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St. Louis Flying Club Newsletter - 31 November 2020

From The President - By Steve

Dear Members,

It is good to see all the flying taking place this month. I was able to take the RV on 2 cross country trips. First my wife and I flew to North Carolina to visit family. This was our second trip into Charlotte-Douglas and just as exciting as the first. We encountered friendly controllers working a busy airspace (all 3 N/S runways in use) who had no problem working us into the mix of commercial traffic. We did get the usual request to keep our speed up on final but that is not difficult in the RV. Wilson FBO provided the same great service as before with a "follow me" truck onto the ramp and all fees plus one nights parking ($15) waived with a fuel purchase.

Next I flew with Mike Landgraf to Chicago Executive, a busy airport just North of Ohare. It was 20 gusting to 30 (pretty much straight down the runway) with more wind in the forecast so I was happy to get out of there. I flew back along the lake shore with some fantastic views of the city. There is much to like about the avionics in the RV and with the progress John and Larry are making on the Arrow we will soon be able to enjoy a similar package in that airplane.

Thanks to Geoff for getting us set up with a more reliable internet service. It is especially important in the cold weather as it allows remote access to the heaters.

I hope everyone is staying safe during this pandemic and still able to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. There really is a lot to be grateful for.

Safe flying!

Steve

Treasurer's Report - by T.J

Fellow Members,

Attached below are our the November financial schedules; don’t hesitate to call with questions.

Blue Skies

TJ

BILLING STATEMENT

BALANCE SHEET

Significant Discussions

  • Insurance - Our 2020 insurance will be fully amortized on 12/15/20. The next payment will be made in early January.
  • Other Improvement Funds - We are no longer funding these lines as we experienced a significant increase in insurance and elected to not raise dues. At the officers meeting, we decided to hold dues flat and see what happens to insurance in January. Ultimately, we will likely combine the interior and exterior improvement funds.
  • Maintenance Funds - No maintenance funds are negative. In fact, with the falling fuel prices and our not decreasing rental fees, the maintenance funds have begun to increase more rapidly.
  • Overall Cash - Cash will be sufficient for needed payments at the end of the year.
  • Major Work - The line represents the funds we have spent on the Arrow upgrade and not yet put into service. When the Arrow is flying again, this line will go to $0 and the increased value of the new avionics will be included in the Arrow.

   Maintenance - by John

N202CR RV-7A

  • Oil Change On November 2, the oil and filter were changed on the RV. Oil analysis results were normal
  • Tire and Tube On November 17, the LH main tire was found to be flat during preflight inspection. Tim Volk removed the wheel pant and tire and found there was a hole in the inner tube. A new Tire and tube were installed and the plane was back in service by noon. Thanks to Tim Volk for helping out with the tire and tube replacemant.

N20843 Cessna 172

  • Oil Change -The oil and filter were changed on Nov 18. The oil analysis results were submitted and we are waiting on the results.
  • Transponder and Altimeter Test - The IFR Altimeter and Transponder test was completed on Dec 1. The next test is required in two years.

N2242N Piper Arrow IV

  • Avionics Upgrade/Autopilot Install - The Avionics Upgrade/Autopilot upgrade is essentially complete. As we were finishing up the aircraft, we noticed that the Throttle and mixture controls were very difficult to move. We had not replaced these control cables when we installed the engine and decided to go ahead replace the 40 year old control cables now. We just received the new cables and hope to install them next week. While removing the old throttle control cable, we also noticed that the control arm for the alternate air valve was worn and ordered a new assembly. The new Alternate Air control arm should come mid week and we will install it when it arrives.

  • Transponder and Altimeter Test - With the removal of our old altimeter and altitude encoder, we also conducted a Transponder and Altimeter test on December 1 to verify the new avionics were operating correctly and indicating the correct altitude


Copyright © 2018, St. Louis Flying Club, All rights reserved. Last updated November 2020 .
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