INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Special Thanks .................................... 2 Robert Heale Immortalized ................. 2 Academy Receives Donations ............. 3 WPA Chapters...................................... 4 Richland Fly-In ................................... 4 Academy Graduates 35 Students ........ 5 Fathers’ Day Fly-In ............................ 5 Runway Reopens ................................. 6 NW Bi-plane Fly-In ............................ 6 Treeport Fly-In .................................... 7 ORS Happenings ................................. 7 WPA Calendar ..................................... 8 August-September 2011 President’s Message GPS and LightSquared, the Rest of the Story Most of you are at least somewhat Satellites are limited in the power levels other communications companies are seeking allowed LightSquared to essentially familiar with the anticipated problems that they can transmit because there just required to do. Keep in mind, radio spectrum build out its national 4G state-of-the-art with GPS if LightSquared is allowed to use isn’t the electrical resource available in is a “Public Asset” that is supposedly wireless and broadband network using the the spectrum near the currently used GPS outer space. Solar collectors are great but managed by the FCC in order to have an free terrestrial spectrum it is permitted to signals. The spectrum that LightSquared just can’t run a high powered transmitter. orderly use of the spectrum with maximum use as part of its satellite license, avoiding has acquired was previously restricted to By the time even a 100 Watt signal gets to public benefi t. I am not the requirements to satellite based transmitters because the the surface receiver on earth, the signal sure why, (but I can immediately invest low power levels would not interfere with strength as been seriously attenuated (that imagine), how they got “This entire deal does upfront capital to the existing spectrum allocated to GPS. is engineer talk for reduced). this spectrum WITHOUT not pass the ‘smell test’. launch expensive Ed Bolen at NBAA and Craig Fuller a public auction and it was satellites. The at AOPA have been seriously lobbying FREE !!!!! It stinks !!!!” terrestrial spectrum to preserve the integrity of GPS for LightSquared’s can then be leased to navigation. They have done, and hope they primary financial backer is Harbinger wireless providers. will continue to represent the best interests Capital, a hedge fund led by Philip Falcone. It is important to note that other of the fl ying public. Harbinger and its affiliates have put companies that want to compete in the The problem is LightSquared has $2.9 billion of assets into LightSquared. U.S. wireless phone and Internet market acquired the spectrum next to the GPS Harbinger has run into a series of other have to pay billions of dollars at auction spectrum and their powerful land based problems recently, as investors have to use the public airwaves (spectrum), transmitters will seriously degrade the low withdrawn money and regulators have and those billions accrue to the benefi t of power signals from the satellites. As of probed certain Harbingeer trades, and a taxpayers. By contrast, Falcone’s bold plan July 23, LightSquared has given up a small loan made by the fund to Mr. Falcone in would build out a national wireless network portion bit of the spectrum but still, the 2009. taking advantage of free spectrum - i.e., at power levels they want to use WILL make In February of 2011, Ken Boehm taxpayer expense. existing GPS receivers unreliable. from the National and Legal Policy Mr. Falcone is currently under Now let’s follow the money: Center asked the House Committee criminal and civil investigations by the LightSquared acquired this spectrum on Oversight and Government Reform Securities and Exchange Commission and Dave Lucke, WPA President without going through the public bid process to investigate actions by the Federal U.S. Attorney’s Offi ce in Manhattan for Communications Commission (FCC) that allegedly failing to disclose $113 million benefitted Harbinger Capital Partners in personal loans he took from his hedge after its founder, Phil Falcone made large fund to pay personal taxes. The Wall Street contributions to the Democratic Senatorial Journal has also reported that investigators Campaign Committee. are looking into allegations that Mr. The plan centered on first securing Falcone allowed some clients to redeem FCC approval for Harbinger’s acquisition funds from his hedge fund during the of SkyTerra, then getting the FCC to fi nancial crisis of 2008, while preventing “fast-track” approval for Harbinger to others from doing so. PAID take advantage of a little-known spectrum According to the Wall Street Journal, Permit #5 PRSRT STD PRSRT loophole for satellite licenses. That Mr. Falcone and Harbinger scored big gains U.S. POSTAGE Snohomish, WA loophole allowed Falcone’s new company, for investors in 2007, but his fund has since LightSquared, to receive spectrum for free, shrunk from $26.5 billion to $9 billion from while competitors have to pay billions of losses and client withdrawals. Harbinger’s dollars. fund was off 15% for the year as of last The loophole in FCC policy regarding November, and investors like Goldman satellite license holders allows the holders Sachs and Blackstone Group had put in to “supplement” satellite spectrum with requests to withdraw funds. So much for free terrestrial (land based) spectrum. The the fi nancial aspects. There is a lot more policy was implemented because satellites but you now have the “Cliff Notes” version. have limited transmission power, and the The International Civil Aviation opaque nature of rooftops and buildings Organization, (ICAO), has also expressed limits effective coverage. Satellite operators serious concerns over interference to GPS are thus permitted to run base stations on signals from broadband communications the ground, at the same frequency and towers. They expressed these concerns use free terrestrial spectrum to “fi ll in the in a June 13 letter to U.S. officials. gaps.” The land based spectrum is known The ICAO expressed the group’s grave as Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC), concern over the conditional waiver and is free to use for companies possessing provided by the FCC to wireless provider a satellite license. LightSquared. Military, law enforcement, Thus, the loophole Harbinger was (Continued on page 2) Introducing Marian Heale… Introducing the lovely and gracious Marian Heale, the WPA Communications Director. Marian has vast worldly experience in publishing. She has a degree in communications from Texas Tech University, was flight attendant for Pan American World Airways for five years, then traveled and wrote for “Travel Weekly” newspaper in New York. Marian traveled out to beautiful and scenic Moses Lake to visit her sister in 1975. She joined the Washington State Patrol as communications offi cer. She met her husband, Robert Heale while putting together the logistics for a local air show. Marian owns a Citabria and is building a Flybaby, which she hopes to put on fl oats. She is very active in EAA chapter 79 and the Spokane chapter of WPA. Washington Washington Pilots Association NE Way PMB 397, 227 Bellevue 98004-9721 Bellevue, WA Page 2 - WPA Wings August-September 2011 Port Commission votes to not seek Robert Heale immortalized in FAA funding for Grove Field Airport 2011 on Oshkosh Memorial Wall Decision was unanimous Robert Henry Heale was born to fly; Camas-Washougal Post Record, By Dawn Feldhaus, Tuesday, July 19, 2011 he was good at it. The disappointment was obvious Tuesday night among area pilots, after they heard Robert was born in Seattle April 5, the Port of Camas-Washougal Commission vote 3-0 to not apply for $10 million from the 1934. He was always fascinated by flight Federal Aviation Administration to pay for improvements at Grove Field Airport. and the things that fly. Model airplanes; After the commissioners’ meeting ended, the pilots gathered in the front lobby of the commercial, general aviation, and military port office building and scheduled an impromptu meeting of their own at the Adams Street airplanes; birds, balloons, and rocket men Bar and Grill, in downtown Camas. were always high on his interest chart. “This is a great disappointment,” Dick Martin, a pilot for 43 years, said regarding the He started trading rides for working commission’s decision to not have Grove Field become an FAA-obligated airport. “It is a around people’s hangers when he was a nice, quiet airport, but it needs improvement. The runway is relatively narrow. teenager, and obtained his first rating when “If they had a more attractive airport, it could attract maintenance and flight schools,” he was 20, with a private pilot, single engine he added. sea rating. He nearly lost the student pass Correcting the airport’s design standard deficiencies would involve widening the to work on that rating when he tried to impress his friends by landing in Green Lake. runway to 60 feet, lengthening the runway to 3,070 feet, clearing obstructions within the He later explained to the FAA that he didn’t know it was illegal, and luckily they took airport’s runway safety area and shifting the runway to meet center line/taxiway separation his inexperience into consideration. Was this a harbinger of things to come? standards. Relocating Delp Road would involve digging a tunnel. Between crop dusting, flying air shows, flying for Air America, racing at Reno, The application and subsequent approval for state and federal funding would have flying a FedEx Caravan, and working for Silverwood Theme Park as a corporate/air paid for 97.5 percent of the costs. show pilot, Robert amassed 25,000 flying hours. He was proud of that. Prior to making his motion, Commissioner Bill Ward said he recently learned that if Robert had four sons, Robert, John, Kenneth and Timothy. This is what they had any FAA funding were used for the purpose of land acquisition, the obligation to operate to say: the airport would continue in perpetuity.