Meadow Lake Airport at Colorado Springs CO. Directory for general aviation at Meadowlake airport, 00v. Includes pilot airport information for Meadow Lake and Colorado Springs Municipal Airport.

PRESIDENT'S BUDGET PROPOSES

MAJOR CUTS TO GA AIRPORTS

General aviation airports are in for a rough time next year if the administration gets its way. "The White House is proposing to cut nearly $1 billion from the Airport Improvement Program in 2007 compared to the amount established by Congress, and almost all of that would come from monies earmarked for GA airports," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.

"Congress must not allow this to happen." Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta released the Department of Transportation's budget earlier this week, which includes $13.7 billion for the FAA. DOT claims that the reduced amount for airports is "still robust by historical standards" and that all major runway projects would be completed.

"There's so much more to the system than runways at air carrier airports," said Boyer. The money the administration proposes to "save" by cutting GA airport funding would be used to help pay for air traffic control operations. But the typical GA pilot is only a marginal consumer of ATC services; some 90 percent of GA flights are flown in VFR conditions. Once again, the administration is claiming poverty when it comes to the FAA because the funding system is allegedly broken.

Pueblo Colorado to be new home of USAF Flight Program

The path for young pilots seeking an Air Force career is through the cockpit of a Diamond Aircraft trainer. After years of looking at alternatives, the U.S. Air Force Initial Flight Screening program is to be conducted at Pueblo, Colorado, by Doss Aviation under a new $178.2 million contract as soon as October 1 using 45 specially designed new Diamond DA-20 training aircraft. Doss Aviation is the same civilian company that performed the training under the old program.

Since the mid-1990s hundreds of flight schools or individual qualified flight instructors have given Air Force candidates 50 hours of training leading to a private pilot certificate. Today a spin-off of that program is still in progress, but it has been converted to the new 25-hour, 19-flight program Doss Aviation will use that requires students to solo twice in that time period. Those schools and individuals will no longer be used once the Pueblo program is in full swing, and that means a devastating loss of income for some of the schools. Air Force officials said that for a while, pilot candidates who have their private certificate will not undergo screening, but eventually screening will be required for all candidates. The $178.2 million will be used to purchase the airplanes, hire the instructors, provide housing, transportation, and security. A mini-Air Force base will spring up at Pueblo, Doss officials said. The old screening program was halted when three Slingsby aircraft from England were involved in fatal accidents at the U.S. Air Force Academy, which had a program identical to the screening program at Hondo in 1995. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University now conducts the screening at the Air Force Academy using Diamond DA-20 aircraft, while Doss now operates glider towing and parachute jumping aircraft there.

STATE SENATOR PROTECTS AUTOFUEL STC HOLDERS IN COLORADO

Joining other states across the nation, Colorado is in the midst of adopting legislation that would require automotive gasoline to contain ethanol. From November through April of each year, 75 percent of all gasoline sold in Colorado would be required to contain at least 10 percent ethanol by volume. In order to ensure the availability of unblended gasoline for pilots who use auto gas supplemental type certificates, AOPA approached Sen. Lew Entz to amend the bill. Entz came through, successfully amending the bill to require the availability of non-blended premium grade gasoline for dispensing at airports. The bill also would require gasoline retailers to label pumps that dispense ethanol-blended gasoline. If enacted by Gov. Bill Owens, the new law would take effect January 1, 2007.

DON'T APPLY COMMERCIAL STANDARDS TO GA AIRPORTS, AOPA SAYS

What do a Cessna 172 and a Boeing 747 have in common? Not much other than they both have wings and fly. And that's why AOPA is urging the FAA not to apply commercial airport standards to small general aviation airports that want to offer WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) instrument approaches. "While the FAA is updating its Airport Design Handbook, the agency needs to find a way to tailor its design criteria for GA airports to the type of aircraft that operate there," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. "Right now, a 2,900-foot runway would have to meet some of the same criteria as a commercial runway to offer a precision approach like WAAS, and that's just not feasible." GPS-based WAAS has the ability to offer virtually the same approach minima as an ILS—200 feet and one-half-mile visibility—without all of the ground-based navigation equipment. See AOPA Online.

