WINGOVER

The magazine of the Auckland Aero Club

November/December 2010

Spot Landing Competition

South Island Trip

Achievements

Working Bee

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Alter your flight path and drop into the Waitemata Bar for a quiet tipple.

We’ve got a great selection of tap and

bottled beer, wine and spirits, and a deck in the sun that overlooks all the action on the runway.

The bar is also available for your next

company or personal function. Drop in anytime, give us a call or look us up on facebook.

p. 09 299 8590 Ext 206 : f. 09 299 8592

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Club Staff & Officers Patron Merv North President Rob George Club Captain Craig Pearce Deputy Club Captain Greg Quinn Secretary Ian Holmes Committee Bill Bennett Jim Fraser Ron Watson Operations Manager Paddy Lozell Office Staff Kirsty Johns Scott Hickey Bar Staff Jess Barrow Wingover Editor Emma Sinnott Cover photo by Greg Quinn

Chief Flying Instructor Sandra Shallard (B) Deputy Chief Flying Instructor Tim Steele (B) Instructors Jason Woodger (B) Nathan Johnston (B) Part Time Instructors Andy Lorimer (A) John Ashman (B) Dee Bond (B) Adam Eltham (B) Phil Welcome (B) Nicola Evans (C) Daisuke Kimura (C) Andrew Hope (C) John Kelly (C) T.K. Lee (C) Leo Pardon (C) Aerobatic Instructors Cam Wilson (A) Peter Beaumont (B) Wayne Ormrod (B) Safety Coordinator Tim Steele Maintenance Controller Nathan Johnston

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Club President Report Rob George

The year is flying by (no pun intended) and with the better weather the hours are adding up. In October the team did 378 hours which is the highest for as long as anyone can remember and then we were up there again in November with 329. Unfortunately December was a bit slower due to weather. However we are on track for an increase in annual hours to around 3,400 if the weather holds. We need to keep increasing this number to be sustainable in the long term but the trend is our friend and has been for the last couple of years, so the challenge is to keep building on what we are doing. A successful South Island trip was run late November with the team en-joying Blair Huston’s hospitality in Queenstown. Although they keep say-ing “what goes on tour stays on tour” they all seemed to enjoy them-selves immensely. Congratulations to Larry Chan for his first solo, Deborah Finlay for her CPL pass and to our two newest C Kittens, Leo Pardon and T K Lee. I am working on my CPL and I have a real empathy for the amount of work it takes to tick the boxes. Well done guys. An unusual event took place recently with the runway being closed for a fun run/walk. A lot of fun was had by all and if the stories in the bar were anything to go by then there were several world and Olympic records broken by the “athletes” who managed the entire 1300 metres that make up 03/21. Another different event took place when we set up a grid on the grass and challenged all comers around the field to a circuit and landing com-petition. Our own Jim Fraser won the PPL category which means we can expect big things from Jim at the nationals. Airline Flying Club took out the pre PPL event and our not so new C Cat Nicola cleaned up the In-structor event. Gary Van Der Westhuizen, from Ardmore Helicopters, was disappointed to learn his angry palm tree was not eligible. However there is no reason we could not include a helicopter circuit competition next time. The committee are really keen on holding this kind of event which like the runway run is about the community of the airfield and about the aviation enthusiasts sharing what we do.

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Two thank you notes; Firstly, different people have contacted Paddy about business opportunities recently and when she asked why they had approached us the responses have been along the lines of “we have heard you are a really friendly lot to work with”. So thanks to the instruct-ing and front office team who drive that culture – you are a great team well done keep it up. Secondly, there was a very well supported working bee, thanks to all in-volved. I was unable to help out but felt absolutely humbled by the num-ber of people and the energy spent on making the club a special place. Thanks – your help with this stuff is really appreciated and helps make us what we are. That’s it for me, I am working through the final stages of the CPL cross country syllabus, and then it’s “just” the exam KDR reports, the handling instruction and practice, leading up to a flight test, an initial issue class one medical, a fit and proper person report and the English Language test. Easy if you say it fast. Happy Landings Rob

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Working Bee 14th November 2010

To freshen up the planes a working bee was organised. For an hour during the day each plane was cleaned and shined inside and out. The club would like to thank Greg Quinn, Steve Roberts, Jim Fraser, Emma Sinnott, Reece Harrison, John Mclean, Scott Hickey, Ron Watson, Kay Wooderson, Al Vanoordt, Larry Chan, Georgie Roy, and Richard Amor for their help along with the instructors who helped clean and supervise on the day.

