AOPA Expo 2000

AOPA Expo has something for everyone

Come one, come all, to the best three days in aviation. See the latest in avionics, airplanes, and astonishing newfangled devices designed to make your flying safer and more fun. Have your funny bone tickled by aviation humorists while learning valuable flying tips. Try any product you want before you buy at one of the more than 500 exhibitors' booths.

See, touch, and smell more than 70 aircraft on exhibit in the static aircraft display. Schmooze with aviation experts and personalities at not one, not two, but three get-together parties. Confused about the difference between WAAS and LAAS? Want to know what AGATE really means? Come to AOPA Expo 2000 and get the lowdown on these developments in aviation's future. Want to find out about the many features of the newest GPS navigators? Want to see the future of cockpit displays? Want to know about tomorrow's engines? The answers to these and many more questions will be available to attendees at Expo 2000.

AOPA Expo 2000 is coming to sunny Long Beach, California, from Friday, October 20, through Sunday, October 22. This three-day event promises to be the biggest and best Expo ever. In addition to three days of nonstop aviation fun, facts, and information for the pilot(s) in the family, the Long Beach visitors bureau invites all Expo visitors to spend time in and around the shined-up, sparkly clean coastal city. Come and see the new Long Beach.

Long Beach

Years ago Long Beach was best known for its Naval station and shipyard. Pulp fiction authors spun tales of apprehending lowlifes in the bars of nearby San Pedro. Times have changed. The Naval station and shipyard are closed, and Long Beach has invested millions of dollars to draw visitors to its shores. In addition to a world-class convention center, the site of this year's AOPA Expo, attractions within walking distance include the Long Beach Aquarium, the Queen Mary, and a Russian submarine. Nearby are the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, the Cabrillo Marine Museum, and the Long Beach Museum of Art. Adventures within an hour's drive include Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Santa Catalina Island. The potential for fun is unlimited.

Seminars

Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. there will be six simultaneous seminars. The one-hour sessions fall under one of six headings—general interest, proficient pilot, all pilot, medical issues, safety, and owner. Other programs target nonflying guests. A sampling of the general interest seminars include "Flying the Alaskan Highway," "How to Become a Professional Pilot," and "A Wacky Look at Aviation Humor." Two of the proficient pilot seminar topics include "Threading the Thicket" and "Landings—The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." All-pilot seminar topics range from "How to Avoid an Unwanted Adventure" to "Basic Aerobatics—Fun With a Purpose." Medical issues seminar topics include "A Mended Heart Can Still Get a Medical" and "The Medical Certification Mess—Are Faster Responses Coming?" Safety seminars and owner seminars and general interest seminars are scheduled daily. See the complete schedule on page 114.

Exhibitors

Imagine an indoor exhibit hall that is about the size of a football field, with representatives and product samples from every aviation product supplier you can think of. Want to know about Exxon's new semisynthetic oil? Are you about to upgrade your propeller, engine, avionics, or instrument panel? Would you like to comparison shop for loans to fund those upgrades? Perhaps you're dreaming about a professional flying career—consultants will be on hand from a number of training and hiring companies.

More than 500 exhibitors will display scores of cutting-edge products that will make your flying easier and safer—products that can ease engine management, navigation, and maintenance tasks, as well as make flight planning a snap. Make sure to reserve at least 20 pounds of your airplane's useful load so you can legally take home the many pamphlets, samples, fliers, and brochures that will be available for the asking at Expo 2000.

Static aircraft displays

No doubt you've read about the Diamond DA40, Lancair Columbia 300, Extra 400, and the Cirrus SR20 in the pages of AOPA Pilot magazine. Now you'll be able to see these futuristic models on the ramp at Long Beach, along with offerings from Cessna, Commander, Derringer, Luscombe, Mooney, New Piper, Pilatus, Raytheon (Beechcraft), and Socata. You will be able to sit in, look at, and touch them. Representatives will guide you through the features of each airplane.

Static displays will be at Long Beach Airport (LGB), which is located about five miles from the convention center. Free shuttle buses will run between the convention center and the airport and the static aircraft display site. Show up and leave the rest to AOPA.

