This weekend will be one of the "flyingest" weekends of the summer with the 20th Annual Federal Aviation Administration pancake breakfast in Palmer, and a fly-in breakfast, poker run, and barbecue at the 11th annual Kenai Peninsula Air Fair.
The Annual FAA Palmer affair is being sponsored by the local Alaska Region of the FAA and the FAA Safety Team, who will host a special presentation: "Alaskan Off-Airport Guide and Short-Field Gravel Strip Markings at Palmer."
The event will be held at the New Horizon's Hangar on the south end of the Palmer Municipal Airport.
Besides free bacon, eggs, pancakes and coffee FAA specialists Matt Freeman and Corey Howlett about how to use the off field markings, the FAA Safety team will demonstrate the Cue Based Training Program.
The off-field airport guide and Short Field Gravel Strip Marking program has been developed in Alaska to provide extended efforts to inform pilots of the need for aviator proficiency in off-field takeoffs and landings.
"The gravel is marked every 100 feet to allow pilots to gauge their aircraft's takeoff and landing distance -- with or without loads -- to train to a higher level of proficiency," said Matt Freeman, with the FAA Airports Division.
The Cue Based Training program was developed to train tour pilots with simulators for their flight-seeing tour routes by using place marker balloons at checkpoints in a flight simulator program.
"This trains a rookie pilot the tour route, without having to burn avgas at $6 or more a gallon, and offers the ability to monitor a pilot's decision-making capability by the company that hires them," said John Stuernagle with the Alaska Region FAA Safety Team. "Its development is to foster a safer flight-seeing industry for passengers and operators alike."
The 11th Annual Kenai event will feature a breakfast sponsored by the Soldotna Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association that will be followed by a Poker Run, and later, an open house and barbecue at the Kenai Airport.
The Kenai Peninsula flying day has event times posted as:
- Soldotna Airport: EAA Breakfast, Pilot Registration 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Kenai Airport: Barbeque 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- Kenai Airport: Military Appreciation Event 2 p.m.
Contact Rob Stapleton at robstapleton(at)alaska.net.