Remind me where is the new member welcome page? Here is a list of items to get you going with the flying club after joining.

What group mailing aliases exist?
    ifc-members@googlegroups.com - for conducting club business
    ifc-leaders@googlegroups.com - for contacting club leadership
    ifc-cancel@googlegroups.com - for notification of cancelled reservations
    ifc-notify@googlegroups.com - for membership inquiries and automatic messaging
    ifc-checkout@googlegroups.com - for requesting an N1380U check-ride
    ifc-owners@googlegroups.com - for contacting aircraft owners
    ifc-cfi@googlegroups.com - for contacting club instructors

How do I get a check-ride after joining? Make arrangements by contacting our Chief Pilot Ben or another approved flight instructor from the club directory. Text messaging or a phone call is preferred over email communication. Each club plane the member intends to fly as PIC requires a separate check-out review process.

What is expected on a club check-ride? Always be respectful of instructor time by being punctual for meetings and reservations. Be prepared to discuss the aircraft performance and operating limits, avionics and radios, local airspace, checklists, club rules and procedures, etc. Here are links to checkout knowledge sheets for c172n, c152, Archer, and Arrow.

The flight portion of the club check-out will vary in length depending on experience in the respective aircraft and familiarity with specific avionics and radios within the plane. This is also a good opportunity to knock off any rust due to flying inactivity. The primary goal is to review needed information in a stress-free environment such that members will be safe safe and confidant pilots in club planes. In the rare case of significant knowledge or skill gaps, pilots will greatly benefit from a followup meeting and/or some additional flight practice. After aircraft check-out completion, contact the club treasurer to obtain key codes.

For low time pilots under 100 total hours, expect 5 or more hours of dual time in N1380U to become comfortable with the advanced avionics. For N8414C, refer to the bylaws under rules and regulations for check-out requirements imposed by insurance based on pilot experience.

Right seat check-outs to obtain club approval for doing flight instruction in each plane are handled separately from left seat new member check-outs.

Student pilots must do a stage-check prior to solo flight in each plane they wish to fly, see bylaws.

How can I pay my account balance? Besides bank bill pay, personal check, or a credit card swipe, the club supports most money transfer apps like zelle, venmo, paypal, and cash app. Use email rfbuchner@gmail.com for paypal and select friends and family option. Use rfbuchner@sbcglobal.net as the recipient for all other money transfer apps, decline insurance. With recent tax law changes, make sure you are not selecting purchase of business products or services when making a money transfer, else merchant fees will be assessed and year-end tax reports generated.

Who is expected to volunteer? We are a non-profit club, meaning directors, officers, and members are not paid for their volunteer efforts to keep the club running smoothly and to keep the planes operational. Aircraft usage rates are kept low for everyone's mutual benefit by setting them at-cost with no profit margins. Any club members who step-up to assist whenever they can are much appreciated to help share the work load. The club will issue periodic dues credit or other rewards to those who volunteer their time.

How are planes kept clean? That responsibility belongs to club members. Pilots are expected to keep the plane clean as if they own it. Cups, bottles, cans, containers, wrappers, food bags, etc should be removed and discarded, not tossed into the baggage area nor left on the back seat or floor area. Leadings edges, cowling, nose cone and nose bowl should be cleaned after flight with water spray bottles or a degreasing solution (dawn liquid soap) and dried with cloth shop towels. Windows should be cleaned after flight with water spray bottles or Prist windscreen cleaner (for acrylics and plastics) and dried with micro fiber towels (blue designated for windows). Rub windshields dry with a gentle up and down motion, never circular wiping.

Dawn liquid detergent soap can safely be used on all surfaces. Simple green is a powerful degreasing agent primarily intended for cleaning a dirty plane belly. Use with caution for spot treating of stubborn bug stains and thoroughly rinse since it is mildly corrosive. Typically we only use this during plane washes at the water station. Concentrated formulas of simple green must be diluted with water before use.

