Training Notes and News

Man dies in fall from Cessna 152

A 47-year-old Houston-area man died in a fall from a Cessna 152 on November 17, 2002, Texas law enforcement officials said. Russell Edward Filler, who held a private pilot certificate, rented the aircraft and hired an instructor from National Aviation Services at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport in Spring, Texas, to renew his flying skills, said Lt. John Kremmer of the Waller County sheriff's office. FAA officials told AOPA Flight Training that Filler's second-class medical certificate expired in 1979.

Filler, who worked for a NASA subcontractor, told instructor Benito Frank Munoz that he wanted to go to 9,000 feet to see if a past problem with his ears had been corrected by recent treatments. Munoz told officials Filler took the aircraft to 9,000 feet, turned the controls over to Munoz, and asked him to demonstrate a steep turn, the Houston Chronicle reported. As Munoz entered the turn he heard a bump and glanced over to see Filler's feet going out the door, according to the Chronicle. His body was found two days later.

Kremmer said examinations of the aircraft seatbelt and door have shown no defects. Other area law enforcement officials told reporters they had previously interviewed Filler about a laptop computer that was missing from NASA, which Filler said he had bought in a parking lot after answering an ad placed on a grocery store bulletin board.

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Airport directory going to press

The forty-first edition of AOPA's Airport Directory will be published in mid-February. A $39.95 value, the directory is free to all paid AOPA members who choose to receive it. Completely updated since the last edition, the 650-page directory includes detailed listings for more than 5,400 public-use airports and 2,000 private-use landing sites. It includes listings for some 6,400 FBOs at which your purchases made with the AOPA credit card are eligible for the AOPA 5 Percent FBO Rebate.

This valuable directory is the most comprehensive airport directory available anywhere. However, the information that it contains is also available electronically. Airport data is updated every business day on AOPA Online www.aopa.org/members/airports. AOPA's Airport Directory Online includes access to always-current airport taxiway diagrams and instrument approach procedures - another free member benefit.

For offline use, download AOPA's Airport eDirectory to sort and print the data from your IBM-compatible PC. For use in the cockpit, the eDirectory can synch current data to your Palm-based personal digital assistant. Make sure you take full advantage of the valuable airport directory data in all of its many forms.

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Instructors can renew certificates at WAI

AOPA Flight Training magazine is sponsoring a flight instructor refresher clinic (FIRC) at the International Women in Aviation Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, in March. Completion of the course allows CFIs to renew their certificates up to three months in advance. The FIRC will be held March 19 and 20 as part of the conference, which runs March 20 through 23.

This is the first time that a FIRC has been held in conjunction with the Women in Aviation conference. Cost of the course is $150 for WAI members and $195 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, visit the Women in Aviation Web site www.wiai.org/conference/index.cfm.

The FIRC is being conducted by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. For a schedule of other ASF FIRCs, see AOPA Online www.aopa.org/asf/schedules/aboutfirc.html.

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Tricks you can use when filing GPS direct

We're in the infancy of the GPS era, an exciting time in which GA pilots are leading the way, but it's one fraught with growing pains. Members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) - which represents FAA air traffic controllers in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, and Washington, D.C., were interviewed recently for their tips on when and how to file GPS direct.

Boiled down, here is their advice: VFR? Go where you want, but stay well clear of busy airspace or obtain VFR traffic advisories. Controllers prefer that you stay away from even those VORs just outside of Class B airspace if they are used as arrival or departure fixes. IFR? You can fly direct for hours across the hinterlands, but around busy airspace, stay on airways.

There aren't any GPS routes in and around Class B airspace, and it isn't a situation that AOPA likes very much. For years, AOPA has worked with NATCA and the FAA to solve the current problem faced by its members of 40- to 70-mile reroutes around Class B areas. AOPA recently renewed the effort and is calling on FAA air traffic control officials to provide routes that won't affect other operations.

As a side issue, one controller in New York said some GA pilots know less about their location when using GPS than when flying on airways using VORs. "Here's a common scenario," the controller said. "A pilot will report that the aircraft is 93.2 nm on a 039 bearing from JFK. I will answer, 'That's nice. Now, can you give me your position within three to five miles relative to an airport, navaid, or VFR reporting point so I can figure out if you are in my airspace?'" The response is usually, "Uhh, stand by," followed by five minutes of silence from the pilot.

The controller said he has perfected his response to such pilots. "I once responded, 'And I'm 1,329 miles on a 087 bearing from my mom's house. As soon as you can figure out where I'm located, I'll try to figure out where you're located.'"

What follows are some tips from Bruce Morey, a Socal Approach controller in California and NATCA's representative for the Western Pacific Region on RNAV (area navigation) and GPS issues.

