April 30, 06 - So, as I'm getting ready to take 50J out to the friendly (no TFR) skies, someone says, "Hey look! There's a turboprop Lancair!" Other than being a composite aircraft, like some of the other new aircraft, the Lancair not only has that smoooth streamline appearance, but under the hood it's packing 750 hp that makes this baby climb at 7,000 feet per miniute (count the zeros). Click on the pic of the Lancair to see some pics I took from 50J while I waited for him to take off.......................I want one.........

Safety Seminar Schedule UPDATE! ~April 29, 06 - Here's a copy of the "NORTHEAST SAFETY BRIEF" from Jim Dubois. There's another seminar that's been added to the list called, "AN EVENING WITH PORTLAND & BOSTON ATC".  Here's your chance to meet and talk with the air traffic controllers face to face, in person. This seminar will be Wednesday, May 24, 2006, 6:00pm to 8:00pm, C & Y Aviation, Biddeford Airport, Biddeford, ME. Sounds like a great opportunity to me... Click on the ASP icon to see the whole Safety Brief.

New Compass for 50J ~ April 27, 06 - Have you seen the new compass in 50J? The new type compass these days has a nice compass rose that makes it look more like a DG than the traditional horizontal cone dial wiggling around in a liquid. The new style has a nice dial that's easy to read. Notice the color of the small airplane figure drawn on the face of the dial is red. In aircraft instrument panels and faces, red is a special color.

Congratulations to Aerico Morre ~ April 25, 06 - Congratulations to Aerico Morre on making his first solo flight in 50J, our Cherokee 180. Aerico is under the guidance of our CFI Chip Johnson. Low wing? High wing? It really doesn't matter which one you learn first to fly in. If you're looking for the best performance the Cherokee 180 is a winner cruising to your destination at 140 mph. Good luck to Aerico as he continues his studies towards his private pilots license.
Safety Seminar Schedule ~April 25, 06 - Win a NAV/COM from Sporty's in the ASF's quaterly drawing! They say that they'res door prizes also.  Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 17, 2006, 7:00 pm. 
Topic: Single Pilot IFR. They'll also be talking about NOTAM's, enhanced Class B, TFR's and other airspace issues.

Congratulations to Craig Michaud! ~ April 18, 06 - Congratulations to Craig Michaud on making his first solo flight in 50J, our Cherokee 180. Now Craig can continue on with the next phase of his student pilot training as he gets closer and closer to that private pilot license. At first, it seems like a pretty complex process, but thanks to instructors like Kevin DeTrude your trip to getting you pilots license can be smoother than you think. For more information, click on our "Online Pamphlet" page, or give us a call at 332-0005 and make an appointment for your first test flight.

43G Departing Runway 33... ~ April 15, 06  Here's a short movie clip of CFI Kevin DeTrude on take-off with a student pilot. Kevin and his student are flying in our Cessna Skyhawk that's fully equiped for all private pilot VFR and Instrument ratings including auto-pilot. Click on the picture icon to see 43G on take-off.
 

The Eye's have it! ~ April 13, 06 - We all get them... emails that is, with funny sayings, advice, warnings, and anomalies. The one I received the other day actually has some scientific basis behind the strange reactions that you see when you look at the pictures. And because of some of these visual tricks that our eyes play, designers need to take into account when they design things like instrument panels for aircraft. Maybe "Seeing Isn't Believing" after all.

Oh Dear! ~ April 12, 06 - Or should I say Oh Deer! You never know what you'll see when you go flying around this time of the year. As the winter fades away and the signs of warm weather approaching it's not uncommon to see various types of critters wondering around the airport. Apparently, they haven't seen the "No Trespassing" signs and the chain link fence. Take this deer for example after taking the taxyway near runway 15. He didn't seem to concerned about the noise from the engine and propellor. Last week I saw a bunch of wild turkeys around the same spot. So, be on the lookout for wild critters. Have you ever seen a notam of wild turkeys on the runway?

Congratulations to Ed Robinson! ~ April 11, 06 - Congratulations to Ed Robinson on passing his instrument check ride. Kevin DeTrude our CFI, tells me that Ed, a member of the Strafford Flyer's passed his check ride in their Cherokee Arrow. Overcast at 2000 ft, sunny blue skies at 8000 and at your destination is no longer a problem for Ed. Good luck to Ed with his new rating and flying experiences.

