Spring 2011 Newsletter

STEAD RELIEVER TERMINAL AND

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER PROJECT

Submitted by Dean Schultz Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority

After investing over $40 million in airfield improvements over a 10-year period, the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority is planning a significant investment directly into the Reno-Stead Airport landside facilities.

A 2007 survey with Stead Users and Tenants identified the lack of public terminal facilities as a primary deficiency at the airport. The airport offices are currently housed in a 1940s era building which does not meet current building system and structure standards and code. A secondhand 1,700 square-foot modular building constructed in 1999 serves as both the pilot lounge and the visitor facilities. Neither building is large enough for their current use, and they can’t be easily expanded, improved or merged.

The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority commissioned a feasibility study in 2009 which validated the need for additional landside amenities and facilities, identified a building program based on stakeholder input, and recommended a preferred site and building layout. As part of the 2009 feasibility study, presentations were given at advisory board meetings and for the Stead Airport Users’ Association, and input was sought directly from major airport tenants. H+K Architects, a local architectural firm was awarded a contract by the Airport Board at their March 10th meeting to initiate design services for this new facility. Funding for the design and construction of the new facilities will come entirely from Airport Authority revenues and thus will not alter any existing rates and charges.

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Programs, Programs, Programs Surveillance and Reconnaissance Business Unit of the Sierra Nevada Corporation. On the evening of April 13th, the University of Nevada and the Reno Air SNC is a billion dollar a year business with Racing Foundation will present their third extensive resources located in Nevada, Pathways to Aviation Speaker Program at Colorado and elsewhere. General Gilbert UNR's Joe Crowley Student Union. was the former Commandant of the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs. For more details, see the enclosed flyer.

The Pathways to Aviation Program began three years ago as a program connecting students with aeronautics and aviation.

The Reno Air Racing Foundation, EAA and others co-sponsor the Young Eagle Flights at Stead, where over 250 young students have been introduced to the thrill The featured speaker this year will be of flight by a free (and short) flight around Brigadier General Taco Gilbert III (Retired) Stead. This year's event will be June 25th, who now serves as Vice President for in conjunction with a planned General Business Development for Intelligence, Aviation Day at Stead.

* * * STEAD AIRPORT USERS’ ASSOCIATION MISSION STATEMENT

To represent the interests of all Tenants on the Reno-Stead Airport including Aircraft Owners, Fixed Base Operators, Aircraft Repair Facilities, United States Government Agencies and all parties of interest; To ensure that all Tenants have the opportunity to speak with a united voice to the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority (owner of the airfield facility), the Federal Aviation Administration and the Local Governments relative to safe and affordable flying in Northern Nevada; To enrich and promote the reputation of General Aviation within our community; and To promote a “Good Neighbor” policy with the Nevada National Guard, support facility improvements that enhance the Tenant experience and encourage affordable services, fuel prices and hangar rentals from all service providers operating at the Reno Stead Facility.

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Stead Reliever Terminal And Emergency new terminal facility will provide the Operations Center Project following benefits and improvements:  A focal point for the Airport located (continued from page 1) in close proximity to the ATCT, an Now that H+K Architects has been existing visible way-finding awarded a contract, next steps would landmark include preliminary design which will  Direct airside access from the begin with extensive stakeholder outreach, facility as well as creation of a including the Stead Airport Users significant landside presence Association, to right-size the proposed  Provide airport staff, users, and facility to meet the needs of Stead Airport tenants with a fully code compliant staff, tenants, and users. building  Expanded square footage for Depending on stakeholder input and user Airport Authority administrative demand, this new facility could also functions include the following functions:  Expanded square footage for pilot  Reno police substation and visitor services  Centralized location for emergency  Increased food and restaurant operations service facilities for airport users  Second story view of the airfield  Improved customer experience for  Snack/Food concession area visitors  Restaurant lease space  A security presence if police  Retail / Office lease space substation built  FBO lease area  A centralized location for response,  Exhibit or museum area rescue and recovery capabilities in  Community rooms emergency situations  Community meeting spaces It is the Airport Authority’s goal that the

SAUA ANNUAL MEETING

April 12, 2011, 6:00-8:00 p.m. RTS Pilot’s Lounge Presentation by Marily Mora, RTAA

Election of Directors General Discussion Door Prizes and Raffle Much, much more!

