You Can Fly Cessna 152 goes to North Carolina man
By Dave HIrschman
Eric Peterson, a missionary pilot who has operated search-and-rescue, disaster relief, and humanitarian flights for almost 40 years, was awarded the AOPA 2015 You Can Fly Sweepstakes top prize, a Reimagined Cessna 152, at a surprise presentation in late March.
Peterson served as a pilot and more recently an airport manager for JAARS Inc., a nonprofit North Carolina-based organization that trains and assists missionaries around the world.
The presentation of AOPA’s prize airplane involves an elaborate ruse—and this year it was done in coordination with JAARS missionaries unaccustomed to subterfuge. JAARS came up with a plan to hold a ceremony to honor Peterson’s work on extending a rough, grass runway at its home airport that is used to prepare pilots for the unimproved strips they will face overseas. Peterson had extended the runway to 1,400 feet from 800 feet, mostly with volunteer labor and a 1968 front-end loader.
AOPA President Mark Baker attended the runway opening ceremony with several members of the AOPA media staff. Baker praised the new runway, and noted JAARS’ efforts to train pilots and mechanics, as well as to restore aging bush aircraft. He said that AOPA shares those goals and even launched a Reimagined aircraft program that restores worn-out trainers to as-new condition.
The first such aircraft is N152UC, a 1978 Cessna 152 remanufactured by the craftsmen at Aviat Aircraft in Afton, Wyoming. Baker informed Peterson that he won the sweepstakes while JAARS officials pulled the hangar doors open to reveal the airplane.
Totally surprised, Peterson thanked AOPA, saying, “I got too old to fly for JAARS, but I’ve been thinking about getting back into flying.”
Peterson was raised in Michigan, became a pilot and aviation mechanic, and flew in Alaska, where he met his wife. The two became Christian missionaries and spent most of their careers in the Philippines.
Details: 21: Number of aircraft AOPA has given away since 1993.
Web: www.aopa.org/sweeps
Picking a winner
Ever wonder what goes into identifying the sweepstakes winner? Check out the answers to these frequently asked questions.
How was the grand prize winner picked? The winner was selected in a random drawing conducted by Ventura Associates International LLC from all eligible entries received during the entry period, from 9 a.m. Eastern time December 1, 2014, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time December 31, 2015.
Who was eligible to enter? The eligibility requirements are outlined in the official rules. The sweepstakes was open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada (excluding the province of Quebec), who are 19 years of age or older (or at least the age of majority mandated by the entrant’s jurisdiction of residence) as of the date of entry. The winner of the aircraft must also be an FAA-certificated student, recreational, sport, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot as of December 31, 2015.
How could someone enter? Any eligible individual could enter by printing, completing, and submitting a “mail-in entry” form, provided it was postmarked by December 31, 2015, and received within seven days thereafter. “Automatic entries” are awarded to AOPA members on December 31, 2015.
AOPA FOUNDATION
Air Safety Institute
Behind the scenes
It’s your AOPA Air Safety Institute
Safety is defined as the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury—a mission the AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) takes seriously. ASI’s motto that one accident is too many is why the institute is dedicated to developing and sharing safety information with the general aviation community.
Working as a team makes it possible for ASI writers, videographers, seminar presenters, and management to conceive, produce, and present the numerous free aviation safety programs that pilots have come to know for more than half a century. From the early 1950s to today, ASI has championed for safe pilots through accident analysis and aviation education programs targeted at reducing GA accidents.
ASI will fill you in when these new programs are available, and looks forward to working together with you on staying safe. Meanwhile, meet your ASI headquarters’ team online (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/staff).
Educating pilots on improving their skills and enhancing GA safety is a core tenet of AOPA’s Air Safety Institute and its educational programs. Your contribution funds these activities and ensures we continue to address the needs of pilots everywhere. Show your support with a donation today.
ASI on YouTube
Not only can you browse the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s website—where all pilots, not just AOPA members, can access free safety programs—but did you know you can also sign in to ASI’s YouTube channel? Join more than 14,000 subscribers and explore additional Air Safety Institute videos not published on the website. For example, Runway Safety: Over the Line excerpted from the Runway Safety course, is part of the ASI YouTube “Runway Safety” playlist. Join, watch, and give the Air Safety Institute videos a thumbs up.
Remember the four Ws
Do you squirm at hearing radio calls such as, “Anyone in the pattern at the moment?” when you and other pilots have been calling your positions all along—or “N Two-Three-Four-Five taking the active”? Lack of clarity can creep into your radio jargon and ruin your efforts to communicate effectively. Sharpen your mic skills with the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Say It Right: Mastering Radio Communication online course, which includes a conversion from a Flash-based to a tablet-friendly format.
The course provides examples of what not to say, along with safety tips and suggestions to help reduce mic fright and improve radio etiquette. And remember the four Ws: who you’re calling, who you are, where you are, and what you want. Effective radio communication reduces workload and stress, and enhances safety.
Web: www.airsafetyinstitute.org/sayitright
ASI Seminar: Emergency! Getting it Right when Things Go Wrong
Visit the website for dates and locations near you.
