Friends of the Huron County Airport (5A1)

02/16/2026

The newly formed EAA chapter at Huron County Airport, Maple City EAA 1723, is having a general meeting tomorrow evening, February 17 at the airport. Meeting starts at 6 PM and will be in the Conference Room of Health Grade Network, just west of the large Commercial hangar. All interested in aviation are invited. We will be discussing our Kitfox project. If you are interested in joining, annual dues are $20 or three years for $50.

11/23/2025

We are very excited to learn that a new EAA Chapter has been formed at the Huron County Airport. The new chapter is 1723. Congrats to the new chapter, we wish the very best!

11/13/2024

Received From Scott Sparks at 6:00PM, 11/13/24

The airport will be closed tomorrow, 11/14/24 from 9am to 8PM. There may also be a TFR for the area.

No other information available

11/10/2024

Tip of the Week - 11/6/2024
Dangerous Practice - Is practicing an engine failure all the way to the ground worth the risk?

Subscriber question:
“My instructor has me take simulated forced landings uncomfortably close to the ground. He says we must be sure I could have made my intended field. I think this invites an accident. Who's right?”

Featuring Bob Martens

“I’m a big believer in realistic training, but clearly the risk versus reward in this case just doesn’t add up. If you want to effectively demonstrate a forced landing, do it to a runway.

I’ve heard of way too many accidents resulting from a certified flight instructor taking a student too low on a forced landing demonstration. There’s just no downside to practicing to a runway and completing the landing. Use a grass strip if you want to really add some realism.

Consider the distractions facing the CFI as he demonstrates this maneuver. There is a lot going on during a forced landing, and maybe the CFI gave up a little bit of scanning outside in the interest of the lesson. Focus is very important, but never lose sight of the big picture. Where am I? And what outside the airplane just might hurt me?

Choosing your (practice) forced landing site wisely will help you to maximize the benefit derived, while minimizing unnecessary risks.”

How important is it that pilots practice power-off landings on a surface other than a paved runway?

-All pilots should complete a power-off approach and landing to grass or gravel runway (or a safe field) at least a few times.
-It's good enough to practice low approaches to emergency landing fields but only complete power-off landings to a paved runway.

11/10/2024

Tip of the Week - 1-/30/24
VOR Tests - How can you perform VOR tests as more VORs get decommissioned?

Subscriber question:
"It’s my understanding that I still need to do 30-day VOR checks to have legal VOR backups for my IFR GPS. But now there are no test stations or official checkpoints near my home base. What am I supposed to do?"

Featuring Bruce Williams

“Yes, VOR checks are still required for navigation under IFR, especially if you fly with a non-WAAS GPS, which requires working VORs in the panel, even if you never look at them. Although the FAA plans to decommission 306 VORs by September 30, 2030, 590 navaids will remain operational, most with enhanced service volumes. VORs aren’t going away. And they are the backbone of the Minimum Operational Network (MON), which would get you on the ground during a widespread, prolonged GPS system outage in IMC.

Now to the VOR test required by 91.171—probably the most frequently overlooked IFR regulation. Using a VOT signal, or a certified VOR equipment checkpoint on an airport, is easy. The Chart Supplement for your area lists VOTs and ground checkpoints under “VOR Receiver Checkpoints and VOR Test Facilities” in Section 4. Tune the VOT, or taxi to the VOR checkpoint on the ramp or taxiway and confirm that the CDIs or bearing pointers are within 4 degrees of the specified radial.

If you’re in range of a VOR at an airport without a ground checkpoint, you can also accomplish a dual VOR receiver check by tuning both radios to the navaid and centering the CDIs (or noting the bearing pointer indications). The displayed courses must agree within ± 4 degrees. The dual receiver check also works in the air. This method can be a good excuse for a lunch flight to get within range of a navaid.

If you have only a single VOR receiver, you can also do an airborne check. Unfortunately, few certified airborne checkpoints are still listed in the Chart Supplement. The FAA Flight Check teams that validated specific airborne checkpoints apparently now are too busy certifying some 12,000 RNAV and conventional instrument approach procedures, and other routes.

But if you can join a Victor Airway, follow the updated airborne check procedure described in the AIM. When you’re established along the centerline, find a prominent ground point, preferably more than 20 nautical miles from the VOR, and maneuver directly over that point at a ‘reasonably low altitude.’ Verify that the OBS or bearing pointers are within ± 6 degrees of the charted airway course.

After you complete a VOR check, you must record the results, including the date, place, and bearing errors— but don’t clutter the airframe logbook with years of tests. Instead enter the details in a small notebook or in a digital record. You need to keep those records only long enough to show compliance within the preceding 30 days.”

Another way to land under IFR without GPS is an ASR approach. Find out how.

https://pwtips.s3.amazonaws.com/Pages-from-IFR-Communications.pdf

When was the last time you used a VOR for navigation (even if just for practice)?

-Within the past week.
-Within the past month.
-Within the past year
-It's been more than a year.
-I can't remember the last time I used a VOR.

