TFC Flying Regulations

Cleaning Aircraft after Every Flight:

PLEASE CLEAN ALL LEADING EDGES AFTER EVERY FLIGHT. 

• Cleaning the leading edges, struts, and front of the cowl while the bugs are wet prevents bugs from drying into the paint and damaging the aircraft.  
• Aero Wash Wax All is a biodegradable waterless wash and wax in one developed 30 years ago for aircraft . It is designed for use on all aircraft surfaces including acrylic plastic aircraft windows.  Simply spray on and wipe dry, leaves an anti-static, non-stick UV protective coating on all surfaces.
• We have spray bottles in all planes that are online. If the bottle is close to empty please refill it with the gallon jugs  and funnel located in the key room and in the Archer hangar.
• Best method - walk around the plane soaking the leading edges and areas with bugs so it can soak in some - then come back around and wipe them off.
• We also have new blue cleaning towels. Please use the old red towels for checking oil and cleaning greasy and dirty areas and the new blue towels for bugs on the paint and windows.
• Remove your trash after each flight

Reservations:

Planes may only be flown with a schedule reservation by a member in good standing. If you can't schedule a reservation it may be because your account has a non-zero balance so you'll need to pay it down first. Or you may not be checked out for the plane you are trying to reserve,  or you may not have a current club flight review. Please resolve these issues before reserving and flying the plane. 

Good neighbor policy:

• Only schedule for the time you will be using the plane
• Do not show up late or return late
• If weather, business, health affects your flight: cancel promptly
• Be aware of weather limitations that may prevent your return

Tips for Dispatching a Reservation:

• Confirm Tach Time
• Check Box “Weight & Balance, NOTAMS...”

Checking In (Upon Return)

• Input Tach Times
• Select Payment Method

IMPORTANT: Pay Your Bill when you check in the plane. You cannot make a future reservation or dispatch a plane with an existing balance.

Flight Plans:

When you fly one of our planes more than 50 miles from our home base of TKI, you must file a flight plan.

Retract Currency:

3 takeoffs and landings in a retractable gear aircraft within the previous 90 days or a checkout with a club approved CFI in such an aircraft within the same time period.

Moving Planes:

• If the plane is in a hangar you MUST ask the FBO line personnel to move it in or out of the hangar during FBO business hours.
• If the FBO will be closed when you leave or return, please park at a tiedown instead.

Parking Planes

• 3QZ parking - since 3QZ is at the end of the row of hangars, leaving the plane in front of its hangar blocks every other plane trying to leave or enter the row. Please do not leave 3QZ out in the middle of the hangar row. We ask you to park it on the flight line with chocks instead until the FBO is able to push it into the hangar
• Park only in our set of tiedowns and secure the plane with chains and gust locks. Our tiedowns are currently the farthest west and north row of tiedowns on the north ramp

 Safety Considerations:

• If you are not safe to fly -DON’T! There will not be a penalty for cancelling if you have an “IMSAFE” issue
• If the weather is beyond your personal minimums, don’t fly. There is not a penalty for cancelling due to weather
• If you have an incident (or any time the aircraft may have been damaged), you must notify an officer of the club.
• Inspect that plane -these planes get all kinds of pilots and situations.
  • wasps
  • leaks
  • exterior damage
  • interior and equipment malfunctions
  • tire abuse

Important: Squawk any problems you find with the plane, the checklists, hangars, key access. If we don't know about them we cannot fix them

 Security:

• The airport has a badge system for controlled access:
  • Applying for Access: You should get a badge ($25 for 2 years).
  • People who don’t belong can still get out to the flight line
    • If it doesn’t look like someone belongs out there, call someone or challenge them with “hi, can i help you?”, etc.
    • Take the AOPA -security briefing for safety tips
    • For emergency: 911, non-emergency numbers 800-GA-SECUR, or McKinney Police 972-547-2700
  • Know what to do if you get a “ramp check” - AOPA has a good resource to review: AOPA ramp checks

 Fuel Reimbursement:

When you buy fuel offsite, the club will reimburse you at the club rate (currently $5.49 in August 2021). Send Email with a picture of the receipt and Tail Number and your name to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Minimum Usage Charges and Late/No-Show Penalties

Going back to the good neighbor policy - only schedule the plane for the time you are going to use it, show up on time, and come back on time. Item 11 and 12 of the TFC Operating regulations detail the specifics of the following charges or penalties the club may enforce:

• Minimum Usage charges - we encourage club members to take planes overnight or over multiple nights. Please review the minimum usage schedule for summer and non-summer weekdays/weekends. The minimum usage charges are structured to allow members to fly long cross country trips overnight. Shorter overnight trips may require a minimum usage charge to offset the loss of hours when a plane is not flying on a overnight trip.
• Late-show / No-show penalties - to protect the club financially from planes that don't fly, we have a schedule of fees for no-show or late-show reservations. Please be aware that if you are late to your reservation, other club members may take the plane after about 30 minutes
• Late return fees - these are traditionally nominal fees to encourage you to get back on time. However common courtesy calls for a late returning pilot to notify the next person on the schedule when they know they are going to be late.

Correct Chain Usage

Incorrect Chain Usage

Post Flight Care and Procedures:

After you have shutdown the plane, you are not done. You must secure the plane and replace the gust locks and pitot tube covers. Some tips we want members to follow:

• Use the towbar to move the plane to the tiedown. Do NOT push or pull the plane by the skin or you will break or dent the plane
• Do not attempt to taxi over or under a wing - that is against FAA and club policy!
• Don’t taxi over tiedown chains or ropes - they can get ingested by prop
• Secure the plane properly with chain hook AROUND the chain
  • Ensure master switch is off - batteries are expensive! Leave the flashing beacon on so you'll know the master is off

Reservations and Minimums:

Our rental rates are driven by proper utilization of planes and flying hours. Our rates will rise if planes do not fly enough hours. For example scheduling speculative reservations for a full weekend day and then canceling or narrowing the reservation window to just 2 hours at the last minute can potentially disrupt hours for the whole day. Please schedule the planes appropriately for the time you actually plan to fly. Our operations team is reviewing updates to the minimums and late / no show fee schedule. But you can help by scheduling correctly and showing up - on time.