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Top Stories
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Although the frequency of midair collisions has decreased over the past few years, when they occur the outcome is often tragic. Most recently, a Cessna 172 and a Sabreliner jet collided near San Diego. While the NTSB is investigating this accident, the Air Safety Institute recommends that pilots review these steps to minimize the risks and improve their safety margins. Read the alert...
AOPA Live This Week
Splash in to the land of 10,000 lakes for the AOPA Minneapolis Fly-In Aug. 22 at Anoka County-Blaine Airport. Watch a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and others arrive at the seaplane base, then ride along with pilots who race much smaller aircraft in a budding sport that's drawing sponsors and investors with stadiums in mind. In light of the recent collision of a Cessna 172 and a Sabreliner jet over Southern California, the Air Safety Institute has issued a new safety alert and a renewed call for vigilance. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Aug. 20...
 
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Technique and Safety
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Video
Would you like a precise way to gauge when you're about to exceed a wing's lift capacity? Enter the angle of attack (AOA) indicator. The Air Safety Institute's latest safety video, Margins of Safety: Angle of Attack Indicators, developed with technical assistance from Aspen Avionics, explains how an AOA indicator can help you avoid exceeding the critical angle of attack. The video is made possible by the Tom Davis Fund, and brought to you by Aspen Avionics. Watch the video...
Accident analysis
You've heard about the hazards of black hole approaches. What about black hole departures? Learn about the hazards in this special report from the Air Safety Institute...
IFR Fix
Flying the VOR RWY 9 approach into Anoka County-Blaine Airport in Minneapolis, how would you plan your descent to the minimum descent altitude? Read more...
AOPA Premier Partner sponsored content
iPads and other electronic flight bag devices have become increasingly popular in the cockpit with the incredible situational awareness and detailed information they provide. In this scenario, you are on an IFR flight that you make frequently, but this time something goes wrong. Does your iPad help you or hurt you in this situation? Watch this thought-provoking video from PilotWorkshops and enter to win a Bose A20 aviation headset...
Flash-based, login required
Whether you own or rent, you should consider factors that affect the aircraft's health and aging process—its true age does not necessarily coincide with its factory age. The Air Safety Institute's Aging Aircraft course delves into what causes aircraft to age, offers suggestions for proactive inspection and maintenance practices, and discusses renovation opportunities that can extend an aircraft's useful life.
Take the course...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
Rain or shine, you won't want to miss AOPA's Minneapolis Fly-In at Anoka County-Blaine Airport on Aug. 22. Check out these top 10 indoor and outdoor activities that are a must-do while in the area for the fly-in. Read more...
Aircraft display
Attendees at the Minneapolis Fly-In Aug. 22 will have an opportunity to check out aircraft on display ranging from new models to rare vintage aircraft and venerable warbirds. In addition to vintage aircraft from the Golden Wings Flying Museum and the first Piper Super Cub, the American Aviation Heritage Foundation will display a Vultee BT-13 Valiant being restored to airworthy condition to honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II; the Experimental Aircraft Association will show off its One Week Wonder, built by more than 2,500 EAA AirVenture participants; and AOPA will exhibit the You Can Fly Sweepstakes Cessna 152. Find out more about the aircraft display online...
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Pilot magazine
With Peterson Air Force Base at the north end of the field, a commercial terminal to the south, and general aviation facilities to the west, Colorado Springs Municipal Airport is like three airports in one. Lockheed C–130s mix with airliners, trainers, and business jets at the more than 7,000-acre field, which on Sept. 26 will welcome AOPA members to the association's second-to-last AOPA Fly-In of 2015. Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
An aviation medical examiner and pilot who leads the Minnesota Pilots Association has called on his state's two U.S. senators to support third class medical reform. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA is reminding members that the FAA will discontinue the universal Flight Watch frequency 122.0 MHz for in-flight weather services on Oct 1. Read more...
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Technology
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Article
Measured in inches and ounces, camera-toting drones raced like hummingbirds around a track, taking their pilots along for the ride. Drone racing is fast emerging from a "primordial ooze" of loose-knit groups of tinkerers who connected online, progressing to real-world events that have drawn sponsors and investors hoping to create the next great motorsport. Read more...
Article
The Academy of Model Aeronautics is offering kits and education for student teams to compete in a search-and-rescue challenge with drones. The UAS4STEM program is similar to school robotics programs, with an aeronautical twist. Read more...
