If you’re a Cirrus driver attending the event, be sure to say hello, as I’ll once again be instructing at this valuable training event. If you’re a Cirrus driver not attending, why not?  It’s an outstanding program. I’ve been to numerous weekend events (Seattle, Van Nuys, and Concord) and I learn something new every time.  I make sure that my clients do, too.

If you fly Cirrus airplanes and haven’t attended a CPPP, I urge you to consider it as part of your annual recurrent training. Contact me for more information.

Signature Flight Support promises a 17,000-square-foot “Executive Terminal,” including a proposed expansion of the San Jose Tech Museum; 240,000 square feet of aircraft hangar space in seven hangars; full aircraft service and maintenance; and 18.5 acres of ramp space where it can manage and service aircraft overnight for visitors.

Read the full story here at The Register.

Consider: using a small airplane to fly to the mountains. You can land in Truckee, Reno, or South Lake Tahoe in about an hour. You can depart from any one of the many municipal airports around the Bay Area. You can arrive stress-free and be there for dinner.

This is real, and it’s not just for the jet crowd. You can land, have a rental car waiting, and be on your way in mere minutes. No more Friday afternoon I-80 traffic headaches. Contact Greg to find out how you can hire a charter to get you there, or begin the rewarding journey of learning to become a pilot yourself.

Companies needing to reach multiple destinations in a single day rely on business aviation, because this type of itinerary is often impossible to keep using other modes of transportation. When using a business airplane, employees can meet, plan, work en route and discuss proprietary information in a secure environment and without fear of eavesdropping. To see examples showing how companies are using business aviation to compete and succeed in a very demanding marketplace, and learn more about the many ways business aviation benefits the nation’s economy and companies of all sizes, all across the U.S., visit: www.NoPlaneNoGain.org.

When you’re ready to book your first charter flight, please don’t hesitate to contact Greg.

Reprinted from Forbes.com (I thought it was a great article! Link to it here:)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/businessaviation/2012/08/20/take-the-pain-out-of-business-travel-fly-yourself/

When a client in Teterboro, NJ—a stone’s throw from Manhattan—called and asked to meet the next morning, I had a few choices.

Traveling from Providence, RI, by road was particularly unappealing. That’s a four-hour trek down Interstate 95 where construction and traffic delays for at least a third of the route are a given. And then there was the dismal prospect of frazzled, grouchy New York drivers battling for rush-hour lane supremacy on the maze of highways across the New York area. Forget that.

Time To Spare, Go By Air

Sure, Providence airport is 15 minutes away. Delta has a $2,000 (are they kidding) round-trip fare to Newark that takes six hours (!) each way. That’s without the 90 minute pre-departure clear-security-get-to the-gate time penalty. You could fly to Bora Bora for less money.

Ok, let’s be fair: Hot Wire found a nonstop United commuter flight. While the one hour and seven minute schedule sounded attractive, it still meant arriving 90 minutes prior to departure time, plus another half-hour road trip to Teterboro. Door-to-door, my car was faster. The real clincher was the next-day, round-trip $1,000 fare! It was certainly half-price but, no thank you.

Ah ha! North Central Airport, 15 minutes to the north, is where I keep my Mooney. Let’s see. Leave home at 8 am, takeoff by 9 am and arrive at 10 am. No contest!

Cleared For Takeoff

On a short hop like this, I’ll travel at 220 mph and get better gas mileage than a Hummer—20 gallons each way. It was summer so the only weather that would deter me would be fog (none), and thunderstorms (none). Still, I filed IFR (instrument flight rules), which put me in the air traffic system along my route together with other small-piston-powered aircraft like mine, corporate jets, commuter turboprops and of course major airlines—but not the Delta flight that was heading to Atlanta before returning to Newark.

My routing was more or less a straight line to Teterboro. Cleared at 6,000 feet, I knew the corporate jets and airliners would be well above me. That was indeed the case. Although air traffic control (ATC) keeps every IFR aircraft separated by a healthy margin, one needs to keep a watchful eye. Still, on the entire flight through the heavily trafficked areas between Boston, Providence, Hartford and New York, aided by my panel instrument that shows air traffic, I saw only one other plane and that was an airliner in the New York area. There was nothing even remotely nearby, and in the busy Teterboro area where ATC vectors everyone in a safe and efficient conga line to avoid Newark traffic, the flight was equally routine. The nearest plane was a Falcon Jet five miles behind me.

