October 30, 2015 - VOL 15, ISSUE 44

Tektober 2015

AOPA Pilot magazine

Dogfight: Glass or steam?

If you plan to fly airliners, military or corporate jets, modern helicopters, or general aviation aircraft built in this millennium, a glass panel is almost certainly the way to go when learning to fly on instruments, argues AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Dave Hirschman. On the other side, airline pilot Chip Wright says pilots should learn to fly IFR using only the basics in a steam-gauge airplane. Read more...  

Flight Training News

Article

Pilot sends patches to new fliers

Jim Johnson of Reidsville, North Carolina, sends free embroidered patches to new private pilots to celebrate their achievements. Read more...  

Article

Redbird sells Proflight Academy

Redbird Flight Simulations' experiment with flight training takes a twist as new owner Tempus comes online. Read more...  

Real Pilot Story

'Cemetery Crash'

Ask Gordon Webster about a landing he won't forget, and he'll tell you about his unexpected encounter with tombstones in the "Garden of The Apostles." The AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: Cemetery Crash shares what's at stake during a catastrophic engine failure. Watch and learn more...  

Daylight saving time ends Nov. 1

If you live in an area that observes daylight saving time, don't forget to return your clocks to standard time Nov. 1. Remember that the conversion to Zulu time will change, too. See the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s time conversion chart.  

Registration

Network with aviation educators

Learn what aviation high school educators are doing to encourage and equip teenagers for aviation-related careers by incorporating principles of flying into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. Educators from around the country will come together for AOPA's High School Aviation Initiative symposium Nov. 9 in Lakeland, Florida, to network and learn how to strengthen their programs. The registration deadline is Nov. 4. Learn more...  

Bring your stories to the November 'Flight Training' chat

What has been your most memorable flying experience of 2015? Did you land at your dream destination, pass your checkride, or take up your first passenger? Tell us at the next Flight Training Facebook chat at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 3. One chatter will receive a $50 Aircraft Spruce & Specialty gift card. Set an email reminder. Flight Training Facebook chats are underwritten by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty.

Scholarships

Article

Able Flight accepting scholarship applications for 2016

Able Flight, the nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities learn to fly, is accepting scholarship applications for 2016. Read more...  

Plane Spotter

'A silver-winged monoplane'

If you keep up with aviation trends, you know that STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, and that educators are discovering that nothing teaches and applies STEM concepts better than an aviation curriculum. Expanding interest in STEM education would seem to hold promise of a rollout of a student-designed-and-built aircraft—but not the first. In 1938, California's Pasadena Junior College (PJC) aviation class produced designer Max Harlow's PJC-2, a silver-winged monoplane equipped with conventional landing gear and powered by a Warner 165-horsepower SS-165 Super Scarab radial engine.

Training Products and Resources

Flash-based; login required

What's in your fuel tanks?

Fuel awareness is more than merely checking to see if the tanks are full. We also must properly manage that fuel. How do we calculate fuel burn, and when should we lean the mixture? Test your knowledge with this Fuel Awareness quiz from the AOPA Air Safety Institute. Take the quiz...

Member Benefits

Pilot Protection Services

Details matter to the FAA

Punctuation can matter in understanding how a regulation may apply to our flight activities. It also could make a difference in evaluating the merit of an FAA enforcement case. AOPA Counsel Attorney Kathy Yodice explains two cases in which something as small as a comma and a semicolon had a big impact. Read more...  

Member benefits

Buying business aircaft: Avoid these mistakes

Purchasing a business aircraft can be daunting and costly, especially if you overlook the basics and make one of these eight common mistakes. Read more...  

Member benefits

What does loss of medical disability insurance offer?

Traditional disability insurance typically will deny or cease further payment of benefits once a person's treating doctor or the insurance company's doctor says, "He's good to go." What is a professional pilot to do if his doctor releases him to return to work months before the FAA will even consider allowing him to fly? This is why loss of medical disability insurance is important. Read more...  

Final Exam

Question

While in the pattern with your instructor at a towered airport, you are listening to radio chatter and hear the phrase "cleared for the option." What does this phrase mean?

Answer

According to Aeronautical Information Manual 4-3-22, "The 'Cleared for the Option' procedure will permit an instructor, flight examiner or pilot the option to make a touch−and−go, low approach, missed approach, stop−and−go, or full stop landing."

Did you know that student pilots who join AOPA are three times more likely to complete their flight training? Membership includes unlimited access to aviation information by phone (800/USA-AOPA, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time) or from Flight Training Online or AOPA Online. Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.

Career Opportunities

AOPA career opportunities

Join the AOPA team

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for an administrative assistant; account executive; aviation event planner; and director of aviation security. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.