Congratulations to Richard Kenneally! ~ April 11, 06 -Congratulations to Richard Kenneally on receiving his private pilot license. Kevin DeTrude reports that Richard received his training in his own Cessna 150. Whether it's piloting a DeHavilland Twin Otter or giving private pilot lessons in a Cessna 150 the versatility of our CFI's is here to help you with your flying experience. Good luck to Richard in his new flying experiences as he shares his flying adventures with his friends and family.

Pic's from Mike McMahon ~ April  5, 06 - Ok, flying is supposed to be fun but some people seem to be able to go beyond fun... how about aerobatic positive and negative G's in an L-39. That ought to do it! What's next on Mike's menu of aircraft experiences... maybe a by-plane? Stay tuned...

TFR ALERT! ~ April 3, 06 -  According to AOPA, the FAA TO ESTABLISH TFR NEAR BRIDGEPORT ON WEDNESDAY. AOPA sent this message to advise pilots in and near Bridgeport, Connecticut, that the FAA is expected to issue a notam restricting flight in the area during President Bush's planned visit on Wednesday, April 5. For more information, be sure to visit the FAA TFR site and the AOPA TFR site.

Congratulations to Chris Meyer! ~Mar 31, 06 - Congratulations to Chris Meyer on making  his first solo... first solo in a helicopter that is. "It's not the same as soloing in an airplane," says Chris. Chris likes flying a helicopter so much he went out and bought his own Robinson 22 and he flew it back from El Paso Texas. Now that's what I call a "cross country" flight. Cruising along at around 80 knots by today's standards, you might even get passed by an occasional BMW or Harley. But when the highway makes a turn in the road for a temporary change in course, that's where the "great circle" comes into play. The helicopter clip with this article is not Chris' helicopter but I believe is similar. At Ossipee Valley Aviation, your aviation dreams can come true, whether you're thinking about flying one of our Cessna's or even learning how to flying a helicopter like Chris. Good luck to Chris with his Robinson 22 and his future flying experience.

Air Safety Seminars for April ~ Mar 29, 06 - Here's an example of doing a Safety Seminar search within a 50 mile radius of Skyhaven (03867)zip code area. There are several seminars within a reasonable distance from Skyhaven at Portsmouth and Hampton. Be sure to go to the FAA site by clicking on the FAA ASP icon.

Name That Project! ~Mar 29, 06 - Here's a picture from inside the hanger where some of the creative juices are flowing all over the place. Now, if you take a good look at this picture  you might get the idea that you're looking at something that appears to be part of a wing. Well, at one time, you might of been correct, but this time Glen tells me he has different plans for this non-flyable cross-section. If I recall correctly, he mentioned something about merging the new OVA logo and the no-longer usable wing section and finding a home for the new creation somewhere in the back of the office building, or is that the front? Any ways, you just might see the final results siting somewhere near the main road where you enter the parking lot. In the meantime, you can take a guess at what it will look like. Who knows, you might win something......... like the mega-bucks.

Congratulations to Jim Manning! ~Mar 20, 06 - Congratulations to Jim Manning on making his 1st solo flight with 93G. As you can see by the fancy art work by our CFI Pete Seavey Jim's shirt or a piece of Jim's shirt is now hanging on the wall with other solo flight shirt pieces. For more illustrations of Pete's handy art work be sure to click on the student pilot solo web page. Although 93G has been around awhile and has help many pilots before Jim get their 1st solo flight, Jim is part of a new group of pilots that get to experience the new make-over that was recently completed on 93G. Be sure to click on the small picture in this article of 93G to see more pics of the beautiful aircraft. Good Luck to Jim as he continues with his flying experience with Ossipee Valley Aviation.

Congratulations to Theiler Walker! ~Mar 13, 06 - This news just in from CFI Kevin DeTrude that he just signed off Theiler Walker and he passed his multi-engine instrument checkride yesterday (Sun 3/12).  How fast you get your ratings is up to you. In Theiler's case, he has not wasted any time. It was just less that a year ago that we were congratulating Theiler on his first solo flight in 93G. You can check out his solo shirt on the student pilot solo page. Good luck to Theiler as he continues with his flying experience with Ossipee Valley Aviation.

