Members Only -- AOPA ePilot Flight Training Edition, Vol. 7, Issue 31

In this issue:
Columbia Aircraft launches CFI scholarship program
Pilots heat up FSS hotline
Safety Quiz will help you decipher notams

EN ROUTE AWARENESS
How deep are your aircraft's tanks? A startling question; not something you'd ponder while on the ground at one of your stops on a cross-country flight.

Or would you? After landing, a pilot has many things to attend to, especially on a multi-leg flight. Personal needs, some food, and ordering fuel come first. Next it is time to update your weather briefing and review flight planning items such as your departure course line and checkpoints as well as the radio frequencies for the next leg. Does the new weather information require that you change your cruise altitude, or that you take on extra fuel based on recalculated estimated groundspeeds? Check pireps. They're first-hand observations and can provide the best update on flight conditions.

Ground delays can crop up as you seek out food, fuel, and weather. Should you amend your VFR flight plan to reflect a later estimated time of arrival? File multiple legs separately, but do file and activate a VFR flight plan. Maximizing your flight plan's efficiency while avoiding common errors is made easy following the useful tips in the October 2003 AOPA Flight Training article " Paper Trail."

If you are departing a nontowered airport and want to request radar flight following, the correct frequency and the controlling ATC facility can be found in such sources as this listing for Dillant-Hopkins Airport (EEN) in Keene, New Hampshire, in AOPA's Airport Directory Online. Contact Boston Center on 123.75 MHz to request traffic advisories. When you arrived here, you monitored EEN's automated weather station on 119.025 MHz. Do so again before departure.

As for the depth of those fuel tanks: You know that you should check your new fuel load for water or other contaminants. But doing so immediately after refueling may not work. How long should you wait? "According to industry standards, the minimum safe settling time for aviation fuel is 15 minutes per foot of depth of water. Therefore, if your aircraft has fuel tanks that are 6 inches in depth, the minimum wait time should be 7.5 minutes," was the reply to a Frequently Asked Question on AOPA Online.

Ground time isn't down time on a cross-country. Stay aware and informed en route.

"My flight instructor and I just don't click." Are you having problems with your instructor or your flight school? Talking about it could help clear things up. Before making a drastic move that could set back your training, read this article from the January 2004 AOPA Flight Training magazine. If you have additional questions, call the Pilot Information Center at 800/USA-AOPA between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern.

As an AOPA Flight Training Member, you have access to all of the features within AOPA Online and AOPA Flight Training Online. Login information is available online.

COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT LAUNCHES CFI SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Columbia Aircraft wants certificated flight instructors to add Columbia-specific training to their repertoire and has launched a new scholarship program to help subsidize the cost. The program is designed to provide Columbia owners with a larger pool of qualified flight instructors to help maintain proficiency or support training toward advanced ratings. CFIs with at least 250 hours of dual may qualify for a full scholarship worth $2,500 to attend the Columbia Flight Institute if a student they recommend purchases a new Columbia aircraft.

PILOTS USE FSS HOTLINE
The flight service station (FSS) comment line (888/FLT-SRVC) is operating, and pilots are using it to relay their concerns to the FAA, Lockheed Martin, and AOPA. The line received 48 comments within the first four days of operation. "The majority of comments have fallen into the same complaint areas," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "Delays in getting through to a briefer, and poor briefings or briefers unfamiliar with the area." If pilots call immediately after a bad briefing, dropped call, or excessive hold time, data can be generated on the quality of the service. And that's what really matters to pilots, Rudinger said. For more, see the complete story on AOPA Online. 

SAFETY QUIZ WILL HELP YOU DECIPHER NOTAMS
The notice to airmen (notam) system is an important part of your flying, particularly if you live near areas with temporary flight restrictions (TFRs). If you don't know about notams, you've got problems. Test your knowledge of the notam system—and TFRs—with this week's AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Quiz. Each Safety Quiz offers a quick, easy, and interactive way to assess and expand your knowledge. Plus, you can earn a chance to win a Sporty's Air-Scan V aviation radio/scanner. Take the quiz or challenge yourself with another Safety Quiz in the Previous Quizzes section.