10/29/2024

Time to Say Goodbye

14 years ago, to the month (October 2010), a group of concerned citizens and pilots who were hangered at 5A1 decided it was time to come together and start an advocacy group (The Friends of the Huron County Airport) to support the Huron County Airport. It took a little time but by May 2011, we eventually received our 501c3 status making the organization eligible to receive donations that were tax deductible, donations that could be given to the airport and used as matching funds to secure federal aviation improvement grants.

At the same time, we were establishing the organization and garnering donations there was plenty of talk within the local political/business community about closing the airport and selling or giving the property to a local businessman to expand his business. Of course, all of this behind-the-scenes activity by political officials/local business community members would have been at the cost of losing the only regional county airport Huron County had.

Although we were able to get a number of donations in the first few years, which would have paid the matching funds required by the airport for a federal grant to remove a majority of obstructions on the west side of the airport, we were never able to get approval from the local county commissioners who had to sign off on federal grant applications. Even though we continued to receive and offer funds in the first 5 or so years that could have been used as matching funds we could never get the commissioners to approve and sign off on the federal grant applications.

We have had a number of different airport authority members over the past 14 years, not all of them airport supporters. Those that weren’t tried many tactics to undermine improvements that were laid out in federal airport improvement plans. During the same time period, besides being lucky, our organization was able to garner enough local support and provide substantiated data to both the FAA and county figures to show that closing the airport was not a feasible or legal action to be conducted. We even documented a number of safety concerns the county was required to address and fix.

Over the past 14 years we have provided numerous posts on our FaceBook page, provided photographs of arriving/departing aircraft on the same page, sent out weekly or bimonthly emails on safety topics or those topics of interest on the airport to keep our supporters as up to date and informed as possible. Through the donations we have also been able to provide partial funding for an obstruction study to try and get our night IFR approach back, buy a new VHF aviation radio for the FBO, provide paint, supplies and manpower with help from Walmart to paint the Maintenance hangar, provided half the funds to recarpet the FBO, provide funds for a weather reporting system at the airport, provide partial matching funds for crack sealing the runway back in 2016, and the entire matching funds in 2023 for a crack sealing/runway painting project. I believe given all we have accomplished since 2010, we have been a positive influence in keeping our supporters informed and keeping the airport opened and thriving to where it is today.
I can truthfully say that the current 3 members of the huron county airport authority board is made up of the best, most positive and supportive members to enact improvements at the facility since we started our Friends of the Huron County Airport organization in 2010.. They believe in the airport’s importance to the community and they believe in providing as many improvements to the airport as are feasibly and financially possible. They also have a good working relationship with the county commissioners and have had a number of successes garnering federal grants as well as county support for other airport projects.

Looking back, I have been the President of the Organization for 14 years. We have had many successes and received numerous donations that have been put to use as part of matching funds for federal grants, monies used for special projects, or equipment purchases for the airport. I have had the help of a good Board of Directors, including Dennis Sokol, Mike Weisenberger, and Scott Brogan. We haven’t been overly active since COVID but I am hoping new blood in the organization can turn that around.
With all that said, and with age, health, and time constraints, it is time for me to turns the keys of the organization over to younger members who would be interested in advocating for the pilots who are hangered at the facility, and interested in continuing to use the 501c3 to solicit donations to support and help the airport acquire more federal improvement grants. You don’t want to lose the 501c3 status because it is too hard to acquire from IRS and too good of a tool for the airport to acquire donations from local business and the community at large.

If anyone is interested in helping to take the reins and work with the existing board of Directors, and or overseeing the page posting activity please contact Dennis Sokol or myself and do so as soon as possible as I will be leaving the area the beginning of December.

I want to thank everyone throughout the country who has helped us succeed and or supported us over the past 14 years. It has been quite a ride.

Keep Flying and stay Safe

Daniel LeClair
Friends of the Huron County Airport

10/24/2024

Tip of the Week - October 23, 2024
Reducing Speed in Turbulence - What's the right speed for flying in turbulence?

Subscriber question:
"Why is maneuvering speed lower for less than gross weight? How do you adjust for lower weight if that's not published in the POH?"

Featuring Jeff Van West

Changes in Maneuvering Speed (Va) come down to angle of attack (AOA). The heavier the airplane, the higher an AOA it must have to maintain steady-state flight for a given speed. Steady-state flight with the wings level requires 1G of wing loading. To simplify for the sake of discussion: A heavier airplane needs a higher AOA to net 1G of wing loading at a given speed. This makes certain intuitive sense. A heavier airplane requires more lift to counteract gravity than a lighter one. For a given wing in a given configuration, more lift requires higher airspeed or higher AOA (or both).

Imagine two identical Cessna 172s are flying along at 105 knots, but one is at 2550 pounds (gross weight) and the other at 1900 pounds. The 2550-pound 172 is flying at a higher AOA. If the pilot of that airplane fully deflects the controls and rapidly increases AOA, the wing will produce more lift—the load will increase over 1G—but the wing will reach critical AOA and stall before it exceeds the load limit. If the pilot of the lighter airplane fully deflects the controls, the AOA and load will increase just the same, but the wing could produce enough lift to exceed the load limit before exceeding critical AOA and stalling. Another way to think about this is that Va is the stall speed for the 172 at 3.8G, the positive load limit for the normal category.

