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Tel: 800/USA-AOPA or
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Copyright � 2002 AOPA. | Training Tips
| HANDLING RADIO FAILURE
 Procedures for handling radio failures are part of a student pilot's training. One is learning the series of light-gun signals ( See the FARs, Section 91.125) that a control tower can use as an alternate means of communicating with your aircraft. Another is setting your transponder to code 7600 so that if you are flying in an area of radar coverage, any air traffic control facility "working" your aircraft understands that your radio has failed. And there are several in-cockpit immediate action items you can use to attempt to remedy the problem. They are described in the December 1999 AOPA Pilot article "Com Failure."
On training flights and during your practical test, your knowledge of com failure procedures may be tested in one of three ways: orally (during the discussion of radio procedures or electrical malfunctions), by a simulated failure, or the real thing. Practice makes perfect, so don't let the flight test be the first test of your skill in this area. If your backup equipment includes a hand-held radio, use it a few times during your flight-test prep so that its characteristics are familiar, should you find its use necessary during the checkride.
Does loss of your com radios constitute an emergency? That depends. After all, many older aircraft still flown from nontowered airports have no radios. "Whether two-way communications failure constitutes an emergency depends on the circumstances, and in any event, it is a determination made by the pilot," notes the Aeronautical Information Manual . In an emergency the pilot in command is given authority to deviate from any rule to the extent necessary to meet the emergency. See a discussion of the relevant regulations in the April 1999 "Pilot Counsel." Remember: fly the airplane first! Don't rush things, or fall victim to anxiety as described in the September 1999 AOPA Flight Training article, "Get-down-itis."
Be sure you can give the correct answer on your Private Pilot Knowledge Test to questions testing your understanding of various lost-com scenarios. Most pilots will never need this information during their time as a pilot, but as with so many other scenarios we practice in training, the experience will prepare you to respond properly should the need arise.
| Your Partner in Training
| Getting ready to go for your first FAA medical? Log on to AOPA Online and get the essential information you should know. From a listing of FAA-accepted medications to medical subject reports, you'll find the resources that can help you understand the application process. We even have a searchable listing of aviation medical examiners in the United States. And AOPA's TurboMedical® application will walk you through the form, cautioning you about potentially problematic answers. As a member, you also have access to medical certification specialists who deal with the FAA on a regular basis. You can reach them by calling our Pilot Information Center at 800/USA-AOPA (872-2672).
As an AOPA Flight Training Member, you have access to all of the features within AOPA Online. For login information, click here.
| Flight Training News
| KEY LEGISLATORS SAY GA NOT A SECURITY THREAT
Some key members of Congress said last week that general aviation is not a threat to national security. In a hearing on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) opened by stating that general aviation is not a threat, adding that the danger remains in commercial aviation. Meanwhile, Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) asked Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta why there was still no plan to reopen the Washington, D.C.-area airports to general aviation. And he urged new TSA chief James Loy to protect GA access for all aviators. See AOPA�Online.
ERAU LAUNCHES ACCELERATED FIRST OFFICER PROGRAM
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has announced an accelerated First Officer Flight Training (FOFT) program. The 10- to 12-month course trains first officer candidates to regional airline and corporate fleet standards. It provides 550 hours of flight experience, using Diamond Aircraft's DA40-180 Diamond Star with a sophisticated instrument panel, and advanced jet simulator time. The Aviation and Space Technology Academy program targets people with four-year college degrees who want to become airline pilots. Prior flight training is not required. However, candidates who have a commercial pilot certificate with instrument and multiengine ratings can complete the program in four months, school officials said. For more information, see the program's Web site.
ACADEMY PROVIDING AIRLINE PILOTS
The FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Florida, is providing a stream of pilots to the airline industry, as well as to the business aviation community. For 35 years, the academy has provided professional pilot training to new and future airline pilots, typically college graduates with 1,500 flight hours and 500 hours of multiengine time. Atlantic Coast Airlines, based at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., recently recruited 20 first officer candidates directly from the academy. Other carriers use the academy, as well; more than 200 pilots for Delta Connection carrier ASA have trained there during the past two years. For more information, visit the Web site.
UND FOUNDATION TO TRAIN CIRRUS OWNERS
Flight training for buyers of Cirrus aircraft, provided at Cirrus Design Corporation's Duluth, Minnesota, customer center, will be conducted by the UND Aerospace Foundation. The foundation is a public nonprofit corporation that links the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota with the aviation industry. Cirrus includes a training program that typically lasts two days with each aircraft sold. The Cirrus site will be the foundation's sixth training center; the foundation plans to open a seventh this fall in Williston, North Dakota.
| Inside AOPA
| COLORADO LAWMAKERS, AVIATION GROUPS HONOR AOPA
Members of the Colorado legislature and two aviation groups recently honored AOPA for its efforts on behalf of general aviation after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Colorado lawmakers presented AOPA President Phil Boyer with a resolution, passed earlier this year, that commends him "for his relentless defense of general aviation in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and his success in returning general aviation to the skies of Colorado and the nation." Boyer is also the first recipient of the Lawyer Pilot Bar Association's Aviation Advocacy Award. "At a time when there was very little solid information, and a lot of misinformation, AOPA made sure not only its members, but all GA pilots knew what was happening," said William Wimsatt, LPBA president. And AOPA was honored with The Ninety-Nines Award of Merit.
Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
| Training Products
| Prepare for the oral examination, part of your practical test for the private pilot certificate, with the help of an updated book by Michael Hayes. Private Oral Exam Guide, written in a question-and-answer format that simulates the oral portion of the checkride, is available from Aviation Supplies and Academics, Inc. for $9.95. For more information or to order, visit the Web site or call 800/ASA-2-FLY.
| Final Exam
| Question: On a recent night flight, I identified the flashing white and green beacon of my intended airport. But, not far away, I noticed a flashing white, green, and yellow beacon. What was I looking at?
Answer: A beacon that flashes green, yellow, and white indicates a lighted heliport. Beacons that mark heliports usually flash at 30 to 45 flashes per minute. Other beacon color combinations are white and green for lighted land airports and white and yellow for lighted water airports. These beacons usually flash at 24 to 30 flashes per minutes. For more information on beacons, see Section 2-1-8 of the Aeronautical Information Manual or read "Airport Lights" or "Light Up Your Night: A Guide to Airport Lighting Systems" from AOPA Flight Training magazine.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? E-mail to [email protected] or call 800/872-2672.
| 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.
| What's New At AOPA Online
| The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Operation Airspace 2002 online course has been updated to reflect the latest policies regarding temporary flight restrictions. TFRs affect all pilots, from the beginning student to the veteran airline captain. Learn all about them on AOPA Online.
| Weekend Weather
| See the current weather on AOPA�Online, provided by Meteorlogix.
| ePilot Calendar
| WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
McCall, Idaho. The sixteenth annual NW Mountain Family Fly-in and Aviation Safety Conference takes place August 9 through 11 at McCall Airport (MYL). Call Frank Lester for more information, 208/334-8775, or visit the Web site.
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 Boulder, Colorado, and Dallas/Ft. Worth, on August 10 and 11. Clinics are also scheduled in Atlanta and Reno, Nevada, on August 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 in Dallas/Ft. Worth on August 11. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Little Rock, Arkansas, August 5; Memphis, Tennessee, August 6; Nashville, Tennessee, August 7; and Maryville, Tennessee, August 8. The topic is Single Pilot IFR. For the complete schedule, see AOPA�Online.
To make submissions to the calendar, visit AOPA Online. For comments on calendar items, e-mail [email protected].
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