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The 12th of December was decided to be the day where the whole airfield could come together and prove they could land on the spot. I would like to sincerely thank Ian Holmes for taking time out to help with the mowing of the grid, Tim Steele for devoting his day to being the ground judge, the air judges Nicola Evans and T.K. Lee, Adam Eltham for organizing the Ardmore Flying School boys and for sponsoring the prizes, Alan Bostock for his help in Unicom and B.P. for sponsoring prizes also. We had some brilliant airmanship and landings but there can only be one winner. The winner of the Pre-PPL category was David Underwood from Airline Flying Club. The winner of the post PPL category was Jim Fraser and the winner of the instructor category was Nicola Evans both from the Auckland Aero Club. Thank you to all those who entered and I hope you all had an enjoyable day.

Landing Competitions 12th December 2010

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CFI REPORT

Sandra Shallard

Hoping everyone has a very merry Christmas and enjoy the great weather and festivities of the season. We look forward to seeing mem-bers out at the club for some great summer flying. When you’re next out, please introduce yourself to our two new C Cat instructors, TK Lee and Leo Pardon. Congratulations to you both and welcome to the team! Also new to the club is a glass cockpit Garmin 1000 Cessna 172, JRE. Members with a PPL and 100 hours flight time can hire this out after completing one-on-one tuition on the Garmin 1000 and demonstrating competency with using the Garmin 1000. The last couple of months have been busy at the club with some great events including a successful Ardmore airfield competition day, a South Island trip, working bees, Christmas parties and the airfield fun run. We hope to provide members with more exciting trips away in the near future, including a 90 mile beach trip, white water rafting and luging trips. Please contact the club if you are interested in joining us or if you have any sug-gestions for other trips you would like to see the club run. For those of you who will be sitting a PPL or CPL licence later on in the year, terrain awareness and basic mountain flying will be tested during flight tests from July 2011. For current licence holders, this training shall be covered during your next BFR. In preparation of this requirement, the club will be holding several basic mountain flying ground courses and flight training exercises for members. Please contact the flight desk to register your interest. Safe flying, Sandra

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Safety Matters

Tim Steele

Its very pleasing to see that recently we have had no reports of incidents amongst the club members. Even though summer is traditionally a busy period, this seems to be running smoothly. December’s weather has slowed the number of flying hours down, and it’s important to remember that the low cloud and drizzle that is associated with the humid weather often sticks around for a couple of days. This is especially important if you are planning a summer trip away. A recent addition to the club flying procedures is the adding of the TCTWO briefing prior to flight, and when approaching an aerodrome to land. This checklist is a means by which we can formalise the Threat and Error management for each flight. If you are unsure about what this stands for or how to use it, please contact one of the instructors who can organise a brief for you. The Walsh Memorial Flying School will be operating at Matamata Aerodrome from the 7th of January 2011 for approximately two weeks. During this time Matamata will become a controlled aerodrome, with in-tense training activity. Please refer to your latest supplement for informa-tion regarding the changes and if you are unsure about procedures there, speak to one of the instructors. We’ve had a really productive summer, so let’s see that continue with proper planning leading to enjoyable flying.

Fly Safe Tim

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T C TWO Safety briefing

(Prior to start up and revise prior to descent)

T = threats and risks associated with the route / flight. Strategies for mitigation (if an identified risk cannot be managed, the flight does not proceed) C = review charts and AIP available for the route, with route drawn on chart T = terrain associated with the route, minimum safe heights W = weather associated with the route, establish met minimums, alternate plans O = operational / other factors: Lifejackets / radio chatter fre-

quency / no formation / experience levels / fuel availability / food

and drink for flights longer than 1 hour

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Maintenance Bits

Nathan Johnston

Hi all,

Not much to report this time around, just a few friendly reminders. Firstly please

beware the carburettor heat is an unfiltered air source so caution must be used

when operating with carb heat on the ground. Before operating the carb heat

check the area is clear of dust and other debris ie grass etc. If this is not done

you may find yourself dealing with an engine failure after take off.

FVS has a new cylinder and needs to be run at a higher power setting for the

first 50 hours. It is also using a different grade of oil, this can be found in the

Tech Log. If you have any queries or questions please contact any of the instruc-

tors or the desk staff.

Defect reporting is a very important part of keeping the aircraft maintained to a

high standard. If in doubt, write down the defect and we can either have it de-

ferred or repaired.

