Washington Pilots Association IN THIS ISSUE: President’s Message . 3 WPA Chapters . 4 Airports . 5 Classifieds . 7 Events Calendar . 8 Tillamook Air ings Museum - Page 6 ServingW Washington Pilots Since 1960 April - May, 2006 LEGISLATIVE THREAT TO AVIATION MOGAS USE THWARTED FLYING SEASON’S HERE– Pilot action has helped turned the tide on pro- Long days, good weather, fly-ins . posed state legislation that could have made auto gas unusable in most general aviation aircraft. and airport maintenance projects! As originally drafted, a bill recently introduced in Olympia would have required all automobile gasoline sold in Washington to be blended with ethanol. While ethanol has been receiving a lot of attention (due to skyrocketing gas prices and concerns over de- pendency on imported oil), fuel containing ethanol is unsafe and illegal to use in aircraft flying with autogas supplemental type certificates (STCs). AOPA, EAA and WPA supported local pilots who operate using the autogas STC by contacting the bill’s sponsors and the governor’s office. The problems the bill would cause aircraft owners were explained, and committee staff were given examples of alternate legislation that wouldn’t cause the same serious problems for pilots. The bill was amended to require only a small percentage of all gasoline sold in the state to be blended with ethanol. The amended bill was passed and signed by Governor Christine Gregoire in March. Greater Seattle Chapter to Host Work Party at Bandera June 17 By Colleen Turner, Vice President, Greater Seattle Chapter D I On Saturday, June 17, the Greater Seattle Chapter is hosting our annual work party pa at Bandera State Airport (4W0). The fun begins at 9:00 am. Please join us! Permit #5 PRSRT STD. PRSRT U.S. POSTAGE U.S. A few years ago, the Greater Seattle Chapter adopted Bandera State under WSDOT Snohomish, WA Snohomish, Aviation’s Adopt an Airport Program. This program uses volunteer groups to help maintain the 16 state-owned airports in Washington. The work party this year will include another round of cutting trees, feeding the chipper and whacking weeds around the runway markers. For these projects, we will need three to four chainsaws and a couple of gas powered weed whackers; if you can bring any of these items, please do! For the past few seasons, we’ve worked to cut trees and clear back brush that has been encroaching on the airport surface for years. We’ve made good progress so far, clearing out the airport area substantially and making the field a lot more usable. We’ll continue these efforts again this year. Jim Scott from WSDOT Aviation will tow the chipper to the field and be on site by 8:00am in case anyone wants to get an early start. If you want to haul some firewood home (there’s plenty), bring a truck or trailer. Per Jim Scott, a list of safety and personal items you should bring include the fol- lowing: • Hearing protection • Insect repellent • Safety glasses • Boots • Gloves • Toilet paper Wear long pants, but bring some shorts along in case it gets hot. Our hard-working volunteers will be greeted in the morning with fresh, hot Starbucks coffee and rolls, and rewarded with a hearty lunch that includes steak, brauts, beans, corn, rolls, cookies and a variety of beverages. Bandera is a unique airport with a real back-country, wilderness feeling to it, that’s surprisingly accessible and close to Seattle (just off I-90, west of Snoqualmie Pass). It’s only through our volunteer efforts that it remains open, usable, and available to us all. Come join the party and help us preserve and refresh Bandera State Airport! In case you’re not yet convinced that this event is as much fun as it is work, take a look at the photo above, which was taken at a past Bandera State work party. Contact John Amico at 206-232-7246 or [email protected] for further information and to let him know that you’ll be there. Washington Pilots Association Washington NE PMB 397, 227 Bellevue Way 98004-9721 Bellevue, WA Service Requested Address Page 2 - WPA Wings April – May 2006 EDITOR’S SOAPBOX Mainstreaming General Aviation General aviation faces a lot of challenges. Flying is outside the ““mainstream” in folks. If we all make a habit of inviting others Now I don’t own a boat myself, and I don’t Increasing regulations. Escalating costs. most people’s minds. We need to do what along on a regular basis, it can only help us, begrudge the boating community’s obvious Airports closing. An often hostile public and we can to change that. so please consider doing something similar. success with this. Still, I can’t help wondering media environment. There are lots of ways The EAA’s Young Eagles program is a Opening Day? if the aviation community might not be able to we all should (and do) work to help defend great example of how, over the long run, a somehow borrow a page from their playbook, I’ve often wondered why the public has and support GA. Some of these are obvious, grass-roots effort can make a difference. By and do a better job of showing personal flying such different perceptions of people who like joining and supporting our local and na- exposing young people to aviation, we plant a as something that’s not just for guys named spend their weekends boating and those of tional “alphabets” - WPA, AOPA, and others. seed in their minds that flying a small plane Cruise or Travolta. Maybe we need our own us who spend ours flying. Flying responsibly and being a good example. is fun, and something available to an ordinary “opening day.” Other ways may be less obvious. person – eventually, maybe even them. Even I think the average person figures (cor- Boat Show...Car Show... I believe a lot of the chal- rectly) that if they’ve got their job, family and Every year in Seattle there’s a boat show. lenges we face ultimately other major life commitments in reasonably A car show, too. They’re held close to down- stem from the same prob- Many of the challenges we face stem from good shape, if they really wanted to they town, in a venue that’s easily accessible to lem: few people know us and the fact that most people don’t know us, and could get themselves some sort of a boat, or average folks (these days, typically in the what flying is really like. How feel like flying just isn’t an option for them . find some other way of getting into boating. Qwest Field Event Center). These events many times have you seen Sure, there are some very expensive are designed to show off the industry’s most someone’s initial reaction to the idea of flying if only a small fraction of the kids who take a yachts out there, but most people recognize appealing offerings, so the dazzling high-end a small plane as something like “isn’t that just Young Eagles flight go on to pursue a license, that more modest boats are within reach products are prominently displayed. But for rich guys?” or “oh, that’s terribly danger- most probably won’t ever view a GA plane of many middle class families with a little more modest products are there, too, and ous?” The fact is, we’re a small minority, all flying overhead as an annoyance or threat. disposable income. Ask these same folks I don’t think anybody walks out of one of too often misunderstood by those who have about flying, though, and they’ll probably tell But I’ve wondered if there are other ways these shows feeling that the only way to get no direct experience with aviation. For most you that’s just for the super-rich. Why? to make personal flying seem less extraor- involved is to win the lottery. people, flying is not viewed as something they dinary and make it more visible – and more In part, I think it’s because they frequently Of course, we’ve got our shows, too. But ever see themselves doing. accessible – to the average person. see “average” people and their boats – people for a variety of perfectly good reasons, they’re that don’t seem so different from themselves. held further away from the city and many Take ‘Em Flying! They see them in their neighborhoods and Washington Pilots potential customers. Association When was the last time you did some they see them in the media. “evangelizing” among your non-flying friends Now don’t get me wrong: I love going to Executive Council & Officers or co-workers? I’ve taken a handful of folks the Arlington fly-in, wouldn’t President: Jim Smith 425-774-8497 up for their first ride, and have planted that Boaters have an official “opening day” every miss the Puyallup show, and VP East: Dave Lucke 509-994-0323 same seed in a couple of not-so-young I try to get to as many other VP West: Dale Terwedo 425-418-9622 spring – and it gets a lot of media exposure . eagles. I’ve always enjoyed these flights at local aviation events I can. I Treasurer: Bill Reith 425-252-3173 Why don’t we? least as much as those I’ve taken along. think these events are run Directors A few of these friends have expressed very well, and I wouldn’t Airports: Tom Jensen 800-972-3597 change their locations.