Do you have news items of interest to the Southwest’s general aviation community? Submit them to: publisher@swaviator.com. Submissions will be run as space permits and may be edited for length and style. E-mails or disks and digital photos receive preference.
NMPA MARCH FLY-IN AND SAFETY MEETING
The fly-in will take place at the Santa Teresa, NM airport (5T6) from 10 am to noon and will be hosted by 5T6 Resources FBO. The fly-in will begin with an FAA Safety Seminar presented by FAA Aviation Safety Counselor and former Aviation Psychologist Bob Worthington, Gold Seal CFII Dick Samuels, and FAA Airways Specialist Ron Keller. Bob will cover the Psychology of Flying, Dick will cover the new Sports Pilot Certification and the Light Sport Airplane Category, and Ron will cover what is happening in the FAA that will impact on your flying and navigation.
The safety seminar will last until noon on March 26, and then lunch will be served. At the beginning of the seminar sandwich orders will be taken and then served at noon. The cost will be about $5 per person.
After lunch, attendees are encouraged to attend the War Eagles Air Museum on the field. This is a 64,000 square foot hangar with displays of WW II and Korean Conflict military aircraft. These include a P-40, P-51, P-38, F-4U-4 Corsair, DC-3, T-33, F-86, and MiG-15, and many others. Most of the aircraft still fly. Admission is $5.
5T6 Resources, located on the southwest end of the airport, has graciously discounted their fuel by 25 cents per gallon for all fly-in attendees.
For more information contact the FBO at 505-589-4586 or NMPA VP for Safety and Education Bob Worthington at 505-522-6785 or rworthin@zianet.com.
PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM GETS NEW DELIVERY FROM THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
The Pima Air & Space Museum welcomed a new addition to its family of aircraft when the classic KC-135 NASA Zero G trainer, affectionately known as ‘The Vomit Comet’ was delivered to nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and then towed to the Museum for display. NASA pilots flew the aircraft to Tucson from Houston, TX. Following a few modifications, the Museum plans to put it on public display in early spring of 2005.
The Museum opened to the public in May of 1976 with 75 aircraft on display. Since that time, the collection has grown to over 250 aircraft occupying 80 acres of land. The entire museum property covers about 150 acres and is open daily, except Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 9 am to 5 pm, with a last admittance at 4 pm. Call 520-618-4803 for more information.
LIBERTY AEROSPACE OPENS WEST COAST SALES OFFICE
Liberty Aerospace, manufacturer of the new generation XL2 single-engine aircraft, has opened a new sales office on Santa Monica Municipal Airport in Southern California. An aircraft is available for demonstration flights at the new location.
The company also announced today the appointment of Pia Bergqvist, former senior editor of Plane & Pilot and Pilot Journal magazines, as western region sales representative. Bergqvist is a single- and multi-engine commercial pilot and an instrument instructor. She has more than 1600 flight hours in 30 different types of aircraft, and is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
According to Liberty CEO Anthony Tiarks, “This will be the first of several regional sales offices we plan to open around the U.S. in the next few months. The market response to the XL2 has been outstanding, and we plan to ensure that anyone who would like to experience the unprecedented combination of comfort, performance and economy of flying the XL2 has that opportunity.”
Demonstration flights in the Liberty XL2 can be arranged by contacting Pia Bergqvist at 310-450-9700 or piabergqvist@libertyaircraft.com, or by calling the company’s main sales office at 321-752-0332.
WEIGHT AND BALANCE VISUALIZATION SOFTWARE
Optimize your aircraft performance and save fuel using Momentum Interactive’s new Weight & Balance training tool for Windows Computers. Use the same secret champion air racers developed to increase cruise speed – accurately and safely place the Center of Gravity at the aft allowable limit. This is the easiest aircraft “modification” a pilot can make. Aft limit center of gravity increases cruise speed by reducing horizontal stabilizer drag. Flying an overloaded or out of limits aircraft is deadly. With Momentum Interactive’s easy to use system, pilots can learn to quickly calculate the weight and balance of their favorite aircraft and save configurations for later use. The system allows pilots to visualize the loading condition from a unique profile view, arm, and moment charts. The intuitive software uses easy input boxes to select exact weights, and includes weight and balance references and training tutorial. Perfect for all pilots from student to seasoned professional.
The introductory price for the software is $24.99. It is available at momentum-i.com.
EUREKA MOTHER'S DAY FLY-IN
Plans for the upcoming Mothers Day Fly-In, to be held on May 7th and 8th, 2005, have generated a great deal of excitement throughout the town of Eureka, NV.
Because of Eureka's remote location in north central Nevada, the airport is an essential part of the community. Many citizens feel that the airport is as necessary to the town as Eureka's only highway, US 50.
Early in 2004, community leaders decided to host a Mothers Day Fly-In event. Plans were hastily put in place to feature the airport, with the focus to be directed on making the event a community affair. The two day affair was a resounding success both with fly-in participants and locals. As a result, Eureka has made a commitment to make the Fly-In an annual event.
To learn more, call 775-237-6100.
