February 21, 2015 | Saturday

Show opens at 9:00 AM

9:15 AM

Room A | South Foyer

Seaplane Knowledge Seminar I : Seaplanes 101
Steve McCaughy, president, Seaplanes Pilots Association
An informative presentation providing attendees with a condensed ground school to begin the seaplane rating. Covers basic knowledge and techniques. Q&A

Room B | Pioneer

NextGen's System Integration
David Suomi, FAA Northwest Mountain Region, Deputy Regional Administrator
This FAA session navigates you through the NextGen programs that are being integrated in the national airspace.  With over 70,000 flights on any given day in the United States, NextGen modernization means greater safety, efficiency, fuel savings, and a better environment. Q&A

Keynote Area

ADS-B Explained: How the Mandate will Affect You
Wayne McGhee, Garmin

Room E | North Foyer

Emergencies Happen: Managing Engine Failure in SE aircraft
John Townsley, CAP
We don’t plan for emergencies. If we’re lucky, skilled, and prepared we deal with them and survive. Leading up to the even all seems normal. Often, however, there are hints that we might or might not pick up on. We might notice the engine runs a bit rough. Some anomaly may be overlooked (or sometimes created!) during recurrent maintenance. We’ll discuss a recent engine failure, some of the factors that led up to it, how it was dealt with, and the outcome. For me it began at cruise altitude with a slightly rough running engine. It didn’t take long for that subtle roughness to become heavy vibrations that shook the plane...then silence. Engine failure. We’ll talk about how the accident chain began well before I conducted the pre-flight, aircraft performance before, during and after the engine quit, CRM, the risks of engine failure in SE aircraft, and other interesting aspects of the event. John Townsley is a 3500 hour pilot with over three decades of experience flying SE piston engine aircraft. He holds a CPL and instrument rating. For nearly 25 years he’s been active with the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), and is a regular participant in aviation safety seminars, webinars, and other safety events.. John is a Mission Pilot with the Civil Air Patrol and is Mission Pilot qualified with the Washington State Department of Transportation. For the last few years he’s worked summers flying fire patrols. John has accumulated around 1500 hours as PIC in C182 and C182RG aircraft.

9:30 AM

Room D | Heritage

Mountain Flying Workshop Part I:  Preparing the Pilot for Mountain/Canyon Flight
(1.5 hours)
Lori MacNichol, McCall Mountain Canyon Flying Seminars LLC
Four part series that will build/refresh your mountain flying knowledge and assist you to obtain skills to operate safely in the challenging back county. OPEN TO REGISTERED ATTENDEES ONLY. Pre-registration and details available here.

10:30 AM

Room A | South Foyer

Seaplane Knowledge Seminar II : Invasive Species Prevention
Washington Seaplane Pilots Association
Preventing spread of invasive species is an important issue for all seaplane pilots, particularly for pilots visiting or residents of Lake Whatcom. The WSPA will discuss plans and procedures to mitigate the future spread of Invasive Species as negotiated with WA State Department of Ecology and Whatcom County officials.

Room B | Pioneer

NORAD TFR and Intercept briefing
Discover the #1 reason general aviation aircraft are intercepted and how to avoid it.  In this action packed briefing you’ll learn practical steps to avoid Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) and what to do if you are intercepted.  Join NORAD F-16 pilots in an informative and lively session that will keep you out of trouble, and off the evening news. 

Room E | North Foyer

Avoid-A-Bump | Tools and Practices to Improve Your Flying Safety
Howard Wolvington
Pilots fly in an environment in which they must manage risks.  Bumping into runway/taxi lights, fences, terrain, buildings, obstacles, thunderstorms, other airplanes, or otherwise having our airplane go somewhere other than where we planned, needs to be avoided.  The seminar will present and discuss tools and techniques to minimize the risks of our General Aviation aircraft having a bump that we would like to avoid. Howard Wolvington, the 2014 National CFI of the Year, is an independent CFI from the Seattle, Washington area.  As an ATP with more than 14,000 hours and 11,000 hours of flight instruction, his clients range from student pilots taking their first flights to Captains that fly for major airlines.  He instructs extensively in Technically Advanced Aircraft for his clients.  Multiple cross trips in his personal Comanche 250 serve as teaching references for his instruction with clients.  Howard recently became a Designated Pilot Examiner.