SEE WHAT YOU'RE MISSING FROM THE AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION
Last week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, we talked to a lot of pilots...and you wouldn't believe how many of them have never taken one of our free, interactive online courses—or seen our other products (many of which are great for student pilots). If you're part of that group, wouldn't you like to see what you've been missing? The foundation home page is a quick way to browse through all our safety education offerings. In addition to quick, intuitive graphical links to featured products, you can use drop-down menus to search by the type of offering (for example, an online course; a Safety Quiz, a Real Pilot Story). Or, you can search by the specific safety topic—aeronautical decision making, collision avoidance, or GPS usage, for example.

CARDINAL GOES TO OSHKOSH
AOPA's Catch-A-Cardinal sweepstakes airplane made the trip to Oshkosh last week, and a constant stream of people clustered around the 1977 Cessna Cardinal throughout the show to check out its status in the refurbishment process. Check out new pictures from the show posted for this week's update.

HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR AOPA MEMBER PROFILE?
To make the most of your membership and allow us to serve you better, please visit AOPA Online and update your personal member profile.

FREE SAMPLES OF KING VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE
YouTube may have its share of video clips of teenagers lip-synching to pop songs, but it now has someone you'll actually want to watch: John and Martha King. The Kings have placed two-minute segments from 22 King Schools' courses on YouTube, free of charge. Samples include Cleared for Flying the Garmin G1000, Flying the Garmin 430/530, Takeoffs & Landings Made Easy, Taming Stalls & Spins, Night Flying, The Complete Airspace Review, and more. If you want more after you've sampled the videos, you can always surf over to King Schools and purchase the complete programs.

Note: Products listed have not been evaluated by ePilot editors unless otherwise noted. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors.

Question: If a student pilot wants to obtain a student pilot certificate and solo on his or her sixteenth birthday (required by FAR 61.83), and the birthday falls on a weekend when aviation medical examiners are usually not conducting aviation physicals, can the combined student pilot/medical certificate be issued early?

Answer: The aviation medical examiner can issue the certificate early, provided the applicant is medically qualified, but no more than 30 days before the sixteenth birthday. The medical certificate must include the limitation "NOT VALID UNTIL (MONTH, DAY, AND YEAR OF 16TH BIRTHDAY)."

Got a question for our technical services staff? E-mail to [email protected] or call the Pilot Information Center, 800/872-2672. Don't forget the online archive of "Final Exam" questions and answers, searchable by keyword or topic.

We've heard of pilots proposing while aloft, but Virginia's Jeremy Dillinger found a way to pop the question that gave his fiancée a bird's-eye view of the question. Read how he accomplished his high-flying proposal in the latest edition of the "Joy of Flight" series.

UPCOMING FLYING DESTINATIONS:
Eastsound, WA. The Twenty-third Annual Orcas Fly-In takes place August 3 through 5 at Orcas Island (ORS). Contact Barbara LaBrash, 360/376-5403.

Wadena, MN. The Wings and Wheels Over Wadena Airplane Fly-In and Car Show takes place August 4 at Wadena Municipal (ADC). Contact Darrel Janson, 218/639-4769.

Lancaster, PA. The 2007 Cardinal East Coast Fly-In takes place August 11 at Lancaster (LNS). Contact Al Hubler, 717/367-7272, or visit the Web site.

Halstead, KS. The Fifth Annual Mid-America Antique Fly-In takes place August 10 and 11 at Wiebe Airfield (SN05). Contact Don Wiebe, 316/835-2417, or visit the Web site.

Rantoul, IL. The Chanute Aerospace Museum’s 2007 Air Festival takes place August 11 and 12 at the Rantoul National Aviation Center/Frank Elliott Field (TIP). Contact Hal Loebbach, 217/893-1613, or visit the Web site.

Oklahoma City, OK. Aviation Family Fun and Safety Day takes place August 11 at Wiley Post (PWA). Contact Harry L. Weatherford, 405/745-2855, or visit the Web site.

To submit an event to the calendar or to search all events visit AOPA Online. For airport details, including FBO fuel prices, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online.

FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER CLINICS
The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Atlanta; Champaign, IL; Reno, NV; and Allentown, PA, August 17 and 18. Clinics are also scheduled in Sacramento, CA; and Colorado Springs, CO, September 8 and 9. For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the CFI Refresher Online.

AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Wichita, KS, August 6; Oklahoma City, August 7; Tulsa, OK, August 8; and Little Rock, AR, August 9. The topic is "Regulations: What every pilot should know." For details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.