AOPA Air Safety Foundation

Cold weather operations

Many pilots stop flying during the winter months, but cold, clear days offer increased aircraft performance and excellent visibility that are perfect for those $100 hamburger hops. To help keep you flying all year round and to protect and winterize your aircraft, the specialists in AOPA's Pilot Information Center provide a winter flying subject report that includes tips on cold weather operations, aircraft icing, caring for your aircraft, and more. And to help keep you safe, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation provides insight into aircraft icing and changing weather.

(December 12, 2005)

Latest Safety Hot Spot: Aircraft icing

With colder weather settling in for much of the country, ice becomes an issue. In its latest Safety Hot Spot, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation is offering one-click access to a host of resources covering all facets of aircraft icing. You'll find links to an aircraft icing safety checkup written by Air Safety Foundation staff pilots, AOPA and Air Safety Foundation publications, three videos, two Sporty's quizzes, the SkySpotter online course, accident data, and related content on other Web sites. You can also browse the Safety Hot Spot archive for previous topics.

(December 6, 2005)

'Fly' real-world scenarios in WeatherWise online course

Low ceilings and restricted visibilities are aviation's most deadly killers. But thankfully, with a little knowledge, you can minimize the risks these conditions pose. And you can do it without leaving the ground.

By using special Microsoft Flight Simulator scenarios, you can "fly" many of the conditions explained in the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new online course, "WeatherWise: Ceiling and Visibility."

See what MVFR looks like, how fog really looks when it hangs out around rivers and lakes, what happens if fog doesn't burn off as expected, and experience the eerie sensation of running into fog and clouds at night.

The scenarios are available at the end of the free course. Or you can download them directly from AOPA Online if you have Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 version 9.1 or above.

(November 25, 2005)

FAA administrator praises AOPA safety efforts

Speaking before a Senate committee on Thursday, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey had high praise for AOPA's efforts to improve general aviation safety.

In her written testimony before the aviation subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, Blakey said the FAA had partnered with AOPA and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation to reduce runway incursions, and specifically mentioned AOPA's online Runway Safety Program. "We have developed and promoted runway safety training material in conjunction with organizations such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation," said Blakey. "Since its inception, an average of 1,800 pilots a month have completed the [Runway Safety] program."  More on AOPA safety efforts...

(November 21, 2005)

The perfect pilot gifts

Do you just hate the malls and the mile-long lines during the holiday season? The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has the perfect gifts for the pilot in your life — including yourself. And they're all available online.

First, check out the line of Air Safety Foundation holiday cards. They not only spread holiday cheer and the joy of aviation, but each purchase is also a donation toward improving GA safety.

Of course, a good pilot is always learning. So the foundation has a complete line of training DVDs, including "WeatherWise," the first DVD devoted to practical weather flying for GA pilots, not dusty old theory. Check out all of the exciting options online.

(November 17, 2005)

Systems 101: Engine and Propeller

How much does an engine overhaul cost? What are signs of potential propeller problems? Is there a sure-fire way to consistently start a hot fuel-injected engine? Answers to all these questions and more are covered in the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new online course "Engine and Propeller."

The free course, sponsored by Lycoming, Hartzell, Cessna, and Continental, uses interactive activities and video clips to teach you the ins and outs of carbureted and fuel-injected piston engines and fixed-pitch and constant-speed propellers. An added bonus is a short section about the ignition system.  More on "Engine and Propeller"...

(November 11, 2005)

Take a look at ceilings and visibility with ASF

Weather often forces pilots to make a go/no go decision, so the AOPA Air Safety Foundation created "Weather Wise: Ceiling and Visibility," the first in a series of online weather courses partially funded by the National Weather Service, to bring a real-world perspective to the art and science of weather forecasting for pilots.

The interactive 20-minute course focuses on the relationship between temperature and dew point, and ceiling and visibility. It also teaches when and where fog is likely to form. In-flight video clips show what MVFR, VFR, and IFR conditions really look like to the pilot, and helpful tips point out the signs of changing weather conditions. To take the course, visit the AOPA Online Safety Center.

Future weather topics include convective activity, turbulence, and air masses and fronts.

