News & Pictures

Minutes provided courtesy of the club Secretary, Mr. Dennis Harwell.

Convened in the Majors Field terminal bldg. @ 1722

Call to order: The meeting was called to order at 1722 by Dennis Mathis.

Annual Elections:
• The elections were conducted by Clint Logwood and were held in the MFC Clubhouse shortly after 1700, before the start of the general membership meeting.
• The existing Board members had all indicated that they were willing to serve on the Board for another year. There were no nominations for additional Board candidates from the floor, and Mr. Logwood then requested that a motion be made to close the nominations. Tom Hubert made the motion, and Robert McEnaney seconded the motion.
• The Majors Flying Club Board of Directors (BOD) were unanimously re-elected by the regular members present.
Introductions: Special guests were introduced by Mr Mathis, including:
• Ed Smith (Brad Smith’s father—Brad Smith was the evening speaker for the meeting.)
• Harry Andonian
• Ty Helton, the Majors Field General Aviation Manager.
• New Ground School students
Thank-Yous: The following people were recognized for their contributions to the meeting:
• Ty Helton and James Finley, for rearranging furniture and setting up additional chairs in the Terminal Building for the meeting.
• Joe Rector, for supplying the pizzas that were served.
• Tom Hubert, for recording the meeting on video.
• Denis Rottler, for additional “right-hand man� assistance.
• Brad and Karen Smith, for putting the evening speaker’s program together.
Safety Officer / Chief Pilot's Safety Briefing:
• Mark Armstrong spoke about Human Factors in aviation safety, including:
• Usually, multiple factors combine to cause an accident.
• The “I’M SAFE� principle: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion (or sometimes, Eating).
• Fuel Management: Plan on arriving at your destination with one hour of fuel remaining.
o Know your fuel burn rate. Don’t trust your fuel level indicator.
• Proficiency: See the Club operations rules on proficiency. Try to fly at least one per month, with at least three takeoffs and landings.
• Collision Avoidance: Keep your eyes outside of the airplane. See and avoid air traffic.
• There is an Accident Response Checklist in both aircraft. They are in the aircraft logbooks, just in case.
• Mr. Armstrong will be sending out a questionnaire via e-mail, and asked that everyone respond.
Treasurer's Report:
• B.J. Finney provided a handout with a summary of the Club’s income and major expenses for 2017, which was discussed.
Secretary's Report:
• Dennis Harwell provided a capsule summary of the minutes from the last General Membership Meeting, which was held on 28 September, 2017.
• Mr. Harwell announced that the new club membership cards were available to be handed out at the meeting.
Aircraft Status:
• Dennis Guinn announced that the Cessna is currently unavailable because it is undergoing its annual inspection. It is hoped to be available next week, after some parts (on order) arrive.
• Mr. Guinn also announced that the Archer will be getting a new engine during its annual inspection in March. Some small issues with the Archer will be looked at during the annual.
• Both aircraft will have engine oil pan heaters installed during their annual inspections. These will make oil changes and winter starts much easier.
Special Interest Items:
• Club Trips: Denis Rottler gave a capsule summary of last year’s club events:
o The Aircraft Salvage of Dallas (ASOD) tour Fly-Out in January was attempted, but scrubbed due to weather.
o Choctaw/Durant, Oklahoma Fly-Out in February had three or four aircraft flying for the event.
o The Wash and Wax party for both aircraft in March had good attendance and good food.
o The Mount Pleasant Fly-Out to the Mid-America Flight Museum in June was enjoyed by many.
o The Landing Proficiency Seminar with Mike Montefusco in August was well attended.
o For this year, Mr. Rottler handed out a survey sheet, soliciting suggestions for upcoming events.
• Taxiway Lighting Project: Mr. Mathis announced that this is currently underway, and is expected to be completed by the end of March. We may also get Pilot-Controlled Lighting (PCL), but this is not known for certain.
• WINGS Program: Mr. Mathis also spoke about the FAA WINGS program, which can make flight reviews easier.
o Start the program one year before your next flight review is due.
o You need to complete three knowledge courses and three flight activities with an instructor. The flight activities are fairly short, usually less than one hour each.
o Upon completion, your next flight review due date is then advanced by two years.
o Learn about the WINGS program at FAASafety.gov.
Recognition:
• Dennis Mathis announced that Nathaniel Bennett soloed at the end of December.
• Mr. Mathis also announced that Zach Miller and Josh Stone recently soloed.
Guest Speaker:
• Our Guest Speaker for the evening was Brad Smith, the DPE at Majors Field. He presented an interesting program about his aviation career, which spanned the Military, Commercial, Airlines, and General Aviation realms, finishing with some interesting stories of some of his experiences as a DPE.
• Mr. Smith was presented with a customized “Thank-You� coffee mug after his talk.

The meeting was adjourned by Dennis Mathis at 1859.