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Top Stories
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Message to members
AOPA's new president and CEO, Mark Baker, is an aircraft owner and longtime AOPA member with more than 7,500 hours of flight time. Not only does Baker bring 35 years of involvement in the GA community as a pilot, he also has decades of experience in leadership positions in the home improvement industry, a business focused on the kind of service that has always been a hallmark of AOPA. Baker looks forward to gathering feedback from AOPA members and then focusing resources on the areas that most benefit GA pilots and increase the value of membership.
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Article
Craig Fuller's first bit of advice to the new AOPA president: Get to know the members. Fuller, who announced in February that he was leaving AOPA this year, admits the advice was handed down by his predecessor, Phil Boyer, and said it has served him well.
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AOPA Live This Week
AOPA Chairman of the Board Bill Trimble talks about the selection of Mark Baker as AOPA's new president. Get an update on the Flying4Conservation duo’s crossing of the Atlantic in a Super Cub. And, listen up, Dr. Jonathan Sackier speaks up about hearing loss.
AOPA Live This Week, Aug. 22...
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Article
Paul Poberezny, the energetic, charismatic, and personable founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association, died Aug. 22 at the age of 91.
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Technique and Safety
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Fly like a fighter
When a group of fighter pilots let their guard down on a training mission, their counterparts attacked with such force that the mission lasted just 3.5 minutes. "Negative contact" in the military doesn't mean fighter pilots can relax, and a silent CTAF at an airport doesn't mean you can let your guard down either.
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Article
On May 21, 2012, a 33-year-old airline pilot took off from the Hidden Lake residential airpark in Port Richey, Fla., in his personal airplane, a single-seat Pitts S1D. His wife thought his flying looked less crisp than usual. Find out what happened in this special report from the Air Safety Institute.
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Log-in required
Density altitude is perhaps the single most important factor that affects aircraft performance. How knowledgeable are you on this critical topic? Take this Air Safety Institute safety quiz to find out!
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IFR Fix
Now it's clear why your instrument instructor asked you for confirmation that all your nav systems were working for today's proficiency flight. You'll need a full panel to complete the ILS RWY 5 approach to Anniston (Ala.) Regional Airport.
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Blog
When practicing autorotations, the maneuver is initiated by reducing the engine to idle, causing the freewheeling clutch to open, which then disconnects power to the rotor system. As the helicopter glides toward the ground, there are two ways to terminate the maneuver.
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Blog
The oldsters will remember it as the title of a song by Connie Francis, but it's also the latest Pilot Safety Announcement (PSA) from the Air Safety Institute.
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Advocacy
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Article
AOPA has strenuously opposed the Federal Communications Commission's on-and-off effort to prohibit the certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or use of 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters. Now the Department of Transportation has weighed in, taking the position in a regulatory filing that 121.5 MHz ELTs "continue to provide a beneficial means of locating missing aircraft."
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Article
Pilots shouldn't rely solely on in-cockpit avionics such as multifunction displays to keep them out of severe weather or temporary flight restrictions. The avionics systems and subscription services have limitations and may not show real-time weather and temporary flight restriction information.
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Article
An Aug. 23 deadline has arrived for the pilot community to submit comments on draft airman certification standards designed to improve and modernize training for private pilots, the instrument rating, and certificated flight instructors.
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Health
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Article
If you develop a medical problem during the time period that your current FAA medical certificate is in effect, you need to go to the medical certification section of AOPA's website and see if the condition will require a special issuance waiver.
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Article
Pilots are seen as confident, but some may face unique fears and lack the tools needed to deal with in-flight emergencies. So flight instructor Mark Ross has created Aviator Life Coaching to help pilots discuss and address the issues that they find difficult to face.
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Opinion
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Article
Is this the beginning of the end of VFR flying? Will AirVenture shrink to a fraction of its current size? What's so bad about the "dive and drive" approach? Leaders in aviation are sharing their opinions on these topics and more in AOPA's new Opinion Leaders blog.
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Blog posts
The next and biggest threat to GA (part 1)
No more 'dive and drive' instrument approaches
It's not personal, Sonny, it's business
There is a recipe for disruption
Gravity challenges all who fly
'What is going on with Georgia? And why do we need to save it?'
Pilots helping pilots, because that's what families do
Oshkosh 2033: Who will carry the torch?
Answering the big questions
An accidental aviator makes good business
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Technology
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Article
Worries about your unmanned aerial system icing up during a "long loiter" in a cold environment may soon be a thing of the past, said CAV Ice Protection Systems, announcing completion of a project that marks a "milestone development for the company."
