Naval Air Museum Page 2
National Kidney Month Page 5
Prescribed airfield burn Page 7 VOLUME 70, NUMBER 11
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND
MARCH 21, 2013
Pax Flying Club brings T-34B Mentor aboard By Dr. Philip Mock Guest contributor
The Patuxent River Navy Flying Club recently made a new addition to its fleet of aircraft available for patrons to fly by bringing aboard a Beechcraft T-34B Mentor. While new to the flying club, the Mentor itself is a Navy veteran as it was selected by the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard in 1955 to replace the SNJ Texan for pilot training. This particular Mentor came to Pax from the flying club at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash. When the PRNFC club manager, Joe Dziewit, learned it was coming available, he made arrangements to bring it to Pax. In January, the club president and chief flight instructor were off to ferry the aircraft from the West Coast to Pax. When they taxied up to the club ramp at the end of their transcontinental journey, they were tired but said they were thankful for having the opportunity to see so much of the U.S. in a way so few ever experience.
Courtesy photo
New to the Patuxent River Navy Flying Club’s aircraft lineup, this Beechcraft T-34B Mentor offers a classic throttle and stick configuration, and resembles an old Warbird with its bowed canopy. Originally designed as a Navy and Air Force flight
trainer, the Mentor has tandem seating for student-
pilot and instructor with a bowed canopy resembling
those of old Warbirds. “In flight, clear Plexiglas
is the only thing between you and the heavens,” Dziewit said. “Like an old Warbird, the T-34B has the classic throttle and stick configuration, and is responsive to the controls.” Because of the Mentor’s powerful engine and complex controls, high performance and complex aircraft endorsements are necessary to fly this airplane. Instructors at the Patuxent River Navy Flying Club can help people earn these endorsements. The PRNFC has several Cessna and Piper aircraft as well as this T-34 available for rent and for flight training to current pilots and those who want to fly. PRNFC also offers a Private Pilots Ground School twice each year. For more information, contact Joe Dziewit at 301862-1110 or stop by their monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at the flying club; building 336 at the intersection of Cedar Point Road and taxiway ALPHA near the post office.
Housing residents will soon see mock utility billing
By Connie Hempel NAS Patuxent River
Lincoln military housing residents at NAS Patuxent River are soon to be part of DOD’s Resident Energy Conservation Program as Navy installations join other services in the pursuit of energy efficiency in privatized housing. The Resident Energy Conservation Program, commonly called RECP, was initiated in 1998 as an energy cost-saving measure to help reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and other fossil fuels. It is a Secretary of Defense policy which required privatized housing residents, such as those living in Lincoln military housing communities on and off the naval air station, to be responsible for the utilities they consume. “For this year’s RECP roll out, only the accountability for electricity consumption will be transferred from
Courtesy graphic
[Lincoln military housing] to the resident,” Capt. Ted Mills, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer, wrote in a letter to residents. “Future phases of the program may also include gas.” Exceptions to the RECP policy include: Wounded, ill and injured service members. Residents with documented Exceptional Family Members and military personnel with disabilities that require excess utility usage may request a waiver for exception. Patricia Anderson, the Housing Program director here, said RECP provides residents with financial incentives for energy conser-
vation, too. “Cost savings are reinvested back into the housing community where our service members and their families reside,” Anderson said. “These funds will be placed into reserve accounts for renovations and improvements to homes and neighborhoods.” Residents whose monthly utility usage is below a set Normal Usage Band for likekind properties, will earn a rebate. When the accumulated rebate exceeds $25, the resident is issued a check. Residents can also “bank” their rebates and use them for future payments. Since the RECP an-
nouncement was made more than a decade ago, local electric companies have been installing meters on privatized homes at military installations across the U.S., allowing for individual unit meter readings. Southern Maryland Electric Company recently completed installing meters at Pax’s privatized housing areas on and off the installation For the past few months, Lincoln military housing and installation leadership at Pax have been campaigning to inform residents on what they can expect in the coming months as the transfer of utility responsibly progresses here.
Homes will be assigned to a like-type group, and the monthly average usage of these homes will be calculated. This average includes a 10 percent above and below the average buffer to establish a normal usage band. As Naval District Washington implements RECP, privatized housing residents at Pax and other NDW can expect to begin receiving mock bills in July, and live bills in October. The threemonth mock billing phase allows residents time to adjust their consumption to the normal usage band for their like-type housing “Consider the three-
month mock billing phase as a practice round,” Mills said. “As residents become familiar with the program during this phase, they can proactively make adjustments to their energy consumption behavior.” Residents can request an energy audit inspection for their home through Lincoln. The audit will assess household usage and can identify potential conservation opportunities through behavior changes or modifications to features of the home. During mock billing, none of the residents will pay or receive rebates for utility usage. However, Anderson suggests residents use this time to request energy audits to help identify energy-saving strategies particular to their home. Town hall meetings about RECP in NAS Pax River housing are in the
See Bill, Page 9