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Copyright © 2003 AOPA. | Training Tips
| VISUALIZE IT BEFORE YOU GO
Skillful flying is marked by using a runway, or passing through airspace, that your mind has already examined and deemed acceptable for use. That is, you visualized  the situation ahead and determined that it was safe to proceed. Had you determined otherwise, you would be flying in a different direction or looking for a place to land. This is also known as "situational awareness," and it covers every aspect of flying, from digesting preflight briefing data-as in Karen M. Kahn's feature "Weather or Not" in the November 2002 AOPA Flight Training to knowing how to enter the traffic pattern at your destination airport. Robert N. Rossier breaks down this concept into individual components in his feature, "Situational Awareness," in the November 1997 issue of Flight Training.
A good example of visualization is knowing how to avoid wake turbulence, as was described in the January 24, 2003, Training Tips article "Staying Clear of the Wake." "The key to avoiding the wake turbulence from another airplane is to visualize what the vortices are doing and stay out of their way," writes Jack Williams in "The Weather Never Sleeps" in the August 2002 AOPA Flight Training.
Visualization is also the key to successfully performing such advanced maneuvers as the routines flown by airshow pilots. That's part of a training technique known as "imagined rehearsal." How to apply this concept to primary flight training is explained by AOPA Flight Training columnist Rod Machado in the June 2000 "Instructor Report."
A pilot's role in accident prevention is largely dependent on situational awareness. Before accepting a clearance to taxi on a runway, take off, or land, be sure that it squares with your understanding of the situation. See the "Accident Analysis" column in the October 2002 AOPA Flight Training for examples of pitfalls to avoid.
Learn from one new pilot's situational misadventures on arriving in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as he recounts in "Learning Experiences" in the March 2003 AOPA Flight Training. Then stay safe by never operating an aircraft on the ground or in airspace that you haven't already visited through visualization!
| Your Partner in Training
| Whether you're a VFR pilot, a student taking instrument training, or an instrument-rated pilot who needs help preparing for that next instrument proficiency check, the 1998 "Instrument Insights" series in AOPA Pilot magazine will provide valuable tips and a great review. Do you have a question? Call our experienced pilots-available weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern toll-free at 800/872-2672.
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
| GA'S VOICE GETS LOUDER: AOPA TOPS 400,000 MEMBERS
Membership in AOPA surpassed 400,000 members Tuesday, a new record for the world's largest civil aviation organization that also places AOPA among the 100 largest associations of any kind in the nation. Why is this milestone important to general aviation pilots? "It means that pilots have an extraordinarily powerful advocate before the regulators and the legislators," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "They can't ignore 400,000 committed, passionate aviators and voters. And AOPA is their voice." More than 61 percent of all U.S. pilots-and three-quarters of the general aviation pilots-are AOPA members. In 1977, AOPA had 200,000 members, about 26 percent of the total pilot population. By 1989, membership grew to 300,000, about 43 percent of all pilots. Even in the uncertainty following the September 11 attacks, AOPA membership grew by more than 25,000. "I think that demonstrates two things," said Boyer. "General aviation pilots remain optimistic about the future of aviation in this country. And pilots believe that AOPA can help ensure that future."
LEARN-TO-FLY PROGRAM GAINS SUPPORT
Aircraft manufacturers are increasing their support for Be A Pilot, the aviation industry's program to encourage people to learn to fly. The Lancair Company has contributed $25,000 to become the program's first new major sponsor of 2003. And Cirrus Design Corporation has doubled its annual support for the program, to $50,000 per year. For more information on the program, or to download a coupon for a discounted $49 introductory flight lesson, visit the Be A Pilot Web site.
| Inside AOPA
| PRODUCTION BEGINS ON MANEUVERING FLIGHT SEMINAR
Videotaping for a new AOPA Air Safety Foundation safety seminar on maneuvering flight began last week at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome near Kingston, New York. The two-hour seminar, Watch This! will focus on the hidden dangers of maneuvering flight, which annually accounts for more than half of all general aviation fatalities. It will include new ASF research on stall and spin accidents and will offer practical safety tips for pilots. Watch This! is set to debut in mid-September. A schedule of upcoming ASF live safety seminars can be found at AOPA Online.