When 03 is in use run ups are not to be carried out at the 03 holding point as per

the Ardmore Ops manual, however this does not mean you can become a nui-

sance. There is space available at the end of our ramp and taxiway delta. Please

remember to check the area in the vicinity of the propeller is clear of anything

that could be lifted by the propeller and cause damage to the aircraft or anything

behind the aircraft.

Oil for all aircraft needs to be signed out so we can keep an accurate track of oil

consumption and therefore engine condition, if you need oil please talk to an

instructor or the desk staff.

Lastly the computer system is going well, thank you all for your effort in adjust-

ing to the new system, it has improved the efficiency of the maintenance by

maximising utilisation of aircraft and minimising down time. Keep it up!

Cheers

Nathan

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South Island Trip

27/11/10—2/12/2010

With weeks of planning, the 27th November finally came and we set off for what can now be described as a fantastic trip with 8/8’s of blue sky for most of the trip. The morning of the 27th Nicola, Scott and Greg climbed into JRA and Tim, Emma and a lot of baggage climbed into JAZ for a days flying that ended up in Nelson. We stopped at New Plymouth, Stratford, Wanganui and Paraparaumu before crossing the Strait and over the Marlborough Sounds before finally arriving at Nelson for the night. The second days flying took us from Nelson into Kaikoura, where we did a bit of whale watching before heading onto Christchurch. We took off from Christchurch after a spot of lunch and headed to Alexandra before finally landing at Queenstown for the night. The third day was a short trip over to Wanaka and to the museum before heading back to Queenstown for another night. The fourth day we made it to Omaka from Queenstown via Kaikoura for a fuel fill up on the way. The fifth day was across the Strait and into Wellington for the night. The sixth day was back up the west coast via Palmerston North and New Plymouth before finally landing at Ardmore, the end of a memorable trip.

Run-ups at Ardmore

On the west coast on the way down to

New Plymouth

Filling up at Paraparaumu

Crossing the Marlborough Sounds

JRA on the ground at Nelson

Filling up at Paraparaumu

JRA on the ground at Nelson

Whale watching at Kaikoura On final at Christchurch

On the ground at Christchurch

leaving for Alexandra

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On final at Alexandra Filling up at Alexandra Central Otago Flying Club at Alexandra

Heading over Cromwell

Heading into Queenstown

with the road on our right

First view of Queenstown

JAZ and JRA on the ground at Queenstown

The view of the runway from

the house at Queenstown

Turning final at Wanaka

Wellington International Airport

Leaving Wellington

The group of us at Omaka

JAZ on the ground at Omaka

Final into Palmerston North JAZ on final into Palmerston North

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Club Captain’s Report

Craig Pearce

Deputy Club Captain’s Report

Greg Quinn

Hi everyone,

With all this hot humid weather we are having, don’t forget to take a drink bottle with you when you go flying. Also remember not to leave it the plane after the flight. It is the perfect time of year to hire an aircraft and fly somewhere for a couple of hours with some friends for that memorable flight. Some suggestions for this are Pauanui for stroll down the beach or swim, Rag-lan for lunch and a browse around the shops or head to our friends at North Shore Aero club to say hello. Other ideas are to go on an extended scenic flight of Auck-land, head out around the Manukau harbour, up the west coast past Piha, then head over to the east coast around some of the islands in the gulf and back to Ardmore. Just remember to watch the boundaries of any controlled airspace.

Have fun as you explore the region this summer Craig

Hello and a warm welcome, Firstly I would like to thank the committee for asking me to take on the role of Deputy Club Captain, it is an honour and I will endeavor to do my very best for the club and all its members. For those of you who I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet, allow me to intro-duce myself. I was born in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) where I fell in love with flying at a very young age helped by the fact we had a glider field next door. My family moved to the UK in the mid 80's where we settled in Southampton, a stone's throw away from the airport that was the home of the maiden flight of the Spitfire, K5054. I spent many a day with my fingers firmly hooked through the fence taking in the sights, sounds and smells of that small but busy airport. At the age of 11 I joined the Air Training Corps (ATC) and after my first of many aerobatic flights in a Chipmunk, de-cided that my future would be in flying. After leaving the cadets I was awarded a scholarship with 622 VGS an RAF Gliding school based in Upavon on Salisbury Plain where I stayed for a year before heading off to University in Cardiff, Wales. It would be well over a decade of interesting and varied jobs, a lot of travel and a quirk of fate before I'd fly again. My dream was realised at the beginning of 2010 when I began my PPL.

