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Supporting a Growing, High-Altitude Airport

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As I write this column on May 15, it is one of those columns I really wish I didn’t have to write. Recently, we had the local operators’ safety meeting, which is a gathering of all airport operators that includes all the flight schools, rental agencies, airport management and air traffic control. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss operational issues that affect operations at the airport.

There were several interesting and some distributing items reported.

For example, airport operations reported that noise complaints are way up. These complaints are reportedly coming from people who have moved in around the airport and are not happy that airplanes are flying over their property and making noise. This is unfortunate, as we are aware that residents in new developments near the airport must sign a disclaimer that states they know there’s an airport there.

We also learned that during fire season, the Forest Service will have a Boeing 737 water tanker based here. Can you imagine the noise complaints we’ll have when that aircraft takes off at all hours with full loads of water, screaming at full power as it flies over homes at low altitude?

I have written several columns on the economic value of our airport. We know jobs in Prescott are not the greatest, but things have been looking up. Companies such as Eviation have located here to take advantage of the local engineer talent educated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

One of SkyWest’s reasons for bringing airline service to Prescott is access to pilot trainees.

If the airport were to close or severely curtail operations, it’s difficult to imagine Embry-Riddle would remain in town. Losing a university would no doubt impact the number of quality jobs available here.

Further, if airport operations were reduced and ERAU were to move, would SkyWest stay? Probably not, in which case, all of us who enjoy the convenience of flying out of Prescott would have to seek air service a distance away, most likely from Phoenix.

Speaking of Embry-Riddle, their enrollment and demand for aviation training only continues to rise. This past year, the institution had roughly 150 students in the flight program. Projections for next fall are 280 students, nearly double this year.

That increase means even more air traffic for the area. My company, Leighnor Aircraft, has experienced an increase in operations, as has North-Aire and both helicopter schools. By this time next year, Prescott likely will be moving up from number 40 in the busiest airport category.

It’s important to note that Prescott Airport has a noise abatement procedure that all pilots follow as best they can; however, they are limited by what’s necessary for safety, given the high altitude and warm temperatures. Airplanes don’t develop full power in those conditions and pilots cannot reduce power sometimes without affecting safe flight operations.

For our citizens who like the changes and services at the airport, we must become more vigilant expounding the benefits of growing and improving air services.

Here are some ways you can support the airport: fly on the airline, do business with airport businesses, and even build businesses that cater to aviation enthusiasts, as we have a lot of people in this town that are passionate about aviation. Finally, support politicians who support the airport and modernization of our infrastructure. QCBN

By Lance Leighnor

Lance Leighnor has four decades of experience in general aviation aircraft, and active management of rental aircraft since 2011. Lance is the managing member of Leighnor Aircraft. He can be reached by phone at 928-499-3080, by email at lance@LeighnorAircraft.com or via the Leighnor Aircraft website at LeighnorAircraft.com.

Examining a Life-Long Love Affair with Aviation

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Let’s talk about love – the love of aviation. I’m going to speak to my life-long love affair with flying and airplanes. Many pilots and perhaps some non-pilots will see themselves in these small vignettes.

My love affair with airplanes started early in life. My dad was a builder and he recruited me at the tender age of three. He needed someone to help work in the controls on the airplane he was building, so he grabbed me, put me in the cockpit along with some rubbing compound on the control stick joints and let me play. And play I did.

Just a few years later, when I was eight, our family rented an airplane and flew out to Liberal, Kansas where our cousins lived. There are pictures of me in the right seat flying the airplane. 

We moved to Wichita, Kansas when I was nine and our house backed onto a grass landing strip and had an attached hangar. Right after we moved, my dad was working as a sales manager for United Beechcraft and he seriously considered purchasing a blue Beechcraft Debonair 4-seat aircraft. He had one of his salesmen bring the airplane out to the house and I must have sat in that plane for hours. But we didn’t end up buying the plane and my young heart was broken.

From this time until I left for college, I was the official hangar go-fer, organizer and all-around helper when dad was working on the airplane.

When I got to college at Kansas State University in Manhattan Kansas, I found out it was affordable to learn to fly in that community. After speaking with my mom, I started taking flying lessons my sophomore year in college. I also fell into a community of kids my age or close to it that were also learning to fly or had an interest in aviation. I quickly got my Private Pilot’s certificate and followed that on with a Commercial Pilot’s certificate, Instrument Rating and, ultimately, a  Flight Instructor’s certificate.

