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Tel: 800/USA-AOPA or
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Copyright � 2002 AOPA. | Training Tips
| BACKSEAT DRIVER
Ever sit in the seats at a pro sports event and listen to the howl of scorn that goes up whenever one of the players commits an error? How amusing it would be to take one of the hecklers out of the bleachers, place him on the field, and see if he could do better.
 There's another kind of observer–one who sees another person's struggle as an opportunity to learn. A student pilot riding along as an observer on another student's dual training flight is free of pressure to perform while dividing attention among multiple tasks, and so can study another person's effort to manage the workload. All that's needed is a four-place trainer, willing students and flight instructor, and a set of goals suited for the occasion, such as a cross-country or some traffic-pattern practice. Flying with three seats occupied instead of two also gives the student flying the airplane a chance to calculate, and experience, new loadings and center-of-gravity conditions. Especially during a stage check, observing can also give you a sense of what your examiner will do during your private pilot flight test. See what the examiner will be looking for in the "Satisfactory Performance" section of the introduction to the practical test standards ( click here to download them).
For trainees who may go on to a professional flying career, the observing they do as students is grooming for the crew resource management (CRM) training they will encounter later on. (Even general aviation aircraft can utilize CRM. See how on AOPA�Online). The value of observing pilots of equal or more extensive experience was noted by a recently minted pilot in the April 1999 AOPA Pilot. "A low-time pilot may never have seen another pilot fly a plane, and particularly not an experienced pilot," he wrote. See the complete text on AOPA Online.
Read how a flight instructor recalled his own experience as a student pilot riding along with a newly certificated friend, and incorporated "ride-alongs" into training of his own students in the March 1998 AOPA Pilot. For the lighter side of ride-along, read "Backseat Driver," in which two certificated pilots journeying together on a long flight used their own modified ride-along technique to keep their cockpit a happy place.
| Your Partner in Training
| Formal ground school, home study, test prep guides, video courses, computer-based training materials–there are many ways to acquire the "book learning" needed to pass the FAA written exam. Good advice is just a mouse click away. Go to AOPA�Online, click "Search for an article," and type in the keywords "ground school." You'll find many informative articles. If you have any questions after visiting our site, call 800/USA-AOPA weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern time.
As an AOPA Flight Training Member, you have access to all of the features within AOPA Online. For login information click here.
| Flight Training News
| AIR FORCE ACADEMY UPGRADES GLIDER FLEET
The Air Force Academy recently set aside roughly $4 million to purchase new gliders for a program that introduces cadets to the flight environment. The current fleet of Schweizer 2-33s and 1-26s, and Schleicher ASK-21s, will be replaced with new Blanik models, built by the LET company in the Czech Republic. All cadets, regardless of pilot status, are offered the opportunity to participate in the glider program during the summer after their freshman year.
SAFECON WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Western Michigan University captured first place in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's annual Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON), held at Ohio State University in Columbus last week. Twenty-seven teams earned the right to participate by placing in one of 11 regional events. The Prescott, Arizona, campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University took second place in the national SAFECON, and the University of North Dakota placed third. Kim Carter, of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, was named coach of the year.
GAMA NAMES 2002 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Toni Burgos, a senior at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, and Jennifer Meek, a junior at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, will receive the General Aviation Manufacturers Association's 2002 Dr. Harold S. Wood Award for Excellence. The annual award honors Wood, founder and past executive director of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. Interested in applying for the 2003 scholarship? Information is available on the GAMA Web site.
COMM1 CONTINUES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The e-Publishing group will continue its Comm1 Aviation Scholarship Program into the 2002-2003 flying season. Two people will each receive $2,000 scholarships. Applications will be accepted from June 1 through September 30. In addition to demonstrating an interest in an aviation career, applicants must submit a 75-word comparative essay that completes the statement, "Talking on the radio can be as intimidating for pilots as…." Winners will be announced October 24 at AOPA Expo 2002 in Palm Springs, California. For more information, visit the Comm1 Web site.
