American Airlines Recruiting Pilots

American Airlines announced today a first-of-its-kind program designed to help future aviators receive the training, financing and mentoring opportunities they need to fly for the world’s largest airline.The American Airlines Cadet Academy will provide an opportunity for future pilots to become first officers at one of American’s three wholly owned regional carriers and eventually fly larger aircraft at American. Once selected, cadets will choose to train at one of American’s partner flight schools in several locations nationwide while having the option to work with Discover Student Loans to apply for a loan up to the total cost of the program, including room and board.

Full details in the pdf.

Roche Harbor Landing Fees

This seems pretty important, over on “Roche Harbor Airport News,” they announced a new landing fee structure.

Second, in more down-to-earth news (via David King, Roche Harbor Neighborhood Association Treasurer and pilot) there’s a new Roche Harbor Airport landing fee structure, replacing the old landing fee system and no longer based on aircraft type but on “certified maximum allowed takeoff weight (MTOW).” Fees for all landings, “even a quick turnaround,” range from $10 for up to 3,600 lbs MTOW to $25 for those of 8,400 lbs MTOW and over. There’s also an annual “frequent lander” rate of $207 for the lightest category and $245 for the heaviest two categories of MTOW.  If an aircraft stays overnight, there’s an additional $5 fee per night.

Fantastic LSA for Sale

I’ve giving up my mid-life crises.  You can check out the ad in Barnstormers.

Marc Islam marc@bpdaffodil.com

Hangar Space Needed

She’s not very big, but my LSA has been hangared all her life and wouldn’t know how to fend for herself in the weather.  Do you have room in your hangar for a low-wing, lightweight LSA?  Give Marc a call at 360.317.5377.  I listed her for sale today so hopefully she’ll only be around for 1-3 months.

Marc Islam marc@bpdaffodil.com

The NBAA Charities Scholarship Program

The NBAA Charities scholarship program, generously supported by NBAA member donors, offers nearly $100,000 annually in cash awards as tuition reimbursement for enrolled students and nearly the same amount in monetary and training awards for working professionals in business aviation, including pilots, maintenance professionals, schedulers, dispatchers, flight attendants and flight technicians.

Click here for more information.

Partnership Available, Cessna 182P

Three way partnership in this Cessna 182P is available. The prospectus (in PDF format) has a lot more details.

Specialty GA License Plates

The Washington State Aviation License Plate, sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Aviation Division, is a collaborative effort by several aviation organizations represented by the Washington State Aviation Alliance. The goal of this specialty plate is to highlight the importance of the state’s aviation system, and to raise funds to support aviation and public-use airports in Washington State.

T0 learn more and sign the petition. which needs 3500 signatures and is half way there.

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January Potluck A Big Success

Our January SJPA potluck was a big success. Ronnie Metcalfe and Chris Chouinard gave a terriffic talk and slide show about their back-country flying and camping trips to Alaska and Idaho. The narrative was as interesting for the pilots amongst us – and for the non-pilots too.

We had nearly a full house, with about ten spouses, and one student pilot, Mark Franklin, and his instructor, Lou Colman.

The presentation was about an hour.  Both speakers, Ronnie and Chris, added words, anecdotes, and color to each other’s piece. An overall enjoyable evening.

Holiday Dinner A Big Success

You can tell by the smiles here that all seventy of us enjoyed a terrific Saturday evening at the annual SJPA Holiday Dinner at the San Juan Island Yacht Club in Friday Harbor. Our featured speaker, Jim Crossley, is shown at the top right of this photo. He told us riveting stories about his years as a U-2 spy plane pilot. Typically, U-2 flights last nine hours, and the pilots who fly them are on a razor’s edge the entire time. It was a surprise to many of us to learn that several U-2s are still flying today and are an essential component for our national security. The first U-2 flight was in 1955. They have been improved over the years, but they’re still essentially the same plane that flew in The Fifties.

What a great day!

Submitted by Mike Taylor:

What a great day! The temperature is getting warmer, the days are longer, the song birds are singing ….and nesting!!

Just a reminder  to add a couple of extra minutes to your preflight this time of year for nesting birds.

A couple of years ago, one of our SJPA members flew over to Skagit on an errand and in less than an hour an enterprising Starling had built a nest under his cowling, on top of the engine. He  probably only found it because he noticed some fresh bird droppings when he got back to the plane. He also shudders to think of what a possible engine fire would have meant over the water.