One of the more amusing things we did was go flying for somewhat spur-of-the-moment reasons. One of these “let’s go flying now” trips was from Manhattan, Kansas to Kansas City International Airport, which is just a bit over an hour’s flight time. While there, we ate at the airport and got a bowl of very good steak soup. Thereafter, the crazy trips at odd hours of the day were labelled “soup runs.” We did these soup runs more than a few times, perhaps the craziest one started after 10 p.m., and we didn’t return until around 2 a.m.

While in college in 1979, I met my wife-to-be. Our second date was in the cockpit of a Cessna 150 trainer and we married in 1980. We also promptly had kids and, like most general aviation pilots, experienced the “life happens” story.

Aviation is not an inexpensive hobby to have – my standing joke for years is that a drug habit is cheaper. What happens to nearly every non-commercial pilot at one or more times in their life is what happened to me  – you have higher priorities such as kids, house, food, etc.

I was able to fly off and on throughout this time, but there were periods of years when other things were more important. Yet, that call of the sky was always there and every time an airplane went overhead, I’d look up to see what it was. We’d go to local fly-ins and airshows all the time.

As we got older, our financial situation improved, and I started back into flying. We even got to attend the Oshkosh Fly-In in Oshkosh, Wisconsin twice and if you love airplanes, this fly-in is the holy grail, the Mecca of aviation worship!

At this point in time, our financial situation was such that I would be writing checks for something on a monthly basis, either to the IRS or something to offset our income.

The “love affair” and “something” continues next month! QCBN

By Lance Leighnor

Lance Leighnor has four decades of experience in general aviation aircraft, and active management of rental aircraft since 2011. Lance is the managing member of Leighnor Aircraft. He can be reached by phone at 928-499-3080, by email at lance@LeighnorAircraft.com or via the Leighnor Aircraft website at LeighnorAircraft.com.

Electric Airplanes Proposed for Prescott

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Some of us are just getting used to the idea of electric cars. But electric airplanes? Yes. And possibly manufactured and marketed in Prescott.

It might happen if two visionary entrepreneurs from Kadima Zoran, Israel can find support in the greater Prescott area, Arizona and elsewhere.

Omer Bar-Yohay and Aviv Taidon, Israeli founders of Eviation Aircraft met with the mayor, several Prescott City Council members and representatives from both the city and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Their objective was to unveil plans for the manufacture of an all-electric commuter airplane designed to fly up to 600 miles at a cost substantially less than a commercial airliner – or even a land-based bus.

Bar-Yohay, CEO and co-founder, told a group a during a morning meeting at ERAU that he and his company in Israel had already built a prototype electric light aircraft, propelled by three electric-motor driven engines: one main propeller mounted on the tail and two smaller propellers at each wingtip.

That plane was earlier unveiled at a Paris Air Show in June.

Called the “Alice Commuter,” the estimated cost for one of the aircraft is somewhere around $2.6 to $3 million. The estimated initial cost to start the manufacturing plant – around $20 million.

Bar-Yohay said his preliminary evaluation of Prescott as a site for manufacturing was particularly appealing because of the availability of space at and near the Prescott Municipal Airport, clean air, year-round moderate climate and potential for developing a relationship with ERAU, the nation’s leading aerospace and aeronautical university.

Bar-Yohay described what he thought were advantages of an electric-engine aircraft.

“Those electric engines have enough power to let us fly that plane about 600 miles at 250 miles per hour,” Bar-Yohay explained. He continued that Eviation’s aeronautical engineers determined that a 980 KWh lithium-ion battery pack would provide enough electricity to keep propellers spinning. He also noted that propeller design was totally different from those used on conventional airplanes.

The silhouette of the aircraft looks similar to many other contemporary small passenger planes such as the Beechcraft King Air. About 40 feet long, it has a 44-foot wingspan and a distinctive V-shape twin tail design. The fuselage is designed to carry up to nine passengers and two crewmembers.

Bar-Yohay said the 10 members of his company had created a technologically sophisticated airplane that met all safety regulations, including those of the Federal Aviation Authority.

He emphasized that “fuel” costs for operating an electric aircraft would be significantly below that of providing high octane aircraft fuel for a propeller-driven plane or jet fuel for a jet aircraft.

“Compare the cost of 200 kWh hours of electricity to that of commercial aircraft fuel, and it’s absurd,” he said.

Aviv Tridon, Eviation chairman, added to Bar-Yohay’s comments about the low cost of flying an electric airplane. “The rigorous FAA and other aircraft inspection requirements are that internal combustion engines and jet engines must be inspected. They are literally torn apart and rebuilt or replaced regularly after so many hours in the air. That is quite expensive and takes a lot of time.”

