From the President 

Hi all. We are now on Covid Level 1 so it is time to socialise again.

Build your own Burger nights are back so come along and enjoy the company.

ZK ETZ is back with the club after many years in the wilderness, culminating in a major rebuild at West Aero at Mercer. A big thank-you to John Geary who has put her on line with us. ETZ just needs to complete 6 more hours of engine run-in, so talk to John about a discount on a long flight to get those hours used so she can go fully on-line.

The instructors and John are looking for suggestions for a name for her, so check out the white-board and write your ideas there. ETZ is a delight to fly, come out to the club and take her on a journey.

John Dednam, who has been doing a stirling job looking after our office, is off to greener pastures. His last day is this Friday. I would like to thank him very much for the effort he has put in on behalf of the members. We acknowledge how streamlined our office has become, so thankyou John D.

Stay safe and enjoy your flying.

Dennis Barclay 

Safety Note

Please ensure when coming out to fly that you give yourself enough time to thoroughly pre-flight your aircraft as we've had a recent increase in birds nests appearing in aircraft around the field, including in our very own. Make sure to have a good look around the engine-bay and tail as they are hotspots for nesting. If you see straw or other foreign material that is inaccessible, talk to an instructor who will arrange for its removal.

Pilot Knowledge Series 

In the last edition of In the Loop, we mentioned the club's publication of the first in a number of new safety articles for Pilots. These are written by ex-kiwi aviator Robert Knight (more often known as 'Knighty' around Ardmore - as many older pilots will recall). Rob had some 13,000 hours of ag-flying under his belt before engaging in full-time instructing. Over the years he logged much teaching time with Waitemata, Waikato and Wellinton AC's, the latter two as CFI. His various articles deal with aspects of flight and flying that we can tend to take 'as granted' ... but Rob has a way of writing that makes these topics much more tangible and more relevant in a practical sense. They are quite different to briefing-room content and I have found very helpful with consolidating previously-learned principles! You are invited to read this series on the AFC website, under the heading: Members Area/Safety Articles/All Articles. I'm sure they will be enjoyed by all readers and your ability to identify with many of the topics as a pilot is ensured! Many thanks to Rob (now resident in Australia) for his permission for us to reprint the series, which have also appeared by arrangement with overseas clubs and magazines, including in the US and Canada. Check https://www.airlineflyingclub.org.nz/members-area/safety-articles/all-articles and click on the relevant Issue Please also read the Disclaimer Notice. (Series kindly arranged for AFC by Gary Potts, AFC Committee).

Weekend Outlook 

 Saturday

Mostly cloudy. A few showers, clearing in the evening. Northeasterlies.

Sunday

Cloudy periods and isolated showers. Northerlies.

Duty Instructor 

Saturday: TBA

Sunday: TBA

 Build your Own burger night

Is on every Friday night, due to COVID-19 restrictions meals are slightly varied and are a single serve meal delivered to your table in order to maintain social distancing guidelines.

Mercer MBZ Frequency 

A friendly reminder that the Mercer MBZ frequency changes to 119.2 on NOV 5th. 

Upcoming Events 

The Black Sands fly-in is back for another year on Nov 14. We're looking at turning this into a little club trip away so if your keen to fly an aircraft down or fill a passengers seat, please get in touch.