AIR FORCE TRAINING A WINDFALL FOR THREE COLORADO AIRPORTS

Flight screening operations conducted by a U.S. Air Force contractor commence in October at three Colorado airports, bringing benefits to all of them. For Pueblo, the total impact on the local economy is expected to be a quarter-billion dollars, said Jim Spaccamonti, president of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation. A 190,000-square-foot building once used by Sperry and Unisys, and later sold to Lockheed Martin to build computers, will be renovated to serve as an academic facility and a dormitory. In addition to remodeling the building, hangars and taxiways will be constructed at Pueblo Memorial Airport. Pueblo will also get a fuel flowage fee for all fuel delivered to the airport for use by the program, and of course, the increased operations will better position Pueblo Memorial to receive increased federal and state funding. The nearby airports of Fremont County and Fowler Airport will also benefit. Fowler will get a runway overlay and fire equipment, while Fremont will see increased traffic—10 flights a day five days a week. That could also improve federal and state funding for Fowler and Fremont.

New Flight School's Staff Will Live in Pueblo

Operation will be separate from one in Colorado Springs.

DOSS Aviation is gearing up for the opening of its new US Air Force pilot school in Pueblo.

The CEO of DOSS, Frank Hunter, told a meeting of Pueblo business leaders that most of the 180 employees will live in their city. He said they would most likely prefer to live nearby instead of commuting from Colorado Springs, and the operation will be separate from the DOSS operation at the Air Force Academy.

The question of how much economic impact the flight school would have has come up because it's being funded by tax dollars.

But although the city of Pueblo is spending over $11.15 million to renovate the former Boeing building for the school, DOSS will have to pay back nearly $8 million of it. The city is also covering the $2 million cost to help fund the airport's fire station for the next ten years.

Hunter says they've already hired 20 people at an average salary of $44,000 dollars a year. Those employees are instructor pilots, maintenance crews and a manager for the dormitory. Food service will be outsourced to Logistics & Environmental Support Services Corporation, which operates military support services at bases around the world.

The first students arrive in October, and Hunter expects 1,300 to go through the program next year.

First Airplane Arrives at New Pueblo Flight School

And 43 more are on the way

July 14th, 2006

The first airplane has been delivered to Pueblo's new US Air Force pilot school. The Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse arrived at Doss Aviation's Pueblo Municipal Airport facility Monday. It's a high-performance piston single, and the first one will be used to work out traffic patterns planned for the operation.

The flight school will take USAF 2nd Lieutenants and train them to fly. After they graduate, they will go on to jet aircraft. That's the same regimen used at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Doss expects to have 44 Eclipses at the school by 2008. The first 15 students will arrive on October 13. At peak operation, the school will turn out about 1,300 pilots a year.

AIRPORT LAWSUIT EFFECTIVLY SETTLED

Judge Rules in Favor of Dhooghe, Elliott, French, Martin, Shook, Schauer, and Wolford

In a lengthy hearing lasting over 3 1/2 hours, Judge David Gilbert denied the temporary restraining order requested by Aero Properties (et Al) to name an executive management committee to run the airport until the full hearing date in 6 weeks.

Judge Gilbert noted that all directors had " acted in good faith" and with agreement from all parties ruled to move forward and answer the main issue now. The Judge ruled that since "Regular Members" includes corporations and other entities, therefore those entities have a right to have a designated representative run for election and hold the office of director.

With the authorized board resolved, will peace and harmony now rein?? Lets Hope !

Gunnison - Tourists come here in summer to hit the trails and fishing holes and soak in the mountain scenery. But for the past month, they have gotten a gee-whiz bonus in the skies over Gunnison. The military has been testing a new type of aircraft that is part helicopter and part airplane. It looks and acts like nothing else that flies in and out of the tiny Gunnison County Airport.

The Osprey is an aircraft with rotors that point up to make the gun-metal gray, whalelike craft hover like a helicopter or tilt forward to let it fly like a plane.

Senator Uninjured in Crash of RV8

Fri, 06 Oct '06

RV-8 Ground-Looped Runway

It was a close call for Oklahoma senator James Inhofe Thursday, when his RV-8 ground-looped at Tulsa's Jones Riverside Airport (RVS). Fortunately, Inhofe and his passenger, an aide to the Senator, were unhurt in the mishap.

"No scrapes or bruises. No nicks or cuts. No injuries at all," said Danny Finnerty, who was sitting behind the senator in the tandem aircraft, to the Tulsa World. "We walked away from the plane."