• Do not plan on flying direct to or from an airport in busy airspace. Such routes will never be cleared as filed. This is particularly true along the East Coast, West Coast, and in Florida, but it applies to busy airspace anywhere. Outside busy airspace and away from the coastal corridors, IFR GPS direct seems to work.
• Use standard instrument departure and standard terminal arrival routes if published for your class of aircraft. It's smart to file a SID and then transition to a VOR for departure, then file en route direct to a VOR that begins a STAR. This route may be approved as filed.
• If no SID or STAR exists for your airport, try to determine "entry fixes" and "exit fixes" for your departure and destination airports. This takes some detective work. Look over the airway structure near the airport. Over which VORs or intersections do SIDs or STARs for nearby airports route aircraft? These can provide clues about the routing to expect.
• If departing an airport in busy airspace, choose an en route VOR near the departure airport, and then file airways until you reach a VOR outside the metropolitan area. From that point on file direct to a VOR that is a reasonable distance outside the destination's metropolitan area, then file airways to the initial approach fix for the destination.
• Always take terrain into account. Look over the published IFR departure procedure and published approaches for your destination. Include them in your route. Check to be sure you can comply with IFR altitude minima on any filed direct routes.
• Do not file IFR direct routes that will take you into special-use airspace such as restricted areas, prohibited areas, or military operations areas. You will definitely be rerouted around such areas.
• When giving your position to ATC, always reference a nearby VOR or airport. Almost all GPS units have a "Nearest" button to provide the location of a nearby airport or VOR. Use it!

- Alton K. Marsh

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Airline pilots still in demand, company reports

More than 400 pilots met with representatives from 15 airlines during Air, Inc.'s recent Airline Pilot Career Seminar, Airline Forum, and Job Fair in Washington, D.C. Comair scheduled interviews at the fair while at least two other carriers conducted interviews on site, the company said. "Many pilots are unaware that there are still opportunities at every level - majors, nationals, regionals; passengers, cargo, and fractionals," said Kit Darby, Air, Inc.'s president. The company holds career seminars regularly. For more information visit the Web site ww.jet-jobs.com.

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Three grads earn Citation type ratings

Three recent graduates of college aviation programs have earned Cessna Citation V type ratings after training at CAE SimuFlite under scholarships awarded through the University Aviation Association. Type ratings are required by the FAA before a pilot can fly large aircraft or any jet-powered plane. Kevin Buettner of Grand Forks, North Dakota; Kevin Donahue of Phoenix; and Kevin Giefer of Salina, Kansas, trained at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for two weeks.

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New helicopter school opens in Virginia

Northstar Aviation has begun helicopter-training operations in Bristol, Virginia, located in the southwestern corner of the state. The school operates a Schweizer 300C and a 300CB from a private airport near Virginia Highlands Airport. For more information, telephone 276/642-0007.

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SCHOOL NEWS

Bridgewater State, Comair form partnership

Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, has formed a partnership with Comair Aviation Academy. Under the agreement, Comair Academy - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comair and Delta Air Lines - will become the sole flight training school for Bridgewater State aviation students. Comair Academy will establish a facility at New Bedford Regional Airport and will conduct all phases of flight training for the college's aviation science majors. Upon graduation from Bridgewater State, aviation majors will have the opportunity to work as flight instructors for the academy, and after earning advanced pilot credentials they will be guaranteed an interview with the Delta Connection airline. "We believe that this professional training program represents the best of collegiate and industry partnering," said Frank Sargent, director of aviation planning and operations for Bridgewater State. "It also provides a seamless transition from the academic environment to a responsible industry position. Our college's aviation majors and, ultimately, the traveling public will benefit from this alliance."

Helicopter school offers college degrees

MG Aviation in Greenville, South Carolina, has joined the Pilot Career Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that offers college degrees in aviation through Utah Valley State College, so that students can learn to fly helicopters at MG Aviation while completing an online associate's or bachelor's degree at the college. "The college degree programs allow pilots to show prospective employers they studied a particular curriculum in conjunction with their pilot training," said Glenn Counsil, MG Aviation president. For more information, visit the Web site www.mgaviation.com or call 864/232-6789.

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UAA announces collegiate aviation award winners

The University Aviation Association has announced its 2002 Collegiate Aviation Awards, which were presented during a recent banquet in Orlando. The recipients were Thomas Q. Carney and John P. Young of Purdue University, Royce Ann Martin of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and Jeremy Brown of The New Piper Aircraft Inc. Rudy Frasca, widely recognized for his contributions to flight simulation, was honored with the UAA President�s Award for his commitment to UAA and the collegiate aviation community.

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Arkansas school wins aerospace award

The NorthWest Arkansas Community College Aviation Department has received the Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award from the Civil Air Patrol. The award is presented in commemoration of Frank Brewer and his lifelong interest in aviation, youth, and education. Beth White, CAP director of aerospace education for the southwest region, said recognition is given to individuals and organizations that "have made outstanding contributions, out of selfless devotion, to the advancement of youth in aerospace activities." Competing organizations for the award were based in Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas.

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Comair Academy acquires RJ simulator

Comair Aviation Academy in Sanford, Florida, has ordered a Frasca Bridge Trainer modeled after Bombardier's CRJ200 regional jet. The flight simulator is designed to provide EFIS, EICAS, autopilot, and flight management system (FMS) training. Actual Collins FMS software will allow it to deliver FMS simulation fidelity identical to what would occur in the cockpit during flight. For more information on Frasca simulators, visit the Web site www.frasca.com.

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Dowling gets twin FTD

The Dowling College School of Aviation purchased a Frasca 242 flight training device (FTD) for use at its 105-acre Brookhaven Center, adjacent Brookhaven Airport in Oakdale, New York. The FTD is designed to simulate flight in a twin-engine aircraft. Dowling utilizes Piper Seminoles in its fleet of trainers. The 242 is the third Frasca simulator purchased by the college. For more information, see the Web site www.dowling.edu.

The Dowling College Precision Flight Team recently won its regional National Intercollegiate Flying Association competition, earning the right to compete in national competition at the University of North Dakota in May. The regional event included four colleges and 35 total competitors.