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Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
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Tel: 800/USA-AOPA or
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Copyright � 2001 AOPA. | Restoring GA
| GARVEY ADDRESSES PILOTS IN 'NEW WORLD'
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey addressed the AOPA membership for the fifth time in as many years Thursday morning, but this year her tone was serious, underscoring the "new world" that we now live in after September 11. "You are not the security risk," she told the packed opening general session at AOPA Expo 2001 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via a satellite feed from Washington, D.C. Instead, she said the security concern is that someone could steal a small airplane and load it with explosives. "A plane flying overhead is no longer cause for wonder," she added. But she said that the FAA has been doing everything it can to return all of aviation back to normal. Garvey said that the FAA was getting ready to resume normal Class B operations early last week when the effort was stymied by the notam regarding flight near nuclear sites. Garvey credited AOPA for its efforts in getting information to pilots and for bringing its concerns to federal officials. "Never has there been a time when communication between the FAA and AOPA has been more important," Garvey said. AOPA President Phil Boyer presented Steve Brown, FAA associate administrator of air traffic services and former head of AOPA's government and technical affairs division, with a Presidential Citation for his "unwavering dedication" and support of GA. Brown owns a Cessna 150 that remains trapped in the Washington temporary flight restriction area.
LUNCHEON FOCUSES ON STATE OF GA
Celebrating the freedom of flight and AOPA's efforts to restore normalcy to GA were the focus of President Phil Boyer's presentation before a packed crowd of some 600 luncheon attendees at AOPA Expo Thursday. Boyer outlined AOPA's legislative, educational, and safety work on behalf of pilots in the aftermath of September 11. That work has included sending an AOPA staff member to work at FAA headquarters every day for five weeks, providing the most up-to-date information to thousands of pilots and the public through AOPA Online, 10 special editions of ePilot, and dozens of media interviews. Boyer also thanked AOPA members for providing real-world feedback about the impact of flight restrictions and their response to the recent legislative alert asking members to call their congressional representatives and urge them to "free the GA 41,000."
CHANGES TO AIRSPACE STILL PENDING
Representatives from the FAA met Wednesday with officials from the new Homeland Defense Department and other government security officials to consider how to address the expiration of the recent notam on nuclear facilities. The FAA is being pressed to either restrict airspace access or have procedures in place to identify suspect operations that provide for an appropriate response capability against attempts to use an aircraft in an attack against a nuclear site. Discussions are also resuming on the possibility of easing the current restrictions in enhanced Class B airspace that primarily affect "specialty operations."
AOPA APPEALS TO FAA ON NUCLEAR TFR VIOLATIONS
In a letter delivered to the FAA Wednesday afternoon, AOPA asked the agency to drop enforcement actions against pilots who violated the notam (now expired) that created temporary flight restrictions around nuclear sites, unless it is determined that the operators engaged in a blatant or intentional violation. From the start, the nuclear TFR notam was seriously flawed and did not provide GA pilots with the information necessary for identifying and avoiding the prohibited airspace. See AOPA Online.
CAPE CANAVERAL GETS SPECIAL VFR PROCEDURES
 A compromise has been reached on a potential airspace restriction that would have prohibited operations at three general aviation airports near Cape Canaveral. The airports affected are Merritt Island, Space Coast Regional, and Arthur Dunn Airpark. The Department of Defense had requested the restriction to provide additional security for the space shuttle while it is moved to its launch pad. After several meetings with AOPA's Airport Support Network volunteer John Levy and local airport representatives, the FAA has agreed to extend the floor of the restricted area, R-2935, to the surface. However, both IFR and VFR operations will be permitted in the airspace with ATC authorization. AOPA President Phil Boyer expressed his appreciation to the FAA for balancing the DOD request with the need for airspace access at the affected airports. "This is the type of balanced approach that needs to be applied to keep the aviation system open and available to the nation's pilots," Boyer said. For more information, visit AOPA Online.
