Message from the PRAA Leadership
The Board of Directors of the PRAA met with City
Manager Jim App, Asst City Manager Meg Williamson,
Doug Monn, Roger Oxborrow, and City Council Member
John Hamon to discuss airport issues and the prominent
role that the PRAA is playing and will play moving
forward.
Corman, of the PRAA, stressed the importance of
working together and indicated that our immediate
priorities were the handling of the old Oasis Gashouse
and an Airport Business Plan that has been on hold for
almost 10 years. We also strongly want the city to make
it attractive for a restaurant to open up at the airport. A
restaurant would go a long way to continue bring more
people to the airport.
The meeting, called by Mr. App, was cordial and both
parties agreed to work closely moving forward.
On a separate note, as of this writing, the PRAA
membership has increased from 151 to 174 in a little
over two weeks. Thanks to all of our current members
and welcome to our new members. We are in the midst
of our first PRAA membership drive and would sure
appreciate it if you would forward this newsletter to your
friends and family. They can join by sending an email to
philcorman@hotmail.com or by CLICK HERE
.
Airport Business Spotlight
General Aircraft Hardware Company
“Helping Aviation Stay Together”
Having been in business officially since March of 1984,
Tom Brink, the President and Founder was previously
employed as the “Director of Maintenance” for an
Airframe and Powerplant Repair Station in Lompoc
California. His employment there was from 1977 to
1988.
In a maintenance facility there
are many challenges; Schedules,
regulations, personnel, and the
customers’ requirements. There
is always a need for replacement
parts of all kinds for the aircraft
being repaired. Not having what
you need when you need it, or as
close as possible is a big
schedule disruption.
Using the suppliers of those times, Tom found that it was
frequently easier to obtain the larger and more
expensive products while the smaller loose stock items
were not often stocked at the practical levels they should
have been. He started Genuine Aircraft Hardware as a
part time venture that was noncompeting with his
employer at the time, Lompoc Aviation. This new
business activity became very beneficial for both
Lompoc Aviation and Genuine Aircraft Hardware.
In the fledgling aircraft hardware business Tom’s tasks
were planning, development and construction, while his
wife, Pamela, was the store clerk, purchasing and
packaging. After a few years and two children, they
were growing enough to venture out and try having
Genuine Aircraft Hardware Co. support itself and their
small family at their new location in Paso Robles. With
many struggles and much patience the venture survived
and maintained moderate growth each year. There were
special occasions when he had to take side jobs to pay
for things like child #3, (no health insurance then), but
with lots of work, things were progressing.
Ten years later after teaching thousands of people how
to measure and identify fasteners while on the phone,
GAHC produced their first Aircraft Hardware Reference
Book. This has been a very helpful tool customers. The
book has been updated at least 6 times and has been
published and distributed in excess of 70,000 copies, as
of 2009.
may depend on the acquisition of 500 members to cover
GAHC progressed over the years to be bigger and
better. They started out in 200 sq ft., then, 600, 1,200
3,500, and now we are in 9,000 sq ft, plus a warehouse
in central Georgia. September of 2002 they opened a
new facility in Georgia, specifically to better serve
Eastern States customers. In 2005 they expanded their
inventory and re-located into a larger newly constructed
facility. At their Paso Robles location on Aerotech
Center Way, GAHC stocks over 10,000 unique parts and
employee just under 20 employees. Most of their
business is in the US, but GAHC has customers
worldwide.
The target traveler for Surf Air is a busy frequent business flyer
Tom says that GAHC is available to help you with your
Aircraft Hardware Requirements, whether it is just
answering your questions or shipping you hardware.
going month-to-month. Each member is provided "unlimited
complimentary guest passes" and will "have access to
monthly expenses.
prone to last-minute booking and interested in a first-class
style of service, according to the company. "Our service can be
substantially cheaper than first-class tickets, and we offer a
better and less crowded experience," Surf Air says. It hopes to
lease and operate two Pilatus turboprops to the tune of about
$700,000 per month. And then it hopes to expand. The
company says members will enjoy an ease of travel that
includes driving right up to the aircraft a few minutes before
departure and having a valet take their luggage and park their
car. Members must sign on for a three-month period before
exclusive events and offers." Co-founders Wade and David
Eyerly each have different work histories. Wade Eyerly served
Airport Advisory
Committee (AAC)
Update
The Committee met on
April 26.
Surf Air – A new Charter Concept
as an aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. David Eyerly is a
former manager of the Dallas Fort-Worth Airport for Frontier
Airlines.
California Airport Land Use Commission
At Risk
The following post is written by California Pilots
Association President Ed Rosiak
http://www.surfair.com/
The Airport Land Use
Commission (ALUC) was first introduced in California in
the 70’s, after the tragic crash of a surplus Military Jet
into a Ferrell’s Ice Cream Store, located at the end of a
runway at Sacramento Exec Airport.
Since then the California Division of Aeronautics has
done an incredible job creating rules and guidelines in
Surf Air hopes to make a $700,000-per-month gamble that
people will want to pay hundreds of dollars each month for
access to flights in one of two PC-12s flown between set
airports on the west coast. The company plan includes service
to Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles with
memberships ranging from $790 to $1490 per month,
beginning this summer. Surf Air memberships offer an "all-youcan-fly" format that operates on a Netflix-like system.
