Training Notes and News

Michael G. Gaffney has been named the 2007 General Aviation Flight Instructor of the Year. Gaffney, a Master CFI who instructs in St. Louis, Missouri, is president and chief education officer of Skyline Aeronautics at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. He designs courses specializing in cockpit technology integration that meet the requirements for FAA/Industry Training Standards. AOPA Flight Training readers will recognize Gaffney as the author of the "Glass Class" series, about learning to fly in glass-cockpit aircraft (this month's installment, "From Point A to Point B," begins on p. 36). FAA Administrator Marion Blakey will present the national awards in July at Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The annual GA awards are a cooperative effort between the FAA and 12 industry sponsors.

FAA Funding Debate

FAA funding bill: Airlines' dream, GA's nightmare

For months now you've been hearing about the FAA's plan to increase agency funding by imposing user fees on general aviation. You've read the reports that these fees could take the form of increased fuel taxes, or perhaps fees paid for services such as weather briefings, filing flight plans, flying an instrument approach, or communicating with air traffic control. Now the long-awaited user-fee bill has been submitted to Congress.

For general aviation, user fees and tax hikes would impose a burden on pilots amounting to $986 million annually. Pilots of piston-powered aircraft would pay $100 million, or 344 percent more, under the bill's provisions than they do now. It would reduce the aviation trust fund payments of the "legacy airlines" (such as America, United, Delta, and Northwest) by about 27 percent, or $1.7 billion per year, while low-cost carriers such as JetBlue and Southwest would see reductions of 15 percent, or about $286 million per year.

The fuel tax is the central component of the bill. General aviation would pay more than 70 cents per gallon, a 360-percent increase above today's 19.4-cent-per-gallon avgas tax. Most of the bill's references to fees are vague, but here are some specific proposals that would directly affect student pilots and low-time private pilots.

• $42 for issuing an airman medical certificate (in addition to the medical examiner's fee);
• $50 for issuing an airman certificate;
• $25 for issuing a replacement airman certificate.

The additional taxes and fees are troubling enough, but perhaps more disturbing is language within the bill that would give the FAA administrator--a nonelected official--the power to levy fees and other charges by publishing them in the Federal Register. This leaves the door open to fee increases and potentially sets the stage for deals that would benefit one user over another.

To read more detailed articles on the subject and view accompanying multimedia, see AOPA Pilot Online. For more information on FAA funding, see AOPA Online.

Extension proposed for medicals

The FAA is proposing to lengthen the duration of certain medical certificates. In a proposed rule issued April 10, the duration of third class medicals for pilots under age 40 would go from the current three years to five years, and first class certificates would go from six months to one year. If adopted, the rule would benefit pilots of all ages, since it would mean less paperwork for the FAA to process. That way the medical staff could concentrate more on deferred medical applications, which would presumably speed up medical certificate processing and special issuance authorizations.

Airshow pilot expands family business to light sport aircraft

Mid Island Air Services, the flight school and air services business owned by the family of airshow pilot Michael Mancuso, is now a dealer of Flight Design CT aircraft for the metropolitan New York City area. "I am passionate about flying and love to encourage people to learn to fly so they can experience the joy for themselves," said Mancuso, who flies an Extra 300 under sponsorship of Klein Tools. "Unfortunately, I've seen the cost of flying leave most enthusiasts behind. With the advent of sport pilot, learning to fly is more accessible than ever before, and I think the Flight Design CT represents the very best in this new market." Mid Island will headquarter the Flight Design aircraft at its Brookhaven Airport facility.

What's In AOPA Pilot?

Here's what you're missing if you don't read AOPA Pilot, the association's flagship magazine published each month for certificated pilots.

• Emerging from hibernation: The weather says fly! Are you ready?
• Memory maker: The friendly Piper Saratoga II TC brings out the best in GA flying.
• The big burnoff: How a foggy morning goes from zero-zero to clear skies.
• A bill's blowback: Congress receives the FAA's and airlines' wish lists.

Are you ready to read about more advanced subjects such as these? Just as pilots upgrade to more advanced certificates, it might be time for you to upgrade your magazine. You can convert your paid membership to AOPA Pilot at any time by calling AOPA toll-free (800/USA-AOPA).

Final Exam

Final Exam is composed of questions similar to those a student may expect on the private pilot knowledge test. Answers are researched by members of the AOPA Pilot Information Center and may be found below.