KING OFFERS FREE VIDEO TIPS ON WEB SITE
King Schools is now offering free full-motion training tips on its Web site. The video training tips are taken from actual King courses and cover everything from how to taxi with a quartering tailwind to emergency procedures. New tips will be available each month. "Our mission is to provide training and products that make pilots safer and more competent," said Martha King. To check out the tips, see the Web site.
| Inside AOPA
| 'NO WAY' ON JERSEY CRIMINAL BACKROUND CHECKS, AOPA SAYS
AOPA is opposing a proposed New Jersey law (A.B. 1649) that would require criminal history checks on flight students. In a letter to New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey, AOPA President Phil Boyer said, "Passage of this legislation does nothing to enhance security or protect the citizens of your state, but it would impose an unnecessary restriction and encumbrance on those who seek to learn to fly. Pilots shouldn't be treated like they are criminals." AOPA believes that New Jersey should allow the federal government to address security on a national level. See AOPA�Online.
AOPA CALLS FOR MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE
Monday is Memorial Day; traditionally the start of summer, a day full of picnics and pool parties and holiday sales. But it is also the day Americans remember those who have fallen in defense of their country. It is an especially poignant remembrance this year, in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the real, shooting war on terrorism that has followed. AOPA joins with the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance in asking general aviation pilots and all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a moment of silence and remember the reason for the day and the men and women who died for their country.
Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
| Training Products
| BOOK EXAMINES COCKPIT AUTOMATION
Having trouble mastering the sophisticated IFR GPS in the airplane you fly? Cockpit Automation for General Aviators and Future Airline Pilots, by Stephen M. Casner, includes step-by-step instruction for using many of today's modern cockpit technologies. The book is available for $39.99 from Iowa State Press.
| Final Exam
| Question: What is a tetrahedron used for at an airport?
Answer: A tetrahedron is used as a landing direction indicator. It may be located at the center of a segmented circle and may be lighted for night operations. The small end of a tetrahedron points in the direction of landing. At airports with control towers, the tetrahedron should only be used when the control tower is not in operation. Tower instructions always supercede tetrahedron indications. For more information on the tetrahedron and other visual indicators at nontowered airports, refer to Section 4-3-3 of the Aeronautical Information Manual.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? E-mail to [email protected] or call 800/872-2672.
| Picture Perfect
| Jump to the AOPA Online Gallery to see the featured airplane of the day. Click on the link for details on how to capture wallpaper for your work area. See AOPA Online.
| What's New At AOPA Online
| AOPA's A Pilot's Guide to Mountain Flying has been updated. Besides numerous articles from AOPA Pilot and a report form the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, there is a table of "suggested western mountain routes" through the Rockies that details mileage and appropriate charts to use. See AOPA�Online.
| Memorial Day Weekend Weather
| See the current weather on AOPA�Online, provided by Meteorlogix.
| ePilot Calendar
| WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The Sixteenth Annual Biplane Expo takes place May 31 and June 1 at Frank Phillips Field (BVO). Forums, static displays, seminars, workshops, and exhibits. Visit the Web site for more information.
Utica, New York. The Oneida County Airshow takes place June 1 and 2 at Oneida County Airport (UCA). Aerobatics, formation flying, skydiving, gliders, and much more. Contact Lou Raya, 315/736-4171.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. EAA's Family Flight and Balloon Festival takes place June 1 and 2. Visit the Web site.
For more airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online . For more events, see Aviation Calendar of Events
ASF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER CLINICS
(All clinics start at 7:30 a.m.)
The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas, June 8 and 9. Clinics are scheduled in Orlando, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, June 15 and 16. For the Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic schedule, see AOPA Online.
ASF PINCH-HITTER GROUND-SCHOOL COURSES
(Pinch-Hitter courses start at 9:30 a.m.)
The next Pinch-Hitter� Ground School will take place in San Jose, California, on June 2. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Catonsville (Baltimore), Maryland, May 28, and Frederick, Maryland, June 1. Topics vary–for complete information, see AOPA�Online.
To make submissions to the calendar, visit AOPA Online. For comments on calendar items, e-mail [email protected].
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