"Everything was fine until the tail wheel hit the runway," Finnerty said.

AOPA President answers Mayors "RANT"

(excerpt below)

OK, for all of those ranting about "threats" from GA aircraft, we'll believe

that you're really serious about controlling "threats" when you call for:

Banning all vans within cities. A small panel van was used in the first

World Trade Center attack. The bomb, which weighed 1,500 pounds,

killed six and injured 1,042.

Banning all box trucks from cities.

Timothy McVeigh's rented Ryder truck carried a 5,000-pound bomb killed 168

Banning all semi-trailer trucks. They can carry bombs weighing 50,000 pounds.

Banning newspapers on subways. That's how the terrorists hid packages of sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subway system. They killed 12.

Banning backpacks on all buses and subways. That's how the terrorists got the bombs into the London subway system. They killed 52.

Banning all cell phones on trains. That's how they detonated the bombs in backpacks placed on commuter trains in Madrid. They killed 191.

Banning all small pleasure boats on public waterways.

That's how terrorists attacked the USS Cole, killing 17.

Banning all heavy or bulky clothing in all public places. That's how suicide bombers hide their murderous charges. Thousands killed.

Number of people killed by a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? Zero.

Number of people injured by a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? Zero.

Property damage from a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? None.

AOPA WON'T TAKE 'NO' FOR AN ANSWER ON PILOT MEDICALS

The FAA slammed the door on any further consideration, saying it won't budge on the sport pilot "Catch-22" issue or extending the driver's license medical to pilots exercising recreational pilot privileges.

"But we won't give up, particularly because we think the FAA's position is logically inconsistent," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive V.P.

"Too many pilots have lost their medicals, yet they are still fit to fly light sport aircraft and simple aircraft like Cessna 172s safely. We're going to find a way to make that happen."

Pilot Recovers..Lands Safely on grass strip

The Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune reports the aircraft (similar to type shown above) lost altitude over Forest Lake Saturday... and landed hard. So hard, in fact, that two passengers onboard the plane were thrown into the water. The two women -- one 35 years old, the other, 47 -- were rescued, and taken to an area hospital. As for the Skywagon... the harsh landing caused the plane to lose its floats, but the pilot was able to recover. The 44-year-old pilot was later able to land the stricken plane safely on a nearby grass landing strip. Neither the pilot nor the third passenger were injured.The FAA is investigating.

FAA WARNS STC HOLDERS AGAINST ETHANOL IN AUTO FUEL

The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), warning aircraft owners and operators with auto fuel supplemental type certificates to ensure the fuel they use does not contain alcohol (ethanol or methanol). The SAIB reinforces EAA's ongoing efforts to ensure availability of compliant autogas by heading off or modifying legislative attempts in several states to require ethanol in all gasolines sold.

YANKEE PITCHER CORY LIDLE - A VICTIM OF THE BOX CANYON TURN ?

..."Radar data indicate that the airplane was flying over the east side of Roosevelt Island prior to initiating a 180 degree turn.

At this location, there would have been a maximum of 2100 feet clearance from buildings, if the full width of the river had been used. However, from the airplane's mid-river position over Roosevelt Island, the available turning width was only 1700 feet. The prevailing wind from the east would have caused the airplane to drift 400 feet toward the building during the turn, reducing the available turning width to about 1300 feet. At an airspeed of 97 knots, this turn would have required a constant bank angle of 53 degrees and a loading of 1.7 Gs on the airplane.

If the initial portion of the turn was not this aggressive, a sufficiently greater bank angle would have been needed as the turn progressed, which would have placed the airplane dangerously close to an aerodynamic stall..."

The flight test program for Cessna's light-sport aircraft (LSA) concept is on track and its LSA team is on schedule to make a decision about going forward with the program in the first quarter of 2007. "The more we evaluate our light-sport aircraft proof-of-concept airplane and the market potential for such an aircraft, the stronger our conviction is that this could be a favorable step for our company's product line," said Jack Pelton, president and CEO, while the proof-of-concept aircraft was displayed at the AOPA Expo this week. That plane, dubbed the Cessna Sport, has made more than 11 flights now, accumulating more than 20 flight hours. "We've explored the flight envelope and basic handling characteristics," Pelton said. "The fundamental airplane design is looking good."