Paper towels are too abrasive for acrylic and plastics, they will leave scratch marks. Paper towels can be used to clean up spills or wipe off any oil or dirt from dirty hands, tools, dip stick, etc. Supplies will be kept on carts in the hangar, or in pouches behind the aircraft seats, or in storage containers placed in the baggage area, or in the club box on the ramp. If supplies are running low, pilots are empowered to restock items and submit the receipts. Prist is available at Falcon Crest. Walmart, Target, and Menards are good options for other cleaning supplies.

Does the club use custom check-lists? Yes, the club does have a post-flight hangar checklist and a post-flight ramp checklist that modify and augment the shutdown and secure aircraft procedures as summarized in the standard POH and found in typically published aircraft checklists. We've enhanced handling of avionics when shutting down the engine, expanded on cockpit tasks, and emphasized securing and cleaning the aircraft. Pay attention for any wear and tear or aircraft damage and report to officers.

The club also has an expanded pre-flight walk-around checklist pre-flight walk-around checklist

How to determine if a plane is air-worthy? Each plane has an online compliance status sheet summarizing key entries from the aircraft log books. If any service item or AD issued by FAAA is nearing its due time, please notify officers well in advance so that we can plan for it at our convenience rather than grounding the plane.

What technique should I use for tieing down aircraft on the ramp? The following tutorials are excellent demonstrations of a non-slip knot: video1, video2.

Does the club use cover tarps for outdoor parking? We do have cover tarps for 48938 (stored in hangar) and 1380U (stored in baggage compartment). If parking outdoors for more than a typical dinner stop, please protect the aircraft with the tarp. Here is a picture of how the cover tarp is correctly installed on 1380U.

How to operate the AeroTow Power Tug for use with Cessna Aircraft?
    Handle has the master on/off power switch and a forward/reverse momentary contact switch
    Position tug to align the fork assembly attach points with the pins on the nose gear trunnion
    Wiggle tug so that left side nose gear pin is guided into recessed fitting of the fork assembly
    Turn manual crank on right side to guide fork assembly over the right side nose gear pin
    Both nose gear pins should be fully enclosed into the fork assembly fittings but not tight
    Power tug operates at a slow walk, there is no speed modulation
    Never turn the nose wheel more than 30deg either side of center
    Be sure to turn off the master switch when you are finished using the tug
    Plug in and turn on the battery charger when power tug is not in use (steady hum)
    There is adequate room in hangar to keep tug attached to the nose gear for the next pilot
    Pilots can use either the tow bar or the power tug to move Cessna planes as they prefer

How to safely open hangar doors? There is a power switch for hangar operations on left wall as you enter. There are two latches which must be unhinged on both ends of the hangar. The people entrance must always be shut/locked when raising the hangar doors, else significant damage will be caused to the hangar panels. Always closely monitor the up and down movement of hangar doors in case a cable breaks or becomes unhinged from pulleys, in order to quickly stop the control mechanism. Make sure cars and other potential impediments are not interfering with the hangar door operation. Best practice is to now allow the hangar doors to fully rise up and stress the motor limiter.

What if the plane needs oil? The proper oil levels are listed under the fuel latch for each plane and on the timesheets. Never overfill the oil, excess oil pressure will damage engine components. If the engine is warm after a recent flight, the dipstick reading will be noticeably lower than actual by 1/2 to 1 quart because a significant quantity of oil remains adhered to various engine components, so don't rush to add excess oil over minimum range. Best time to get an accurate dipstick reading is just prior to the first flight of the day. Also beware following an oil change, transparent fresh oil is hard to read on the dipstick. Never over-tighten the fuel dip-stick as it will break the plastic seal at the bottom of the tube, as soon as the dip stick meets initial resistance while turning to tighten, that is sufficient.

The type of oil used by each plane is written on the timesheets and also shown on the web scheduling dashboard. Extra quarts of oil are often kept in boxes on the hangar floor or might be found inside the plane. Do not feel compelled to add a full quart of oil when a lessor amount suffices to get within the recommended range, especially after a recent flight. Notify officers if more oil supplies are needed. Meanwhile oil can be obtained from the dpa fuel truck or from local fbo's as needed. Never over-tighten the fuel dipstick, just turn it until you meet resistance. Always report to officers if a plane is within 5 hours of the next oil change or if other service items are coming due.