Keynote Area

Say Again? Radio Communication Done Right
Andrew Miller, Aviation Safety Institute, AOPA
Find out how to increase your margin of safety through effective communication with ATC. Don’t miss this informative safety seminar designed to improve your communication skills and decrease your workload as a pilot.

11:45 AM

Rome A | South Foyer

Seaplane Knowledge Seminar III : Safe Successful Seaplane Flights
Steve McCaughy, President Seaplanes Pilots Association

Keynote Area

Airspace: What No One Ever Tells You
Rod Machado, Keynote Speaker
Rod will explain why our modern airspace system is constructed the way it is. Why does controlled airspace begin at 700 feet AGL, or 1,200 feet AGL, or at the surface for some airports? Why does Class E airspace only extend vertically to 17, 999 feet MSL? Why? Why? Why? If you'd like answers to these and other interesting questions about airspace, then attend Saturday’s to laugh and learn with Rod Machado Rod Machado has taught millions the basics of flying through flight lessons, simulation and training materials. Since 1973, he has been teaching and speaking to pilots in the 50 states and Europe. He simplifies the complex, making bland topics interesting and educating with humor. Besides a degree in Aviation Science, Rod holds degrees in Psychology. He started flying at age 16, is a rated ATP with all fixed wing Flight Instructor ratings. Rod is AOPA's National Flight Instructor Spokesman and a National Accident Prevention Counselor appointed by the FAA in Washington D. C. Because of his vast CFI experience and unique style, he was chosen to write the flight lessons and be the CFI voice on Microsoft's Flight Simulator. Rod is a columnist for AOPA Pilot and Flight Training magazines. His ten titles include Rod Machado Instrument Pilots Handbook--a must for those working in the IFR system. Books can be downloaded to an iPad from RodMachado.com.

Room D | Heritage

Weather Workshop I: Guidance for A Good Self-Weather Briefing (2 hours)
Clinton Rocky, Meteorologist, National Weather Service Portland, Oregon
Let's plan a trip from Bellingham to Eugene.  How can you effectively do a self-weather briefing.  In this two-part seminar, we will step through a real-time weather briefing, and part the seas of abundant internet information in order to get those magical morsels of key information. This will be a great way to review your weather knowledge skills.  I will be using real-time internet data to assist in our 'flight planning.'  After this seminar, you will have a much better arsenal of weather briefing knowledge and tools, such as icing potential satellite interpretation and model guidance.  Clinton Rockey is a meteorologist from the National Weather Service forecast office in Portland, Oregon.  he grew up and lived in Kansas (25 years), Wyoming and Arizona, experiencing all kinds of weather. After graduation from the University of Kansas, he moved to Boston. After a short four year stint in Boston, he located to Eugene, Oregon to start my forecasting career with the National Weather Service as a weather observer and forecaster.  Since 1995, Clinton has been with the forecast office in Portland, where I continue to forecast for marine and aviation, as well as for fire weather.  I have been a pilot (VFR only) since 1997. Details available here

Room B | Pioneer

Keeping your Medical Certificate
Dr. Harmon, Multicare Occupational Dr. Harmon will address common issues and concerns with FAA Flight Physicals, how to prepare for them and answer questions

1:00 PM

Keynote Area

AOPA Annual Northwest Presidential Address
Mark Baker, president Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Join AOPA President Mark Baker for a discussion on the issues that most directly affect your freedom to fly. He will talk about how AOPA is working to reduce the cost and complexity of flying and he’ll share his thoughts on the importance of AOPA having a strong voice in Washington, DC and in all 50 state capitals around the country.

Room B | Pioneer

Doctoring Maintenance
Minard D. Thompson, Jr., FAA Safety Team Program Manager, NM-13 Join Minard as he shares stories of aviation maintenance which were deliberately ignored by the pilots and mechanics.

