A OPA Pilot Associate Editor Steven W. Ells' 2005 started in late 2004 when AOPA Pilot Editor in Chief Thomas B. Haines asked Ells to begin looking for a Rockwell Commander 112 for the 2005 sweepstakes (see " AOPA 2005 Sweepstakes: The Commander Countdown Has Begun," page 89). After deciding on the type of airplane, the next step was to learn what to look for in that model. Guidance from the passionate members of the Commander Owners Group (www.commander.org) helped define AOPA's search for the 1974 Rockwell Commander 112A, which the association bought in November. "I'm looking forward to keeping AOPA members up to date on every piece of equipment and every step in the process to transform N1169J into N112WN — AOPA's Commander Countdown project," says Ells.
"It's just glass, glass, glass everywhere," says AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Thomas A. Horne, speaking of Mooney's new Ovation2 GX (see " Mooney Gets Glass," page 72). This after flying 9.5 hours in a conventionally outfitted Beechcraft A36 Bonanza from AOPA's home base at the Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland to Mooney's Kerrville, Texas, factory. "You fly behind a traditional 'six-pack' of steam gauges, then jump in behind a Garmin G1000 panel, and it's culture shock," he adds. "But once you've spent some time with the G1000, you're sold. It's those views that make the big impression."
After his first excursion out of Kabul included a very dusty, 13-hour minibus ride covering about 170 miles on some of Afghanistan's questionable "main roads," journalist Jason Paur knew an airplane would be the only way to see the country (see " GA in Afghanistan," page 80). Luckily, his trip to Afghanistan included an assignment for AOPA Pilot to write the story about the humanitarian pilots who crisscross the desert nation delivering much-needed supplies and aid. "As both pilots and A&Ps, these guys work long hours, and it's not for the money," Paur says, "but they enjoy some of the most interesting flying in the world and get to help the people of this war-ravaged country."
"We have completely updated AOPA's Airport Directory so AOPA members can replace tattered copies of this popular print edition with a brand-new version," says Machteld A. Smith, director of AOPA's Airport Directory. The 2005-2006 edition is available to members who selected a copy with their renewal. "If you have not renewed yet, now is the time! You certainly won't want to miss out on this latest update stuffed with in-depth information on airports, FBOs, repair shops, and other need-to-know preflight planning solutions," says Smith (see " AOPA's Airport Directory Is Your Flying Companion," page 95).