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Article
BRS Aerospace of South St. Paul, Minn., has announced the availability of a whole-airframe emergency recovery system for Vans RV-7 and RV-9 aircraft. The company said the unit meets ASTM Standard F 2316-12 for recovery parachutes.
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Blog
Let there be no doubt: Anti-noise and anti-carbon-footprint forces have teamed up with escalating fuel prices to make for challenging times. The future of general aviation may well depend on a new, cleaner, renewable source of power—electricity.
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Gear
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Article
AOPA members send in recommendations that they say help make all aspects of the flight planning process easier. This week, check out QRouting, ARINC Direct, Flight Gear Free, CoPilot, and FlightPlan.
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Article
The FST Regal remote preheater switchbox arrives with new upgrades allowing you to turn on the preheater a few hours before coming to the hangar, and the coffee pot a few minutes prior.
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Travel
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Article
Ten years after dedicating a pilot facility at North Carolina's First Flight Airport in the name of AOPA members, it was rededicated on National Aviation Day, Aug. 19. The facility offers pilots a place out of the weather to plan flights and relax before visiting Kill Devil Hills, and offers amenities for visitors.
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Financial
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Article
The cost of a membership in the Seagull Flying Club is between $12,000 and $14,000. Members pay $140 a month in dues. But the hourly cost is $22 for the Cessna 172 and $42 for the Bonanza.
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Member benefits
If something in your life has recently changed—such as pay increases, promotions, marriages, purchasing a larger home, or having children—you probably need to add to your life insurance coverage. Recent studies have shown that half of U.S. households admit that they don't have enough life insurance to adequately support their loved ones.
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News and Notes
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Article
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive requiring inspections of elevator balance weights, and replacement of those found defective, on some Beechcraft model 58, 95-C55, E55, and 56TC, and Hawker Beechcraft model 58P and 58TC twin-engine airplanes.
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Article
The FAA is proposing to add aircraft to an existing airworthiness directive that requires replacing the fuel selector valve cover on certain Piper PA-28 models.
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Article
IMC Club, an organization that promotes proficiency and safety for instrument pilots, will hold its first annual meeting of its chapters' leaders Oct. 28 in San Marcos, Texas.
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Article
Twenty-four teens in foster care got a general aviation adventure thanks to a partnership between the Kitsap Aviation Squadron and Teen Reach Adventure Camp.
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Article
A new initiative is aimed at inspiring children's aviation dreams. Kids Airbridge will bridge children in North America and Africa with lessons covering aviation history, geography, science, and art.
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Blog
Fighter jet versus glider, amazing landings, up in smoke, and you may now kiss the bride.
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AOPA Career Opportunities
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Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a staff assistant/PAC coordinator and AOPA Live editor/graphic artist. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities,
visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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How well do you know the regulations and other aviation facts?
Question
When flying under IFR in designated mountainous areas, en route obstacle clearance is 2,000 feet. Are there any exceptions to this rule?
Answer
Yes. Obstacle clearance may be reduced to not less than 1,500 feet above terrain in designated mountainous areas of the eastern United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. In the western United States, obstacle clearance may be reduced to not less than 1,700 feet above terrain. These reduced terrain clearance minimums are granted only if certain conditions are met. For more information on this topic see Chapter 3 of the Instrument Procedures Handbook.
Got a question for our aviation services staff? The AOPA Pilot Information Center is a service available to all members as part of the annual dues. Contact AOPA. |
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Sept 14-15 - Baltimore, Md.; and Bellevue, Wash.
Sept 21-22 - Phoenix, Ariz.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Colorado Springs, Colo.
Sept 28-29 - Richmond, Va.
Oct 5-6 - Indianapolis, Ind., Wichita, Kan., and Corpus Christi, Texas
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's new Online eFIRC.
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Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Sept 9 - Ypsilanti, Mich.; Fort Worth, Texas; Wichita, Kan.; and Germantown, Tenn.
Sept 10 - Independence, Ohio; Addison, Texas; Bethany, Okla.; and Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Sept 11 - Columbus, Ohio; Fayetteville, Ark.; and Maryville, Tenn.
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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AOPA Stay Smart Webinars
Aug 27 - Flying Club Marketing Register here.
Aug 28 - Matters of the Heart (Must be a member of AOPA's Pilot Protection Services to attend) Register here.
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ePilot Editor:
Benét Wilson
Production Team
Katie Richardson
Lezlie Ramsey
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Sarah Brown
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
Jill W. Tallman
Warren Morningstar
Alton K. Marsh
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Ian J. Twombly
Dan Namowitz
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