Room A | South Foyer

Helicopter Workshop
Decision-Making in the Training Environment
Corey Young, Helicopter Assistant Chief Instructor, Hillsboro Aero Academy
Whether flight school is a dream, a present reality or a distant memory the value of the training environment should never be allowed to be forgotten. Training doesn’t end once we get the coveted license, it’s a life-long goal and experience. Decision-making is a crucial pilot skill and the training environment is the perfect place. Corey grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon with a love of flying and an interest in aviation. While in high school, Corey began pursuing his other interests, including firefighting and logging. He went on to get an associate of applied science degree in fire science and has several years experience as a wildland firefighter and a logger/timber faller. Throughout those years working other jobs Corey never lost his dream of flying. Often there would be helicopters buzzing around the woods where he was working, and he would be captivated. Finally, Corey could no longer resist the urge to fly so he moved to Portland and began his flight training at Hillsboro Aero Academy, formerly Hillsboro Aviation. After completing his training, Corey was hired as a CFI and then accepted the position of helicopter assistant chief instructor in August 2014.

2:00 PM

FAA Awards Presentation – Recipients TBA

2:15 PM

Room D | Heritage

Mountain Flying Workshop Part II: Mountain/Canyon Navigation – Getting There
(1.5 hours)
Lori MacNichol, McCall Mountain Canyon Flying Seminars LLC
Four part series that will build/refresh your mountain flying knowledge and assist you to obtain skills to operate safely in the challenging back county. OPEN TO REGISTERED ATTENDEES ONLY. Pre-registration and details available here.

Room B | Pioneer

MACA Briefing
Speaker TBD, US Air Fforce Safety Office
Air Force C-17 pilots will discuss the C-17 Capabilities and the mission overview for the General Aviation pilot. There are numerous places in Washington where the GA pilot might encounter one of these massive aircraft, come and find out where they fly and how you can protect yourself from "heart failure" when you see a C-17 in your windshield. How maneuverable are these big machines and besides McChord where do they do their training? What do their traffic patterns look like and do they fly with Night Vision Goggles? Do they drop things out the back and where do they practice these maneuvers? All this and more in this exciting brieifing!

Keynote Area

Instrument Flying—a skill you will use forever, especially in the Northwest
Johnny D. Summers
Everybody loves to fly on a beautiful day. However, the excitement of being 300 feet off the ground on an ILS approach and seeing nothing but clouds, is a good day. In the Great Northwest we get our share of opportunities to exercise our instrument privileges. Those skills are perishable, let’s take a few minutes and remove the cobwebs so we can get the most enjoyment from those privileges.

Room A | South Foyer

Helicopter Workshop
Off-Airport Operations
Jared Morris, Hillsboro Aero Academy
Landing zone selection and reconnaissance, aircraft performance, and legal considerations with helicopter operations away from the airport. Jared grew up in Battle Ground, Washington. After obtaining his degree in Construction Management and working in the construction industry for a few years he realized it was not the long-term option he was after. Once he took his first helicopter flight at Hillsboro Aviation he was convinced it was time to change careers and start flying. He started his training at Hillsboro Aviation in spring of 2012 and has been employed as a CFII since early 2014.

Room E | North Foyer

AOPA / WSDOT Updates
David Ulane, AOPA Tristan Atkins, WSDOT
Updates on AOPA’s state and regional advocacy efforts, focusing on WA and OR, and updates on WSDOT's ongoing Airport Investment Study.

 

3:30 PM

Room B | Pioneer

Advanced iPad Flying
John Zimmerman, Sporty’s Pilot Shop
Get the most out of your iPad in the cockpit! This fast-paced seminar covers hidden settings and features in your iPad, plus a legal briefing, pre-flight checklist, high tech iPad accessories and ForeFlight Mobile tips. John’s career in aviation began where many successful aviation careers do— as a student pumping Jet A and Avgas. He worked at Sporty’s affiliated FBO, Eastern Cincinnati Aviation, for several summers before he graduated from Duke University with a degree in political science. Now, 15 years later, John oversees the Sporty’s Pilot Shop new product development and marketing programs. He has been flying for 20 years and is a commercial pilot with more than 2000 hours. He also holds helicopter, glider and seaplane ratings. His broad aviation background is invaluable to developing new products and understanding the products and information pilots need for real-world flying. John flies a Robinson R44, a Citabria and a Pilatus PC-12.