(October 21)

Air Safety Foundation reports reveal icing dangers

Once ice accumulates on an airframe it can turn you into an accidental test pilot, flying an aircraft with unknown handling characteristics. Ice can affect the stall speed, which is particularly important during landing and takeoff. Even an aircraft certified for "known ice" can suffer degraded performance when operated in severe icing conditions.

Since 1990, there have been more than 100 fatal accidents attributable to ice. With winter coming, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation is offering two safety advisors for free download, "Aircraft Icing" and "Aircraft Deicing and Anti-icing Equipment."

(October 21)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation releases enhanced thunderstorm avoidance minicourse

When you're flying deep within the clouds, it can be hard to tell the benign from the threatening until it's too late. Air traffic control can help — but only if you understand their capabilities and limitations. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's newly updated Thunderstorms: A Case Study minicourse can give you the information you need to fly safely when thunderstorms are in the forecast.

The course focuses on the importance of proper communications, including verifying with each controller you are handed off to exactly what services you will receive. This can help minimize the chances of a misunderstanding.  More on Thunderstorms: A Case Study...

(September 26)

Propeller safety — Learn more in the AOPA Online Safety Center

When it comes to propeller safety, there's a lot more than just keeping up with airworthiness directives. Even simple fixed-pitch props require regular inspection and maintenance. An AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Advisor gives you tips on maintenance, preflight considerations, and other things to look out for in order to have a safe flight. You can find it in the publications section of the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(September 26)

Do the Right Thing: Decision Making for Pilots

Air Safety Foundation seminar to debut at AOPA Expo

What's by far the leading cause of airplane accidents? Pilot error, of course, and it is most often the kind that occurs between the ears. Everyone knows that, but poor pilot judgment continues to account for a staggering number of bent airplanes, bruised egos, and even serious injuries or deaths. This fast-paced two-hour seminar uses thought-provoking scenarios and well-researched facts about the human thinking process to give you tools for making the right choices at the right time. By the end of this seminar, you'll have a much better idea of how to make the tough calls and prevent small mistakes from becoming big problems.

Do the Right Thing: Decision Making for Pilots will debut November 3 through 5 at AOPA Expo in Tampa, Florida.

Photo: Production is well under way on the interactive content for "Do the Right Thing: Decision Making for Pilots."

(September 27)

Avoid fuel management mistakes with new Safety Hot Spot

On average more than three accidents per week result from improper fuel management. To help counter this trend, the AOPA Online Safety Center has launched its latest Safety Hot Spot, focusing on fuel awareness.

You'll find a Safety Checkup written by AOPA Air Safety Foundation staff pilots, various printed publications available for download, online courses, a Sporty's Safety Quiz, three video clips from the foundation's Fuel Awareness training DVD, a 10-year list of fuel-related GA accidents from the Air Safety Foundation's accident database, and anecdotes from pilots who lived to tell about their fuel management mistakes.

Each Safety Hot Spot focuses on a timely issue or trend within the general aviation community and offers a host of resources.

To make Web navigation easier, the Air Safety Foundation has added a Safety Hot Spot button to the AOPA Online Safety Center for one-click access.

(September 16, 2005)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation announces new, improved accident database

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation launched today a new and improved version of its online accident database. The foundation has added keyword search capability, additional search criteria, and cross-references to related topics.

"The database is one of the most popular locations on the AOPA Online Safety Center," said Bruce Landsberg, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. "The enhanced capabilities make it an even more useful resource for pilots, researchers, and others in the aviation industry who use it to conduct basic case study research."  More on improved database...

(September 12, 2005)

Take the Sporty's Safety Quiz and find out how much you know

Certain things in the cosmos must have been aligned correctly for newly minted private pilot Don Belsky. On the day of his successful checkride, he got a surprise in the mail.

Belsky had always wanted to be a pilot. He took his first flight lesson while he was in his teens but had to put off the rest of the training to raise a family. Last year he decided to reinvigorate the dream.

As thousands of other pilots have already discovered, a great way to prepare for a checkride, or enhance learning in general for that matter, is to take the quick and easy Sporty's Safety Quiz through the AOPA Online Safety Center. So far this year, there have been nearly 85,000 completions of the free quiz, which is updated biweekly.  More on Sporty's Safety Quiz...

(September 6, 2005)

Pilots put Mountain Flying training to work in all types of terrain

More than 4,000 and rising! That's the number of pilots who've "graduated" in Mountain Flying, one of the many free online courses in the AOPA Online Safety Center.