Advanced Technology = Safety And Efficiency

Mooney’s, and the new crop of small planes like the Cirrus and the Cessna Covalis TT, can fly approaches to nearly match the speed of corporate jets, so spacing is rarely an issue. In addition, the latest crop of light, piston-powered aircraft are better equipped than many airliners five years ago. Even my 20-year old Mooney, which is retrofitted with moving map displays (three) that show weather, traffic plus approach charts, makes a 10-year old Boeing look like a dinosaur. My autopilot will fly the latest GPS approaches to the same minimum altitudes as any airliner or corporate jet and when I land, a large image of the airport taxiways displays so that I know exactly where I am.

After landing, I taxied up to one of several facilities at Teterboro dedicated to business aircraft and was greeted with a smile and “how can we be of service.” I walked from my plane to the facility, out the lobby and to the office building nearby. Not only was I was early for my 10:30 meeting, it was great fun getting there, proving that business travel can not only be efficient, but also enjoyable.

The Right Tool For The Job

That’s the beauty of Teterboro and airports like it. Business aviation can use metropolitan area reliever airports like this. They surround every major city and they’re often closer to one’s ultimate destination (in my case across the street). In addition, many thousands of other airfields serve smaller cities, towns and local communities across the nation. So, Delta, United and American, while you give great service between New York and LA, you just don’t go where I and tens of thousands of business flyers need to go.

It’s amazing to realize how powerful a business tool even a small airplane can be. But whether you fly yourself or sit in the cabin of a much faster and capable business jet together with your colleagues, there is more to it than saving time and money. You can make travel a pleasure again—actually make it fun. How do you put a price tag on that?

Reprinted from a Forbes article dated 8/6/12, found here.

Only about 3 percent of the approximately 15,000 business aircraft registered in the U.S. are flown by America’s largest and most well-known companies, while the remaining 97 percent are operated by a broad cross-section of organizations, including governments, universities, charitable organizations and businesses — large, medium and small. And that 97% represents the vibrant heartbeat of what keeps American business humming… or in this case, flying.

Whether it’s moving a team of technicians from one plant to another or bringing clients in for a presentation, companies of all sizes and in all industries are counting on business aviation to compete in their specific markets. As a result, business aviation is saving companies money by eliminating the “down time” and frustrations associated with commercial air travel.

Beechcraft 2000 Starship (Photo credit: Paul Bowen)

“Because there isn’t enough time in the day as it is, relying on a business aircraft helps companies take advantage of the time they do have,” says Kim Showalter, President of Showalter Flying Service in Orlando.

Companies are taking to heart the old adage “time is money” as they seek increased productivity and profitability, while providing healthier, happier work environments for their employees. And they’ve found several instances where business aircraft accomplishes both — such as when a sales team has several places to go in a short amount of time, when more than one employee is traveling on the same itinerary, when their destination isn’t a major airline hub, or when airline schedules simply don’t fit the company work schedule.

For most companies, cost was the major stumbling block to using business aviation services in the past. But that argument is no longer valid, says Showalter. Businesses that rely on their own aircraft have done comparison studies to determine its cost versus the combined cost of commercial air travel, including airfares, overnight expenses for hotels and meals, car rentals, and, most importantly, the value of an executive’s time on the road and away from home and family. ”Those costs add up,” adds Showalter. “Businesses are finally realizing it’s more cost-effective to have their employees working instead of waiting for delayed or canceled flights.”

Less time at airline terminals is scoring big points with employees, too, who are eating more meals at home and fewer at the airport. Business aviation actually gives business travelers the freedom to go where they want, when they want. And with the trend in business to decentralize from major cities, that’s important. Today, if your business destination isn’t a major commercial airline hub, it takes you twice as long to reach it.

Aside from the ease in scheduling, users of business aviation are exposed to fewer travel hassles. The walk from the ramp to the luggage carousel to the taxi stand becomes obsolete, as does lost luggage and cramped quarters on board.

“Many companies actually conduct business or staff meetings in the air when traveling by business aviation,” Showalter says.

Business aircraft generally take the form of single- or twin-engine pistons, turboprops, or corporate jets, and can accommodate as few as four or as many as 24 passengers. While the commercial airlines have access to only 500 airports, business aviation aircraft can take off and land at more than 5,000 facilities around the country — 10 times more than are available to commercial airliners.