He continued, “That’s simply not the case with electric engines. We know they can run for up to 100,000 hours with no problems whatsoever. In short, maintenance costs are minimal when compared to other aircraft. For example, no oil changes.”

Bar-Yohay added, “And zero emissions.”

He then said that Alice Commuter would be perfect for short-range commutes, for example from San Diego to Los Angeles, or Seoul to Beijing. “Or Prescott to Phoenix,” he added. A big advantage of having a smaller electric-engine commuter plane would be that it provides an economic alterative to large commercial aircraft.

Following private discussions with several Quad Cities officials about the possibility of locating the manufacturing plant in the area, Prescott Mayor Harry Oberg said, “I attended a presentation by this Israeli aircraft company. It is looking for a U.S. hub at which to manufacture its electric engine aircraft. With ERAU as a partner, we can offer this company a unique opportunity to establish a facility here at the Prescott Airport with light clean manufacturing. This will greatly benefit Prescott, ERAU and Eviation.”

ERAU Chancellor Frank Ayers said that the university is happy to partner with the greater Prescott community in any effort to bring new high tech businesses to the area.

City of Prescott Economic Development consultant Jim Robb commented that attracting such a manufacturing company to the Prescott area would create new high-paying jobs while at the same time helping to solve what is becoming a huge transportation issue – high cost of commercial air travel.

The reason Eviation executives became aware of the Prescott connection was because of local entrepreneur Henry Gellerman. The founder of Arizona Hop (which Gellerman hopes will become a charter “on demand” air service operating out of Prescott) had been in contact with Eviation. He learned they would be in Las Vegas in October. He arranged for them to visit the Prescott area before they returned to Israel. QCBN

 

By Ray Newton, QCBN

 

Photo by Ray Newton

Female Flyers Appreciate Irene Leverton

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aviatorsDreams remain just that if they are not properly propelled to get off the ground. Not one to be stalled on any ambition, pioneer aviatrix Irene Leverton flat-out refused to forsake her passion to fly planes just because the airfields catered to men.

That very dedication mastered by Leverton in the mid-1940s and beyond is reflected in a cadre of determined young women who encounter similar career challenges in the male-dominated    aerospace profession even today. However, the courage and resolve of pilot careerists, such as the 89-year-old Leverton and others with her strength and conviction, have no doubt pioneered progress for women in aeronautics.

Leverton began in her journey in aviation during World War II, when the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were prohibited from flying combat missions or ferrying planes overseas. The WASP program was suspended in 1944, the same year the Chicago-born Leverton completed her first solo in a Piper J-3 Cub.

Then, in 1961, Leverton and 12 other female pilots were shut out of an opportunity to become astronauts because they had no military flying experience. The women had volunteered for and secretly passed the Mercury Space Program’s basic medical tests for becoming NASA astronauts. The privately managed and funded initiative was unexpectedly shuttered. Meanwhile, the Soviets surpassed the United States with both the Sputnik launch and the first woman in space.

The American women pilots “passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill.” So states an Amazon synopsis of “The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight.” Written by journalist/professor Martha Ackmann, the book “tells the story of the dramatic events surrounding these 13 remarkable women, all crackerjack pilots and patriots who sometimes sacrificed jobs and marriages for a chance to participate in America’s space race against the Soviet Union.”

No female astronaut candidates were selected until 1978, when women earned six of 35 seats in a space shuttle class, according to NASA. Subsequently, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983 and Eileen Collins was the first woman to pilot the shuttle in 1995. Collins later became the first woman to command a shuttle mission in 1999 and repeated that run in 2005. Now, four of eight members of NASA’s 2013 class are women training for Mars.

“Historically, women in aviation have continued to pave the way and set the path for future women aviators and have encouraged more women to become involved in an industry that is male-predominant,” explained Hannah E. Burright, an upcoming December graduate at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott. “If it were not for women who were brave enough to become pilots, then I would not be able to become a pilot and become successful in the industry. With as few women as there are in aviation today, there are still challenges, but many of [them] have been overcome by pioneer women in aviation.”

Leverton ultimately joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and began learning stalls, spins, forced landings and winter flying on skis from an ex-military flight instructor. She dusted crops in the Midwest and participated as lead pilot in opening ceremonies at Chicago’s Meigs Field in 1950. She graduated with an associate’s degree from San Jose State College in 1976. Her broad piloting expertise included commuter and corporate flights, aircraft ferrying and air ambulance service. She ultimately logged 25,762 flight hours and acquired multiple honors during a 65-year flying career, before retiring her license in 2010.

