Jan. 25, 2013, issue of 'AOPA ePilot' newsletter

David Clark: Under pressure
IFR Fix: Detonating, and ditching
GPS tracking to speed Alaska rescues
Quiz Me: Cleared into Class B

Featured

David Clark: Under pressure

Perched at the edge of a capsule 128,100 feet above the Earth, Felix Baumgartner marveled at how small it all looks, waved, bent his knees, and dropped into space. He broke the sound barrier in seconds, protected from a near-vacuum that would have boiled his blood in an instant only by a David Clark Co. pressure suit. Decades before David M. Clark ever sold a headset, the Worcester, Mass., textile maker produced the first G suits deployed in combat by the U.S. military—during World War II. Those early garments protected pilots from the effects of physics, and made them deadly combatants in a dogfight. Today, the company is still building specialized suits in a New England mill that dates back decades, well-positioned to play a key role in the future of manned spaceflight. Read more and watch AOPA Live>>

GA News

New Pelton venture to offer turboprop C421

A turboprop version of the pressurized piston twin Cessna 421 will be the first offering of a new aircraft remanufacturer whose leaders include former Cessna President and CEO Jack Pelton, the company announced Jan. 23. The Aviation Alliance LLC will outfit a Cessna 421 Golden Eagle airframe with Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A turboprop engines and other enhancements. Read more >>

Accident survivor now teaches flying

On Friday, March 16, 2001, Matt Cole was a 23-year-old flight instructor with his eyes on an airline career when he strapped into the right seat of a twin Piper PA34-200 Seneca for a company standardization flight. A simulated emergency turned into a real accident, and Cole woke up from a medically induced coma two months later, after a series of operations for the third-degree burns that covered 65 percent of his body. Years later, after scores of surgeries and extensive rehabilitation, something that had seemed unthinkably out of reach began to occupy Cole’s thoughts: returning to aviation. Read more >>

LSA buyers ‘waiting’ to purchase

Light attendance, the absence of large exhibitors of the past, and a market that appears mired in indecision marked the beginning of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. The good news is that there are light sport aircraft available for less than $85,000. Get a sampling of some that were spotted at the show. Want an American-built engine? Continental and Lycoming officials tell you which models have their engines. Plus, find out about a newcomer to the LSA market. Read more >>

SkyVector launches world FBO directory

Online aviation data provider SkyVector has expanded its offerings with its new free World FBO Directory, which displays real-time fuel prices and lets users filter for FBO features and facilities. Read more >>

Student essay contest honors Tuskegee Airmen

A student writing contest inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen will help kick off a celebration of Black History Month at the Fantasy of Flight in central Florida. The museum will also host several original Tuskegee Airmen Feb. 7 to 9 as part of the celebration. Read more >>

Research UAV probes supercells

A research team from the University of Colorado at Boulder has published the analysis and results of a series of unmanned flights that penetrated supercell thunderstorms for science in 2010. They learned about flying in really, really bad weather; the genesis of tornadoes; and perhaps most significant of all, how to work with the FAA. Researchers hope to use unmanned systems to study a range of weather, including storms, turbulence, and general climate science, but hope to do so with a longer leash on those tiny aircraft. Read more >>

TSS Flying Club: Affordable flying, shared flights

TSS Flying Club, a nonprofit flying club at Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., prides itself on providing members partial ownership in a fleet of well-maintained, modern aircraft. Members also get the chance to participate in shared flights, group trips, and social events. Read more >>

Producer, Aspen chief among ‘Living Legends’ honorees

Hollywood stars and aviation greats gathered Jan. 18 in Beverly Hills, Calif., for the tenth Living Legends of Aviation gala. Read more >>

Matching gift prompts impressive return

A $60,000 matching grant and challenge from longtime AOPA Foundation supporter Bennett Dorrance inspired members to donate $300,000 to preserve and protect the freedom to fly. Read more >>

TFR to cover New Orleans for Super Bowl

The FAA has released the notice to airmen (notam) describing airspace restrictions related to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans Feb. 3. The temporary flight restriction (TFR) establishes a 10-nautical-mile inner ring and 30-nm outer ring for the event. Read more >>

General apps

Pilots use a wide range of apps in their flying—including flight training resources, charts and maps, logbooks, flight trackers, flight planning tools, and weather apps, to name a few. Some apps don’t fall under one of these categories but are still relevant for pilots; check out five “general” aviation apps in this week’s column. These are not endorsements of any app. Read more >>

Manage documents with Foreflight

Foreflight said recently that all users can now manage documents across multiple users in the cloud with its Foreflight Documents feature. Read more >>

California flying club offers flight training scholarship

California’s San Carlos Flight Center hopes to transform a high school student into a private pilot this summer through a full flight training scholarship. Read more >>

Strange but true: Runway for rent

An auto auction company is renting runways at New York’s Calverton Airport to use them as parking lots for cars damaged during Superstorm Sandy, reports Yahoo! News. Strange but true >>

Night aerobatics and new models at Sport Aviation Expo

An aerobatic light sport aircraft able to handle a 9-G pull, a flying car that will take you just about anywhere, and a twilight airshow were among the attractions that drew a crowd to the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla., and AOPA Live® was there with cameras rolling to catch the action you might have missed. AOPA Live This Week also includes a look at the tricky ways of taildraggers, and what it takes to earn that coveted sign-off. What could possibly top duct tape? We have an answer for that, too. AOPA Live This Week, Jan. 24.

