Next meeting - March 12. 10 AM. Sherry Walker's hangar at Boerne Stage Airfield (5C1). Drive in or fly in. Directions to her hangar: Go east on the taxiway/ramp on the north side of the FBO. Turn left (north) at the intersection. It's the 1st hangar on the right. The hangar is grayish/white trimmed in red. Sherry will be there early and the hangar door will be open (unless it's cold and windy). If you drive in, park around the FBO as there is not enough parking spaces at the hangar - it's just a short walk. Sherry has some chairs, but you might want to bring a chair. She will have coffee and cookies as we arrive. We'll have a business meeting and hangar flying, and then go to Margarita's for margaritas!!Please bring your copy of the Chapter By-Laws and proposed changes to the March meeting. Also, the Nominating Committee will present a proposed slate of candidates at the March meeting and will be accepting further nominations from the floor. The final slate will be published in the April Newsletter, which will include a ballot to be returned by the May meeting.
Since our April meeting will be an activity, there will be no business meeting, so please plan to attend the March 12 meeting.
South Central Section meeting April 22-24 in Grand Junction.
Our new member, Shannon Vinson, is listed on the new members page in the January/February issue of the "99 News". Yea!
The Spring 2005 issue of the South Central Section "Approach" is now on the SCS website. Particularly if you plan to attend the section meeting, the forms are available there, rather than waiting for the mailed issue of the "Approach". If you need the registration information and do not have access to the website, call me and I'll mail them to you.
We had a great time during our visit to the San Antonio International Airport tower. Since it took more time than we anticipated (and was worth every minute), Nancy postponed our business meeting to the March meeting. It was so good to see some folks we haven't seen in a while and some new faces to a lot of us. Attending were: Jo Agee-Housler, Peggy Aguirre and 49 _ Gus Aguirre, Nancy Aldrich, Ann Auld, Betty Sue Basham and 49 _ Willie Nunez, Gloria Blank, Winnie Clements, Lena Cronk, Alice Foeh, Cecilia Hager, Stella Leis and 49 _ Ray Leis, Reni Moczygemba, Barbara Moore and 49 _ Jack Moore, Lisa Padgett, Laura Richter, Susan Robinson, Mary Rohrer, Miriam Talley, Patty Taylor and Marcia Weser.
The February 99s meeting was held on Saturday, February 12 at SAT TRACON (tower and radar). Our host was John Regan. John gave a very informative talk regarding air space in general, and in specific air space in and around the San Antonio area. John gave a pilot's briefing regarding responsibilities for communications and situational awareness. He reminded us of the requirements of ATC for separation, and the responsibilities of the pilot in command. John explained that although controllers are clear on their own jobs, most have very little concept of the pilot's domain. He reminded us of exactly what PIC means. We must communicate our needs, listen carefully and be aware of the traffic situation. The PIC must realize that the controller is dealing with traffic separation, and must be told if any instruction given is not realistic for the particular situation the pilot is in. The pilot should not hesitate to state "unable to comply" and request an amended clearance if the situation warrants.
Please remember to declare an emergency if the event warrants such an action. Controllers may or may not understand your particular problem from the description. An example given by John was "vacuum failure" told by a pilot of an aircraft to the controller was translated to the following controller as a vacuum cleaner outage. The pilot did not declare an emergency, was not given (nor required to be given without the emergency declaration) priority handling, and the results were fatal. Vacuum failure meant nothing to the controller, but a declared emergency would have changed things.
We were given a tour of both the tower and the radar facility. The event was extremely educational and interesting.
Ann Auld will be joining us as a FWP!!
FAA WINGS awards - Jo has received the cards from John Regan for the people requesting them and will have them at the March meeting. Please!! - let Nancy know if you receive a new WINGS and the phase. We'll see the San Antonio Chapter shine in the "99 News" as well as give us points for the Section Awards! Nancy will need this information as early as possible after May 31st (the end of the fiscal year) to complete the Section Awards forms.
This is being sent early, as I will be in (or should I say "on") the Atlantic the 1st of March (well, on a ship). Sorry, the March "Dispatch" is not available as yet. It will be available on the 99s website about March 1st.
March Birthdays: Our soon-to-be FWP member, Ann Auld (21st). Happy Birthday, Ann!
99s Anniversaries: Gloria Blank (23 years); Nancy Aldrich (26 years); Barbara Faulk (15 years); Rose Marie Burkett (28 years) and Cheryl Casillas (10 years). Thank you for your support and dedication.
See you March 12!
- Gloria