Note that Va is about the pilot applying full control deflection, not turbulence. Va is used for turbulence because a sudden change in AOA due to turbulence is pretty close to a sudden change from an overzealous pilot. But it’s not perfect. Some airplanes publish a Vb, which is turbulence pe*******on speed. This better accounts for airspeed changes due to gusts and other aerodynamic factors.

Most light GA airplanes don’t publish Vb, but it’s generally agreed this is 5-10 knots slower than Va for a given weight. You might want that buffer if you’re in moderate or greater turbulence. Some newer POHs publish Vo (operating maneuvering speed), which you should use for turbulence rather than Va.

The weight adjustment is calculated as the square root of the ratio of your current weight over the gross weight (SQRT (W1/Wg)). Multiply Va at gross weight by that correction and you get Va at the new weight. A good approximation is a 5-percent Va reduction for every 10-percent weight reduction. You can make that even simpler for a specific airplane. The 172S has a gross weight of 2550 pounds. The published Va at 2550 is 102 KCAS (105 KIAS). For every 255-pound reduction in weight (10%), you’d want a 5.1-knot reduction in Va (5%), or about 2 knots for every 100 pounds. The results are all pretty close:

The published Va for 1900 pounds is 88 KCAS (90 KIAS).
Va for 1900 pounds using the formula is 88.9 KCAS.
Va for 1900 pounds using the 10%/5% rule is 86.7 KCAS.
Va for 1900 pounds using 2 knots per 100 pounds under gross is 89 KCAS.

If you wanted more buffer for turbulence, you’d start with something like 95 KCAS instead of 102 KCAS.

This formula and the approximations work for any speed based on AOA, such as stall speed and the best speed for short final. That latter one is probably the most useful application as it’s one of the best things you can do for consistently better landings, especially in heavier airplanes.”

To see more on how weight affects aircraft performance and speeds, check out this exercise from the Pilot Exercise Program.

https://pwtips.s3.amazonaws.com/Pages_from_Pilot_Exercise_Program.pdf

Do you adjust your preferred speed for turbulence based on aircraft weight?

Yes

No

10/20/2024

FAA Safety Webinar
Fly the Easy Way"
Topic: Safety Tips for Pilots
On Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 8PM (20:00 Eastern Daylight Time)

Description:

Why are you working so hard to fly your airplane? FAA Master CFI Larry Bothe will share 21 tips and tricks you can do to make your flying easier, safer, cheaper, and a whole lot more enjoyable. Tune in and prepare to learn some new techniques your instructor may not have taught you.

To view further details and registration information for this webinar, click on the link below:

Why are you working so hard to fly your airplane? FAA Master CFI Larry Bothe will share 21 tips and tricks you can do to make your flying easier, safer, cheaper, and a whole lot more enjoyable. Tune in and prepare to learn some new techniques your instructor may not have taught you.

10/20/2024

Tip of the Week - 10/16/2024
Microsoft's Flight Sims Update - What does the upcoming version of Microsoft Flight Simulator offer for pilots seeking real-world practice?

Subscriber question:
"Will the 2024 update for Microsoft Flight Simulator be useful for real-world pilots? I know it won't be perfect, but will it be better than previous versions? I can't tell from the pre-release videos."

Featuring Chris Mc Gonegle

“Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 includes many technical updates and new features. When used correctly, these could be a great benefit to real-world pilots.

One of the major updates is attention to realistic airflows. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) now factors in prop wash on the aircraft’s tail even when stationary during startup. Wake turbulence, vortex simulations, and aircraft surface dynamics all received improvements to make sure this is an accurate aircraft simulator.

AI Air Traffic and ATC have been improved to create a more accurate environment for what happens outside your aircraft while flying. Microsoft’s team analyzed an entire year’s worth of global flight data from FlightAware and tout ‘approximately 91-percent accuracy in representing global air traffic.’

An update that could have a big impact for real-world pilots is in avionics. The Garmin GNS-530, G1000 NXi, G3X Touch, and G3000 should offer top-of-the-line performance. The Collins Pro Line 21, Honeywell Primus Epic 2, and Universal UNS-1 should offer realistic simulations.

The MSFS 2024 Career Mode will allow progression through certifications and rating additions, along the lines of real-world advancement.

These improvements mean MSFS 2024 can be used more as a tool than a toy. That’s in addition to the features real-world pilots already appreciate. And there are more on the way.”

To learn more about MSFS 2024 and how to use a home simulator effectively, register for an upcoming webinar put on by Sporty’s with contributions from PilotWorkshops.

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2366099985919637083

What do you think is the biggest impediment to using a home simulator for real-world practice?

-Doesn't fly accurately enough
-Doesn't represent the aircraft I actually fly
-Avionics aren't realistic enough
-Requires too much computer knowledge/skill to get working
-Can't log the time

10/20/2024

As of Thursday, October 17, 2024, 100LL Fuel at 5A1 is $5.29/gallon.

Spread the word

10/18/2024

100LL at 5A1 is $5.29/gallon !!!!!

10/15/2024

Notice from 5a1 Board President