“Business aviation has simply become a way of life for the successful, thriving businesses of today,” Showalter says. “From the boardroom to the accounting department, it’s the most efficient business travel alternative available.”

Consider a day trip to Ventura County.  You could drive, but you wouldn’t make it home in time for dinner, instead you’d have hotel costs and be on the road for twelve hours roundtrip.  You could take a Southwest flight to Burbank, rent a car, drive to your destination, and then hurry through your day and hope that your business is finished in time to get back to Burbank (through SoCal traffic) in time to make the last flight home…

Or, you could climb on board our safe and fast Cirrus SR-22 charter airplane and land at the Oxnard airport in about 90 minutes… just steps away from your destination.  Conduct your business, and then be flying home in the afternoon.  Home for dinner indeed.  No airport parking, lines, or hassles.  Just a productive day.

Feel free to call Greg or email an inquiry to his charter company and he’ll be happy to discuss private flying for you on your upcoming trip.  We serve all bay area airports with charter service for San Martin/Gilroy/Morgan Hill, San Jose, Palo Alto, San Carlos, Hayward, Livermore, and all other nearby airports.  Give us the opportunity to quote your next trip…you’ll be glad you did!

Don’t be this guy. Charter our airplane today!

I was asked to join the instructor corps, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. If you’re a Cirrus driver attending the event, be sure to say hello. If you’re a Cirrus driver not attending, why not? It’s an outstanding program. I’ve been to numerous weekend events (Seattle, Van Nuys, and who can forget the simulator session offered in Las Vegas!) and I learn something new every time.

If you fly Cirrus airplanes and haven’t attended a CPPP, I urge you to consider it as part of your annual recurrent training. Contact me for more information.

In the April 2012 issue of Flying magazine, the cover story says that the 2012 Cirrus SR22 is the most sophisticated single-engine civilian airplane ever built. I’m sure the folks at Cirrus are thrilled, as am I (since I get to instruct in this amazing airplane!).

I was able to obtain a pdf copy of the cover page and the article. Here’s a link to the file. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to contact me for your flight training needs in Northern California.

Fly safe,
Greg

From the Bay Area, we flew nonstop and under IFR into Tijuana (MMTJ) where we cleared into Mexico, did all the paperwork for the pilots and airplane, and refueled. Then it was onward to Loreto (MMLT) which was another couple of hours flying time. We enjoyed beautiful scenery along the Sea of Cortez.

After an overnight in Loreto (the client had business there), a day trip to Cabo was in order. Only another 1.25 hours down the Sea of Cortez, La Paz instructed us to contact Los Cabos Approach and we were soon on the ground in Cabo San Lucas (MMSL). Note: don’t try to land at San Jose Del Cabo (MMSD), that is the busy air carrier airport with much higher prices.

Fees and fuel were reasonable at MMSL, and they even gave us a ride to the beach for lunch.

The return trip was slow (headwinds) but uneventful – we landed at San Diego Brown Field (KSDM) and cleared US Customs in no time. Then it was an IFR flight back home to the Bay Area.

This was a wonderful way to introduce flying in Baja California and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again. If you are thinking about flying into Mexico (or Canada, or the Bahamas!) please contact me to discuss your training options.

For a more complete description of border crossing procedures, read my blog post about visiting Rocky Point on mainland Mexico.  To read more about my “Mexico Checkout” flight instruction, read this.

Cirrus CAPS parachute credited with another 2 saved lives. The chute deployed and they descended into the Atlantic Ocean. The airplane quickly began to fill with water.

What would YOU do? Get with your Cirrus CSIP instructor soon to practice emergency scenarios.

Fly safe,
Greg

(if you can’t see the video, use Chrome or FireFox. It doesn’t seem to load correctly in IE.)

The full story from ABC:

After surviving a harrowing plane crash off a sparsely populated Bahamas island – during which their lives were saved by the deployment of a giant parachute — a father and daughter from Alabama are continuing on with their medical mission to Haiti.

59-year-old Dr. Richard McGlaughlin and his 25-year-old daughter, Elaine McGlaughlin, departed from their home near Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday for a planned stop in Miami, before continuing on to Haiti.

Just one hour after the pair took off from Miami, however, trouble struck in their small plane.

