tarmacmarch2006

TARMAC
THE AUCKLAND REGIONAL MARCH 2006 MICROLIGHT AIRCRAFT CLUB (INC)

CLUB NIGHT: 7.30pm Wednesday 8th March 2006, ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, preceded by Committee meeting at 6.30. Visitors are most welcome. Refreshments are available.

VENUE: Newmarket Club, 13 Teed Street, Newmarket. Ample parking in Teed Street.

President – Anton Lawrence or 8136404 (home), 021 354998
Chief Flying Instructor - Chris Todd. , or 8385448 (home), 021 414694
Instructor – Anton Lawrence. Contact details as above.
Instructor – Peter Cole 4424257 (home) 027 222096 (work) peter.cole@northpower.com
Vice President – Andrew Guyan
Committee- Peter Cole, David Fandam, Bob Syron, Lloyd Renwick, Chris Todd, Esmond Bunning, Richard Kennard
Chief Safety Officer - Peter Cole. Contact details as above.

Pikes Point Airpark Board ARMAC Reps - Jon Farmer , Vern Booth, Andrew Guy

Secretary - Martyn Seay , or 8452152 (home)
Treasurer – Russell Jones 5273430 (work/home)
Editor – Martin Watson 0274 990 430 or 479 4974 (home)

NOTE THAT WE NOW MEET ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.

PREZ SEZ - President’s Report 2005 / 2006.

As mentioned last month, it has been a big year for the Club. Our entire operation has been turned on its head; it’s as if we have started from scratch. We have a new airfield and a new Bantam, we will be building a new hangar and then we can look to increasing the fleet.
There have been a lot of working bees to demolish existing structures and to lay the slab at Mercer. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped with these tasks.
We also had the drawn-out fight to try and save Pikes Point from its inevitable doom. A charitable trust was formed to help run airfields within the Auckland area; the trust along with a number of other individuals put a huge effort into the fight. But it was not to be.
The trust remains to serve ARMAC, SAA, Roskill Modellers, and any other light aviation groups who fit the Deed. The trust still has funds left from the dismantling of Pikes and now it will be up to the new ARMAC committee to best work out how these can be applied for, and how to use the trust to its advantage. Andrew Guyan and I remain as trustees for a further year.
The club has several students on the books; we now need to look at increasing the new blood and, in time, our instructor pool.
I’ll be retiring as president but will still work with the club on the new hangar, continue to maintain the web site, and instruct as time allows. Most of the other important committee positions will also be vacated at the AGM, so if you have skills in accounting or typing or computers, your assistance would be appreciated. It’s easy to sit back and let others do the committee stuff but the club is just not big enough; we all need to chip in.
And finally, I’d like to thank the current committee; it’s a thankless but essential job that has to be done by all.

Anton

Quotable quote: It is often easier to obtain forgiveness than permission …
Tony Hanlon

FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Our AGM on 8th March - MARK YOUR DIARIES NOW!! And think SERIOUSLY about the Club’s need for a new president, secretary, treasurer and editor.

Notice is hereby given that ARMAC’S 23RD ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING will be held at 7.30pm on Wednesday 08 March 2006 at the Newmarket Club, 13 Teed Street, Newmarket, Auckland.

AGENDA:

Apologies
Minutes of last year’s AGM (copies will be handed out)
Business arising
Appointment of Scrutineers
Annual Reports
Presentation of Certificates
Election of Officers (NOTE: Nominations for officers may be made to the Secretary before, or on, the
night of the AGM)
Fixing of Subscriptions
General Business

Due Notice is hereby given of a proposal to be put to the Meeting whereby C16 of ARMAC's Constitution be rescinded.

C16 reads:"In equal association with SPORT AVIATION ASSN (AUCKLAND CHAPTER INC.) and given that the organisation's Constitutional objectives are similarly amended, ARMAC agrees to be part of a management body to oversee the operation and development of Pikes Point as a Recreational Airpark and to share on a per member basis whatever funding arrangements are deemed necessary to ensure the efficient operation of such a body.
For the purposes of interclub understanding we will Co-sponsor Terms of Reference and/or Heads of Agreement documents which will address detail, as well as provide written reference for our two Incorporated Societies to collectively manage Pikes Point Airpark."

