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St. Louis Flying Club Newsletter - 31 September 2022

From The President - By Steve

Dear Members,

The last month provided some nice flying weather and a lot of pilots took advantage. All three club aircraft flew to the Light Sport Expo at Mt Vernon on September 10th (first photo below). The Alton fly in on September 24th was the destination for a formation flight that included all three club planes and a Bonanza (2nd photo below). Larry Wehrman flew lead in the Cessna and the rest of the group consisted of Brian Williams in the RV, Brad Hansen in the Bonanza and myself in the Arrow. I think Brad got some slow flight practice staying behind the 172!

John and Larry discovered a recurring problem with the oil cooler support bracket on the RV and fabricated a stronger system that should solve the problem. We are lucky to have these guys keeping such a good eye on the planes and finding minor issues before they become major problems.

It looks like everyone is doing a nice job cleaning the planes when they return to the hangar but I am would ask that we use the cotton towels for general cleanup and save the microfiber towels for the plexiglass.

Keep in mind our club meeting the end of this month. An agenda will be out prior to the meeting and like last time we will start with lunch and then move on to the meeting. We have great weather and all the planes are on line so here’s hoping you can get out and enjoy the Fall colors. Steve

Treasurer's Report - by T.J

BILLING STATEMENT

Comments:

• We had a nice month of flying! The increased rates per hour, as discussed at the spring members meeting, are starting to show in the maintenance balances shown in the balance sheet.
• Fuel decreased to $7.63 per gallon, the first decrease in some time.
• The officers recently met and reviewed the balance sheet and overall fundings. After discussion, we concluded that, because the Cessna engine is at TBO, and because the engine fund is materially sufficient to perform a like-kind change of the engine, that we would adjust the engine contribution down $5 with the remainder allocated to the maintenance fund. See discussions on the maintenance funds on the balance sheet section.
• Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

BALANCE SHEET

• Overall cash is pushing $50,000 and is sufficient to operate into the foreseeable future; even with the impending insurance payment and a new Cessna engine possible within the next 12-24 months.
• We raised all aircraft $10 per hour in the spring to start to build the overall maintenance funds. This was done recognizing that at some point in the future, although we don't know when, that we would need to start to pay for maintenance. Unfortunately, about the time we increased rates, we started to experience large increases in fuel costs. As those fuel costs begin to subside, the maintenance funds will grow.
• It's possible that personal property taxes might increase materially this year. In such a case, we have cash to cover the shortfall and will catch back up in the next years' dues.
• Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

   Maintenance - by John

N202CR RV-7A

• Oil Change - The RV oil and filter were changed on September 22nd. There was no metal in the filter and the oil analysis results were good.
• Oil Cooler Support Baffle - When changing the oil, we found that the oil support baffle was cracked again. We had just replaced it at the last oil change so we decided to beef up the installation with an added support angle and a thicker extrusion support. The repaired oil cooler support structure is much stronger and should last until the engine overhaul several years in the future.

  

N20843 Cessna 172M

• ELT Beacon Registration - The Cessna 406 MHz ELT Beacon registration was renewed on September 27th and is now good through 9/27/24

N2242N Piper Arrow IV

• Oil Change - On September 18th, the Arrow oil and filter were changed. There was no metal in the filter and the oil analysis results were good. We complied with AD 2015-19-07 on Fuel Injector Line and clamp inspection

• ELT Beacon Registration - The Arrow 406 MHz ELT Beacon registration was renewed on September 27th and is now good through 9/27/24

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