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I joined AAC in March as a full time student and completed my PPL in June now half way through my CPL which I hope to have before the end of summer, then moving on to my C-Cat. So here I am, a proud member of a club that is steeped in history with a hugely bright future ahead of it. Now onwards and upwards, we are fast approaching the 2011 National RNZAC championships which are to be held in Canterbury at West Melton Airfield from the 14th-20th February. We have a large contingent heading down which is fantastic and we will do our very best to bring back as much of the Silverware as possible. I would like to give a special mention to Mr. Scott Hickey who if he wins the Sir Frances Boys Cup, will go on to represent New Zealand in Australia, no pressure there then! And the final word comes from, - Gunter's Second Law of Air Travel. "The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee". Until next time, Greg Quinn.

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A Step back in Time with the

Auckland Aero Club

Between 1939 and 1945, no training or recreational flying continued at the club. The following are exerts from the New Zealand Herald. NZ Herald 12th Oct 1945 – Mangere Airfield – State Purchase Plan “Negotiations are in progress between the Government and the Auckland Aero Club for the purchase of the club airfield at Mangere, which was used during the war by the New Zealand Air Force. No agreement had been reached concerning the price to be paid, but the Government, under an agreement, had the right to take over the club’s land and buildings, and it proposed to exercise its right. A price would be fixed by arbitration.”

NZ Herald 16th Jan 1946 – Club Flying Starts at

Weekend

“Limited flying will be resumed by the Auckland

Aero Club at Mangere this week-end when it is

hoped that the first of six Tiger Moths will be avail-

able. The aircraft has been overhauled for civilian

use by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and will

be flown from Rongotai to Mangere tomorrow by a

club member, Mr DA Greig, a former Air Force Pi-

lot. The secretary MR Swan said the club now had

over 1000 members, about 600 of whom wished to

fly. Of the 546 new members admitted in the last three months more than two thirds were

already pilots. “

NZ Herald 4th March 1946 – First Solo Flight “The first member of the Auckland Aero Club to make a first solo flight since the activities of the club started again took off yesterday in one of the aero club’s Tiger Moths. He was a 19 year old youth, Mervyn North, whose home is at Mangere. His flight was taken after only five hours ten minutes dual instruction. Most pilots take from eight to 12 hours to gain the proficiency re-quired to allow them to take the air alone” NZ Herald 10th April 1946 – Air Ambulance “After wartime service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force the Auckland Aero Club’s Beechcraft machine is expected to be returned to the club shortly and will once again be available for ambulance work. The aircraft was bought in 1936 by public subscription at a cost of over 2500 pounds. The aircraft had been extensively damaged and later rebuilt by the Air Force, and was now undergoing an overhaul which was reported practically complete.”

Merv after his 1st solo

Post war airfield photo

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NZ Herald 3rd June 1946 – Aero Club Display

“Several hundred people visited Mangere yesterday

when the Auckland Aero Club held its first field day

since the war on a pre-war scale. The Beechcraft

passenger and ambulance machine was used on

passenger flights and the Tiger Moths and a Moth

Minor were in the air. An aerobatics display was

given by the clubs chief instructor Mr K B Robinson in

a Tiger Moth and a height guessing competition was

another popular attraction. A similar fixture will be

held today”

NZ Herald 3rd August 1946 - Full Fleet of Aircraft

“With the arrival of a Moth Minor from Wellington

today the Auckland Aero Club will have attained its

full fleet of 11 aircraft. The Moth Minor is an open

two-seater, single engine monoplane, but will be

closed in after its arrival at Mangere. Now that the

club has a full complement of aircraft an official

reopening will be held soon. The clubhouse, which

was commandeered by the Air Force during the

war, has been renovated and will be ready for use

in a few weeks. Although the clubhouse was built in 1939, replacing the old building

which was destroyed by fire, the club has never had the use of it. On the buildings com-

pletion in 1939 it was immediately taken over the Air Force.

NZ Herald 17th September 1946 – Price About 23,000 pounds– Area over 100 acres

– All buildings included

“The purchase of Mangere aerodrome by the Government would relieve the club of the

financial burden of providing an airport for the city and would free up capital, now held in

land and buildings, for the development of the club’s own flying activities, said the secre-

tary of the Auckland Aero Club, Mr L.W. Swan, last night. The purchase price has not yet

been approved by the Minister, but is understood to be in the vicinity of 23,000 pounds.