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NEWS FROM MINDEN AIRPORT

Gliders bring glory to Carson Valley It is their airport that gets another plug for the beautiful winds that make the Carson OPINION/OUR TAKE Valley such a special place to fly. Kurt Hildebrand, Editor Douglas County Record-Courier March 2, 2011 So when the wind is blowing out of the west, and the lenticular clouds form, offer It didn't take long for Gordon Boettger and a happy thought for our fliers soaring high Hugh Bennett to break their own national above. record, topping their 744-mile two-seater national soaring record on Thursday with a 982-mile flight. County OKs airport privatization

by Kurt Hildebrand If you ask Boettger what his secret is, he’ll Douglas County Record-Courier say it’s all the people who support his January 5, 2011 flights, from air traffic controllers who [email protected] watch over the tiny craft, meteorologist Doug Armstrong and his comrades at the County commissioners approved a two- National Weather Service, the folks at Soar year contract with an independent NV who tow the glider into the air and a company to manage the Minden-Tahoe host of others who make these flights Airport. possible. ABS Aviation Management and airport But on the other hand, it’s Boettger, 42, manager Bobbi Thompson received and 78-year-old Bennett who are sitting in glowing reviews from four residents a cramped cockpit for ten hours at a time. associated with the airport on Monday. The two men are great fliers, though Bennett credits Boettger’s long experience Assistant County Manager Steve with the Siena Wave for their success so Mokrohisky said the county hired ABS far. when manager Keith Kallman left in spring. We’re happy to honor all those involved in these records breaking flights. Privatizing the airport will result in a savings of $50,000 a year over what the That’s because the true beneficiaries of county is paying its employees. these flights are the people of Douglas County. Mokrohisky said the county went through the process to hire a new airport manager, It is their airport that takes center stage but throughout the process people kept when folks like Boettger and Bennett make their historic runs. (continued on page 5)

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County Oks airport privatization seven to eight months is more than we’ve seen done in six years,” he said. (continued from page 4) Mokrohisky told commissioners that two asking what the county had to do to keep airport employees retired and another Thompson. took a job with another airport.

Flying Start Aero owner John Brown said ABS will have to keep 5.5 employees on the new management and approval of the staff, including the manager, an operations airport ordinance has him very optimistic specialist, an accountant, two full-time about the airport. maintenance personnel and one half-time maintenance personnel. “What they’ve achieved over the last

* * * Space legend to retire

An aerospace maverick who designed the historic globe-circling Voyager aircraft and the first private manned rocket to reach space will retire next year. Burt Rutan, 67, announced his plans Wednesday on the website of Scaled Composites, which he founded in 1982. His pending departure was not a complete surprise. In 2008, he ceded day-to-day responsibilities following open-heart surgery. Rutan gained worldwide fame in 2004 when his SpaceShipOne prototype won the $10 million Ansari X Prize by becoming the first privately financed manned craft to reach space.

ABOUT THE VOYAGER . . . previous record set by a United States Air Force crew piloting a Boeing B-52 that flew Article from Wikipedia 12,532 miles (20,168 km) in 1962.

The Rutan Model 76 Voyager was the first Design and development - The aircraft aircraft to fly around the world without was first imagined by Jeana Yeager, Dick stopping or refueling. It was piloted by and his brother Burt Rutan as they were at and Jeana Yeager. The flight lunch in 1981. The initial idea was first took off from 's sketched out on the back of a napkin. 15,000 foot (4,600 m) runway in the Mojave Voyager was built in Mojave, California, Desert on December 14, 1986, and ended over a period of 5 years. The Voyager was successfully 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 built mainly by a group of volunteers seconds later, on December 23. The aircraft working under both the Rutan Aircraft flew westerly 26,366 statute miles Factory and an organization set up under (42,432 km; the FAI accredited distance is the name Voyager Aircraft. 40,212 km) at an average altitude of 11,000 feet (3,350 m). This definitively broke a (continued on page 8)

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Please mark your calendars for the Annual SAUA BBQ to be held on Saturday, June 18, 2011, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

We will also have a Show ‘n Shine in conjunction with the Reno EAA’s Aviation Day at Stead.

The BBQ location will be the same – right outside of Mike’s office.

Bring a friend or two this year!

* * * COMMON COURTESY RULES AT STEAD AIRPORT

1. Aircraft always have the right of way. traffic signs and slow as appropriate for Respect the yellow line. conditions.

2. Taxi lanes are for aircraft movement. 5. If you do not rent or own the hangar, do Please park all vehicles in taxi lanes close not assume you can park there. Use an to your hangar so as not to interfere with authorized parking space at the end of a aircraft movement. Most hangars have hangar row. room for only two vehicles parked parallel in front of the hangar. A “wing walker” 6. Due to high wind conditions, any should never be necessary for someone to and all trash in front of hangars is taxi in taxi lanes. If a wing walker is unacceptable. Take large trash items to the necessary, then the alley is obstructed. Transfer Station on Mt. Anderson Street, two blocks south of the Airport. Oil should 3. Do not perform any maintenance on be disposed of by carefully pouring it into hangar ramps where the aircraft obstructs the waste oil receptacle. ONLY OIL can be movement of other aircraft along the disposed of in this receptacle! All other yellow line. fluids should be taken to the Transfer Station. Batteries should be traded in when 4. Vehicles should not exceed 25 MPH unless otherwise posted. Obey all posted (continued on page 7)

