Is that an F-16 off your wing? Beware TFRs
If you are flying near Chicago or the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area between May 18 and 21 and spy an F-16 or a Black Hawk off your wing, you're in big trouble. The FAA has issued notams restricting flight in both areas for the G8 and NATO Summits. Read more >>
Eclipse to be built by Sikorsky subsidiary
Eclipse Aerospace has signed an agreement with PZL Mielec, the Polish company purchased by Sikorsky in March 2007, to produce the wings, empennage, fuselage, and related systems such as fuel probes for the Eclipse 550 personal jet. First deliveries are promised for 2013.
Cub summer: Maryland couple to fly J-3 to Lower 48
Meredith Tcherniavsky and Dana Holladay of Rockville, Md., plan to launch July 4 on a two-month adventure that will take them 8,000 miles in their 1938 Piper J-3 Cub.
Strong launch sustains pilot club 50 years later
One instructor, one Piper J-3 Cub, 27 solos, and more than 100 students in the first 12 months. The Elkins Pilots Club started with a bang 50 years ago and has continued ever since.
‘Naked’ airplane plies West Virginia skies
The lore goes that the Breezy became known as the “naked airplane” after the pilot unknowingly made an unscheduled landing in a nudist camp. The aircraft drew quite a crowd among the nudists who noted that the homebuilt “...looks like us. It’s got nothing on.”
LightSquared files for bankruptcy
LightSquared filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 on May 14. The wireless network based on mobile-satellite technology that was found to overpower GPS navigation signals made the filing two weeks after it negotiated an extension for making a payment on its debt.
Bombardier, Cessna announce new jets
Analyst Richard Aboulafia described the jet market as “an absence of pessimism,” and that, given the past four years, is seen as an improvement. In this environment, two manufacturers have launched three new models.
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May 2012 AOPA Pilot Features
- Magic in the Air

- The New Rainmaker

- Fly-Outs: French Valley Airport
- Dream Big
- Wx Watch: Advanced Warnings
- Northwest Fest

- Happy Traveler
- AOPA Media
- Avionics: KSN700 Ready for Prime Time
- Products: Do You FlyQ?

- Safety Pilot: Backwards!
- Hawker 4000: Lots to Offer, But Too Late?
- The Ultimate Hawker

- 'Go Fast, Slow Down'
Check out the inaugural digital edition of AOPA Pilot. Interested in switching to digital? See our frequently asked questions and sign up today.
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AOPA Pilot | AOPA Turbine Pilot | Flight Training
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AOPA Featured Pictures
- Learn to Fly Day | Jun. 02 - Frederick,
- FATA Annual Conference | Jun. 12 - Palm Beach, FL
- AOPA Aviation Summit | Oct. 11 - Oct. 13 - Palm Springs, CA
- TPE331 Pilot's Familiarization Course | May. 16 - May. 17 - Columbus, OH
- EAA's Ford Tri-Motor Tour | May. 17 - May. 20 - Alabaster, AL
- United States Pilots Association Fly-In | May. 17 - May. 20 - Branson, MO
- US Aviation & Aspen Avionics Hands On! | May. 17 - Wichita Falls, TX
- United States Pilots Association Fly- In | May. 17 - May. 20 - Branson, MO
- Pinch Hitter Course | May. 18 - May. 20 - Ann Arbor, MI
- Ada Air Expo | May. 18 - May. 19 - Ada, OK
- Trade Show Aviation Idaho | May. 18 - May. 19 - Idaho Falls, ID
- Intenet Training | May. 18 - Oklahoma City, OK
- Pilot's Review of Proficiency (PROP) 2012 | May. 18 - May. 19 - Columbus, OH
View Calendar | Add Event | Learn how you can engage others in aviation!
Get dates and locations near you for
Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars and Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics.
AOPA/EAA 3rd Class Medical Exemption Petition
Get more information about the request that AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) submitted to the FAA on March 20; if successful, it would offer pilots the option of obtaining a third class FAA medical or instead becoming educated on medical self-assessment to operate familiar aircraft recreationally using the driver’s license as the baseline of health.
National issues, local focus at Maryland event
Pilots around the country are affected by efforts to promote flight safety, protect airports, defend against costly proposals, and build aviation communities. On May 4 and 5, AOPA staff discussed national issues and their local implications with an audience close to home.
Will Big Oil bring back an airport?
Revitalizing a dormant general aviation airport doesn't happen every day, but a surge in oil industry activity in North Dakota has raised that hope in one community--and pilots can help make it happen.
Unmanned aircraft tests must 'do no harm'
AOPA supports the integration of unmanned aircraft systems but reminds the FAA that the creation of test sites for them must do no harm to other airspace users, and should tap the expertise of stakeholders, the association said in a regulatory filing.