For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.

Safety & Proficiency

IFR Fix: Detonating, and ditching

You have hardly raised the landing gear when you are on instruments, en route to the first fix. Then, is that engine roughness? Your eye is drawn to the engine gauges, where the No. 2 cylinder shouts “overheat!” Oil pressure is definitely dropping. Read more >>

Flying with ‘Jack Frost’ as co-pilot

The cold, clear skies of the winter months beckon many pilots skyward. But are they doing all they can to help stack the odds of a safe flight in their favor? Listen as AOPA Foundation President Bruce Landsberg talks with Flying Wild Alaska’s John Ponts and Boise Tower controller Andy Marosvari about flying in cold weather safely. Watch the recorded version of the Air Safety Institute’s Cold Weather Ops webinar.

Point of no return

It is the morning of Jan. 30, 2009. The pilot of a Piper Seneca II over rugged terrain near Huntington, W.Va., struggles to maintain control of the aircraft in half a mile visibility and heavy snow. In Accident Case Study: Cross-Country Crisis, the Air Safety Institute attempts to pinpoint where things went from bad to worse on this ill-fated flight. Listen to transmissions between ATC and the pilot, and review scene analysis and safety tips to learn how faulty decision making can paint a pilot into a corner. See the video >>

‘Like’ Air Safety Institute on Facebook

Interested in getting more involved with the Air Safety Institute’s safety initiatives? "Like" the Facebook page to engage with the Air Safety Institute community and stay at the forefront of its newest safety products. Go to the Facebook page >>

Learn, log time in sims

Ground-based aviation training devices range in complexity from personal computer programs to full-size, full-motion replicas of an airplane. In AOPA’s subject report on flight training devices and desktop simulators, find out how these learning tools can help you stay proficient during the winter months and in some cases log time toward a certificate or rating.

Leading Edge: TMI?

There’s much talk these days about how the government has made things too complex, and President Barack Obama has asked for a review of regulations to see what might be reduced. Perusing the federal aviation regulations and the Aeronautical Information Manual, AOPA Foundation President Bruce Landsberg submits his nominations for the ax. Read more >>

ADVOCACY

Recreational-use bill makes progress in Wyoming

Bob Symons said his father, a retired fighter pilot, began flying a Cessna 120 from the small airstrip on family property after completing his military service. Now 88, Symons’ father enjoyed watching aircraft use the strip. But the family was also concerned about legal exposure. Now, a bill to protect landowners from liability for noncommercial use of their private airstrips has passed the Wyoming House and moved on to the Senate. Read more >>

GPS tracking to speed Alaska rescues

Help for downed aircraft in Alaska could arrive sooner under a new program that will send distress messages including GPS coordinates from participating pilots’ satellite tracking devices directly to flight service stations, where they would be matched with active VFR flight plans. Read more >>

Comments needed for Dallas/Fort Worth airspace changes

AOPA is asking members to weigh in on proposed changes in the design of the Dallas/Fort Worth Class B airspace area. Comments are due by March 25. Read more >>

Member Benefits

Surviving a ramp check

FAA “ramp checks” are a bit of a mystery. Kathy Yodice, an attorney for AOPA’s Pilot Protection Services, explains what to expect from the inspector and how to respond. Read more >>

AOPA Career Opportunities

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We’re looking for an annual fund specialist, major gifts officer, executive assistant-AOPA Holdings, executive assistant, director of outreach and events, .NET applications developer, and member services representative. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.

Community

ePilot Editor: Sarah Brown	Contributors: Alyssa Miller Jim Moore Benét Wilson Jill W. Tallman Warren Morningstar	Alton K. Marsh Dave Hirschman Tom Horne Ian J. Twombly Dan Namowitz	Production Team: Melissa Whitehouse Siobhan Byrne Katie Richardson Lezlie Ramsey	Advertise in ePilot: East: Mike Vodarsik, 732/946-0130 East: Gary Russo, 607/547-2591 Central: Brian Curpier, 607/547-2591 Central: Gary Brennan, 607/547-2591 West: Zane Lewis, 214/789-6094 AOPA Advertising website
Member Tools: Send feedback| ePilot Archive © 2013 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association | 421 Aviation Way Frederick, MD 21701 | Phone 800/USA-AOPA | Fax 301/695-2375