1. How should the flight controls be held while taxiing a tricycle-gear equipped airplane into a left quartering headwind?
1. Left aileron up, elevator neutral.
2. Left aileron down, elevator neutral.
3. Left aileron up, elevator down.
2. Who is responsible for ensuring airworthiness directives (ADs) are complied with?
1. Owner or operator.
2. Mechanic with inspection authorization (IA).
3. Repair station.
3. Under what condition may an aircraft operate from a satellite airport within Class C airspace?
1. The pilot must file a flight plan prior to departure.
2. The pilot must monitor ATC until clear of the Class C airspace.
3. The pilot must contact ATC as soon as practicable after takeoff.
4. What should be the first action after starting an aircraft engine?
1. Adjust for proper rpm and check for desired indications on the engine gauges.
2. Place the magneto or ignition switch momentarily in the OFF position to check for proper grounding.
3. Test each brake and the parking brake.
5. When two or more aircraft are approaching an airport for the purpose of landing, the right-of-way belongs to the aircraft
1. that has the other to its right.
2. that is the least maneuverable.
3. at the lower altitude, but it shall not take advantage of this rule to cut in front of or to overtake another.
6. An airport's rotating beacon operated during daylight hours indicates
1. There are obstructions on the airport.
2. That weather at the airport located in Class D airspace is below basic VFR weather minimums.
3. The air traffic control tower is not in operation.
7. With respect to passengers, what obligation, if any, does a pilot in command have concerning the use of safety belts?
1. The pilot in command must instruct passengers to keep their safety belts fastened for the entire flight.
2. The pilot in command must brief the passengers on the use of safety belts and notify them to fasten their safety belts during taxi, takeoff, and landing.
3. The pilot in command has no obligation in regard to passengers' use of safety belts.

Final Exam Answers

1. The correct answer is A. When taxiing in quartering headwinds, the aileron should be up on the side from which the wind is blowing, and the elevator should be neutral. When taxiing in quartering tailwinds, the down aileron should be facing the wind with the elevator control positioned nose down.
2. The correct answer is A. The owner or operator is required to ensure that all Airworthiness Directives have been complied with. While it is normally the mechanic or a repair station that actually performs inspections, maintenance, and AD compliance, it is up to the owner or operator to ensure the work gets done when it is necessary.
3. The correct answer is C. When departing a satellite airport in Class C airspace, ATC should be contacted as soon as practicable. A satellite airport sits in the surface area of Class C, near the primary airport. Upon departure from a satellite airport, you are in Class C airspace without permission; however, the rules permit the pilot to do this as long as ATC is contacted as soon as practicable after takeoff. No flight plan is required.
4. The correct answer is A. After adjusting the engine to the proper RPM, the engine gauges should be checked to ensure that the engine is operating normally, especially oil pressure. Checking the magneto switch is usually reserved for the last step before engine shutdown. Testing the brakes is wise to do as well, but should be done as soon as taxiing is started.
5. The correct answer is C. Because the question asks about approaching the airport for landing, the aircraft at the lowest altitude has the right of way. However, descending lower than another aircraft on approach does not grant the right-of-way. The pattern at a nontowered airport can get busy, so see and avoid is very important, as is proper radio communication and position reporting.
6. The correct answer is B. At airports located in controlled airspace, daylight operation of the rotating beacon is often indicative of weather conditions less than basic VFR minimums (less than three statute miles visibility and 1,000-foot ceilings). However, this is not regulatory, and pilots should not rely on the daylight operation of the beacon to determine if the airport is at or below VFR minimums.
7. The correct answer is B. The pilot in command must brief the passengers on seatbelt usage, and notify them when safety belts are to be worn. There is no regulatory requirement that passenger safety belts be worn for the entire flight.

AOPA members can discuss these or any aviation questions with Pilot Information Center staff by calling 800/USA-AOPA or sending an e-mail.

What It Looks Like

Misjudging a taxi clearance

By Mark Twombly

Airplanes are as ponderous on land as they are graceful in the air. A whirling propeller is a poor form of propulsion at typical taxi speeds--it takes a lot of power to get going, and less than idle power to maintain a slow, safe pace. A tricycle landing gear has nowhere near the stability of a four-wheeled vehicle such as a car; you steer with your feet, and each main wheel brake operates independently of the other.

The relatively poor ground control dynamics of an airplane, combined with long wings, make for difficult taxiing in close quarters. Take a close look at the accompanying photo. Notice the large dent in the prop spinner. The spinner belongs to a Cessna 182 that was tied down on the ramp. The pilot of a Piper Malibu, which has an unusually long wing, was attempting to taxi off the same ramp and make his way to the runway. According to reports, the pilot thought his wing would clear the 182, but he misjudged by a few inches, and the Malibu's wing tip struck the spinner.

The outcome could have been worse. The 182's spinner had to be replaced, as did the wingtip position and strobe light unit on the Malibu. If the wing tip itself had been damaged, or the cowl and/or propeller on the 182, the cost of the pilot's mistake would have been considerable.

One way to tell if you are going to clear another airplane when taxiing is to look at shadows--the shadow of your wing tip, and the shadow from whatever part of the nearby airplane you will be close to. If there is light between the shadows, you should be safe, but proceed slowly.

If it is cloudy and there are no shadows, or it is night, don't taxi in close quarters unless you have a good spotter or wing walker to monitor clearances from other airplanes.

40 years and counting: Pilot reenacts solo flight

The next time you get out your logbook to study the entries and relive those happy moments, consider Gerald Griggs of Kansas. To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of his first solo on March 4, 1967, Griggs located the CFI who signed him off for that long-ago solo flight and recreated the event, according to a report in The Wichita Eagle. The flight instructor, Jim Schoerger, traveled 800 miles from Houston, Texas, to celebrate with his former student, and even cut his shirttail (again). Griggs said he's done something each year to celebrate the day he soloed a Cessna 150 at age 16.