Tauranga Harbour
12°
May 10
Well today is the 10th May 2009, only six weeks to the shortest day in New Zealand and the longest day in Europe and the USA! Despite the doom of the forecasters Gyrate has been very active flying almost every day since I returned back from Australia on Tuesday.
Yes the break there was great and a couple of pictures to emphasise that the water is warm and the wine is cool will suffice to gloss over the hassle of Airport security and delayed flights.
Today we flew an Eagle down to Whakatane which is some 40nm East along the coast, we had some 25 knots behind us going out but the return was more pedestrian despite staying low along the beach. Phil Charmers was there to greet us and to show us the hangar where his Eagle is stored, nice and secure for his extended trips away. Between flights Hub Hall has been helping bring our own hangar into good order with attention to the interior insulating roofing material that had started to flap in strong winds. Thanks Hub!
Runway Safety Tip
Notice Number: NOTC1653
Here’s a “heads-up” when using an airport with runways 2/20 or 13/31. Each of these runway designators make it easy to transpose the numbers for the runway and land or depart from the wrong end.
Your heading indicator can be a big help when landing or departing from an airport with multiple runways that are oriented in different directions. While on final approach, or when you taxi into position on the departure runway, check your heading to be sure it matches the alignment of the proper runway. This can also help confirm you’re looking at the correct airport when landing.
More information about Runway Safety can be found at http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/runway_safety/. You can call or email Runway Safety suggestions or comments to Michael Lenz at michael.lenz@faa.gov or 202-267-7949.