How to refuel the club planes? At DuPage, call the flight center and ask for the fuel truck to come over, giving plane identifier and location. The fuel truck also has quarts of oil if they are needed. All charges are made to the planes fuel account. IFC also has fuel accounts at DeKalb and Aurora, and there is a DKB fuel card for self serve in the zippered pouch with the timesheet binder. Whenever you pay yourself for fuel using your own credit card, submit the receipt to the club treasurer for reimbursement, sending a photo sms text message is fine.

How to debug 738HA xmit issues? Check that your headset connections and the handheld mic are firmly connected. Check settings for toggle switches on the audio panel and the portable comm box.

Where to do engine run-ups? Preferably avoid doing run-ups in the close vicinity of our hangars to minimize traffic congestion and excess noise. Never do a run-up with loose pavement or debris present. Asphalt, broken cement, and other questionable surfaces need to be avoided. The vaccuum generated by the prop at higher RPM's will lift up loose gravel and nick the blades. Always taxi at low RPM's when near or crossing less than ideal surfaces where gravel or debris is or may be present. Heightened awareness is needed when you are in less frequently used movement areas where debris may have accumulated. Also use caution at private airports where maintenance crews are unlikely to regularly sweep runways and taxiways.

How can I prevent plug fouling? Always lean rich of peak during taxi and cruise flight. Taxi at 1000+ RPM. No extending idling at low RPMs. Also see tips below on proper techniques for engine startup and shutdown. The following engine operating recommendations are given to IFC pilots for avoiding lead fouling. If the mag checks fail, try cleaning the plugs with an extended runup. More details on lead fouling can be found in the Lycoming Service Letter, Lead Fouling Article by AeroShell, and O-360 Engine Operations.

How should I do an engine shutdown?
    run engine at 1000-1200rpm for 1-2mins while leaning
      (via post-flight taxi or standing to stabilize engine temps)
    do a quick engine run-up at 1700-1800rpm for 15-20secs
    go back to 1200rpm and kill engine via a slow mixture cut-off

Do not do run-ups on the hangar apron where debris is present to avoid prop nicks.
Find a clear paved area such as on the taxiway or at the taxi exit point or ramp parking.
Run-ups can be skipped for lengthy flights at cruise power utilizing proper leaning.

What is the proper technique for engine starting? Each engine model has their own idiosyncrasies which affect starting characteristics. Add to this the condition of primer nozzles, spark plug wear, compression levels, and magnito timing drift, all of which will have an impact on achieving the ideal starting mixture. Then you have to consider the current air temperature, pressure, and moisture contents which makes engine starting less science and more trial and error. Fortunately all the engines in club planes start easily and only require a minimal amount of priming. So our main concern is avoiding over-priming. When priming, less is more, begin with the least amount of priming to get the engine started, then progressivly add more primer strokes until you have a successful start. Over-priming will flood the cylinders, carburetor and airbox, damage the pump, and increase fire risk. It will also wash down cylinder walls causing scouring of the walls and reduced compressions. However the worst case scenario in under-priming is that the engine does not start, so then just add more primer. Typically an additional primer stroke will be needed in winter vs summer since aircraft engines need more fuel and less air to start in very cold dense temperatures. Here are some general guidelines.

    During warm weather in summer, priming once is more than enough, and you may not need any strokes.
    During cold weather in winter, do not initially prime more than two strokes, and one stroke may suffice.
    If an aircraft has just come back from another flight, no priming is needed.
    If its been 30mins since engine shutdown in cool temps, a priming stroke might be needed.

