Newsletter, June 2008

Hello everyone, and thanks for checking in.

It's continuing to be a busy spring at SCA; the airplanes are flying, the instructors are busy, and the weather is finally cooperating (for the most part...)!

Our Private Pilot Ground School started last Tuesday, June 3rd, and will run for another 9 Tuesday nights (6-8:00pm). There's definitely still time to sign up if you're interested (and remember, if you've taken our Private ground school in the past, you're welcome to sit in on future ground schools for free!).

We're getting ramped up for our second Fly-Out of the year, on Saturday, June 14th. We're heading up to Sturgeon Bay (KSUE) at 8:30am, with a pre-departure briefing at 8:00am at the main terminal. Sign up soon, before the airplanes book up! Students with instructors, renters, and ride-alongs are welcome to join us for food and fun, and a great day of flying! Check out the airport Here!

Our BFR Refresher course, which will count as the ground portion of your Biennial Flight Review, has been rescheduled to Sunday, June 29th, at 1:00pm. Call today to sign up!

The Waukesha County airport is a fun and challenging airport environment for training or flying of any kind, but every once in a while, some issues crop up that could use clarification to make sure that we're operating safely and correctly. One such example that's been recently brought to our attention is pilots reading back and understanding tower clearances, especially landing clearances. It's time to delineate the differences between some key landing clearances: Cleared to Land, Cleared for Touch and Go, and Cleared for the Option. At one time or another, you've probably received all of these clearances. Let's look at the differences:

Cleared to Land: This clearance gives you permission to land on the specified runway and taxi off at your earliest opportunity (consistent with safety, of course). No touch-and-go or stop-and-go landings are approved.

Cleared for Touch-and-go: You may land on the specified runway, and take off again (on the roll). A full-stop landing(or anything other than touch-and-go) is not authorized, unless necessary for the safety of the flight.

Cleared for the Option: You may execute a full-stop, touch-and-go, or stop-and-go landing on the specified runway. In other words, the runway is yours, for whatever you wish to use it for.

It is important to note that conducting a landing for which you were not cleared (i.e. cleared for touch-and-go, execute a full-stop) will disrupt the control tower's flow of traffic, and potentially cause an unsafe situation. Additionally, action could be taken by the FAA against the Pilot in Command's pilot certificate, so it's important to be sure of the clearance that you were issued, and what it means. If there's ever any doubt, don't hesitate to query the Tower and ask for clarification. Of course, they would much prefer you to ask, rather than guessing incorrectly about what you were cleared for. Additionally, make sure you have an airport diagram with you on every flight, so you can make sure your correctly following the taxi route that you were assigned.

Meanwhile, remember that it's always a great time to expand your horizons in aviation; after all, that's what it's all about! Been nervous about that long cross-country you've wanted to take? Grab one of our experienced instructors and build confidence! Curious about multi engine or tailwheel flying? Take a ride in one of the airplanes outside of your comfort zone, and you'll be sure to learn something new and improve your pilot skills along the way. They say a good pilot is always learning, and that's definitely true here at Spring City.

As always, we welcome your input, and hope you'll refer your friends that fly with us to this news letter!

Fly safe!