Rather more than 100 acres in area the aerodrome site was bought by the club from Mr

W. M. Peacock in 1929. When club flying began in 1928 a small paddock on Mr Pea-

cock’s land was used as a field, but with the arrival of more aircraft a larger ground be-

came necessary. About 90 acres, including the original paddock, were purchased and

the aerodrome remained this size until it was taken over at the outbreak of war by the Air

Force and a new runway was added on the south-west corner. The Government took an

option on Mangere some years ago when it used unemployed labour to level the aero-

drome. This meant that in the event of the club wishing to dispose of the aerodrome it

had first to be offered to the Government. The Club will now lease the field, its own club-

house and its hangar, all of which are included in the purchase. Union Airways , now un-

der the New Zealand National Airways Corporation will continue to use the aerodrome,

but the club will no longer receive rental from the Company.”

Moth Minor

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NZ Herald – 4th February 1947 – Clubhouse Fire – Building Saved The action of two ground engineers and a pilot who clambered on to the roof with

foam extinguishers and the prompt arrival of a fire engine from Otahuhu saved the

Auckland Aero Club’s clubhouse at Mangere from destruction yesterday afternoon

when the roof above the kitchen caught fire. Before the fire was under control the

supply of foam ran out, so buckets of water were handed up to the men on the roof.

The Auckland Fire Brigade received the alarm a few minutes before 2 o’clock and

three machines, two from Otahuhu and one from Onehunga, went to the aerodrome.

At the height of the fire the power supply to the Mangere control tower was inter-

rupted when the lines were burned. Two passenger aircraft of the National Airways

Corporation which were approaching to land, one from North Auckland and the other

from New Plymouth, could not be signalled and an urgent call had to be made to

Whenuapai from where the machines received their landing directions, both arrived

safely.

NZ Herald – 1st December 1947 – Twenty years flying – Auckland Clubs Record “New Zealand’s largest civil flying training organisation, the Auckland Aero Club, with

its nearly 800 pilot and pupil members will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

The club was founded in 1928 and in the interval has grown to the most prominent

organisation of its kind in the Dominion, with scores of experienced wartime fliers

among its total of 1139 members, and a fleet of 13 light aircraft. Events have proved

just how mistaken were those who considered that young men who had been flying

Spitfires and Corsairs, Ventura’s and Lancaster’s, would scorn to bother again with

the modest Tiger Moth. Contrary also to other expectations that those members of

Air Force crews who had survived the war would have little wish to fly again, some of

the club’s keenest members are returned pilots unwilling to ground themselves.

They still look back, with certain regrets, to the days not so long ago when flying was

their daily work instead of their week-end hobby.”

NZ Herald 17th December 1948 – Aero Club Secretary Resigns The resignation of Mr L.W. Swan managing secretary of the Auckland Aero Club,

has been announced. Secretary of the club since its foundation in 1928, Mr Swan

has seen the whole growth of club flying in Auckland and has also been intimately

associated with similar developments in the Waikato. From an organisation of mod-

est size, the Auckland Aero Club has become the biggest in New Zealand during Mr

Swan’s secretaryship. It now has 17 aircraft, 860 members and accumulated funds

of some 16,000 pounds. Mr Swan served also as secretary of the Hamilton branch

of the club until the formation of the Waikato Aero Club in 1937.”

To Be Continued.....

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Club Achievements

November/December 2010

Deborah Final completed her

CPL on 10/12/2010

Leo Pardon completed his

C-Cat on 1/12/2010

Larry Chan completed his

first solo on 2/11/2010

T.K. Lee completed his

C-Cat on 22/11/2010

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Upcoming Events

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Our Mission Statement Auckland Aero Club is committed to developing our member’s

flying skills at all levels. We strive for high levels of flying

competence by providing access to well qualified instructors

and to a wide range of aircraft. From our unique facilities at

Ardmore Airfield, we promote the ongoing development of a

range of initiatives to enhance the flying experience and the

sharing of aviation interest. In undertaking this we aim to

increase the membership of the club, and enhance its profile

in the wider community through numerous aviation related

events and activities.

www.aac.org.nz Auckland Aero Club,

500 Harvard Lane,

Ardmore Airport,

Ardmore P.D.C. 14,

Papakura.

Phone: +64 9 299 8590 Fax: +64 9 299 8592 Email:

flightdesk@aac.org.nz