Pilots are putting the safety information to good use and earning FAA Wings credit to boot. And did we mention they might also win a free checklist for completing the course?

"Before flying my family across country from Richmond, Virginia, to the Rocky Mountain region, I completed the Mountain Flying online course and truly benefited from being fresh with important safety information," wrote Gerald Waddill, a Cessna 182 pilot. "This was my second year in a row to make this trip and this year was made safer with the knowledge base given in your course. I highly recommend these courses to all my fellow pilots."

But even if you're a "flatlander," there's plenty of useful information in the course.  More on mountain flying...

(August 24, 2005)

Complete mountain flying course and win free checklist

More than 6,000 people have already viewed the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's newest online course, Mountain Flying. Have you? You'll learn about density altitude, terrain avoidance, mountain weather, and other topics. You'll also find many other resources including a Safety Advisor.

Fifty people who complete the course this month will receive a free mountain flying checklist. See the official rules.

And you can find much more flying safety information in the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(August 17, 2005)

The right and the wrong of airspace redesign

STL, LAX, and SFB are the good, the bad, and the ugly

There's a right way and a wrong way to redesign airspace that affects general aviation operations in major metropolitan areas — at least in AOPA's opinion. And the FAA has managed to illustrate both ways in the last week.  More on airspace redesign...

To learn more about airspace, see Airspace for Everyone in the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(August 16, 2005)

Want to learn how to use a panel-mounted GPS?

Instrument panels don't look like they used to, especially with the introduction of GPS. While all the button-pushing can be intimidating, it doesn't have to be. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has launched its first in a series of online minicourses on panel-mounted GPS receivers.

The first self-paced, 15-minute minicourse is about the Garmin 430/530. Unlike traditional training courses, it focuses on the basic functions used by a typical pilot in VFR flight.  More on AOPA Air Safety Foundation Garmin 430/530 minicourse...

(August 8, 2005)

AOPA Online Safety Center provides mountain flying info

If you're planning to do some mountain flying, check out the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's "Now Featuring: Mountain Flying" Web page to learn about density altitude, terrain avoidance, mountain weather, and other topics. You'll also find many other resources such as an online course and a Safety Advisor. See the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(August 5, 2005)

Holiday cards support air safety

Summer's sweltering temperatures may have you looking forward to cooler weather ahead. It's also a great time to think about ordering your 2005 holiday cards from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.

A portion of the proceeds from each box of cards sold helps to fund the AOPA Online Safety Center, safety seminars, and other programs throughout the year.

This year there are 29 designs to choose from including, for the first time, a Chanukah card. You'll also receive free imprinting with your personal message when you order three or more boxes of cards. Each box of 25 cards also includes 25 free return-address labels and decorative holiday seals.

(July 29)

AOPA Online Safety Center provides Oshkosh travel info

Planning to fly to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2005? The AOPA Online Safety Center has some valuable information for your trip. You can download a guide that provides the location of AOPA's big yellow tent and a description and schedule of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's safety seminars. On the site you'll also find show-specific information and general fly-in safety articles, along with video and audio clips.

(July 12)

New York pilot is quarterly winner of AOPA Air Safety Foundation door prize

Mary Jo Kiggins of Syracuse, New York, is the 2005 second-quarter winner of a Sporty's handheld transceiver, the door prize for attending an AOPA Air Safety Foundation seminar. The Air Safety Foundation and Sporty's award one door prize each quarter.  More on Air Safety Foundation quarterly winner...

(July 11)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation releases thunderstorm avoidance minicourse

Thunderstorm clouds can be easy for VFR pilots to spot, but IFR pilots flying in the soup often rely on air traffic control (ATC) to route them around the severe weather. Communication is key when working with ATC, as the AOPA Air Safety Foundation explains in its new four-minute minicourse, Avoiding Thunderstorms.

Avoiding Thunderstorms contains actual ATC transmissions between controllers and a pilot who flew into a Level 6 thunderstorm with tragic results. The audio dramatically illustrates the need for clear pilot-ATC communication and understanding of radar services provided.  More on thunderstorm avoidance minicourse...