UN MEETING RESULTS IN NEW AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS
Beginning Friday, dignitaries from around the world will gather at the United Nations for General Assembly meetings that are scheduled through November 16. Heightened security concerns necessitate additional temporary flight restrictions over the UN and other strategic locations. These restrictions are in addition to the existing 25-nautical-mile no-fly zone for New York. AOPA anticipates that the FAA will release a new notam outlining the TFR dimensions soon. Check AOPA Online frequently for updates.
BAHAMAS OPEN TO VFR OPERATIONS
During a live telecast at AOPA Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey announced that the FAA is opening the Bahamas to VFR operations. Effective immediately, a "blanket" waiver has been instituted allowing VFR operations for U.S., Canadian, and Bahamian registered aircraft. While only providing relief for a small number of operators, this announcement is welcome news on the heels of the now expired nuclear TFRs that plagued general aviation last week. Much work remains to be done, including the elimination of enhanced Class B airspace and easing of restrictions on general aviation operations in the Washington, New York, and Boston TFRs. AOPA is committed to working with Garvey to continue the positive trend that her announcement brings.
AIRSPACE WAIVERS AVAILABLE TO PILOTS
General aviation operators may petition for a waiver from recent emergency air traffic rules that restrict operations. Approval is granted on a case-by-case basis for relief from FDC notams 01/0613, 01/0617, and 01/0628. These notams establish emergency rules for IFR and VFR operations–including enhanced Class B airspace specialty operations–and international arrivals and departures. The FAA requires seven working days notice for waiver consideration. The waiver request form must be filled out completely. Operators should fax the completed form to the FAA at 202/267-5456. AOPA has learned that the FAA is processing an average of 50 waiver requests a day. More than 1,000 waivers have been granted. AOPA President Phil Boyer said that while it is helpful to allow waivers in unique circumstances, "Reopening of the airspace for all general aviation operations continues to be the goal of the association." To download the form, see AOPA Online.
| GA News
| AOPA EXPO MAKES GRAND ENTRANCE
 AOPA Expo 2001 got off to an early start of sorts Wednesday morning when 73 airplanes taxied down the streets of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Under tight security the airplanes started out at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and traveled 3.8 miles through intersections and under overpasses to arrive at the convention center for the static display, where they joined two helicopters that landed in the display area. The parade was led by the 2001 AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza piloted—er, taxied—by AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Tom Horne. Just about every segment of the general aviation community was represented from biplanes to turboprops. During opening ceremonies at the airport, AOPA President Phil Boyer called the parade a tribute to those pilots who still can't fly their aircraft from their home airports. He said that general aviation was still recovering from a "state of chaos." This year's Parade of Planes marked the first time in more than 20 years that the event has taken place on the East Coast. The airplanes will taxi back to the airport on Saturday.
CESSNA OFFERS PATRIOTIC PAINT SCHEME
Cessna Aircraft Company is offering a patriotic paint scheme—shown this week during AOPA Expo—as an option for those purchasing a Cessna Skyhawk, Skylane, or Stationaire through December 31. For more information, call 877/359-2373 or 316/517-6056.
HIGH-RISE RESCUE CRAFT IN DEVELOPMENT
Roy LoPresti and Larry Gordon have joined forces to develop a family of VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, and their first design debuted at AOPA Expo this week. The new company, LoPresti Gordon VTOL Inc. (LoGo), displayed a scale model of Guardian, an aircraft specially created for "soft docking" on high-rise buildings, according to LoPresti. He proposes that Guardian will obtain "almost 400 mph" horizontal speed, yet be capable of hovering next to a building without using current tilt-rotor technology. Turboprop engines will power Guardian. For more information, visit the Web site.
