1. Crossing The Atlantic In a Single-Engine
Airplane
The village of Kulusuk in southeastern Greenland. Photo by J.P. Held
While some pilots may consider a one-hour flight to their
favorite "$100 hamburger" spot to be a long cross-country
excursion in a single, piston-engined aircraft, AASF member
Jean-Pierre (J.P.) Held has spent considerably longer periods of
time flying over the open ocean, several hours from the nearest
landing strip.
In a March 8 presentation to AASF members and guests, Held
detailed the logistical requirements of mounting such a journey
in a single-engine aircraft, ranging from trip planning, fuel
requirements, and security considerations.
Pilots flying from North America have two options for crossing
the Atlantic, a northern route through Greenland and Iceland,
or a southern route. "Using Quebec City as your starting point,
from there you can go straight up to Iqaluit, or you may fly to
St. John or Goose Bay," Held said. "You then have the option
to continue onto Greenland, or down towards the Azores."
Transatlantic pilot
and AASF member
J.P. Held
Further stops along the northern route are
Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and on to
England. In his four trips across the
Atlantic, Held has taken the southern route
once, arriving to Europe via France.
"If you fly over the Atlantic, you must never
be on a schedule, because the weather will
dictate whether you go or don't go,"he said. "One time I sat for
a week in Goose Bay, waiting for the right time. Even though
lots of other pilots were going, I had my parameters for the
weather I wanted. You don't leave until you have them."
Held flew his trips in a Mooney M20 equipped with an IO-360
engine upgrade, and a WAAS-enabled GPS legal for
transatlantic flights. "You also need a second GPS with
independent antenna, or you need an ADF [automatic direction
finder]," he added. "Thinking about it, taking a second GPS is
the wrong approach, because if someone shuts off the GPS
system, you'd be in doo-doo."
By comparison, an ADF - which relies on VHF radio
frequencies - allows you to, "tune into a long-range
transmitters throughout Greenland, and give you enough
navigational possibilities to take you to your destination," he
added.
Additional required equipment includes an immersion suit ("if
you have to go into the drink, you can at least survive for a few
minutes,") a life raft, and a GPS-enabled emergency locator
transmitter (ELT). Held also recommends a satellite phone,
because "if you're bored, you can call home with it."
Santa Fe Air Center Owner Acquired by
Landmark FBO Chain
According to an April 23 press release, fixed-base operator
Ross Aviation – owner of 20 FBOs across the western
continental United States and Hawaii, including the Santa Fe
Air Center – will soon be acquired by Landmark Aviation,
pending approval from authorities. Terms were not disclosed,
and it is not yet known what impact the reported sale may carry
to Santa Fe airport users. Landmark is one of the world's
largest FBO chains, and the Ross acquisition would bring the
company's total to 76 locations worldwide, including 60 in the
U.S. The deal is expected to close later this year.
Upcoming Events
TBD – SAF Airport Manager Francey Jesson will provide
AASF members and attendees with an update on airport issues
following a future “SkyChat” breakfast.
AIRPORT ADVISORY BOARD – Meets first Thursday of
every month at 4:00 pm, all airport stakeholders welcome to
attend and observe
EVERY SATURDAY – Join our Weekly “SkyChat” breakfast,
9-11:30 am at the Airport Grille!
A FREE Publication of the Aviation Association of Santa Fe *** Vol. 2 Edition 2 *** May-June 2014

2. A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flown by the SAF-based New Mexico Army National
Guard unit lands to assist rescue personnel during a simulated emergency exercise. Photo
by Carolyn Cook
Planning for the Worst Helps Assure Best
Outcome in Emergency
Saturday, April 26th was a busy day at the Santa Fe Municipal
Airport, with 44 volunteers acting as passengers injured in a
simulated airliner crash as part of the Triennial Full-Scale
Emergency Exercise coordinated by SAF officials and a broad
array of city agencies as well as police, fire department and rescue
personnel, and others from surrounding counties.
Volunteers of all ages, including AASF members, were made up
with very realistic simulated wounds and lay on the ground to the
side of runway 20, with aluminum wreckage, luggage, and other
debris from the crash scattered over a wide area. The mass
casualty emergency scenario was based on an unsuccessful missed
approach to Runway 2 by a 50-passenger regional jet.
Following morning briefing, these "victims" were assisted by
Santa Fe Police and Fire Department personnel along with
members of the El Dorado Fire District. The New Mexico Army
National Guard also participated, with two UH-60 Black Hawk
support helicopters transporting the most serious injuries to
Christus St. Vincent's Hospital by air. Other actors were
transported to the hospital by ambulance and buses provided by
Santa Fe Trails.
Other actors played concerned family members, adding to the
realism.
Airport officials noted the triennial exercises provide a test of
responsiveness to a catastrophic event, allowing all responders an
opportunity to work together while experiencing conditions
similar to the tense, often chaotic environment of an actual
accident scenario.
Volunteers were encouraged to act in much the same manner as
actual accident victims, including displaying severe confusion and
disorientation, calling for immediate attention to their injuries, and
pressuring rescue personnel to look for missing passengers and for
information about what happened.
Efforts focused on directing the appropriate resources to those
with the most serious injuries, while corralling those with minor or
non-life threatening injuries in safe areas where they could be
calmed and treated as necessary. All of the actors, improvising for
hours, made this as realistic as possible.
A Sergeant with the New Mexico ANG helps assess the condition of a volunteer. Photo by
Brad C. Jones
Overall planning and coordination was done by the Santa Fe
Municipal Airport staff. Among other supporters were personnel
from the commercial air carriers that serve SAF (American Eagle
and United Express) along with the Santa Fe Air Center.
Many other groups also supported the exercise and a complete list
is available from the airport office. The Santa Fe Airport Grill also
provided a swell breakfast and lunch for the participants.
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Around the Airfield
After the winter suspension, work is scheduled to resume on the
LED edge lighting for runway 2/20 and the extension of taxiway
Foxtrot.
Planning continues for the temporary terminal expansion modules,
with funding approved, but not yet part of a bond issue.
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Member Classifieds
2002 Cirrus SR22 - 910 TTAFE. Dual Garmin 430, active traffic, Stormscope,
XM weather, Avidyne MFD w/EMAX & CMAX, S-Tec 55X. April 2014 annual
w/fresh parachute repack! Location: KSAF. $154,900.
www.SkyMachines.com/inventory
1981 Piper Turbo Saratoga - 3550 TTAF, 525 SMOH. 6 leather seats. Dual
Garmin 430W, GMX-200 MFD, Sandel 3308 EHSI, eng. mon., full co-pilot instru.,
RMI, dual transponders, Century II A/P. 150 kts. At 12,000.' Location: KFMN.
$153,900. www.SkyMachines.com/inventory
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Words to Fly By
"The ultimate responsibility of the pilot is to fulfill the dreams
of the countless millions of earthbound ancestors who could
only stare skyward, and wish."
- Unknown
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"KSAF Airport News" is a free bi-monthly publication by the Aviation
Association of Santa Fe, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting,
encouraging and supporting aviation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our
organization serves as an informal liaison between local pilots, the non-
flying public, and airport management. For more information, visit
www.santafeaviation.org or email us at info@santafeaviation.org.