(July 1)

How safe is learning to fly? Air Safety Foundation has answers

Student pilots — and their instructors — are actually less likely to have a fatal accident than already-certificated pilots, according to a study by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. Flight Instruction Safety: An In-Depth Look at Instructional Accidents identifies the four phases of instructional flight most likely to result in accidents. Flight training accounts for 22 percent of flying but is only responsible for 13 percent of the accidents. It's no surprise that most of the accidents occurred during the takeoff and landing phases of flight. The report covers both dual and solo flight. Download the document from the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(June 27)

Free safety information at your fingertips

Pilots are downloading the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Safety Advisors like crazy, so they must be on to something, right? Since January, there have been more than 45,000 downloads of the 21 current Safety Advisors and many more of the foundation's other publications. Some of the most popular Safety Advisors are: Airspace for Everyone, GPS Technology, Operations at Nontowered Airports, and Operations at Towered Airports. To get your free copies, see the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(June 17)

2004 Nall Report shows slight uptick in GA accidents

But overall trend tells a different story

Click to download

The total accident rate for general aviation has risen slightly in the short term, but in the long term, the positive trend continues.

"The general direction is good," said AOPA Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "I think we'll continue to make progress as pilots get smarter. But it doesn't come without constant effort and vigilance."

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has released its 2004 Nall Report. It shows that in 2003 total accidents rose by 2.5 percent, but flight hours increased by 0.8 percent when compared to the previous year. Also, 79.4 percent of general aviation accidents were non-fatal and 75.9 percent were pilot-related. Takeoffs and landings still represent the most common phases of flight for mishaps to occur, accounting for more than 50 percent of all GA accidents.  More on Nall Report...

(May 27, 2005)

Enhance your flight planning with AOPA Online

Air Safety Foundation releases Critical Airspace Safety Hot Spot

Wednesday's incursion into the restricted airspace around Washington, D.C., is a vivid reminder of why pilots must be vigilant about properly preparing for every flight. That includes maintaining a high level of proficiency, staying up-to-date on regulations and procedures, and thorough flight planning. AOPA and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation offer pilots a wide array of resources to help at all stages of preparation.

The newest AOPA Air Safety Foundation "Critical Airspace" Hot Spot brings together everything you need to know about airspace regulations and changes since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. It features links to free online safety courses and quizzes that use an interactive format to keep you actively engaged in learning about airspace operations. Two courses deal specifically with the demands and intricacies of flying in today's airspace: "Mission: Possible — Navigating Today's Special-Use Airspace" and "Know Before You Go."

A multimedia presentation produced by AOPA explains the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and the operations within it.  More on AOPA's online tools...

(May 13)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation releases special report on technically advanced aircraft safety and training

Technically advanced aircraft (TAA) equipped with multifunction displays and traffic and weather datalinks are quickly becoming a large part of general aviation. Technology that once was used only by airline pilots is now available to primary students.

Whether you are flying a brand-new Cirrus SR22 with glass cockpit technology or have upgraded the instrument panel in your trusty Cessna 182, if it has at least a moving map display, an IFR-approved GPS navigator, and an autopilot, then the FAA classifies it as a TAA. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has produced a special report, Technically Advanced Aircraft Safety and Training, that defines TAA, suggest how training should change to reflect the demands of flying TAA, and takes a preliminary look at assessing the safety record for these aircraft.  More on TAA special report...

(May 6)

New England Aero Club honors ASF's Landsberg

The Aero Club of New England (ACONE) last night presented AOPA Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Bruce Landsberg with its Presidential Award, honoring "those who have made significant positive contributions to aviation." ACONE is the second oldest aviation club in the world; Landsberg is only the fourth recipient of its Presidential Award.

The Club recognized the Air Safety Foundation's many safety programs, along with Landsberg's 13-year contribution to the club's annual Crash Course Safety Seminar. Each year, Landsberg has presented a special version of one of the Air Safety Foundation's live seminars. These seminars are available free to all pilots at locations around the country.  More on the Air Safety Foundation...

Photo: Cynthia Bloomquist, wife of ACONE President Ken Bloomquist, presents the Presidential Award to Bruce Landsberg.

(April 29)

AOPA Online Safety Center

Your link to becoming a safer, more knowledgeable pilot

Now that the flying season is kicking into high gear, adventurous cross-countries and vacation destinations might soar to the top of your mind, but safety always should be the number-one priority.