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Common Courtesy Rules 8. The discharge of firearms is prohibited at the Airport. (continued from page 6) 9. All aircraft painting is limited pursuant a new battery is purchased. Promptly to Washoe County Regulations. clean up all spills of fuel or other fluids and dispose of the soiled absorption 10. If you like music in your hangar, keep material properly. it to a reasonable volume level.

7. Do not put furniture or barbeques out in 11. Animals and small children should not the taxi lane where they will obstruct run free at the Airport. All animals must aircraft movement. be leashed and under control at all times.

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This lovely Irish prayer (author unknown) was displayed prominently on the desk of Al Zitnick, the faithful Jewish “schleppercaun”, who sorts the “Dear Abby” mail:

“Take time to work, It is the price of success. Take time to think, It is the source of power. Take time to play, It is the secret of perpetual youth. Take time to read, It is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be friendly, It is the road to happiness. Take time to love and be loved, It is the privilege of the gods. Take time to share, Life is too short to be selfish. Take time to laugh, Laughter is the music of the soul.”

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About the Voyager . . . from the ground, the wings arching up dramatically just before take-off. During (continued from page 5) the flight, the two pilots had to deal with extremely cramped quarters. To reduce The airframe, largely made of fiberglass, stress, the two had originally intended to carbon fiber and Kevlar, weighed 939 fly the plane in three-hour shifts, but flight pounds (426 kg) when empty. With the handling characteristics prevented routine engines included, the unladen weight of changeovers and they became very the plane was 2,250 lb. (1,020.6 kg). fatigued. However, when it was fully loaded before the historic flight, it weighed 9,694.5 lb. The plane also continuously reminded the (4,397 kg) due to the large amount of fuel pilots of its pitch instability and fragility. required for the long-distance flight. The They had to maneuver around bad aircraft had an estimated lift to drag ratio weather numerous times, most perilously (L/D) of 27. around the 600-mile-wide (1,000 km) Typhoon Marge. Libya denied access to Voyager had front and rear propellers, the country's airspace, forcing precious powered by separate engines. The rear fuel to be used. As they neared California engine, a water-cooled Teledyne to land, a fuel pump failed and had to be Continental IOL-200, was planned to be replaced with its twin pumping fuel from operated throughout the flight. The front the other side of the aircraft. engine, an air-cooled Teledyne Continental O-240, was operated to provide additional In front of 55,000 spectators and most of power for takeoff and the initial part of the the world's press, including 23 live feeds flight at heavy weights. breaking into scheduled broadcasting across Europe and North America, the Operational history - Voyager's takeoff plane safely came back to earth, touching took place on the longest runway at down at 8:06 am at the same airfield 9 Edwards AFB at 8:01 am local time with days after take-off. The average speed for 3,500 of the world's press in attendance. the flight was 116 miles per hour As the plane accelerated, the tips of the (187 km/h). There were 40 gallons of fuel wings, which were heavily loaded with remaining in the tanks. fuel, were damaged as they scraped against the runway (the pilot wanted to Sanctioned by the FAI and the AOPA, the gain enough speed that the inner wings flight was the first successful would lift the plane, not the fragile outer circumnavigation of the planet, passing wings - in 67 test flights, the plane had the equator twice, non-stop, non-refueled. never been loaded to capacity before), This has been accomplished only one time ultimately causing pieces (winglets) to since, by in the Global Flyer. break off at both ends. The aircraft accelerated very slowly and needed Voyager is now on display at the approximately 14,200 feet (2.7 mi)(4.3 km) Smithsonian Institution's National Air and of the runway to gain enough speed to lift Space Museum in Washington, DC.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Vice-President/Treasurer Secretary Thomas J. Hall Dave Miller Dan Ross 348-7011 677-7937 852-5166 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Don Osborne, CF II Lindley “Lin” Manning Mike Walsh, CFI 861-3107 786-2711 677-2359 [email protected] Lin@[email protected] High Sierra Aviation [email protected] [email protected]

Lew Gage Ken Weigand Terry Matter 826-7184 530-283-1023 (home) 853-4725 [email protected] 530-518-4059 (cell) [email protected]

Mike Dikun, Airport Manager 775-328-6573 (phone) 775-677-1393 (fax) [email protected]

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