You do have a flight instructor on call--make that 11 flight instructors. They're part of the AOPA Pilot Information Center staff: 14 pilots, flight instructors, and aircraft owners available to answer all of your aviation questions. The Pilot Information Center, or PIC, encompasses AOPA's Medical Certification Department, which has two medical specialists, one medical coordinator, and a director of medical certification on call to answer questions or concerns related to that important piece of paper that lets you be pilot in command. They're available by telephone (800/USA-AOPA) weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and you can send an e-mail any time.
Do your fellow AOPA members use this benefit? Indeed they do. From January 1 through October 31, 2005, the PIC had responded to 94,788 telephone calls and replied to 37,338 e-mails on a wide variety of topics. (One that crops up periodically is whether the flight review and the takeoffs and landings requirement to carry passengers are category- and class-specific. Answer: A flight review can be completed in any category and class for which you are rated, but takeoffs and landings need to be in the category, class, and type [if a type rating is required] of aircraft in which you intend to carry passengers.)
Don't forget to check the online Pilot Information Center at AOPA Online, where you'll find frequently asked questions and answers on a variety of popular aviation topics such as international flying, planning a flight, advanced flight training, medical certification, and becoming a pilot.
Call 800/USA-AOPA or e-mail if you have questions.
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