The oil pressure plummeted, forcing Dr. McGlaughlin, the pilot, to send a distress signal to Coast Guard officials that their single-engine jet was going down.
Quickly coming to their aid were two Coast Guard lieutenants, who happened to be on a cargo mission nearby and raced to the plane’s location, just off the coast of Andros Island in the Bahamas. The Coast Guard also deployed a HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft from Miami to find the McGlaughlin’s airplane.

The oil pressure malfunction caused the plane’s single engine to seize up. After mayday calls, the father and daughter could only watch.

“The most frightening thing for me was seeing the propeller frozen, motionless, in front of a plane that’s in the air,” Elaine McGlaughlin said.

Dr. McGlaughlin deployed the plane’s parachute – standard on that model of Cirrus plane – which slowed descent to about 25 miles per hour.
“…We hit the water hard,” Dr. McGlaughlin said. “25 miles per hour is not an incidental collision. We pounded pretty good.”

Once the two hit the water, they faced the risk of drowning as the water in the plane rose around them.

“The plane filled up with water quickly, and that was sort of scary too because the doors are all closed but it just comes in the vents, and right away you are waist-deep,” said Dr. McGlaughlin.

The doctor and his daughter managed to make it out onto one of the plane’s wings, and then into an emergency inflatable raft stored on the plane.
Minutes later, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter deployed from Clearwater by the Coast Guard began to circle overhead.

Video shot by the Coast Guard shows the tail and wing of their plane sticking up out of the water, along with the plane’s parachute that saved their lives.
Coast Guard officials were able to hoist the two up out of the water and safely into the helicopter, with no injuries reported.

The pair were then flown to Odyssey Airport in Nassau, Bahamas, where Dr. McGlaughlin’s passion for his work in Haiti, devastated by earthquake two years ago, became evident.

“Am I doing to do it again? As soon as I get another airplane. Yes, oh, yeah,” said the doctor.
McGlaughlin and his daughter departed at 8:30am Monday morning on a commercial flight to Haiti.

A story on AVweb.com reveals that the safety record of Cirrus SR series aircraft is just average.

The magazine also examined how effective CAPS has been and concludes that when deployed under optimal conditions of speed and altitude, the system has proven effective in saving lives and preventing serious injury.

From the article: The Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association has studied Cirrus accidents extensively and concludes that the models would have a much better safety record if some 83 pilots who got into trouble in circumstances where CAPS was well within its envelope had simply used it. COPA is developing new training methods to teach pilots how to include CAPS more effectively in their response to abnormal flight situations.

Read the entire article here.

If you’re in northern California, feel free to contact me for your Cirrus flight training needs. When we’re training in a Cirrus, we will repeatedly examine situations where pulling the chute is the best answer to an emergency.

Fly safe,
Greg

Recent improvements include better zooming on charts, a drag-your-finger ruler, and my favorite: the ability to share your flight plan and screen shots with friends via email and Twitter.

Here’s an example of the Twitter share feature. I’ll be using it on my own Twitter account (@southbaypilot) when I am flying an interesting trip. Feel free to share yours too! (use hashtag #ForeFlight)

Fly safe,
Greg

Here’s how I did it.

1. File an eAPIS manifest for your departure at least 60 minutes prior to flight. Receive clearance to leave the USA via email.

2. File a second eAPIS manifest for your return (before you leave the USA). Receive a second email clearance to return on a future date. You’ll have to guess the time of arrival at this point.

3. With Flight Service file IFR or DVFR (defense VFR flight plan) for your departure.

4. With Flight Service file a return flight plan for a date/time in the future when you think you’ll be returning. You can update your arrival time later. Have them put ADCUS (advise customs) in the remarks section.

5. Start flying south. Open your IFR with approach control, or call Flight Service to open your DVFR flight plan and they will give you your border crossing squawk code.

6. If you are crossing at San Diego and on flight following with SoCal Approach, you will be handed off to Tijuana Approach. It’s seamless. Tijuana controllers speak great English and they’ll clear you on course (or tell you to fly a radial outbound, usually for V3 airway). Depending on your altitude they’ll soon lose you on radar and tell you to contact the next approach control or destination airport tower 50 miles out. In my case I just stayed on V3 from the TIJ to the PPE VOR.