Should any Member wish to put forward any changes to the Constitution, they (the changes, NOT the Member) can be proposed from the floor at the AGM.

By Order of the Secretary

MartYn Seay

Regular Events:
        First Sunday of the month.        Thames for coffee / morning tea.
        Second Saturday.                Dargaville for lunch.
        Third Sunday.                        Raglan for coffee / lunch.
        Last Sunday.                        Kerikeri for lunch.

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DOWN MEMORY LANE (from TARMAC – October 2002)

Flying South by Bob Syron

As Don Mc Millen often reminds me: As you should be dead, (a reference to my recent encounter with the power lines) you might as well enjoy each day from now on.
Anyhow, with the aid of Lyall Cameron, I was able to purchase his B20, XIE. This enabled me to get airborne in the nicest possible way. As some previous advertising stated: XIE is the prettiest B20 in the country – in fact on the whole planet! It certainly flies as well as it looks. With power, I can keep it straight at 28 knots and it cruises comfortably at 50 knots.
I intended to complete a lot more flying around Dargaville while hangared there, however the turbulent winter weather did not enable much of that. I had planned to fly to Pikes Point at the end of August.
In preparation for the longer flight, some adjustments were made, including a reduction in propeller pitch to cope with 45 litres of fuel plus my 85 kilos – a lot to ask of a Rotax 447.
Anyhow, work completed, the day of departure arrived. I advised some from Pikes of my intention and to my surprise a contingent turned up for the popular Dargaville Saturday lunch. This included Gunter, Don Wilkinson, Peter Herrick, Brian Thompson and Warwick Underwood who had kindly volunteered to accompany me in his well-known and much-travelled B22. There was some concern that the wind was increasing and also that I was unable to read my fuel gauge tube (Castrol TTS does not colour the petrol enough). I marked off the map in 15 nautical mile increments and found the trip to be 118 nautical miles.
At Shelley Beach, nearly the halfway point, Warwick was to assess our progress and if there was any concern about fuel consumption he would lead me into Logan McLean’s strip. I was a bit apprehensive about this as I did not know the field and had heard there was a need for caution. Prior to our departure we were going to study a map of it when in the middle of our preparations I lost the car keys! For goodness sakes! Car to go into hangar, electric windows down and no keys! They turned up in one of my pockets. For the cold I was wearing three pairs of trousers, one singlet, two shirts, and my overalls. Lots of pockets and I overlooked some in my stress.
The departure was a grand affair. The takeoff went well despite the heavy load and soon we were cruising at 5700 rpm and 48 knots. Ruawai equals 15 nm, Poutu Point = 15nm, Shelley Beach = 15nm. Turning out towards the Muriwai coast, Warwick came alongside and indicated we turn to the south. I was concerned we were now heading to Logan McLean’s strip although I had not sensed any reasons for fuel concerns. With the lost keys, we had not consulted the map!
What in fact had happened was that Warwick had been advised of parachute operations out of Parakai airstrip so we were diverting to the east of Helensville.
Passing through Bethells, Piha and Anawhata under the Whenuapai control zone felt tight with the height restriction.
One wouldn’t want any engine frailty at the Manukau Heads. We experienced slight buffeting from South Head as we moved up the harbour but that was short-lived.
There was a big reception at Pikes Point. It was as though I had just arrived from Mars. Peter Herrick put the billy on and presented me with a special bicky to mark the occasion for me; a cross-country adventure – a day to remember!
Footnote: Bantams completed the trip in 1hr 50 minutes – 118nm = approx 59 knots – or something like 13 litres per hour.

THE LAST LAUGH…

Elton John goes into the doctor's office and has some tests run.The doctor comes back and says, "Elton, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You have AIDS."Elton is devastated. "Doc, what can I do?"Doc says "Eat one sausage, one head of cabbage, 20 unpeeled carrotsdrenched in hot sauce, ten Jalapeno peppers, 40 walnuts and 40 peanuts,1/2 box of All Bran cereal, and top it off with a litre of prune juice."Elton asks, "Will that cure me, Doc?"Doc says, "No, but it should leave you with a better understanding of what that part of your anatomy is for."

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ARMAC Website -         NZ Civil Aviation Authority - www.caa.govt.nz