Be prepared to start the engine immediately after priming to avoid dispersion of fuel mist or excess fuel puddling. This means you have already cleared the area and ensured you are ready to safely start the engine before priming. If the engine does not start, additional priming isn't needed if you immediately retry cranking. If there was a small delay, perhaps add one additional primer stroke since some fuel vapors have dispersed. But if the restart delay was longer, like when allowing the starter and battery to recover, then repeat the entire priming step. In colder temps, if the engine isn't starting, on the next attempt try increasing the fuel mixture, 2 strokes instead of 1, 3 strokes instead of 2. Alternatively in winter you can try adding a delay of about 15 secs between priming and cranking to allow more fuel to atomize. If the starter was used aggressively (like for 10 secs), wait 30 secs before retry to allow the starter to cool off. Be aware lengthy cranking also depletes the battery, especially in cold weather.

When pulling out the primer knob, allow the barrel to fill with fuel for a couple seconds before pushing the primer knob back in. The POH indicates up to 6 primer strokes may be used in cold temps, but this will surely leave a puddle, do not do this! Since we pre-heat our engines in winter, exceeding 3 primer strokes will likely never be necessary. During hot summers, even two primer strokes are excessive. If the engine is still not starting after a few primer strokes, there may be something else wrong with the plane. If you are new to a plane, ask other pilots what technique works best for them.

After the engine has started with idle power, slowly bring the engine speeds up to 1000-1100 RPM with aggressive leaning for about 5 minutes to warm up the engine before taxi. During this time period you can check the instruments, get the ATIS, do radio work, etc. Continue to lean during taxi and any hold shorts while keeping the engine above 1000 RPM to help avoid plug fouling.

How do I preserve tires, brake pads, rotors> Keep heels on the floor during taxi to avoid excessive wear on break pads/rotors and generating excessive heat. Do not ride the brakes to control your taxi speed. Do not turn and brake at the same time. Inspect brake pads pre and post flight, rivets on the pads should never be showing to avoid damaging expensive rotors. Report to club officers when brake pads are less than 1/8 inch of thickness, which is the width of two quarters.

Bald spots on tires can occur from hydroplaning on wet runways. But most often bald spots are caused by skidding after landing. Keep the heels on the floor during landing, don't lock the brakes with your toes, tires need to freely roll to catch up to the speed of the plane. Allow plane to dissipate energy upon landing rollout without using braking action. Excessive braking action upon landing, or exerting side forces on tires (ie failure to align tires with runway on crosswind landing), are especially damaging.

There is no need to rush and make the first turnout, DPA runways are fairly long. There is plenty of time for the plane to naturally slow down without braking action. If truly needed, use gentle braking after you have slowed down in preparation for your runway turnout. If you are landing midfield and missed your mark, you probably should be developing the habit to call for a go-around to avoid excessive braking action.

Keep reminding yourself, heels on the floor during taxi, landing, and takeoff.

Can I update an existing reservation? Yes, just click on your reservation to go into edit mode. You can change the start time if you are delayed. Otherwise another pilot can take a reserved plane following a 30 minute no-show (unless booked as an faa check-ride). You can also change the end time if you return significantly early. Please send mail to the membership that the plane has become available. If you need assistance in making reservation updates, send a text message to the web master, Bob (630-728-5045).

How do I obtain a DPA security access badge? Download our badge application and follow instructions. Fill out all blanks and dates as appropriate, sign, and submit via email. Request both Pedestrian and Vehicle access as you wish. Include government photo ID, vehicle information and insurance. DPA may collect a $15 processing fee.

How do I register my airmen certificate with the state? All residents of the state must do a one time pilot registration for $20. This process may be completed online under the renewal section. An exemption is granted for pre-solo student pilots. If this is a first time registration, you will have to download the pdf form, and mail a filled out copy along with a paper check.

What are the winter operating procedures? These are covered in the last section of the club's operating rules. FAA safety team also provides a comprehensive discussion on winter flying tips.

What are the temperature minimums for winter flight? Ambient air temperatures must be met at departure, en-route, destination, and return flight.
See winter operating procedures for additional considerations.

How to prevent winter condensation in fuel tanks?
    Cessna tanks are refilled to 3/4 full after flight at home base.
    Piper tanks are refilled to the tabs after flight at home base.
    Fuel tanks may be fully filled whenever away from home base.

