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Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
421 Aviation Way
Frederick, MD 21701
Tel: 800/USA-AOPA or
301/695-2000
Copyright � 2001 AOPA. | WELCOME TO THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION
Welcome to AOPA–the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. In addition to six months of AOPA Flight Training magazine, your free AOPA Trial Membership includes other benefits of AOPA membership, including access to the members-only section of AOPA Online – offering DTN aviation weather and AOPA's Airport Directory Online , among others–and this special AOPA Flight Training edition of AOPA's weekly ePilot newsletter.
We wish you continued success in your flight training and want to help you obtain your pilot certificate. Ask our CFIs any questions about flying or your training via e-mail (24/7) or by calling 800/USA-AOPA between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays. Bookmark AOPA Flight Training's student pilot resource page for easy future reference–and welcome to the world of AOPA.
Training Tips
| LESSONS ON TAXIING
 Taxiing an aircraft–of all the operations learned by a pilot, what could be simpler? Or so it is tempting to believe. But if we become casual about ground operations, we ask for trouble.
Temptations to relax during taxiing are many. Isn’t taxiing the very first skill a new pilot learns, during the first flight lesson? Taxi speed is slow–hardly faster than a brisk walk. There are no complicated navigation chores. And taxiing is usually a brief component of any flight, rarely taking more than a few minutes. Simple, yes?
Not so fast. Runway incursions, the bane of surface safety and a current focus of flight examinations, occur during taxi. Download and review acceptable test performance in the Private Pilot Practical Test Standards . As we follow our taxi route, we scan the instruments and equipment for early signs of trouble, and respond accordingly (see " Checkride: Is This a Problem," November 2000 AOPA Flight Training). It takes facile compliance with runway/taxiway markings and taxi clearances to stay safe (see " Signs and Signals," August 2000 AOPA Flight Training). Did that taxi clearance you just received include permission to cross the intersecting runway? Were hold-short instructions issued? Review procedures in the Aeronautical Information Manual.
Separation is minimal here. That airliner turning onto the runway ahead gets a wide berth. So must personnel on the ramp. As you taxi, you experience a quartering left tailwind–how should controls be deflected? (Elevator control forward, wheel to the right.) You reverse direction when turning onto the runway–how are controls held now?
There's a lot to know even before you leave the ground. So we must be alert. Half the runway incursions are caused by pilots; two-thirds of those by general aviation pilots. Review the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's online resources and take the quiz to hone your surface skills.
| Flight Training News
| D.C.-AREA FLIGHT SCHOOL FACES DEADLINE
The owner of a flight school at Washington Executive/Hyde Field in Clinton, Maryland, which has been closed since the September 11 terrorist attacks, says he has only enough funds to continue operation until January 1. His airport, like five other small airports in the Washington, D.C. area, lies under a temporary flight restriction area where most routine flight operations remain prohibited. Larry Kelley, 71, said he estimates his losses at $50,000. He operates five airplanes and has 150 customers. Kelley said a maintenance shop on the field might also go out of business. “This is killing me,” Kelley said. AOPA has been working around the clock with FAA and security officials since September 11 to return flight activities to normal.
TERROR ATTACKS HAVE MINIMAL AFFECT ON COLLEGES
The terrorist attacks of September 11 do not seem to have dampened the enthusiasm of young people considering flying careers. In fact, the opposite may be true. Daniel Webster College, a university in Nashua, New Hampshire, which offers aviation degrees, reports a 10-percent increase over last year in applications from high-school seniors seeking careers in aviation. Overall, applications to the college are up 26 percent. Other colleges report positive signs as well; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Northwest Airlines recently announced a program under which Northwest will hire selected university graduates to become line pilots.
