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Copyright © 2002 AOPA. | GA News
| CONTINENTAL ANNOUNCES 2003 PRICE INCREASES
Teledyne Continental Motors officials said that prices for 2003 products will increase by 10 percent for most items along with a 5-percent increase on the company's TopCare cylinders. "Our cost increases for 2003 are being driven largely by changes occurring in our insurance program and effects of September 11 [terrorist attacks]," said Bryan Lewis, president of Teledyne Continental. "Our goal is to hold the line on our prices if at all possible; however, we anticipate both the general economic climate impacts on general aviation and the aviation insurance markets will continue to be challenging." Continental officials said that it didn't make any cost increases for three of the past seven years thanks to improvements in its manufacturing processes.
FAA DEEMS EXXONMOBIL OIL OK
Independent testing by the FAA confirms that Exxon Aviation Elite oil contaminated with fine metal particles was in fact within industry specifications. ExxonMobil discovered in August that about 1,100 cases of the 20W-50 oil distributed in early summer had been contaminated by a wearing pump used in the manufacturing process. ExxonMobil alerted its distributors at that time and offered to take back any unsold oil. AOPA contacted ExxonMobil a few weeks ago after reports from members seeing the contaminants in the bottom of oil bottles. At the time ExxonMobil reported that the oil was well within industry specifications and caused no safety or maintenance issues. The independent testing requested by the FAA and AOPA confirmed those findings.
ANNUAL SUN 'N FUN RACE SET FOR APRIL
 Aircraft Spruce will host the twenty-first running of the Sun 100/Sun 60 Air Races as part of the annual Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida. The Sun 100, a 100-mile course, is for homebuilt aircraft while the Sun 60, a 60-mile event, is for certified aircraft. The homebuilt race is scheduled for April 3 with the certified race the following day. Each race is restricted to 75 aircraft and there is a $25 entry fee. To obtain an entry form, contact Jerry Aguilar at Aircraft Spruce, 800/824-1930 or e-mail.
BE A PILOT INQUIRIES UP 6.2 PERCENT THIS YEAR
Inquiries in flight training generated through the aviation industry's Be A Pilot program increased 6.2 percent in 2002 through early December, Be A Pilot reported. The program has generated more than 32,000 prospects so far this year. A follow-up survey estimates this could produce some 5,000 new student pilots, Be A Pilot President/CEO Drew Steketee said. "We're back from September 11, 2001-up 4 percent most of the year and now, even more," said Steketee. "Response to the program this autumn was 50 percent to 70 percent higher each month compared to post-9/11 months in 2001." Through November, more than 750,000 people had visited the Be A Pilot Web site, where they can download or print out a $49 Introductory First Flight Certificate, or locate a nearby flight school.
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.
| Inside AOPA
| JOIN THE CONVERSATION AND STAND UP FOR GA, AOPA SAYS
AOPA is asking its members to "join the conversation" and let Time magazine's top management know what they think about an inflammatory ad suggesting small general aviation aircraft pose a threat to nuclear power facilities. The "house ad," which is supposed to promote the Time brand, appeared in the December 23 edition and shows two GA aircraft tied down on a ramp with nuclear power plant cooling towers in the background. The caption reads, "Remember when only environmentalists would have been alarmed by this photo?" AOPA has already responded with a sharp letter to the editor, "but we think it's important that Time's management understand that their pilot readers expect fair, reasonable, and unbiased coverage, whether it's in news reporting or in the magazine's own advertisements," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. AOPA suggests that you write to Time magazine President Eileen Naughton and Publisher Edward R. McCarrick and point out that this ad needlessly raises public fears without contributing to rational discourse. For more, see AOPA Online.
...BUT 'TIME' MAGAZINE ALSO RUNS POSITIVE GA STORY
While Time magazine's advertising department was taking a swipe at general aviation, its news department wrote about how busy executives are turning to GA to avoid airline delays and traffic jams. The article, which appeared in a special edition of Time distributed to 2.7 million high-income and high-profile individuals, is in fact quite complimentary about the benefits of general aviation. " Time seems to want it both ways," Boyer added. "On the one hand, the magazine implies to its broad general audience that general aviation is a threat to nuclear power plants, while on the other, it tells a select few that GA is a boon to businesspeople. We GA pilots appreciate the kind words in the article, but could do without the character assassination in the ad." See AOPA Online.
HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF TAPES STATEMENT FOR AOPA VIDEO
White House Homeland Security Advisor Tom Ridge last week videotaped the opening segment for AOPA's Airport Watch video. Ridge, who soon will become secretary of Homeland Security, said that Airport Watch is "a great example of government and the private sector working together to secure the homeland." The video, produced in consultation with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other law enforcement agencies, dramatizes some of the things pilots should watch for and report to the police or to the national toll-free security hotline, 866/GA-SECURE (866/427-3287). The video will be available for distribution to pilot and airport groups in January.
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| On Capitol Hill
| AOPA MEMBER SELECTED AS SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
Pilot and AOPA member Sen. William H. Frist (R-Tenn.) was elected in an unusual conference call vote on Monday to be the new Senate majority leader. "We're thrilled that someone with Sen. Frist's piloting credentials, who understands general aviation, will be at the controls of the U.S. Senate as the new legislative session begins in January," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "We wish him congratulations on his selection as majority leader for the 108th Congress, and look forward to working with him during the coming years." Frist, a renowned heart surgeon, founded the Vanderbilt Transplant Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and is an instrument-rated commercial multiengine pilot. During the debate on the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the Twenty-First Century, popularly known as AIR-21, Frist was instrumental in winning approval of an AOPA proposal to move aeronautical charting from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the FAA.
| AOPA Air Safety Foundation News
| ASF SETS NEW ATTENDANCE RECORDS
A record number of pilots attended AOPA Air Safety Foundation live seminars in 2002. More than 33,300 pilots attended one of the 140 free seminars on Single Pilot IFR and Spatial Disorientation. In addition, ASF premiered its first 2003 seminar "Ups and Downs of GA: Takeoffs and Landings" to a standing-room-only audience of pilots and guests at AOPA Expo last fall. "By making such an investment of their time, these general aviation pilots recognize the crucial need for recurrent safety education," stated Bruce Landsberg, ASF's executive director. ASF is the world's largest non-governmental provider of GA pilot safety education. The foundation is primarily supported by charitable donations, especially those from GA pilots. For more information on how you can help, please go to AOPA Online or telephone 800/955-9115.
| Quiz Me!
| Here's a question asked by an AOPA member last week of our AOPA technical specialists. Test your knowledge.
Question: What does the letter "B" represent in the name of the "VOR-B" instrument approach into the Morey Airport in Middleton, Wisconsin?
Answer: According to the United States Standard for Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS), Chapter 1, Section 6, Part 162 "Circling Procedure Identification," when an approach procedure doesn't meet the criteria for straight-in landing minimums authorization, it is identified by the type of navigational aid which provides final approach guidance and an alphabetical suffix starting with the beginning of the alphabet. As additional procedures are formulated, they are identified alphabetically in sequence. In the case of Morey Airport, you will notice that there is also a "VOR-A" approach listed in the NACO Terminal Procedures publication. The TERPS may be accessed on AOPA Online.
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 Waco Update
| From start to finish, a photo gallery of the restored and now flying AOPA Sweepstakes Waco UPF-7 has been posted for your viewing pleasure. The aircraft will be awarded in January 2004 to the winner of the AOPA Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes. See AOPA Online.
| Picture Perfect
| | The AOPA Online Gallery allows you to download your favorite images to use for wallpaper, send a personalized e-card, and order high-quality prints to be shipped directly to your doorstep. Search the hundreds of fabulous images in our archives and select your favorites today! For more details, see AOPA Online.
| What's New At AOPA Online
| Looking to enhance your flight training? See AOPA Online for a compilation of the latest flight training devices.
| Weekend Weather
| See the current weather on AOPA Online, provided by Meteorlogix.
| ePilot Calendar
| WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Due to the upcoming holiday, there are no calendar events for this week. To submit an event to the calendar, or search all events, visit AOPA Online. For airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online .
For comments on calendar items, contact [email protected].
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 San Jose, California; Jackson, Mississippi; and Portland, Oregon, January 4 and 5. Clinics are also scheduled in Detroit; Rochester, New York; and Seattle, January 11 and 12. Attend a FIRC during the month of December and receive a free ASF umbrella! 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 Schools will take place in Detroit, and Seattle, January 12. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Reno, Nevada, January 6; Sacramento, California, January 7; San Jose, California, January 8; Oakland, California, January 9; and Santa Rosa, California, January 10. The topic is "The Ups and Downs of Takeoffs and Landings." For the complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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