Pilots visited the AOPA Online Safety Center more than 130,000 times last year to become safer, more knowledgeable aviators. The AOPA Online Safety Center is filled with seven free interactive online courses, more than 25 safety quizzes that can be graded instantly, a searchable accident database, safety hot spot topic, and more. It is a pilot's main resource to a plethora of information on almost every aviation safety subject from airspace to weather.

To reward pilots who test their aviation safety IQ with Sporty's Safety Quizzes, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation has a biweekly drawing for a Sporty's Air-Scan V aviation radio. Those who complete the online quizzes are entered in the drawing.  More on AOPA's Online Safety Center...

(April 22, 2005)

Tips for safe flights to and from fly-ins and Sun 'n Fun

Sun 'n Fun — the event that has become known as the kickoff to the spring flying season — is less than a week away. And if you are one of the thousands of pilots who plans to fly in, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation has added fly-in safety tips to the AOPA Online Safety Center to help you make it to Sun 'n Fun and back without incident.

Through the "Now Featuring" section on the Online Safety Center, you have access to the Sun 'n Fun notam, VFR arrival photos, a Sun 'n Fun arrival video, plus general guidelines for fly-ins.  More on fly-in tips...

(April 6)

'Safety Hot Spot': Rust remover for nontowered airport ops

The arrival of spring and, for much of the country, daylight-saving time means that the start of the GA flying season can't be far behind, so the AOPA Air Safety Foundation has turned the "Safety Hot Spot" in the Online Safety Center into a "rust-remover" for pilots who operate from nontowered airports.

"Operating in a nontowered environment provides a unique set of challenges that the Safety Hot Spot addresses," said Bruce Landsberg, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. "It's a lot like merging onto a highway. We've got to fit into the flow of traffic and stay safely separated from others, all without benefit of official oversight. The good news is it works very efficiently when everyone plays by the same rules. The Hot Spot is a way to bone up on those rules."  More on the Safety Hot Spot...

(April 1)

NTSB confirms Air Safety Foundation analysis — 2004 safest year yet for GA

The NTSB has made official what the AOPA Air Safety Foundation first told you last month; 2004 was general aviation's safest year yet. And the GA accident record continues to improve.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported Tuesday afternoon that general aviation accidents decreased from 1,741 in 2003 to 1,614 in 2004. There were 312 fatal general aviation accidents, down from 352 the year before. The accident rate decreased from 6.77 per 100,000 flight hours in 2003 to 6.22 in 2004. The fatal accident rate decreased from 1.37 to 1.20.  More on general aviation safety...

(March 30)

Your complete source for free safety information

The best things in life are free, right? Such is the case with some of the industry's highest quality safety information for pilots.

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has prepared numerous Safety Advisors and Safety Briefs on hot topics including aircraft icing, airspace, operations at towered airports, GPS technology, and spatial disorientation.

Also available are aircraft-specific highlights, special reports on accident data, the intercept procedures card, flash cards for runway markings, the annual Nall Report, and the instructor report archive. See the AOPA Online Safety Center.

(March 28)

Time to brush up on your flying skills

Spring is just around the corner, and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation is ready to help you dust off your flying skills. To help pilots safely get in and out of nontowered airports, ASF has updated the popular Safety Advisor, Operations at Nontowered Airports.

More than 12,000 airports in the United States do not have operating control towers. This publication provides a review of entry and exist procedures, safety tips, and suggestions on how VFR and IFR traffic can mingle happily.

To help you fly at the nation's 400 towered airports, ASF has put together another Safety Advisor, Operations at Towered Airports. This publication offers a review of airport signs, markings, and communications and provides easy-to-use departure and arrival checklists. All of the Air Safety Foundation's print publications can be viewed online and printed from the foundation's Web site.

(March 11)

Air Safety Foundation's 'Mission: Possible' now a Seminar-in-a-Box

Conduct your own safety seminar on military 'lights out' operations

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's newest interactive program on airspace is now available as a Seminar-in-a-Box^®. The dynamic 36-minute program, titled "Mission: Possible — Navigating Today's Special Use Airspace," shows pilots how to deal with military lights-out training, an operation now being conducted in many military operations areas around the country. ( See a three-minute video clip from the seminar.)