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Gear
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Article
The new website Overhaulbids.com aims to help aircraft owners make confident, well-informed decisions about aircraft engine overhauls. Read more...
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Travel
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Article
Zenith Aircraft Co. will host its twenty-fourth annual Open Hangar Day event on Sept. 18 and 19 at its factory at Mexico Memorial Airport (MYJ) in Mexico, Missouri. Read more...
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Financial
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Article
The AOPA Foundation has selected two nonprofits to receive the first $5,000 grants from a new program supporting organizations that offer scholarships to their members. Read more...
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News and Notes
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Pilot Protection Services
As the pilot in command of an aircraft, federal aviation regulation 91.7 makes you responsible for determining whether your aircraft is in an airworthy condition before it is flown. What does "airworthy" mean? Read more...
Article
Pilots count on friends and family to make organized aerobatic competition possible, and each contest poses a logistical challenge that requires many volunteers. Whether the flight is near perfect or a low-scoring dud, every pilot can count on a smiling staff to make sure those numbers get where they need to go. Read more...
Slideshow
Aviators celebrated National Aviation Day and Orville Wright's birthday Aug. 19 by flying to favorite destinations, sharing aviation with friends and family, and visiting U.S. aviation attractions. Read more...
Article
Filmmaker Kim Furst received three ovations from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and fellow aviators for her film, Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project, during a National Aviation Day showing of the movie at the U.S. Capitol. Read more...
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Article
Neil Anthony Thomas said he earned his pilot certificate without having met another deaf pilot. In the year or so since he met Todd Barker at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, he's connected to a community. Read more...
Article
Britain's Paul Bonhomme made four solid flights to win the Red Bull Air Race World Championship event in Ascot, United Kingdom. The American pilots struggled, and the 2015 title is now mathematically out of reach for both heading into their home events. Read more...
Article
Beyond the Powder, a new documentary on women air racers, will debut Labor Day weekend on public television stations in northeast Ohio. Read more...
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Career Opportunities
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AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a database developer; aviation event planner; manager of aviation safety programs; ambassador—Texas; director of aviation security; graphic design intern; director of media relations; and director of regulatory affairs.To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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Question
You've decided that you're finally going to get the multiengine add-on you've been thinking about for years, but you're worried that you may have to repeat all of the cross-country flights and various other requirements that were needed for your single-engine certificate. When you add a class to an existing rating, do you need to meet all applicable aeronautical experience requirements listed in Part 61 of the federal aviation regulations?
Answer
In this circumstance, you would not need to repeat the cross-country flights or other requirements listed in FAR 61.109. Normally when adding a class to an existing pilot certificate you do not need to meet the specified training requirements under Part 61. (You would be required to meet the experience requirements only if you had a lighter-than-air category rating in a balloon and were seeking an airship class rating.) You still need to obtain the correct endorsements and pass the practical test, but you do not need to take another knowledge test. Adding a class is a good way to challenge yourself, increase your knowledge, and get back into flying if it's been a few years. Learn more about adding a class to an existing rating in FAR 61.63(c).
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA. |
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Sep 12-13 - Colorado, Springs, Colorado; Elkridge, Maryland; and Sandston, Virginia
Sep 19-20 - Phoenix, Arizona
Sep 26-27 - Sacramento, California
Oct 10-11 - Nashville, Tennessee; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Windsor Locks, Connecticut
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.
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Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Aug 22 - Blaine, Minnesota
Aug 26 - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Aug 27 - Northglenn, Colorado
Aug 31 - Ypsilanti, Michigan; Houston, Texas; and Florham Park, New Jersey
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
Aug 22 - Blaine, Minnesota; Mitchellville, Maryland; Tucson, Arizona; and Lebanon, Ohio
Aug 25 - Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Aug 26 - Racine, Wisconsin
Sep 5 - Hayden, Idaho; and Santa Ynez, California
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Aviation Calendar
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Check out user-submitted events from your region. To include an event or to search all events in the calendar, visit AOPA Online. AOPA does not endorse the events listed below, nor have ePilot editors edited the submissions. AOPA assumes no responsibility for events listed.
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ePilot Editors:
Sarah Deener
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
David Tulis
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Warren Morningstar
Alton K. Marsh
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Ian J. Twombly
Dan Namowitz
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