ARIZONA BUSINESSMAN BUYS FLIGHT SCHOOL
Tucson businessman Adrian Hall is purchasing International Airline Pilot Training from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The facility trains future airline pilots, primarily for European and Asian carriers. Hall, who also owns Tucson-based Adventure Flight Training, will restore the Airline Transport Training International name used by Lufthansa Airlines when it owned the facility from 1990 to 1998.
| Inside AOPA
| AOPA ADVISES FAA OF INTERCEPT INSTRUCTION ERROR
During your studying, have you found any errors in the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)? The FAA has finally published a notam correcting the AIM’s intercept procedures. On September 28, AOPA staff discovered that the AIM was incorrect–several columns on the charted depiction for intercepting and intercepted aircraft had been transposed. Given the critical nature of this information since September 11, particularly because U.S. military aircraft now have authority to shoot down aircraft in U.S. airspace, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation published a corrected version of the chart on its Web site. AOPA contacted the FAA and the agency published a notam correcting the error on November 29. Pilots should note that the latest printed version of the AIM still shows the incorrect procedures. However, both AOPA and the FAA's online AIM are correct. AOPA urges pilots to familiarize themselves with the intercept procedures before flying. See AOPA Online.
AOPA HELPS TO SAVE MEIGS FIELD
Chicago's storied lakefront airport, Meigs Field, a political pawn for years, has received a new lease on life. Illinois Gov. George Ryan and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley inked the deal Wednesday night that will keep the airport open until at least 2026. "This historic political deal should send a message to pilots everywhere about saving airports," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "A strong local coalition, Friends of Meigs, with the support of national organizations like AOPA, can succeed in overcoming unbelievable odds in favor of closing an airport." The deal to keep Meigs open is part of a larger agreement between the city and state to expand O'Hare International Airport and to build a new airport south of Chicago at Peotone. Meigs will stay open for 25 years, but the Illinois Legislature can vote to close it after that. "Saving Meigs Field was bigger than any one organization. AOPA is proud to have been the national lead in this very important airport issue," Boyer continued. AOPA waged a six-year battle to save Meigs, lobbying, participating in lawsuits, developing legislative and public support for the airport, and mounting an extensive behind-the-scenes effort.
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| Training Products
| COMMUNICATION TIPS ON DVD
Sporty's Pilot Shop now offers its VFR Communications videotape in the DVD format. Part of the company's "What You Should Know" series of videotapes, the program takes viewers along on an actual cross-country flight in a Cessna 210 to experience the range of communications skills necessary for flight in U.S. airspace. VFR Communications is $24.95 on DVD and may be ordered online or by calling 800/SPORTYS.
| Final Exam
| Question: What is considered "night" by the regulations?
Answer: According to 14 CFR 1.1, "night" means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the American Air Almanac, converted to local time. But be cautious. To meet the night takeoff and landing experience requirement in 14 CFR 61.57, "night"
means the period of time beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise. These two regulations are available on AOPA Online at http://www.aopa.org/members/files/fars/far-1.html and http://www.aopa.org/members/files/fars/far-61.html .
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? E-mail to [email protected] or call 800/872-2672.
| Coming Soon In AOPA Flight Training
| Learn how a good foundation in basic air work will serve you well through a lifetime of flying, how magnetos work, and what it means to be "behind the power curve"–all in the January 2002 issue of AOPA Flight Training magazine, scheduled to mail today.
| What's New At AOPA Online
| 'NEVER AGAIN' GOES ELECTRONIC
The Never Again column, written by AOPA members about instructive--and often frightening--flight experiences, is the most popular feature in AOPA Pilot magazine. Now, never-before-published "Never Again" features are available on AOPA Online. Read the newest installment today.
| AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza Update
| Early next year we'll announce who won the 2001 AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza. In the meantime, check out our latest project update. See AOPA Online.
| Picture Perfect
| | Jump to the AOPA Online Gallery to see the featured airplane of the day. Click on the link for details on how to capture wallpaper for your work area. See AOPA Online. | ePilot Calendar
| Check your weekend weather on AOPA Online.
WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Richmond, Virginia. The Virginia Aviation Museum at Richmond International Airport (RIC) hosts a Wright Brothers Celebration December 15. Call 804/236-3622 for event information.
For more airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online . For more events, see Aviation Calendar of Events
ASF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER CLINICS
(All clinics start at 7:30 a.m.)
The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Orlando, Florida, and Reston, Virginia, December 15 and 16. For the Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic schedule, see AOPA Online.
ASF PINCH-HITTER GROUND-SCHOOL COURSES
(Pinch-Hitter courses start at 9:30 a.m.)
The next Pinch-Hitter(R) Ground Schools will take place December 16 in Orlando, Florida. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
For comments on calendar items or to make submissions, contact Julie S. Walker at [email protected].
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