Here’s some of what’s in store this year:
• Two new Accident Case Studies
• The 25th Joseph T. Nall Report
• A video series on engine-out emergencies
• A video on preventing flight into terrain or obstacles
• Tablet-compatible conversions of ASI’s popular Know Before You Go and Aerodynamics courses
• New electives for electronic flight instructor refresher course
• The quarterly CFI to CFI newsletter
• New tablet-friendly runway safety flash cards
• Interactive online safety advisors
Products and Services
Ask Jim
Am I covered?
Ferrying an aircraft across the ocean
By Jim Pinegar, AOPA Insurance Services
Q: I am a flight instructor at an aero club in Japan. I am trying to buy a light twin and bring it to Japan to lease to the aero club. How can I get coverage from the time I take ownership until I get to Tokyo? I would most likely pick up the airplane on the East Coast and fly to California for some avionics upgrades and installation of ferry tanks and new engines. —Steven
A: You’ll have many factors to consider for this ferry trip, but I willl just address the insurance portion here. You’ll want to make sure you’re well qualified in the airplane, with plenty of make/model hours. Second, ensure you have an adequate level of insurance for all your upgrades. Third, watch the covered territories of the policy. When you call for insurance, please tell your broker your intended route. This will allow the broker to ensure the areas where you will land are covered by a carrier. And finally, since most brokers specialize in aircraft based in the United States, you’ll need to cancel and secure insurance once safely landed in Japan. Enjoy the adventure ahead of you.
Jim Pinegar is vice president and director of AOPA Insurance Services. Have a question? Email [email protected]
Pilot Information Center
Office issuance for cardiac conditions
New CACI worksheet for mitral valve repair
By Gary Crump
You are by now probably familiar with the FAA’s Conditions AMEs Can Issue (CACI) program. After the initial publication of the first batch of CACIs a couple of years ago, progress slowed a bit on getting new conditions into the pipeline. But the FAA is moving forward to remove certain conditions from the special issuance category. A new CACI worksheet for heart mitral valve repair was published in January.
This is a good move for the FAA, as cardiac conditions are new to the CACI program. The worksheet for mitral valve repair—not replacement—does require five years of stability after the procedure, and requires that there have been no significant “co-morbidities” associated with the history, in order for the aviation medical examiner to issue a medical certificate at the time of the FAA physical examination.
The worksheet follows the standard CACI format and includes four criteria for an office issuance. The criteria are quite specific, but it’s a move in the right direction for the FAA to allow office issuances for more medical conditions that previously required a special issuance.
Gary Crump is the senior director of medical certification for AOPA’s Pilot Information Center and a consultant for Pilot Protection Services.
Tips from PIC
Navigating AOPA’s digital magazines
By Eddie Tyeryar, AOPA Pilot Information Center
Do you know that you can download your AOPA magazines to your Apple iPad and have them at your fingertips wherever you go? AOPA Pilot, Turbine Pilot, and Flight Training magazines are available as digital editions.
Digital issues have been available since 2011, but the AOPA Mags app was updated in 2015. Digital edition readers have access to supplementary online content, such as videos, slideshows, and podcasts. If you are interrupted, no problem—the app will remember the last page you viewed.
The left-side menu offers different ways to view a title, as well as quick links to aopa.org and AOPA Live videos. Open an issue, then tap the options in the menu bar at the top and quickly scroll through the pages, jump to the contents page, search for keywords, or enter a page number. You can also tap on headlines on the cover or in the contents to go directly to the articles. And you can download the issue for offline viewing.
The app is free from the Apple App Store, but you need to be a digital subscriber to use it. Call AOPA at 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) to switch your magazine delivery from print to digital. Or if you want both, discuss a membership upgrade. Help is available if you have questions about the app or need help getting started. Learn more online.
Member Benefits
aopa aviation finance
Usage matters
The bank cares how you operate your aircraft
By Adam Meredith, AOPA Aviation Finance
Why do you fly? To a lender, the question matters. As a purely recreational pilot, structuring a financing deal is relatively straightforward. But if you fly for business or use your airplane in a business, things are about to get a lot more complicated.
“The structure of any deal will be based on usage,” says Adam Meredith, president of AOPA Aviation Finance. There are a number of reasons usage is important.
Let’s say you’re a pilot who flies 100 hours a year personally or under Part 91 in your business. The bank will expect a certain depreciation of the airplane based on that assumption. If you fly 400 hours a year instead with some Part 135 charter usage, the airplane loses value faster than the bank expects, and any default might put the bank in a position of losing money on its loan. To avoid the risk, banks will require a higher down payment or a shorter term for higher usage, Meredith said.
Commercial use is a little trickier. AOPA Aviation Finance can work with lenders to finance a flying club airplane, which is an unusual service, Meredith said. Flight school airplanes are more difficult to finance.
“If an asset is necessary for the business, there’s a conflict,” he said.
If a club defaults on an airplane, the club simply finds a new airplane or disbands. But if a flight school loses an airplane, it also loses its primary revenue source, making it nearly impossible to pay back the loan. Default history plays into it as well, and flight schools have historically had a higher default rate than individual owners or flying clubs.
The bottom line? Meredith and the staff at AOPA Aviation Finance have the relationships and the expertise to get a deal done, and they love a challenge. If you’ve had difficulty getting a flying club airplane or unique model or usage case financed in the past, give the AOPA Aviation Finance staff a call.
Considering aircraft ownership? AOPA Aviation Finance will make your purchase experience as smooth as possible. For information about aircraft financing, please visit the website or call 1-800-62-PLANE (75263).
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