Training Notes And News

Normally, world aerobatic competition occurs only once every two years, but this isn't a normal year. To synchronize the World Aerobatic Championship with the World Air Games, the WAC will take place two years in a row. It was last held in August 2000 in Muret, France, and will be held again at the World Air Games in southern Spain from June 14 through July 1. More than 5,000 air athletes and officials from 80 countries will compete in the Olympics-style event. In addition to the WAC and World Aerobatic Glider Championship, the World Air Games will host competition in sports ranging from paragliding to ballooning.

At the last WAC in France, the U.S. Unlimited Team won bronze medals (men's and women's teams). The group will return to compete in Spain. The team is practicing intensively under the supervision of trainer Sergei Boriak (pictured above).

Alton K. Marsh

Aviation Students Win Scholarships

Four university students have each won $2,000 scholarships sponsored by ExxonMobil and administered by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. The scholarships were established to award deserving students in A mechanic programs and four-year aviation degree programs. Applicants were required to maintain a grade point average of 3.25 or better on a 4.0 scale.

The two winners of the A scholarship were Melanie Thom of West Lafayette, Indiana, who is majoring in aviation technology at Purdue University, and Roger Suter of Friendly, West Virginia, who is working toward his A certificate at Fairmont State College. Aviation scholarships went to Chad Kintz of Grand Forks, North Dakota, who is working on a major in commercial aviation at the University of North Dakota, and Raffi Hairabedian of Prescott, Arizona, who is an aeronautical sciences major at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Applications for next year's scholarships are available online (www.aopa.org/asf/scholarships.html ) or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: ExxonMobil Scholarship, AOPA Air Safety Foundation, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Applications must be received by July 31.

Flying Aggies Take Top Honors At SAFECON

A team from Oklahoma State University won top team honors at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's region six Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference. The Flying Aggies' team won first place in both the flying and ground events, defeating seven other schools for the overall team award. The competition took place at St. Louis Downtown-Parks Airport, October 17 through 21.

Cheri Dyson was named top woman pilot. The following students from Oklahoma State took first in other categories: Stewart Master, computer accuracy; Gralon Hudgins, message drop; and Brad Baker, aircraft recognition.

Full-Motion Helicopter Simulator Certified

Florida Jet Aviation recently announced certification of the Cicare SVH-3, a full-motion trainer that allows a student to practice hovering and emergency procedures in a controlled environment. The trainer is a single-seat helicopter attached to a specially designed base that prevents the helicopter from rising more than a few feet above the ramp.

A remote control system gives the instructor the ability to introduce failures and emergency situations, such as loss of engine power and tail rotor failure. "You can introduce a crosswind of 30 knots, regardless of the actual wind," says Guillermo Carabajal, of Florida Jet Support.

The FAA now allows primary helicopter students in Part 141 programs to log 10 of the required 35 hours of flight training in the SVH-3. Because the trainer is not simply a simulator but an actual flying helicopter, the time "is considered a real flight," adds Carabajal.

Cicare helicopters are already certified in Argentina, and the company intends to produce the helicopters and trainers in a new, Miami-based factory beginning in late 2001. For more information, contact Florida Jet Support by telephone at 305/260-4411 or via e-mail ( [email protected] ).

Julie K. Boatman

NTSB To Open New Training Academy

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has selected George Washington University to house its new training academy for accident investigators on the school's Loudoun County, Virginia, campus.

The site will provide space for a laboratory and accident reconstructions, including the wreckage of TWA Flight 800, which will be used for training purposes. The academy is set to open in 2003. An NTSB spokesman said that although a curriculum has not yet been established, general aviation accident investigation will be incorporated in the training.

How Many Pilots Are There?

AOPA's 2000 Aviation Fact Card says that there are 635,472 U.S. pilots. These include 258,749 private pilots, 124,261 commercial pilots, and 137,642 airline transport pilots. Student pilots number 97,359, while there are 79,694 flight instructors. Interestingly, there are only 343 recreational pilots.

Ninety-Nines Offer CFI Training Scholarships

The International Organization of Women Pilots (The Ninety-Nines) will award two scholarships to go toward flight instructor ratings.

The $1,000 scholarships will go to one man and one woman. Scholarship candidates must be certificated commercial pilots and live or be enrolled in an accredited flight school in the Southeast section of the United States.

The entry deadline is March 7. To apply for a scholarship, contact The Bonnie and Archie Gann Memorial Scholarship committee at: Attention Shirley Zillig, Head Trustee, 779 E. Merritt Island Causeway, PMB 732, Merritt Island, Florida 32952-3309. You may also contact the committee by e-mail ( [email protected] ).

Robinson Donates $1 Million To Museum

Robinson Helicopter Company recently donated $1 million for the Smithsonian Institution's expansion of the Air and Space Museum.

The funding is to ensure that the new $238 million facility at Washington Dulles International Airport will include a section devoted to rotary wing aircraft. Two Robinson helicopters will be on display there for at least 20 years. The new museum is to open in December 2003, in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight. For more on Robinson, see the Web site ( www.robinsonheli.com ).

School News

School Reopens After Hurricane Damage

For the first time in eight years students at Miami-Dade Community College will be able to complete flight, simulator, and ground training in one location.

The school celebrated the opening of the Flight Training Center at the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport in Florida in November. Damage caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 forced the college to move the ground school and simulators to Miami International Airport while flight training remained at Tamiami.

The new 10,000-square-foot facility, refurbished with matching funds from the Florida Department of Transportation, houses a simulator lab, a computer-based instruction classroom, a testing room, briefing rooms, two classrooms, and offices.

UND Plans To Teach Air Traffic Controllers

The University of North Dakota's Aerospace Foundation has been awarded a $3.3 million contract to train Norwegian students to become air traffic controllers in their home country. Classes are to begin in May as part of the three-year training agreement. The money from the contract will allow the school to buy a three-dimensional control tower simulator and hire additional instructors.

Students Win Scholarships

A number of students recently won scholarships from a variety of aviation organizations. Among them, Shaun M. Williams of Goldsboro, North Carolina, was the recipient of a $7,000 scholarship from the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation. More than 3,000 students registered for the scholarship on the school's Web site (www.aero.und.edu).

AvFuel, an independent supplier of aviation fuels and services, announced that it awarded a $2,000 AVTRIP aviation scholarship to Michael J. Keller. A graduate of the Kent State University Aerospace Flight program, Keller plans to apply the money toward a master's degree. He will also receive $500 in U.S. saving bonds. AVTRIP is the company's frequent fueling program where pilots earn points toward savings bonds.

The National Business Aviation Association announced that six college students in aviation-related programs have received scholarships under the Professional Development Program, designed to train future flight department leaders. Matthew Brown, of the University of North Dakota; Allen Guttormson, also of UND; and Millicent Parker, from Central Missouri State University, each will receive $1,000 scholarships sponsored by United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG).

Ronald Ladiziak, of Eastern Michigan University, and Michelle Barrett and Brad Borgman, both of Central Missouri State University will receive $1,150 from the Indiana Business Aviation Association.

Angie Millar of Odessa, Florida, won $1,000 in the Nancy Horton "Touch the Face of God" scholarship. Millar is the fifth person to receive the award for a woman pilot.