Aviation has captured the imagination of some of us SLA-SCC members, and I was happy to recently sponsor Past President David Cappoli and his son Sam on a visit to The A & E Flying Club, of which I'm a proud member, to celebrate flight and learn more about the aircraft that allow us humans to go aloft!
Sam has frequently landed his Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft at Hawthorne in the game, and he got a kick out of being at the actual field.
A&E was formed in 1949, at the airfield named for engineer and designer Jack Northrup, who formed Northrop Aircraft in Hawthorne in 1939. The aviation administration (was CAA, now FAA) core rating and license for a mechanic used to be called "A&E" for airframe & engine (now known as "A&P" -- airframe & powerplant), hence the club name. And the club focus; we have always done some of our own maintenance on the planes we own, under the supervision of the mechanics - a fantastic way to learn more about how airplanes work! (See 14 CFR ¤ 43; Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations covers Aeronautics and Space.)The Cappoli's joined the N7598S Cessna 182 crew.
A&E members all serve on the crew for one of the club planes. N7598S is the tail number for the aircraft, part of an official global registry (N=USA). On air traffic radio calls, pilots often use the last few characters of the tail number, after stating it in full at the beginning of a contact. 98S (the last characters are also used for shorthand/affection!) is a "high-performance" general (as opposed to commercial) aviation aircraft, because it has a engine over 200 horse power -- 98S's is 230 bhp.Amongst other maintenance tasks, the Cappoli's and I checked the oil filter - a critical monthly maintenance task to be sure nothing is grinding in the engine. The evidence of possible grinding is metallic bits that get in the oil and are trapped in the filter. First you have to saw open the tough thing!
Then, cut out the accordioned filter piece. We managed, and determined 98S was safe in this regard (we did not see anything other than scraps from our sawing the aluminum case! and the magnet did not pick up anything).
Acronyms are a large part of aviation communication - fortunately, we librarians are already well versed in alphabet soup! Here is an example. It would be common to make a requst to Air Traffic Control (ATC) while on a tower-enroute-control (TEC) instrument flight something like this:"SoCal Approach, this is Cessna N7598S (said "November 7 5 Niner Eight Sierra"), we have gone missed (did a low approach with no landing) at Long Beach, would like to request the Localizer 25 approach into Hawthorne, we have their ATIS (Automated Terminal Information System) Lima."
For further acronyms, and visual information, see this image of the approach plate for the HHR LOC (Hawthorne airport localizer) 25 approach.
Google Earth, a huge information resource including a desktop application, has changed aviation! One can "fly" a route online before actually doing it in person. While I love the symbology of both VFR (visual flight rules) sectional charts and IFR (instrument flight rules) low altitude enroute charts, it is even more helpful to get a glimpse of the actual terrain and route.For more information, check out:
* The A&E Flying Club Webcam if you want to keep an eye on our birds!
* "Erratic Flight Path" - My admittedly sporadic aviation blog
Sara Tompson
SLA-SCC 2009 Professional Development Chair
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