N878AC had to be taken off-line for maintenance this last week of December. The reason was a small leak in a fuel line. You might remember that the Decathlon has a small 3rd fuel tank located under the instrument panel. This is the header tank used for inverted flight (2 minutes of fuel). There is a fuel line going out from that tank just above the left rudder pedal (see picture on the left). Maintenance believe that the leak might have been caused by somebody accidentally kicking or resting a foot on the fuel line while getting in or out of the front seat. Hopefully we’ll get the parts for the repair soon and have N878AC back for you to fly. Thanks for flying N878AC.

On a cold Sunday morning, December 21, 2014, Dave Kottra headed to Leesburg to start working on the last phase of his Super Decathlon Tailwheel Endorsement – Wheel Landings. In previous lessons, he had gone through the required normal and cross-wind landings including go-around procedures (and more). In this Sunday’s lesson, Dave discovered that not only are wheel landings not as difficult as you might think, they are also fun. After demonstrating at Winchester Airport that he also mastered this part of the tailwheel universe, a few celebrating loops were performed on the way back to Leesburg where his logbook received the endorsement that “he is proficient in the operation of a tailwheel airplane”. Even after not flying for 10 years, Dave completed his Tailwheel Endorsement in the minimum of time normally set aside for this accomplishment!

Congratulations and Happy Holidays,

Jorgen Valkaer, CFI