“Irene loved every minute she was in a plane, no matter what she was doing,” explained her friend, Kathi Schmier. “Her favorite job was working as a check pilot for Japan Airlines. The Japanese respected her ability and she loved the attitude of the Japanese students and their determination and dedication to becoming better pilots. The only reason she left the company was that they wanted her to move to Japan and she did not want to leave the States.”

According to Schmier, Leverton came to Arizona in the early 1980s for a job offer in Phoenix, ultimately settling at Williams airport and then Prescott. She opened her business, Aviation Resource Management, in 1985. While in Prescott, she taught flying and performed check rides for the Federal Aviation Administration. Her skills extended beyond aviation, but flying always remained her passion.

“Irene was a very talented artist and won a scholarship to the Chicago Art Institute, but turned it down, as all she could think about was flying,” Schmier said. “She also was considered an expert in the field of cloud formations and was an accomplished parachute jumper and loved pylon racing at Reno. As an only child and never married, she had no living relatives by the time I became her friend. So I just adopted her and made her a part of my family.”

Leverton was inducted into the Women in Aviation Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame in 2004. Also in 2004, she was honored with the Civil Air Patrol’s Commander and Meritorious Service awards. She was presented the Federal Aviation Administration Pilot Award in 2005.

“I didn’t accomplish, I just survived,” quipped the aviatrix when receiving her latest honor, a commemorative plaque presented by North-Aire Aviation in March on behalf of a grateful aviation community. “Bless you,” she responded as well-wishers lined up to reminisce with her.

“She’s a fine lady who has led a long, illustrious life,” noted Dudley Potter, a friend with whom Leverton had worked at Civil Air Patrol (CAP) giving check rides to aspiring pilots. “Historically, she has a lot to tell. She was certainly a pioneer, a female pioneer in the aviation world.”

Tom Richtmyer, who trusts he may be the last student for whom Leverton conducted a check ride through CAP, said she supplied 10 hours of flight time in 2003 and “got me through the check ride. She was a hard taskmaster. You had to be really good to be a pilot under her wing. There were no good old boys on her check rides.”

Today, four to five percent of commercial pilots are women, according to Melanie M. Wilson, Ph.D., director of ERAU’s Women’s and Diversity Center in Prescott. Twenty-three percent of ERAU Prescott’s students are female.

Research indicates that girls who become commercial or military pilots often have an early association with flying between ages five and 10, hands-on flying experience in their teens, and “aviation-obsessed fathers” (many without pilot licenses).

ERAU’s Burright explained that “going to airports and different air shows as a kid always had me intrigued with aviation… When I was a teenager, my dad and I always talked about getting our pilot licenses together, so I had always been interested in becoming a pilot.”

Burright, whose specialty is the fixed-wing professional pilot track, also is earning minors in air traffic management and business administration. She says her main goal for aviation is to become a corporate pilot. “I want to remain an active pilot throughout the rest of my life. I also want to help encourage and promote the growth of aviation, especially [for] women.”

Schmier identified lack of a level playing field as one of Leverton’s annoyances. “I think her biggest challenge was male discrimination or what she perceived to be discrimination. She found out many times that she was doing the same job and making way less money. It was hard for them to get jobs, and also to keep them, as someone always seemed to know a male pilot that they thought could do a better job or was related to upper management.”

 

Wilson predicts a positive future. “As there are more women flight instructors, more women role models and mentors, we will begin to turn the corner. Sexism still unfortunately plays a significant role in aviation, despite research indicating that women perform as well, if not better, than male pilots. Any assertions to the contrary are based on sexist stereotypes rather than objective reality.”

 

Multiple campus programs, including Women in Aviation International (WAI), provide role models, mentoring and support to women, Wilson explained. Burright currently serves as president for the local WAI chapter, which maintains about 30 members and an all-female board of directors. Fellow student pilot Claire Schindler is an ambassador in a mentoring program for incoming freshmen, current female students, and recruiters/teachers for middle and high schools.

 

Cheri Warner, a flight instructor at North-Aire Aviation, ferried Leverton from Cottonwood to the Prescott airport for the March celebration.

“I did not know much about Irene Leverton when I was asked to fly over and get her,” Warner admitted. “I thought it was amazing that she was a female pilot, which wasn’t an easy feat in her era. When I picked her up she was very sweet towards me. She didn’t remember much of her past, but she recognized airports from the air. After getting in the plane, she immediately put her feet on the rudders and held up her finger when a radio call came in and I was talking. Some habits die hard. When we pulled up outside the hangar, she was so excited to see all her friends.”

Warner said, “Seeing women like [Leverton] who paved the trail for me to become a pilot makes me proud to be in this profession and continue the legacy.”

By Sue Marceau, QCBN