Known icing conditions: FAA's slippery slope?

A new interpretation of what "known icing conditions" really means could ground general aviation aircraft for the winter. But AOPA is not going to let that happen.

The new interpretation, handed down from the FAA's Eastern Region counsel, says that "high relative humidity" constitutes known icing conditions. This means that in high relative humidity conditions when the temperature is near or below freezing, pilots must fly an aircraft with deicing equipment. Many light GA aircraft aren't equipped for flight into known icing conditions.

"This overly restrictive interpretation of 'known icing conditions,' if literally applied, would unnecessarily ground many safe general aviation flights and may negatively affect safety because many pilots would not be able to train nor maintain flying proficiency during the winter season," wrote Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy, in a letter to the FAA. He requested that the FAA Eastern Region's letter of interpretation be rescinded.

AOPA pointed out that this restrictive interpretation is not consistent with other FAA publications, including the Aeronautical Information Manual, which state that visible moisture, along with freezing temperatures, is necessary for structural icing in flight. High relative humidity is not visible.

The association further explained that relative humidity is not included in FAA or National Weather Service aviation weather reports or forecasts. "So how are pilots to know when high relative humidity would be a factor to their flight,................

Flatulence, not turbulence forces plane to Nashville

Flatulence brought 99 passengers on an American Airlines flight to an unscheduled visit to Nashville early Monday morning. American Flight 1053, from Washington Reagan National Airport and bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, made an emergency landing here after passengers reported smelling struck matches. Bomb-sniffing dogs found spent matches.The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal bathroom odor, Lowrance said. The flight took off again, but the woman was not allowed back on the plane.

"American has banned her for a long time,"

AIRPLANE ATTEMPTING EMERGENCY LANDING CRASHES INTO TREES AT AMERICAN AVIATION !

Pilot WALKS AWAY !

A Piper Cherokee 180, a rental from CLASSIC AIR, registered to Vision Real Estate Mgt. of Colorado Springs crashed into Trees and power lines on Judge Orr Rd at the entrance to American Aviation at aprox. 5:30 pm Thursday. The pilot (Meadow Lake Estates resident, Terry Brookham ) suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene. The Injuries occured AFTER the accident while climbing down from the tree.

According to Falcon Fire Lt. Nathan Snyder, the pilot was doing night touch-and-go landings when the plane lost power. The pilot tried to glide back to the airport but crashed into power lines. Eyewitness Lynn French said the propeller was not turning and the airplane appeared to be attempting to glide to the runway when it contacted the power lines, and came to rest in a large Cottonwood tree. Power was off for 2 hours in the Meadow Lake Airport Hangars, and east side residential area. Power was restored to the Airport and surrounding residences at apox. 7: 35 PM.

Flying like a bird

at 5,000 ft , the

Winged Wonder

By MICHAEL HANLON

29th December 2006

Man has dreamt of flight ever since our ancestors first saw birds soaring into the sky.

And even after the dream was realised, first with hot-air balloons and later with heavier-than-air aeroplanes, the dream remained unfulfilled.

Because being truly at one with the air, able to swoop and soar like a falcon or an albatross, remained an impossibility.

And in legends where the dream became real, as in the myth of the Ancient Greek birdman Icarus, the price was a heavy one; an ignominious crashing to Earth.

But for one brave Swiss pioneer, a former military pilot called Yves Rossy, the dream has become reality. For as these amazing pictures show, Rossy, 45, has managed to come as close as it is possible to get to the feeling of being truly like a bird. Rossy strapped a pair of stubby wings to his back and leapt out of a plane, swooping eight miles in freefall for the loss of just 1000ft in altitude.

Airport work delayed by nesting eagles

DURANGO - This traffic won’t pay any attention to the control tower. Two golden eagles, with wingspans that can exceed 6 feet, have decided to nest in a pine tree near a runway of the Durango-La Plata County Airport. That has brought a twoyear $18.6 million runway expansion plan to a halt, at least temporarily. The eagles are expected to move on around June 1. Meanwhile, the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 protects the birds. “We can’t do anything until that eagle decides to up and move,” said Ron Dent, airport director of aviation. The birds are holding up an extension of a taxiway, which now ends about 1,200 feet from a runway. It is needed for safety and to improve airport efficiency. The lack of a full taxiway means airplanes must taxi as far as a third of a mile on the runway, interrupting takeoffs and landings.

