| Advertisers
       
Do not reply to this e-mail. Got news? Contact ePilot. Having difficulty using this service? Visit the ePilot Frequently Asked Questions now at AOPA Online or write to [email protected].
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
421 Aviation Way
Frederick, MD 21701
Tel: 800/USA-AOPA or
301/695-2000
Copyright � 2002 AOPA. | Training Tips
| GRAND ARRIVAL
An approach and landing sequence is always an exhilarating affair, a time when you combine many of the basic skills you have learned--and get an instant return on your "investment." Especially invigorating is this moment when the wheels squeak onto the runway exactly where and when you wanted them to. And this thrill is doubly exciting when it culminates your first arrival at a new and unfamiliar destination.
 But if that first landing in new surroundings doesn't measure up to the standard of perfection your have come to expect of yourself at home, do not be disappointed or surprised. Concluding a flight at an unfamiliar airport imposes a significantly different workload on a student pilot than does "returning to the barn" at the end of a local flight. (Ever been "Confused in the Pattern"? What pilot hasn't? The issue is discussed in a September 2000 AOPA Flight Training article online).
First, the pilot must visualize the arrival route in relation to entering the traffic pattern for the active runway, either as instructed by air traffic control or in accordance with rules for operations at non-towered airports (review the relevant chapter of the Aeronautical Information Manual) . Next, an adjustment may have to be made for unfamiliar terrain, obstacles, runway dimensions or other unusual physical characteristics.
Maybe you are a pilot who trained at a towered airport and are making an arrival at a nontowered field. See some pointers from the November 1995 AOPA Pilot article "A Pattern for Safety." Then there is always the crosswind component to contend with, and perhaps a new kind of airspace with different operating rules, as discussed in the July 2001 AOPA Flight Training article, "Safe and Sound."
Managing all these considerations points up the importance of establishing a stabilized approach. Apply the techniques discussed in the AOPA Flight Training Instructor Report of October 2001 on proper approaches, and you will find it easier to divide your attention between the various workload demands of an arrival at a new destination.
| Your AOPA�Membership
| AOPA is your best training partner! Your membership offers many resources to help you earn your wings. Our extensive collection of subject reports, for instance, is a library of information right at your fingertips. Do you have a question about aviation terminology? You'll find the answer on AOPA Online. Check out winter flying tips. Or, learn the dos and don'ts of keeping a logbook. Of course, if you have any questions after visiting our site, call 1-800-USA-AOPA.
As an AOPA Flight Training Trial Member, you have access to all of the features within AOPA Online. If you have received a copy of the magazine or your membership credentials in the mail, log in using your eight-digit member number, which is also your username. If you have not yet received your number, please call AOPA Member Assistance at 800/872-2672 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern for assistance.
| Flight Training News
| FAA CONSIDERING INTERNET AS FLIGHT INFO SOURCE
Do you get "mic fright" when you call Flight Service for a weather briefing? The FAA is thinking about approving the Internet as an "official" flight information source. AOPA has been pushing for years for the FAA to use the power of the Internet to get pilots the information they need quickly and efficiently, and to change agency policy so that a pilot can legally use Web resources to make operational decisions. Today a pilot can get aviation weather and notams on the Web from a variety of government and other sources, but they don't count–except for DUAT–as a legal preflight briefing. AOPA's Online Flight Planning Service uses DUAT and is a legal briefing.
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT HONORED
The first recipient of the Curtis Eads Memorial Scholarship will be honored with an award ceremony held at the Hampton Roads Executive Airport in Chesapeake, Virginia. Some 45 years ago, Eads–an active pilot for more than 58 years and a flight instructor since 1946--and his wife Ruby started the Curtis Eads Flight School at the airport. Eads died this year, and in memory of his accomplishments and contributions to the airport and to the aviation industry in whole, the airport's owners set up a $1,000 annual scholarship fund in his name. The Curtis Eads Flight Training Memorial Scholarship pays for flight training at any flight school on the field. The event, scheduled for January 31 at 4 p.m., will be held in the lounge of the Terminal Building at the airport.
| Inside AOPA
| THREE AIRPORTS TO REOPEN SOON, AOPA LEARNS
FAA Administrator Jane Garvey told the Washington Aero Club Wednesday that the last three closed general aviation airports in the Washington, D.C., area should be able to open within the next few days. AOPA has confirmed with FAA sources that the agency has completed work on the special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) that will establish the security and airspace rules that will permit based aircraft to begin flying again out of College Park (CGS), Potomac Airfield (VKX), and Washington Executive/Hyde Field (W32). The SFAR will now have to be reviewed by security agencies including the U.S. Secret Service. However, these agencies have already seen drafts of the rule and have agreed to the overall concepts. The airports have remained closed since September 11. AOPA last Friday sent about 30,000 ePilot special bulletins to East Coast members about progress on the issue. See AOPA Online.
Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
| Training Products
| ORGANIZATIONALLY CHALLENGED IN THE COCKPIT?
Even student pilots have a lot of stuff. Do you need a back-friendly way to carry your flight gear and laptop while you're flying? Check out RoadWired's new Digital Daypack, a padded, heavy-duty backpack that can hold a headset, transceiver, and computer along with the charts and accessories you use while flying. Retail price is $169.95. For more, see the Web site or call 877/435-5679.
| Final Exam
| Question: I just received my private pilot certificate. Am I allowed to laminate it?
Answer: Congratulations on earning your certificate! According to a letter of interpretation that AOPA received from the office of the FAA Assistant Chief Counsel, a pilot certificate may be laminated. Ensure that the certificate is signed and then you may laminate it.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? E-mail to [email protected] or call 800/872-2672.
| What's New At AOPA Online
| After the suicide flight of a 15-year-old student pilot in Florida on January 5, general aviation airport security came under intense public scrutiny. Since then, AOPA has been a prominent presence in broadcast news reports, talk shows, newspapers, and magazines, explaining what steps have been taken to tighten security and why airport security is not a "one-size-fits-all" proposition. Clips of AOPA President Phil Boyer appearing on CNN and MSNBC news programs are available on AOPA Online. A broadband connection is recommended.
| 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
Kalamazoo, Michigan. Open Cockpit Weekends, featuring different vintage airplanes, take place each weekend in February at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, located at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO). Call 616/382-6555 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 Nashua, New Hampshire, and Dallas, February 2 and 3; Clinics are scheduled in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Las Vegas, and Oklahoma City, February 9 and 10. 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 on February 3. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Denver, Colorado, February 5; Colorado Springs, Colorado, February 6; Mesa, Arizona, February 12; and Tucson, Arizona, February 13. The topic is Spatial Disorientation. For more information, visit the Web site.
For comments on calendar items or to make submissions, contact Julie S. Walker at [email protected].
| |