AOPA Air Safety Foundation

Your AOPA Air Safety Foundation is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year and is marking the event with a special exhibit at Expo 2000. Visit the exhibit, talk to the ASF experts, and gather information that will make your flying safer. The Air Safety Foundation will offer three presentations of its popular Pinch-Hitter® course for nonpilots. Don't miss your chance to learn from your Air Safety Foundation staff.

Order your charts, plan your route, and order your tickets online at www.aopa.org/expo/ or by calling 888/GO2-EXPO. Tell your friends that they're going to miss the best three-day show in aviation if they don't join you in Long Beach on October 20 through 23.

L.A. airspace

Tips for flying to Expo

By Barry Schiff

Pilots planning to fly to Expo 2000 might be intimidated by the notion of undertaking the Los Angeles airspace maze for the first time.

The Los Angeles Basin is dominated by Class B airspace that caters to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and rubs shoulders with four chunks of Class C airspace that serve Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena (BUR), John Wayne-Orange County (SNA), and Ontario (ONT) airports. (The fourth serves March Air Force Base, which is southeast of Ontario.)

Sprinkle in a dozen additional tower-controlled airports and as many nontowered airports and you begin to understand why the airspace above the Los Angeles Basin is so complex. In terms of traffic density, it has been reported that there are more pilots and airplanes in Southern California than in all of Europe.

This is not meant to be discouraging. Although challenging at times, flying in the L.A. Basin can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. Those new to the area, however, are strongly encouraged to carefully plan their arrivals.

Under normal circumstances, the easiest way to navigate the area is to file an instrument flight plan and let air traffic control do the work. When IFR, pilots need not be concerned about where they can or cannot fly. All they have to do is fly in accordance with their clearances.

However, during Expo, an IFR slot reservation system will be in effect, and air filing within 200 nm of Long Beach will not be allowed. Furthermore, only 24 IFR arrivals (excluding air carrier traffic) can be accommodated per hour. (The IFR departure rate on closing day, Sunday, October 22, will be limited to 30 per hour.) Pilots filing an IFR flight plan can expect substantial delays.

Weather and wind permitting, VFR arrivals will use runways 25L and 25R; IFR arrivals will use Runway 30. Fortunately, October usually offers great weather, although haze can reduce visibility somewhat. The low coastal stratus (a marine layer) that interferes with VFR operations at other times of the year seldom develops during late summer and early autumn.

The vast majority of arriving pilots will be flying VFR, and many of these will be requesting flight following services from SoCal Approach Control, which serves the entire Los Angeles Basin. Because of the heavy traffic flow expected into Long Beach during Expo, flight following may not be available at all times, and pilots should be prepared to proceed via the special approach and departure procedures established for Expo. (SoCal Approach plans to establish an extra controller position to help handle Expo traffic.)

Accurate VFR navigation in the L.A. Basin requires using a current Los Angeles Terminal Area Chart. Sectional and especially world aeronautical charts do not have sufficient detail to be of value.

Those flying southbound to Long Beach may want to take advantage of the Special Flight Rules Area that allows VFR pilots to fly directly over Los Angeles International Airport without a clearance. Pilots wanting to do this, however, are required to have a current terminal area chart in their possession. Listed on the chart are 11 special rules applicable to flight through the SFRA. For example, pilots must maintain 3,500 feet in the SFRA when heading southeast and 4,500 feet when heading northwest. The forty-first edition of the Los Angeles terminal chart will be in effect during Expo and is scheduled to be available on July 13.

There are, of course, many ways to safely transit the Los Angeles Basin while flying to and from Long Beach, which underlies Class B airspace. Local controllers and pilots have created several routes designed to allow VFR pilots to approach LGB without having to communicate with an en route or approach controller. These routes are based on new VFR waypoints (accessible in up-to-date GPS databases); information about VFR waypoints can be found on AOPA Online. The Web site also provides other important Expo arrival information ( www.aopa.org/expo/).

Irrespective of the route used, be extremely careful not to enter Class B airspace without a specific clearance to do so. Also, do not enter Class C airspace without first establishing communications with SoCal Approach Control.