Polaris Composite Squadron

Meeting Notes

December 4, 2007

Ops Sec training needs to be done by April 2008 or you will be locked out of e-services. Go to https://tests.cap.af.mil/opsec

Mission numbers for December are posted.

Volunteer directors and advisors are being sought by National. Must be a Lt. Col to apply.

Please check to see if your membership is expiring or expired. We need everyone to renew.

We will have a safety stand down on December 18, 2007. Please try to attend the meeting. National has tasked a list of items to be addressed.

The Polaris Christmas party will be next week, December 11. Need a Santa suit. Need setup volunteers. Need salads. We have lots of deserts. We have volunteers to cook the turkey Need Christmas music CDs. Remember max $20 for the gift exchange.

C-182 needs an oil change, but we lack the log books. Wing says to keep flying it.

C-185 76.6 hrs/100 hr 26.6 hrs/oil

C-172 58.7 hrs/100 hr 8.7 hrs/oil

The Beaver is being equipped with skis, so we may get it soon.

The furnace upstairs is now fixed.

A C-206 crew is needed to fly a fresh C-206 to Juneau and bring back the aircraft down there. The exchange should happen sometime in late December or early January.

The new C-182 is easy to over gross. With full fuel and 3 people it is out of spec. Full fuel will also overflow through the vents when parked in the hanger on even a slight incline. Ops suggests filling the tanks to ¾ inch below the top to allow for expansion. Turn the selector to off or one tank.

A SAREX has been applied for. The date is uncertain.

A Lifeguard Helicopter is missing near Whittier. Kevin advises to be alert in case we get called out.

Our internet connection is now DSL. This should dramatically improve internet speeds.

We need help in the hanger after the meeting to change some of the high light bulbs.

Miscellaneous stuff in the hanger will get tossed if nobody wants it. Some volunteers have been cleaning up the hanger.

Safety Spiel by Marvin Adams.

Pilots were very careful with weather and checking the aircraft during the most recent exercise. Marv commended those crews. He advised crews to check brakes, and remember that glare ice near buildings or other aircraft will impact the ability of brakes to hold and turn an aircraft. If window fogging is an issue, crack the window to allow fresh air to remove some of the moist air. Be sure to check the top of the wing for frost by touching it with bare hands to feel for frost.

Scott Kolstad offered the following as a lessons learned from a fatal aircraft accident this summer. Use a cargo net to secure cargo. Loose cargo can come forward and injure people, or impede people from exiting an aircraft in an emergency. Head injuries can be fatal. Use shoulder harnesses and keep them tight enough to prevent bodies from moving forward in an accident. Double check signaling equipment such as flares for expiration date. Remember if you need assistance in bush Alaska, help could be a long time coming even if ES is notified.