EMBRY-RIDDLE, NORTHWEST SIGN AGREEMENT
Students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University could be on a fast track to an airline career thanks to a new agreement the school signed with Northwest Airlines. The agreement lays out course requirements, sets minimum flight experience levels, and allows students to train in Northwest Airlines simulators under a new internship program. Third-year students applying for the program must rank in the top 20 percent of their class. Students accepted for the Embry-Riddle/Northwest program will reach their dream job with Northwest through one of two career tracks. Either they will work as an instructor at Embry-Riddle for 18 months after graduation before going to the right seat of a large transport-category aircraft, or they will go directly to Northwest where they must first work as a simulator instructor—at higher pay than that of an Embry-Riddle instructor—for up to 30 months before bidding for an airline pilot slot.
GARMIN OFFERS REBATES, LINKS TO JEPP DATA
Garmin International is offering a $100 rebate on GPSMap 295 portable GPS receivers, and $50 on GPSMap 195 units, through the end of the year. The 195 retails for about $850, while the 16-color 295 normally costs about $1,450. In other Garmin news, Jeppesen has created a link on its Web site to allow users of Garmin handheld GPS navigators to update their databases for $35. Traditionally, these units are updated via floppy disks at a cost ranging from $90 to $130, so the changes reflect a large savings for the average customer–and an argument to fly with more current data in the handheld devices which are used for VFR flight and are therefore not required to adhere to the same update schedules used for IFR-approved panel-mount devices.
VIGYAN ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF WEATHERSTREAM
Vigyan, an aerospace research and development firm, has announced a spin-off company, WeatherStream, which will market the satellite cockpit weather system it developed in partnership with NASA. The system, Pilot Weather Advisor, uses an RS-232 interface to display on a number of PC- and CPU-based units and includes the antenna, receiver, ground station hardware and software necessary to deliver current Nexrad and other weather data to the cockpit. WeatherStream will work with TMI Communications and Motient Corporation as satellite datalink provider for both the Pilot Weather Advisor and a similar marine product. WeatherStream products are on display at AOPA Expo. See the Web site.
FLIGHT TRACKING AVAILABLE IN THE COCKPIT
Ever need to see the traffic situation at your destination airport, or learn the location of an aircraft that is carrying a business associate? In-cockpit flight tracking is now available under an agreement between Flight Explorer and Satellink Technologies. The new service, announced at AOPA Expo this week, is called FE InFlight. Specifically, pilots will be able to view, in real time, air traffic and weather along their routes and at their destinations to help them make decisions about the route and timing of their flights. The service will be available in the first quarter of 2002. Flight Explorer is also the provider of an inexpensive personal edition of Flight Explorer for AOPA members to use on their home computers.
AVIDYNE DEBUTS HIGH-RES DISPLAY, DATALINK
Avidyne Corporation announced its new, large-screen EX5000 flight situation display (FSD) at AOPA Expo. The FSD presents information in either horizontal or vertical formats and is expected to retail for $12,950. It will be available in January 2002. Avidyne also joined forces with Cirrus Design to bring the new EX5000C to the cockpits of SR20 and SR22 aircraft. The EX5000C brings in data from the Garmin GNS 430 GPS navigator and Goodrich's WX-500 Stormscope and Skywatch Traffic Awareness System to display on a 10.4 diagonal screen. The FSD will be installed in new SR20s and SR22s beginning in the first quarter of 2002. Datalink is now available to Avidyne customers as well: The FlightMax DX50 provides weather information via the Orbcomm satellite network. Price for the DX50 and antenna is $2,950; an introductory price of $2,450 is offered for customers owning an Avidyne FSD by March 2002. See the Web site.
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.
| Inside AOPA
| AOPA ASSISTS IN WEB WEATHER TEST
Several AOPA members and staff traveled to the FAA's Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to participate in a test program for evaluating the interactive briefing capability of the Advanced Digital Data System (ADDS). ADDS is an FAA-sponsored aviation weather Web site that hosts weather products—some of them still experimental—specifically designed for the aviation community. By involving pilots of all experience levels in the tests, the FAA seeks to improve what has become a very progressive briefing tool for pilots. Click here to see the ADDS Web site.
Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
| On Capitol Hill
| AVIATION SECURITY NEGOTIATIONS START
The House and Senate began negotiations this week to work out differences on aviation security legislation. After learning that AOPA member Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) was named to the conference committee, AOPA Legislative Affairs staff immediately contacted the congressman's office to discuss Sen. Herb Kohl's (D-Wis.) harmful amendment to GA that exists in the Senate version of the legislation. Ehlers' staff indicated that he opposes the Kohl amendment and plans to work on having it removed from the final bill. House aviation security conferees were sent a letter from AOPA President Phil Boyer urging that Sen. Kohl's amendment be deleted from the bill. The amendment would force the FAA to implement a security program for aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or less. See AOPA Online for more information.
| Airport Support Network
| VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK—DAVID W. ABBOTT
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer David W. Abbott has been involved in an effort to get fuel service restored at Wetumpka Municipal Airport (08A) in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management had recently fined the primary FBO at the field and, when fuel sales were brought to a halt by the events surrounding the recent terrorist attacks, it was too much for the FBO to bear. It halted operations. Realizing what the lack of fuel service would do to the airport, Abbott contacted the mayor about the situation. The city has since purchased the FBO and is in the process of working to reestablish fuel services.
To learn more about the Airport Support Network, visit AOPA Online.
| Quiz Me!
| Here’s a question asked by an AOPA member last week of our AOPA technical specialists. Test your knowledge.
Question: What is the purpose of the two antennas used for ADF (automatic direction finding) equipment on an aircraft?
Answer: One antenna is the sense antenna. This is a long wire, usually strung from the top of the cabin to the top of the vertical stabilizer. It is used to receive the longer-wavelength signal generated by a nondirectional beacon (NDB). The other antenna is the loop antenna. This is often located underneath the aircraft and establishes a signal direction. These two antennas can be combined into a single sense/loop antenna, which is a nearly flush, flat-plate antenna.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? Call 800/872-2672 or e-mail to [email protected]. Send comments on our Quiz Me! questions to [email protected].
| AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza Update
|  The 2001 AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza is on display at AOPA Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For more information, visit AOPA Online.
| What's New At AOPA Online
| 'NEVER AGAIN' FEATURES NOW AVAILABLE
What's the most popular feature in AOPA Pilot? It's the Never Again column written by AOPA members about instructive—and often frightening—flight experiences. Now, never-before-published Never Again features are available on AOPA Online.
| Picture Perfect
| Photos from the upcoming December issue of AOPA Pilot are now available in the gallery. 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.
| AOPA Virtual Expo
| See what you are missing today in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, by going online. Get all the breaking AOPA Expo news and updates on events by clicking over to Virtual Expo, sponsored by Avidyne.
| ePilot Calendar
| Check your weekend weather on AOPA Online.
WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
New Providence, Bahamas. Junkanoo Grand Finale Fly-In takes place November 30 through December 2 at Nassau International Airport (MYNN). Call 800/327-7678 for event information.
Watson,Illinois. Santa Fly-In takes place November 30 at Percival Springs Airport. Call 888/536-5352 or 217/536-9990 for event information.
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For more airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online . For more events, see Aviation Calendar of Events
AOPA PILOT TOWN MEETINGS
The next Pilot Town Meetings featuring AOPA President Phil Boyer are in Lexington, Kentucky, November 27 at the Hyatt Regency/Lexington, and in Richmond, Virginia, at the Hilton Richmond, November 29. Admission is free. See AOPA Online.
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 Cincinnati, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Houston, Texas, November 17 and 18. 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� Ground School will take place November 18 in Cincinnati and Albuquerque. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
Seminars are scheduled in Albany, New York, November 26; North Syracuse, New York, November 27; Rochester, New York, November 28; and Buffalo, New York, November 29. The topic is "Spatial Disorientation." See AOPA Online.
For comments on calendar items or to make submissions, contact Julie S. Walker at [email protected].
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