7. Arrive at your Mexican AOE (airport of entry). After landing, young military men with machine guns will greet you and inspect your airplane. There will be a lot of entry paperwork for your airplane and your passengers – immigration, customs, aircraft insurance verification, arrival flight plan, landing fee, etc. Plan on 30-60 minutes and $100 to clear in to the country (that’s for the airplane fees and two people immigration/customs fees). Be patient and respectful. Have lots of small bills. Dollars are OK, but they never have correct change and you are on the unfavorable side of the exchange rate. Some pilots bring pesos to minimize hassle.

8. Lock and cover your plane. Leave the ‘aeropuerto’ behind and go enjoy your weekend!

Here’s a picture of my FlightAware track. As you can see, the track stopped when I cancelled IFR about 30 miles southeast of Tijuana. Follow the dashed line across the Sea of Cortez – that’s where MMPE is.

Coming Home

1. On the day of your return, when you have a better estimate of your arrival time in San Diego, call the US Customs office and update them – get their direct number (this also makes sure they were notified of your arrival – remember the ADCUS remark in your flight plan from above?). If your arrival estimate is way far off from what you filed with Flight Service, call them too (get the direct dial number; 800-WXBRIEF doesn’t work. It can be difficult to find a phone to call from, and many of our USA cell phones do not work, so plan ahead.)

2. Pay your exit fees, fuel bill, etc. and get a departure flight plan (the airport officer will fill it out for you, just like he filled out your arrival flight plan).

3. During your preflight the military men will come over again and inspect the plane and ask a few basic questions (destination, name of the pilot, etc.)

4. Cleared for takeoff, set your course for Tijuana then San Diego (Brown Field KSDM). Tower will instruct you which approach control to contact and how many miles out to do so.

5. Once in flight you now have a really good idea about your ETA in San Diego. Call Flight Service (San Diego Radio on 122.5 south of Mexicali). Tell them you want to open your DVFR flight plan and update customs with your arrival time. They will give you a border crossing squawk code and advise you not to change it unless Tijuana Approach requests you use another code (not common, but no problem). You have to give at least 30 minutes notice when updating arrival time.

6. 50 miles out from Tijuana, approach can usually hear you at 8500′ or higher. The initial call to them is just like calling Norcal for flight following… who you are, where you are, what you want. They’ll get you on radar, confirm your border crossing squawk code (important), and tell you to fly direct to midfield over Tijuana (MMTJ) at 2000′. Later you’ll either get cleared straight-in to KSDM runway 26L/R or you’ll really need to cross MMTJ at 2000 and then descend into the KSDM traffic pattern. Either way is no problem.

7. Brown field ground control will tell you to taxi to customs. It’s a large blue box painted on the ramp in front of the terminal building.

8. At the customs box, shut down and get out – but do not leave the airplane until customs is finished with you. Potty breaks have to wait. This applies to everyone on board. The customs officer will need all passports, airplane airworthiness and registration, pilot certificate and medical. If you arrived within your ETA (plus 15, minus 0) and you’re the only plane there, it will take less than 5 minutes. Longer if a few planes are ahead of you.

9. Restart the plane and move it to the self serve gas (cheapest in San Diego) or to transient parking and go inside for a burger.

10. Depart KSDM and enjoy your flight home. I recommend IFR around San Diego if the airspace is unfamiliar to you. The San Diego class Bravo airspace can be confusing.

Resources

Afraid of traveling to Mexico? View this piece on the safety of Rocky Point.

Baja Bush Pilots – great for advice, purchase Mexico liability insurance instantly online, etc.

Stuff that you cannot bring into Mexico – e.g. guns, drugs, fruits, plants

Pilot Airport Information

Hotel: Mayan Palace

Condos to rent: Las Palomas Resort (but check rent-by-owner websites like VRBO.com for better rates)

If you would like personalized consulting, or if you’d like an instructor to accompany you on your first trip across the border, please contact me.

Fly safe,
Greg

First, if you buy your aircraft for business use, there is still 100% bonus depreciation that allows significant tax savings. Second, Cirrus recently announced an unprecedented FIVE YEAR spinner-to-tail warranty – which can be worth up to $26,000 depending on which model and equipment you buy.

Two incredible incentives to buy your airplane before 12/31/11. Feel free to ask me any questions and let me know if I can get you in touch with your local Cirrus rep for a free demo flight. Just contact me and I’ll be in touch!

Fly safe,
Greg