More Pics on Our Three Cessna's ~Mar 10, 06 - Check out the recent uploaded pics of our newly restored Cessna Skyhawk and our Cessna 150. Thanks to Kevin DeTrude, I received some great pics from him of the Cessna's all lined up in a row. It's a great offering of Skyhawks and a C-150. It all starts with our IFR Skyhawk with moving map GPS and auto-pilot, along with our VFR Skyhawk with a S.T.O.L. kit and our newly restored Cessna 150. Be sure to see the new pictures on the aircraft picture page, or better yet, stop in and check 'em out up close and personal.

RADIOS FOR THE 150 ~Mar 5, 06 - In this day of "Glass Cockpits" and GPS's, radio procedures, frequencies, & VOR's seem to be the normal part of a flight. However, a COM/NAV radio is not a required piece of equipment for fly an aircraft in and out of Skyhaven Airport. That's why we were able to put our newly restored Cessna 150 on line before the radios were ready for installation. For those of you that felt uncomfortable with the empty space in the center console, Kevin filled that gap with a nice Garmin GPS simulated representation (paper picture). But not to worry, Glen has a nice radio stack which includes an audio panel, transponder and Glide Slope. How do you like that! 
 

Wanted! Full Time Instructors. ~ Mar 4, 06 - Ossipee Valley Aviation is looking to hire 1-2 full time instructors. For more information about job opportunities at Ossipee Valley Aviation you can call the office and ask for Glen or Paul, or you can email them at: Click here to send email to Glen Horne or, Click here to send email to Paul.

Skyhaven Airport Provides Medical Transport Assistance! ~ Mar 3, 06 -Back in the early part of February I was at the airport one day and saw a helicopter from the Portland  area waiting to transport an accident victim that was being extricated from the accident scene a few miles away on route 108. Although we take for granted the easy convenience of our automobiles, the fact remains that when we are driving, we are wielding around over 3000 pounds of metal, glass and plastic, and when something goes wrong the laws of physics go into effect and it's not usually a good situation for the human body. Fortunately, Skyhaven Airport provides the seacoast area easy access for medical emergency vehicles to quickly transport accident victims to major medical facilities like Portland Maine. Thanks to Ossipee Valley Aviation, Skyhaven Airport can provide a wide variety of services that go well beyond just learning how to fly. CLICK ON THE SMALL PIC to see more Medical Helicopter Transport from Skyhaven Airport.

Congratulations to Mike McMahon (again, and again, and again)! ~Mar 1, 06 - Congratulations to Mike McMahon on receiving his single engine CFI rating. Mikes progress in aviation has been happening at a steady pace. It sort of reminds me of the Eveready Battery commercial that says it keeps going and going and going....  Mike's aviation accomplishments is another example of how far you can take your aviation experience. Whether you're just thinking of a private pilot license to experience the sport and enjoyment of flying or if you have your goals set on flying for a commercial airline, your career can begin right here at Ossipee Valley Aviation. Come on in and talk to Mike about what it takes to get those ratings. I'm sure Mike has collected some hangar talk stories along the way and might be happy to share a few.

Congratulations to our CFII Pete Seavey! ~ Mar 1, 06 - Our CFI Pete Seavey is not only giving check rides but has recently taken a check ride and received his ATP rating. How far do you want to advance your pilot ratings? If you want to go all the way, then you'll be working to get your Air Transport Rating. One magazine article I read described the ATP as the PhD of pilot ratings. Good luck to Pete with his new rating and recent accomplishments.
 
 

T-6's Water Skiing? ~ Feb 26, 06 - Let's see, if I were an air show pilot and I wanted to do something really different, what would I do. Hey, here's an idea! How about taking a bunch of T-6's and lowering the landing gear, and flying over calm water so low that the wheels begin skidding across the water. Yes? I think most people might think that would not be a good idea. Even if you did go fast enough to give resistance to wheels like a water ski, there's probably a point where the water might decide the EAT the wheel and everything attached, wouldn't you think? Well seeing is supposed to be believing so take a look at these pics sent in by Jim Dubois. CLICK HERE for more on this story.

