meet in the main terminal and use their audio-visual equipment.

As this is our annual meeting, we are required to elect our officers again.

The current officers are:

• Mike McNamara, President (myself)
• Aram Basmadjian, Secretary
• Brian Seltzer, Treasurer
• Paul Stavrides, Web master.
• Mike Shehl who handles our Facebook page.

Brian Seltzer has created a financial report which will be presented. Brian will not be in attendance due to recovering from some health issues.

None of the officers are reimbursed for their efforts. We owe them all a “Thanks”.

As for me, I have been doing this for 15 or 20 years and welcome anyone who wants to step up with new ideas and have a fresh attitude.

CALENDAR

Reading, PA November 2, 2024 – our annual planning meeting. I’ll be there. Arrive at 9:30AM, meet 10AM, lunch around 11:30 or noon.

2024

It has been a busy year for me as I transition slowly towards partial retirement and working less and traveling more. Aside from the Bonanza trips my wife and I have been traveling around the east towing our Airstream travel trailer and we also flew to Sweden to attend the wedding of Michael Madigan (ABS past president) and Bella.

Michael Madigan and I also took my Airstream to EAA Airventure. It was a 3 day drive each way although one of the days was on the ferry crossing Lake Michigan. Attending Airventure by living in Camp Scholler was great.

In May, a few of us went to Westfield, MA to the museum. We should go back and get more people. The people there were very gracious, and the aircraft were interesting. Thanks to Mike Shehl for organizing.

In late June, 4 couples in 4 airplanes spent a week in Newfoundland. Three days in Twillingate and 3 days in Gros Morne National Park. Both locations were great, and the trip was fantastic. In attendance were Michael Madigan and Bella, Brent and Jeanne Hippert, Dave Harnitchek and Cathy, and my wife, Ginny & I. I missed some of the best hiking because I severely injured my knee skiing last February which has since fully recovered.

In August we had 8 of us fly to the great museum at Schenectady, NY. We learned a lot about GE aviation and the various airplanes GE engines went into. They had the F14, F15, C130 and numerous other aircraft. The state is supporting the museum.

It’s October now and my airplane is in for a paint project. I rode with Michael Madigan to Tullahoma, always a great time.

2025

We should start thinking about next year. Our week long trips to Canada are always a success and we’ll do that again. An idea was suggested to spend 3 days in the Picton, Ontario region on the lake and 3 days in St. Catherines, Ontario area. Picton is known for world-class wineries, sandy beaches and boutique accommodations. St. Catherines is a historic town in the well known Niagara on the Lake region of Ontario.

Steve Weintraub volunteered to organize a trip to Indiana, PA (KIDI) and visit the Jimmy Stewart Museum. There is an on-site café and self-serve fuel. We will definitely do that next year.

Let me know if you have any other ideas, I am always open to help organizing events.

Mike McNamara
610-220-3140

mikemcnamara88@aol.com

 

We will have an informal lunch at 12 noon at the restaurant in the terminal and wander over to the museum.

Mike Shehl and I are supposed to be organizing but his airplane is down and I am doing Young Eagles but we both are still going to try to come up.

Let Mike or me know if you are coming.

mikemcnamara88@aol.com.
610-220-3140

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.

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.