To order the "Mission: Possible" Seminar-in-a-Box^®, call 800/638-3101 or visit the Air Safety Foundation Online Safety Center at www.asf.org, and click on the Safety Seminars button. Seminar-in-a-Box^® programs are free, but there is a $24.95 charge for shipping and handling.  More on Mission: Possible Seminar-in-a-Box^®...

(February 22)

Understanding special-use airspace

AOPA Air Safety Foundation online course will help you avoid 'close encounters' of the terrifying kind

There is military airspace everywhere. Whether it's called restricted, prohibited, warning, alert, or military operations areas, (MOAs) it's all special-use airspace (SUA). What really lurks inside SUA, and when can you fly through it?

You'll find out if you take the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new online course, "Mission: Possible — Navigating Today's Special Use Airspace," created in partnership with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force.

A key part of the course explains the military's new "lights out" training, which permits high-speed fighters to fly at night, without lights in selected MOAs. Through video clips, you'll see what military pilots can see with their night-vision goggles. ( See a three-minute preview.)

More importantly, you'll find out what you can't see that may threaten your safety.  More on "Mission: Possible" online course...

(February 7)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation "Hot Spot"

Winter flying safety information just a click away

With one click of the mouse button, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's "Safety Hot Spot" Web page makes it easy for you to find resources related to current safety issues.

The current Safety Hot Spot covers the all-important winter preflight to ensure safe cold-weather operations. From reports on aircraft icing to actual pilot experiences with bad weather, find out what you didn't know or may have forgotten.  More on Air Safety Foundation Hot Spot...

(February 4)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation awards first TSA certificates

CFIs graduate from only in-person security awareness course

Nearly 200 flight instructors received official TSA graduation certificates at AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics this past weekend. They were the first graduates of the only in-person course approved to provide TSA-mandated security awareness training. The deadline for active CFIs to complete that required training is today, although TSA officials told AOPA late last week they would prefer to focus on compliance than on enforcement. Active CFIs who miss today's deadline are urged to complete the training as soon as possible.

The Air Safety Foundation's FAA-approved Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics include the TSA-mandated training and will continue to offer the TSA certification at no additional charge as long as the need exists. An up-to-date summary of TSA requirements is available to all pilots on AOPA Online.

Photo: Instructors at the San Jose, California, ASF Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic with their official TSA graduation certificates.

(January 18)

Air Safety Foundation flight instructor refresher courses to offer security awareness training

TSA orders training for all CFIs by January 18

All flight instructors must complete TSA-mandated security awareness training by next Tuesday, January 18. To help CFIs comply, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation is adding the training at no additional cost to each of its Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics nationwide, starting this weekend.

The Air Safety Foundation's in-person courses are the only FAA-approved flight instructor refresher courses offering this required training, certified by the Transportation Security Administration to meet all of the requirements of the alien flight training/citizenship validation rule. Graduates will receive a TSA-approved certificate proving that they've satisfied the security awareness training requirements.

"Air Safety Foundation refresher courses have always kept CFIs current on FAA changes," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "Now we're doing the same thing with these mandatory TSA rules, and because AOPA is in contact with TSA on an almost daily basis, instructors are assured of the latest information."  More on security awareness training for CFIs...

(January 11)

AOPA Air Safety Foundation offers 'anti-ice' resources for GA pilots

New safety brief focuses on wing contamination

It's that time of year again. Frost, snow, and ice are in the forecast, and pilots need to know how to handle these hazards. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new Safety Brief — Cold Facts: Wing Contamination — gives pilots a quick lesson on the effects of wintry wing contaminants and what to do about them.

The brief notes that in the past 10 years, there have been more than 30 general aviation takeoff accidents caused by snow, frost, or ice on the wing. The issue has caught the attention of the NTSB as well. Last week it issued an unusual "alert to pilots" advising that any frost or ice on the upper wing surface could be hazardous for takeoff. The NTSB recommended a "visual and tactile" wing inspection, noting that frost or ice sufficient to cause aerodynamic performance problems might not be visible to the eye and could be detected only by touching the rough surface.

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Aircraft Icing Safety Advisor explains that frost or ice no thicker or rougher than a piece of coarse sandpaper can reduce lift by 30 percent and increase drag up to 40 percent.  More on aircraft icing...

(January 3)