AOPA PROTECTS GA INTERESTS IN FAA NAVIGATION PLAN
Today's avionics equipment will continue to serve general aviation pilots well into the future, thanks to AOPA advocacy that helped to shape an FAA roadmap for the future of aerial navigation. The "Roadmap for Performance-Based Navigation" is an air-carrier-driven plan to tighten navigational tolerances and increase airspace capacity. Released on Monday, the plan creates a system in which an aircraft must meet specific avionics capabilities (required navigation performance, or RNP) to use airways and arrival and departure procedures in Class B airspace. VFR aircraft are exempt from the RNP requirements, and IFR aircraft can participate using current IFR-certified GPS receivers. "If you've already invested in an IFR-certified GPS, you're set for RNP operations down to nonprecision approaches," said Randy Kenagy, AOPA senior director of advanced technology. "For precision approaches, your trusty ILS or new WAAS receiver will do just fine for years to come." For more, see AOPA Online.
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| Training Products
| INSTRUMENT APPROACH ADD-ONS AVAILABLE FOR ELITE SOFTWARE
Elite Simulation Solutions is unveiling a series of add-ons to be used with its Elite IFR simulation software that let the user practice flying instrument approaches in an air traffic control environment. "Instrument Approach Scenarios" utilize interactive scenarios that are driven by the voices of air traffic controllers who pitch a variety of approaches-holds, missed approaches, and full approaches with procedure turns, among others-to the pilot. The program also lets the pilot acknowledge specific ATC requests when necessary. You can have a virtual flight instructor in the cockpit with you to provide tips or handle the radios. Regional packages for Southern California ($49), Wisconsin/Illinois ($79.95-requires v7.05), and Florida are available. For more information, see the Web site.
| | Final Exam | Question: One of the requirements for a commercial pilot certificate is a long solo cross-country trip of 300 nm. I don't see solo defined in the federal aviation regulations. Can I take a nonpilot passenger along with me on the trip or do I really have to be solo?
Answer: FAR 61.51 (d) defines "solo" as "that flight time when the pilot is the sole occupant of the aircraft." So, you cannot have anyone with you while completing the solo cross-country required for the commercial certificate.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? E-mail to [email protected] or call 800/872-2672. Don't forget the archive of questions and answers from AOPA's ePilot and ePilot Flight Training. FAQs are searchable by keyword or topic.
| 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
| Even if you are past the point of solo and hard at work on your cross-country flights, you'll want to take a look at the updated AOPA's Guide to Learning to Fly on AOPA Online. Here you'll find information on finding a mentor (or becoming one yourself!), tips on managing expectations, topping hurdles, and handling delays in flight training, as well as ways to save money on the road to earning your private pilot certificate.
| Weekend Weather
| See the current weather on AOPA Online, provided by Meteorlogix.
| ePilot Calendar
| WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Willow Run, Michigan. Thunder Over Michigan takes place August 9 and 10 at the Yankee Air Museum at the Willow Run Airport (YIP) near Detroit. North America's largest display of warbirds and fighters from the European conflict. Show features a VIP Commander's Club and guests Chuck Yeager and Gunther Rall of the Luftwaffe at the Ace's Dinner. Contact Sara Norman, 313/570-3319, or visit the Web site.
Auburn, California. Thunder in the Sky takes place August 9 at Auburn Municipal Airport (AUN). Celebrating a century of flight with fun, food, and flying for the whole family. Featuring classics, warbirds, antiques, and more! Contact Evan Wolfe, 530/885-4700, or visit the Web site.
To submit an event to the calendar, or search all events, visit AOPA Online. For airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory 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 Long Beach, California, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, August 9 and 10. Clinics are also scheduled in Oakland, California, and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, August 16 and 17. For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the CFI Renewal Online.
ASF PINCH-HITTER GROUND-SCHOOL COURSES
(Pinch-Hitter courses start at 9:30 a.m.)
The next Pinch-Hitter® Ground School takes place in Oakland, California, August 17. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Eden Prarie, Minnesota, August 11;Rogers, Arkansas, and Des Moines, Iowa, August 12; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Omaha, Nebraska, August 13; and Wichita, Kansas, August 14. The topic is Say Intentions. For complete details, see AOPA Online.
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