St. Louis Flying Club Newsletter - 25 July 2002

From The President - By Mike Piccirilli

Dear Members,

It was great to see everybody at the annual meeting. John will be including the minutes of the meeting elsewhere in the newsletter.

Though we wanted to get the old Com radios repaired, Randy found out that NARCO no longer services them. The majority of members agreed to purchase another TEK MX-11R as our number #2 Com. As soon as we get it in the plane, we can send the original MX-11 back for repairs. Hopefully with the cooling fan installed, and the 2 MX-11 digital radios installed, we will have a reliable communication system (cross your fingers). Todd thinks we can get some money for the old NARCOs and I hope he can!

Happy Landings!
Pic

Treasurer's Report - by Marlin Sipe

As voted at the meeting, the hourly rate now includes an additional $10 that goes into an Engine Overhaul Fund. It will be tracked the same as the other Escrow items... not included in the Treasury. It will however be included in the Share Value.

The Treasury decreased slightly, partly because of the high fuel bill, and partly because of the Engine fund. To make the accounting easier, I set it up to escrow the money for the Engine Fund in the month the hours are flown and shown on the bill, instead of the following month when the bill is paid. I may change that when I have time, and Escrow engine money the following month, when the bill is paid.

   Annual Club Meeting - by John Heilmann

  • Meeting Attendees: All club member were in attendance.

  • Radio Problem - The problem with the MX-11R (number 1) radio was discussed. After an hour or so, there is a whine heard over the receiver and the radio transmitter stick on. We have had the radio repaired twice and it works great for awhile but has problems when overheated. We have the cooling fan and need to get it installed as soon as possible. The following options were discussed:
    1. Send in one of the backup Narco radios for overhaul so we have a good backup
    2. Send in the MX-11R (number 1 radio) and have it repaired.

    (Subsequent to the club meeting, it was found that Narco no longer services the backup Narco radio and the club decided to order a new MX-11R for the number 2 position and then have the Number 1 MX-11R repaired.)

  • Engine Overhaul - With the engine now over half way to the recommended overhaul time of 2,000 hours, PIC discussed possible options to fund the next overhaul which will occur in approximately 6 years based on our current yearly use. The cost for the overhaul will be approximately $15,000. The previous engine went 2,594 hours before overhaul but our existing engine will probably not go that long. The proposed options were:
    1. Do nothing now. Have a special assessment when the overhaul is required. Add a possible 8th member. Disband club.
    2. Increase hourly fee to create an overhaul fund. $10/hr would provide $9,500 @ 2,000 hours or $12,500 @ 2,300 hours.
    The members voted to increase the hourly fee by $10 per hour.

  • Interior - The members discussed the interior upgrade options and prices from both Airtex and Hanger Bay as shown in the following table:

    ItemAirtexHanger Bay
    Seats$915$799
    Headliner$300$300 (Airtex)
    Carpet$291$169
    Wall Set$593$549
    Total$2099$1817

    Additional Work Required:

    • Replace Seat Belts $140.00
    • Paint Green Plastic
    • Redo Armrests and Headrests
    • Reletter lower instrument panel
    • Replace Baggage compartment Carpet

    Issues and Options discussed:

    • Do the interior in sections; Seats/headliner now (down a weekend?)
    • Do the whole interior at once for around $3,000 (down 2 weeks?)

    Pic suggested the following colors for the upgrade:

    • Carpet - Flax
    • Seats - DT-77 Barley vinyl on the outside with Oak Fabric panels inside
    • Headliner - Cream #314
    • Seat Belts - Tan

    The decision was made for Pic to do more research and get an overall plan put together. It was also discussed to get an estimate to do the seats from a local upholsterer.

  • Paint - Once the schedule is set for installing the intercom and cooling fan, the painter, John Naumo (314-795-3436) will be called to paint the aircraft.

  • Elections - The members voted to retain the current club officers in their current positions.

       Upcoming Medical and BFR Expirations - by Todd Michal

    The following Medicals and BFR's will expire in the next few months. Please let me know when you have them renewed.

    • Mike's BFR is due in August

       Maintenance - by John Heilmann

    Maintenance Actions - A good month for maintenance with only the number 1 radio transmiter sticking issues to report. A new MX-11R radio will be ordered to replace the current Narco number 2 radio and then the number 1 radio will be repaired.

    FAA Private and Instrument Test Questions

    See how much you remember from your FAA Private Pilot and Instrument Rating Written Test by taking a quick 10 question test. Submit your answers and you will receive the correct answers and your score. (Don't worry, only you see the test results and your score.) This is a quick and easy way to keep familiar with the FARs. Use the links below and try to get a 100%:

    The links above take you to Kip's FAA written Test Preparation Site. This site can be found directly at: http://w3.one.net/~kip/faatest.html

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    Copyright © 1999, St. Louis Flying Club, All rights reserved. Last updated 27 July 2002.
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