How do I insert the hornet headers to keep the engine warm in winter?
See the following pictorial description. Only 1380U and 738HA are still using hornet heaters, 8414C and 48938 use Tanis heaters. 48938 has the newer style Tanis heater which self-regulates.

Can I do aircraft landings on grass runway strips? That is usually okay, but pilot pre-approval for the airport and runway must be obtained from the chief pilot. Always be careful of loose gravel and debris during runups and taxi. Always contact airport manager and ask about the field conditions, make sure the field is dry and not muddy or soggy or icy. Only hard surface landings are allowed in 1380U.

Can I do aircraft landings on private airports? That is usually okay, but pre-approval must be obtained from the chief pilot. Please note that club insurance excludes any operations in landing areas that are not designated, maintained, and used as airports.

What are the operating rules for non-towered airports? Please refer to FAA Advisory Circular 90-66C.

How should I handle a ramp check?
    Do's and Dont's
    10 tips for passing
    Know your rights
    What to expect
    FAA reporting form
    Law Enforcement Guidelines
    Panel Discussion Video

What are some other pilot reminders?
    Remember to maintain 1000-1200 RPM during taxi/ground runs.
    Remember to lean fuel mixture rich of peak during taxi and cruise.
    Remember to send any updated pilot records to the chief pilot.
    Remember to promptly send in all receipts to the treasurer.
    Remember to send squawks to club officers and notate timesheet.
    Remember to notify officers if maintenance items are coming due.

What are some etiquette reminders?
    Always show courtesy and respect toward members in our pilot community.
    Be respectful of your instructor time, be punctual for appointments.
    Cancel instructor meetings and plane reservations well in advance.
    Make accurate plane reservations, don't depart or arrive back late.
    Notify members of non-weather related cancellations (if under 24hrs).
    Keep interior and exterior of the plane clean of debris/residue.
    Send feedback and suggestions on club policies to leadership team.

Where can I take the yearly TSA security awareness program? click here (requires aopa login)

Where can i get information on BasicMed?
    Eligibility and Rules
    Frequently asked questions

Are there restrictions following covid-19 vaccination or booster shots? There is a 48 hour observation period where pilot duties and activities are prohibited, possibly longer if you continues to have any adverse affects. See FAA guidance.

Where can I get information on the Freeflight ADS-B Rangr 978xvrl?
    Pilot Guide and Quick Reference
    iTunes ADS-B View App for Ipad
    List of Compatible Applications
    Connect Rangr to Foreflight

What are the club's currency requirements? All rated pilots must abide by FAR 61.57. If you haven't flown as PIC in the previous 90 days, it is recommended to request a check-ride with a club approved CFI to shake off any rustiness.

What are the Piper Arrow currency requirements? For N8414C currency (and to meet club insurance requirements), at least three (3) hours logged pilot time in the same make and model as the insured aircraft in the preceding 180 days, or has taken and passed a currency check-out in the insured aircraft with written approval from a Certified Flight Instructor in the preceding 45 days.

What are the student pilot currency requirements? A student pilot not having flown solo in the aircraft to be used during the preceding thirty (30) days must undergo a check-ride with a club instructor and their log book be so endorsed prior to any further solo flying.

Can basic aviation training devices (BATD) be used for flight training or currency? See FAA Letter of Authorization (LOA) for each respective flight simulator. In general, up to 2.5 hours may be credited toward a PPL if flight training is received from an certified instructor, 14 CFR 61.109(k)(1). Up to 10 hours may be credited toward an instrument rating, 14 CFR 61.65(i). Up to 50 hours may be credited toward a commercial rating. However, it is recommended to record BATD time separately in your pilot logs from your total time. You may also maintain instrument currency by flying approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses.

Can members perform preventative maintenance on club aircraft? Yes, the FAA allows the owner or the operator of the airplane to perform limited maintenance tasks if they hold at least a private pilot certificate. The task must be accomplished according to methods, techniques and practices described in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual as would be used by an airplane mechanic. Lastly, a maintenance log entry returning the aircraft to service must be made which complies with the regulations. See AOPA article for details.