By Jerry Rosie (USUA #A86096)

And another month rolls around! September and October seem to have been very active months for many of our clubs. The Ultralight Squadron of America, of Stanton, California reported on both the Copperstate Fly In and the High Desert Fly In. The Top Fun Flyers of Boise, Idaho reported on Fly Ins to Donnally (site of the Idaho State Championships this year) and to Alvord. The Black Mesa Flyers of Paulden, Arizona were kept busy with the Wings & Spurs Fly In, the Copperstate Fly In , the Burnt Hare Fly In and the Prescott Air Fair. The Tristate Unltalight Pilots Association of Blanchester, Ohio reported their September Fly In. From all of those reports, everyone had a great time, and all the events were well attended.

Mike Kuranda, President of the Shirley Crowhoppers of Shirley, Mass, shared with us a couple of memorable flights he had in his powered parachute, visiting far away airports and flying over some unfamiliar territory. Well, unfamiliar may not be the correct choice of words because one of his flights was over the town in which he spent his childhood. A nostalgic return, it seems. These flights were noteworthy in that Mike was very conscientious in doing his "home work" by contacting the folks in charge of these 'foreign' airports prior to his arrival and getting their permission before attempting to use their facilities. As he comments in his article, this preparation paid off handsomely - he was warmly welcomed and invited to visit again. He has earned some new supporters of Ultralight flying, and we can all help to improve the image of our sport by following the rules and showing a bit of concern and courtesy towards those with whom we share the air.

Rob Allen, of the Top Fun Flyers of Boise, Idaho, has a less joyful story that he shared with us as a reminder that attention to detail is important in our sport. He suffered an engine out landing resulting in some landing gear damage while flying a new student on an introductory flight. His inspection after the incident disclosed that he had fueled up but had neglected to add the required oil to his gasoline. Luckily, he suffered no engine damage but warns us against becoming too complacent as we come to view our flying activities as "routine". Rob doesn't tell us if his student ever returned for more lessons.

In the same issue of the Top Fun Flyers News, Rob passed on another warning. It seems that he has received a 'nastygram' from the authorities which bore the title of "Notice of Proposed Civil Penalties." It seems that they are citing him for violations of part 103.15, "Operating Over a Congested Area" and part 103.9a, "Operating in a Manner that Creates a Hazard to Others or Property". These two violations carried a fine of $2200.00 which he was able to have reduced to $1100.00 following a phone call to the powers that be. Even at that, it is a large sum to pay for what was considered his 'violation'. His "operating over a congested area" charge resulted from the fact that the downwind and base legs of the airport from which he was operating took him over some housing. The kicker is that, had he been flying a certificated aircraft over the same area, the congested area restriction would not have been applicable. It seems that the Light Sport Aircraft regulations came just a couple of months late to save Rob from a costly experience. He published this tale to warn all of us that it could very well happen to any one of us, depending on where we fly. (This might also be a consideration in whether or not we convert our aircraft to the Light Sport category)

I would be remiss if I did not mention in this month's Around the Patch, the fact that my 'home club', the Millennium Flyers of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania has been selected as this year's USUA Club of the Year. The Millennium Flyers sponsored and conducted their fifth annual Mercy Medical/Angel Flight Charity Fly In this year, donating all proceeds to Angel Flight's activities in providing air transportation to the medical needy who couldn't afford to fly to their required treatments. Five years ago, this small group of Ultralight enthusiasts were looking for a way to give something back to the community and discovered Angel Flight and its need for funding to carry on its humanitarian work. The club voted to support Angel Flight, and Kathy Ridgway (the one time club Treasurer and current Events Coordinator) adopted the cause as her own. Kathy's efforts at organizing the fly in, obtaining sponsors, selling raffle tickets and promoting the event have resulted in thousands of dollars being made available to Angel Flight over the past five years. We all congratulate Kathy and the Millennium Flyers as they receive the Club of the Year award this February at the USUA'a annual meeting in Springfield, Illinois.

That's it for this month - if you are blessed with good weather, fly safely and make sure you do a thorough preflight. Oh, by the way, check out the new calendar on USUA' web page under the NEWS drop down menu. Cool, Huh?