Members paying $1490 can set up to six one-way reservations
at a time. Once the first trip is fulfilled, the queue refreshes to
include the next reservation in the member's queue. The
company is founded by two brothers under the age of 33, and
the form of the California Airport Land Use Planning
Handbook to assist in the determination of compatible
land development around California airports.
Unfortunately, since these are guidelines and are not
law, they are often ignored by the airport sponsor, which
is either the city or county the airport is located in.
A typical Airport Land Use Commission is made up of
seven. Although this arrangement isn’t always the case,
the ALUC is defined as follows: two people from the city,
two people from the county, two with actual aviation
experience, with the final position agreed upon by other
six. These are supposed to be volunteer positions, with
knowledge provided from each area to provide a truly
balanced decision.
ALUC’s are often placed in political pressure
situations when they follow the guidelines
City and County members are supposed to be
neutral, but, that is not always the case when
considering #1 above.
We see this situation time and again, and all you have to
do is go to our web site and search on ALUC, or Airport
Land Use Commission to view all of the issues the
airports face. If the state eliminates the formal ALUC
statute (except for Los Angeles and San Diego – can
you say politics??) that means that the checks and
balances on developers around our airports will be lost.
You can imagine what will happen then?
Download a copy of the California Airport Land Use
Planning Handbook for your review. This document is
being copied by many states which have no such
provisions and are now trying to protect their airports.
The role of the Airport Land Use Commission is to insure
the community is provided with safety and noise zones
from airport operations. These zones are officially and
technically defined in the California Airport Land Use
Planning Handbook, readily available to all sponsors and
planning agencies within the state.
As you know encroachment is the major issue for all
airports. The California Airport Land Use Planning
Handbook addresses this issue completely. However,
airport sponsors are often ignorant of the document or
simply decide to ignore it. Here is (the simplistic view of)
how the ALUC is supposed to work.
A developer wants to build something within the
airport operations area. He has to go to the ALUC to
get their approval before proceeding.
The ALUC has to determine if the development
meets the criteria in the California Airport Land Use
Planning Handbook.
Any cost associated with this process is supposed to
be borne by the developer.
The ALUC then provides the airport sponsor with
their assessment of the proposed development –
qualifies or does not qualify.
Here is what actually happens.
The developer creates relationships with the airport
sponsor and city/county planning department and
sells them on the idea first.
He then follows the formal process and if it isn’t
going as planned calls the airport sponsor to
complain asking for the sponsor to intervene.
Note: As of this writing, the ALUC funding has not been
cut by the State.
Annual Blood Drive
Next Drive: Friday May 4
2-6 p.m. Thompson Hall
Each May, the Estrella Warbird
Museum hosts the United Blood
Services donation bus in Memory of
one of our founders, Obbie
Atkinson. It is always a typical
effort of the group of people making
up the EWM community to make it
successful! We encourage both
EWM members and others from the community to sign
in and donate in the allotted four hour period. This is
always full capacity for the available facities and staff
from the Blood bank.
If you have questions or want to sign up, please contact
Wayne Rice 805 423-8828
Links to Local Associations
Cal Pilots Association Newsletter
Click Here to read the Current Newsletter.
SLO 99s Newsletter
We have a great 99s Chapter in San Luis
Obispo that sponsors or participates in many
events over the course of each year. Click
Here to go to read their latest newsletter
Safety Corner
Local Safety Tip
Engine Failure @Takeoff
Do you know what you would do if you had an
engine failure on takeoff? Do you know when
you have enough altitude to make it back to the
runway safely? What will you do if not. Well, the
first thing to do is to think about lot about this
while you are on the ground. Burn it into your
memory because you won’t have much time to
think if it happens to you on departure.
Click Here to read the FAA Safety Newsletter.
Fly-In Events near KPRB
May 5-6: Chino, Planes of Fame Museum Air
Show, www.planesoffame.org
May 19: Warbirds, Wings & Wheels
http://www.ewarbirds.org/www4.html
May 26-27: Hollister, CA (KCVH) Airshow,
http://www.hollisterairshow.com/
May 27: Atwater, CA: Open Cockpit Day at
the Castle Air Museum
www.castleairmuseum.org
June 8-10: Golden West Airshow (KMYV)
http://www.goldenwestflyin.org
Jun 9: Porterville, CA (KPTV) Airfaire,
http://www.portervilleairfaire.com/
Here are few things to think about. Avoid a
departure stall as a stall/spin will almost surely
kill all onboard. Lower the nose aggressively and
attain best glide. Then begin your search for a
suitable landing zone. That is usually NOT
turning back to the runway. You should already
know where a good landing zone is at Paso
Robles for all 4 runways. After all, it is your
home airfield. And wherever you decide to land,
land as if it’s San Francisco International. Slow
the plane down, get the flaps down, and flare
into whatever nature provides you with.
Thought for the Month
If you lose your job, your marriage, and your mind all in one week,
try to lose your mind first, because then the other stuff won’t matter so much.
Please send Letters to the Editor or any
corrections to philcorman@hotmail.com