Suggested Banner: When Nature Calls...
Last Saturday’s observance of Pearl Harbor Day marked the 83rd
Anniversary of Imperial Japan’s brazen aerial attack on U.S. territory, with
the intent to demolish America’s naval strength in the Pacific. Two survivors
of the bombing that fateful Sunday morning were in attendance for this year’s
ceremonies, probably for the last time.
Intruders at the Butler airport this week were diverse,
ranging from a big Army Reserve Chinook helicopter to a Piper Saratoga, the
latter unsuccessfully attempting to refuel. There was, of course, no aviation
gasoline available at Butler, since the fuel farm is down for maintenance this
week. It’s unclear if or when we’ll have fuel available here, as fitful
attempts continue to find someone willing to take over the enterprise. Avgas is
available at Harrisonville for $4.90 a gallon, mimicking the savings Butler
travelers enjoy in their autos as they travel north.
Local aviators out and about this week were Jim Ferguson in
his Cessna Skylane, meself in a Cessna 150, Jon Laughlin in his Piper Cherokee
and Delaney Rindel, brushing up her teaching skills in the right seat of a
Cessna 150.
Which leads me to announce the arrival of a new Certified
Flight Instructor at Butler. Young Delaney Rindel is a U.S. Navy veteran, an
Alaska bush pilot and a rated A&P mechanic. She is moving her CFI training
base from Kansas City to BUM. We welcome her and wish her much success.
Prepare for making a dedicatory flight next Tuesday,
December 17. That is Wright Brothers Day, the 121st anniversary of
the first practical airplane flight in 1903. Others had tried, but the
methodical dedicated Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, experimented until they got
it right—pun intended. So, we must toast their achievement with 100LL fuel,
making at least a brief soiree that day.
In the ever-facinating international news scene, it was
reported last week that Airbus, the European airliner maker, is proposing to
offer an in-cockpit potty option for Airbus 350 long-range widebody jets that
will incorporate a flight deck featuring a single pilot. Why? Well, to save
money, airlines would like to cut out the extra crew members required to meet
the eight-hour duty time standards on ten-to-fourteen hour missions. With only
two pilots, one would hit the sack at the end of a shift and slumber peacefully
in his or her designated bunk, leaving the sole flight crew person to monitor
the automated Airbus’s controls. But, if a call from nature should occur, that
individual would need to slip back to the planned open toilet while they listen
for the chime of an autopilot disconnect alert. And the airline bean-counters
are really serious about all this...
In our previous posting, we wanted to know which country just
announced it will no longer mandate retirement for commercial pilots at a
certain age. That would be Argentina, now with Fly Forever career paths. There
seems to be shortage of pilots down there, so you may see Captain Grandpa at
the controls when you board at Buenos Aires. For next time, tell us which
famous fighter pilot crashed on his first solo flight. You can send your
answers to [email protected].