Congratulations to Larry Tibbetts ~ Feb 25, 06 - Our CFI Pete Seavey demonstates his flexibility with student pilot instructions in a taildragger. Congratulations to Larry Tibbetts on making his first solo flight in an Aeronca Champ! Similar to the one pictured, many of our student solos are made in our Cessna and Piper tricycle type landing gear. Although Larry did not solo in one of our aircraft this is another example of our flexibility in meeting your needs for flying and training. Ever wonder what it's like to fly a taildragger? Well, even though you may have only tricycle gear experience you can get checked out in our Taylor Craft and experience the difference. Be sure to visit our aircraft picture page to see our full line-up of aircraft.

Curling??? ~ Feb 24, 06 - The creative minds at Ossipee Valley Aviation are at it again! I think we've all heard at one time or another about a phrase that has escaped from some management problem solving seminars on how you should "Think Outside The Box" with the idea of allowing yourself to go beyond conventional thinking. Well, it looks like Pete, Glen, and Paul have gone outside the box, or should I say "Over The Edge?" Who knows, maybe they've created a new olympic sport? Remember, you saw it first at Ossipee Valley Aviation. Here's an email I got from Glen:
Well, we had a little down time today, and I guess we invented reverse curling. Using a  block of ice on stone instead of a block of stone on ice. HA HA HA......Glen

Come Join Us! ~ Feb 22, 06 - Come join us for our fifth year anniversary open house at Skyhaven Airport DAW on Saturday March 18, 2006 9am to 4pm! Fly in , Drive in, Walk in! Everyone welcome! Click on the OVA logo on this article for more information and a printable poster.
 

Congratulations to Don McWhirter ~ Feb 20, 06 - Our CFI Pete Seavey does it again! Congratulations to one of Pete's student pilot Don McWhirter who made his solo flight in our new restored Cessna Skyhawk, 93G. Now that his first solo is out of the way it's time to move on to the next step along the way to obtaining his private pilot license. One of those requirements will be his first solo cross country flight. This is where all that studying about navigation pays off. And don't forget to check the aviation weather reports. You wouldn't want to make your first solo cross country and have it look like this when you look out the window. Good Luck to Don as he continues his journey to his private pilot license.

The Northeast Safety Brief for March~ Feb 18, 06 -  The full March Aviation Safety Program seminars for March is just in from Jim Dubois. Be sure and check out all the events taking place in the Rochester-Dover-Portsmouth area. Here's a quick run-down of the list. For more information click on the Aviation Safety Program icon.
EVENT ONE Wednesday, Mar 1, 2006 6:00pm to 8:00pm 45 Logan Way, Windsock Village, W. Ossipee, NH
THE DOs AND DON’Ts OF AUTOGAS & OWNER MAINTENANCE
EVENT TWO Thursday, Mar 2, 2006 6:00pm to 8:00pm Daniel Webster College, Eaton-Richmond Building, Nashua Airport, Nashua, NH CFI WORKSHOP FLYING AROUND SKYDIVE OPERATIONS
EVENT THREE Thursday, Mar 9, 2006 6:00pm to 8:00pm Maine Instrument Flight, Augusta Airport, Augusta, ME ACCIDENT REVIEW 
EVENT FOUR Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 7:00pm to 8:30pm Hampton Airfield Café, Rte 1, North Hampton, NH SPRING BRUSH UP - A BASIC SAFETY REVIEW
EVENT FIVE Saturday, Mar 18, 2006 10:00am to 12:00pm--Seminar,  12:00pm to 2:00pm—Chili Cookoff Wicked Good Aviation Hangar, Wiscasset Airport, Wiscasset, ME GPS & COCKPIT AUTOMATION--CHILI COOKOFF
EVENT SIX Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 6:00pm to 9:00pm Red Hook Brewery, Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth, NH AN EVENING WITH PORTLAND & BOSTON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
EVENT SEVEN Thursday, Mar 30, 2006 6:00pm to 8:00pm Old Town Aviation, Old Town Airport, Old Town, ME OPERATIONS AT NON-TOWERED AIRPORTS
EVENT EIGHT Thursday, Mar 30, 2006 7:00pm to 9:00pm Portsmouth Courtyard Marriott, 1000 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH
AOPA – DO THE RIGHT THING: DECISION-MAKING FOR PILOTS