SEE BELOW FOR MORE...

Airport work delayed by nesting eagles

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

“We can’t do anything until that eagle decides to up and move,” said Ron Dent, airport director of aviation. The birds are holding up an extension of a taxiway, which now ends about 1,200 feet from a runway. It is needed for safety and to improve airport efficiency. The lack of a full taxiway means airplanes must taxi as far as a third of a mile on the runway, interrupting takeoffs and landings. “We don’t like aircraft backtaxiing down the runway,” Dent said. “It’s a pretty safe procedure, but there’s always that potential.” The airport has agreed to delay construction within a quarter-mile of the nest until the winged couple’s nesting period ends.

At the moment, the eagles are out of town. But they are expected to return in early spring. Their nest was found in May of last year.

“If they feel secure, if they feel safe from predators, if they feel like they can raise their young, they’ll choose to make a nest in that location,” said Tony Gurzick, assistant regional manager of the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Durango.

The Piper Cherokee is leased by Classic Air, and used for flight training.

It ironically hit the Cottonwood tree in front of competitor American Aviation, the Cessna Pilot Center.

Since the December 7th accident, American has received worldwide publicity, as the photo has circulated by e-mail and aviation blogs.

The top photo was "photo shopped", as the bottom photo shows, the sign actually faces the opposite direction.

----------------------------------------------

The engine was not running when the aircraft hit the tree.

During a TV interview with CBS affiliate KKTV, the pilot , Terry Brookham, was observed to say ..." I really don't think there was anything wrong with the airplane, maybe there is something wrong with me"...

Official Cause of the accident has not been established.

REMEMBER:

Any Landing you can walk away from is a GOOD landing. Any Landing you can walk away from AND Immediately use the Airplane again is a GREAT Landing !

This was NOT a GREAT landing, but it was pretty good considering what could have happened !

PHOTO SPREADS AROUND THE WORLD BY E-MAIL and INTERNET MESSAGE BOARDS -

Traffic to this website increased 300 percent after message boards started posting the photo. Many ask questions and get it very wrong. Here are the answers to some common Internet questions and misconceptions.

ANSWERS:

YES. The famous photo has been altered . The top photo was "photo shopped", as the bottom photo shows, the sign actually faces the opposite direction. All other details are accurate.

American Aviation had NOTHING to do with the ill fated flight. The Aircraft was rented by their competitor Classic Air. The pilot was not a student, but a local private pilot who lives in the area.

The accident happened after dark on a humid cold night. According to eyewitnesses, and published news reports, the Cherokee was doing night touch and go landings on MLA runway 15, when it experienced a total engine failure about 1 mile out on (left) base leg, and turned toward the runway.

While in a no power gliding decent, about 1500 feet short and 1000 feet east of the approach end of rwy 15, the aircraft contacted the power line on the north side of the rd. (snapping it and slowing the airplane), which then crashed into a tall cottonwood tree on the south side of Judge Orr rd, at the entrance to American Aviation.

The NTSB report states: " The pilot was established on a base leg for runway 15 (6,000 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) when the engine lost power. The pilot lined up with an adjacent road and continued for a forced landing. Prior to the landing he checked his carburetor heat, mixture, throttle, and magnetos in an attempt to troubleshoot the power loss. He stated that he observed car lights and "swerved into [the] tree." The airplane became lodged in the tree, crushing both wings aft and wrinkling the vertical stabilizer. The airplane was removed from the tree and relocated to a hangar in Greeley, Colorado, for further examination. An examination of the engine and related systems revealed no anomalies. "

If your message board contains errors or questions on this accident, please post a link to this page on your message board.

Thank You. copy and past > www.MeadowLakeAirport.com

SEE BELOW

FAA Yanks Weather Radios In Towers -- Again

Mon, 22 Jan '07

NATCA Calls Policy "Absurd"

Weather radios brought in to the control tower at Daytona Beach (FL) International Airport by local FAA managers, two days after a Christmas Day tornado came dangerously close to the airport, have since been banned by the agency. Again.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the agency yanked the radios Friday... leaving controllers wondering just what, exactly, the agency thinks about their safety.

"So they don't want controllers to know there's a tornado outside the window?" asked Doug Church, national spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "That's absurd."