Room E | North Foyer

Weather Workshop II: An Aviation Weather Center Overview
 Liam Lynam, Aviation Meteorologist, NWS Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO.
Aviation Weather Center (AWC) forecasts, like the AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and Area Forecast, are critical weather products used by pilots in virtually every aviation weather briefing.  Here is a chance for you to learn how icing, turbulence, and IFR conditions are forecast in these products from an actual NWS Aviation Weather Center meteorologist.  Also in this presentation is a “heads up” on what changes in the Area Forecast format will be forth-coming in 2015. Liam Lynam is an Aviation Meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Aviation Weather Center, located in Kansas City, MO. Mr. Lynam’s government career began in 2003 with the United States Air Force after receiving a B.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington.  While on active duty he was a Lead Meteorologist at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska; deputy weather flight commander, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, providing spot weather forecasts to aviators over Southeastern Europe and Southwest Asia, and finally the training flight commander for the 15th Operational Weather Squadron at Scott AFB, IL (just outside St. Louis, MO).  Liam also found time during his military career to complete a Master's Degree in Meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.   He left the USAF in 2011 and joined the AWC as an Aviation Meteorologist during the winter of 2011. Details available here

Room A | South Foyer

The 25 Most Common Mistakes that Good Pilots Make
Gary Reeves, ATP, MCFI, CFII, MEI
Come spend an entertaining hour with an expert who will cover the 25 most common pilot mistakes. These are the mistakes that good pilots continue to make on a regular basis that cause the most accidents. We will hold an open discussion on the three main reasons they happen and how to prevent them. This seminar also qualifies for FAA Wings Credit. Your speaker, Gary Reeves, is one of only a few Master Instructors in California and is the 2014 Flight Instructor and FAAST Member of the Year for the Long Beach FSDO. As an ATP with over 5000 hours he is a true expert on IFR flight.

Keynote Area

Battle of Britain: 75 years later
Mike Lavelle & John T. Sessions, Historic Flight
Historian Mike Lavelle reflects on the sequence of key events leading to the air war over England.

4:30 PM

Room A | South Foyer

“So You Want to Own a Warbird”
Dave Desmon, XO Cascade Warbirds
A panel discussion with several experienced warbird owners and pilots. They will profile a number of popular Warbird Aircraft, discussing their attributes, a little of their history, and what they are like to own, fly and operate. They will also discuss their reasons for wanting to fly Warbirds, how to get into Warbird aviation, and will have time for questions and answers from aspiring Warbird pilots and enthusiasts alike.

Room B | Pioneer

Flying Glass: Lessons learned from instructing in aircraft with high-tech cockpits
Bruce Williams, BruceAir

Room D | Heritage

What Kind of Pilot Runs Out of Gas?
Mike Adams, Senior Vice President Avemco Insurance
Join Mike Adams, Senior Vice President of Underwriting at Avemco Insurance Company and a past president of the Oregon Pilots Association. He will share his own experiences and depict how easily the scenario of an empty fuel tank can ruin a beautiful flight. Even the best pilot can fall victim to fuel mismanagement.

Room E | North Foyer

Weather Workshop III: Interpreting Weather Charts on the Internet
Michael Petrucelli, Meteorologist, National Weather Service, Medford, Oregon
How to interpret weather forecast charts found on the Internet.  A quick look at common aviation weather forecast charts and a deeper look at the computer model weather charts used by National Weather Service meteorologists.  Includes a look at satellite imagery and how to find fronts and low pressure systems and how to utilize the AFD and Aviation Weather Discussion. Mike Petrucelli was born and raised in Upstate N.Y. (near Syracuse).  He graduated at S.UN.Y. At Oswego in upstate N.Y. in 1996. He has been with the National Weather Service for nine years at the Medford, Oregon forecast office, and has been the Aviation Focal Point since April 2007.  Prior to working for the NWS, he worked for Northwest Weathernet in Seattle for six years. Details available here

5:30 PM

Northwest Spirit of Aviation Awards Banquet | Keynote, Rod Machado – Dinner at 6:00 PM - reservations available here

Aviation Humor
Rod Machado will prompt laughs and giggles with some of his craziest aviation stories, both new and old. Come prepared on Saturday evening to laugh (and learn, too!) with Rod Machado.