Epilot (2)

In this issue:
Embry-Riddle to open Berlin campus
Remos offers incentive to would-be SkyCatcher pilots
Cardinal migrates to AOPA Expo

AVOIDING FUEL STARVATION
You studied your aircraft's fuel system, and you can assure a designated examiner that you will keep the gas flowing and the fuel load balanced during flight. Your trainer may have the simplest of fuel systems, using gravity fuel flow and an on-off selector switch—but even a basic system requires management. Ensuring that the fuel selector is positioned to "on" is obviously critical, so checking its position appears on both the before-starting-engine checklist and the before-takeoff checklist of a 1980 Cessna 152.

Now consider a trainer with two fuel tanks, an electric fuel pump, and a selector that only lets you draw fuel from one tank at a time (or shut it off). For takeoff and landing, the fuel pump may be required "on" and the fuel selector set to the fullest tank. In cruise, keeping the fuel load balanced by switching between tanks may be recommended. (See the discussion of managing fuel in the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Safety Advisor Fuel Awareness .) Whatever you fly now, verifying your fuel selector's position is a habit that will protect you later from certain accidents that occur too frequently: The engine quits; the pilot thinks he is out of fuel. Actually, the fuel selector is set to an empty tank but another still contains fuel. That's fuel "starvation," not fuel exhaustion.

Why does it happen? In the March 2006 AOPA Pilot article "Proficiency: Don't be a fuel fool," Steven W. Ells analyzed fuel management problems experienced by members who were asked to tell their tales. "Fuel starvation occurs often. It takes place when pilots forget to switch tanks and the engine quits when one tank runs dry. All the symptoms of fuel exhaustion are there—the sudden quiet when the engine stops, accompanied by spiking adrenaline levels—but each member admitted that distractions were always present," he reported. See another example in the May 2000 AOPA Pilot "Never Again" column.

Some fuel selectors are difficult to see and operate, so do a position check every time you use it! You could be surprised, as the February 2002 AOPA Flight Training "Accident Analysis" column reveals.

Fuel exhaustion is failure of planning and execution. Fuel starvation is what happens when a pilot deprives an engine of available fuel.

In the cross-country phase of training, it's time to venture out of the pattern and find out what flying to another destination involves. Working with your flight instructor, make AOPA Flight Training Online's Virtual Flight Bag your first stop for resources like AOPA's Real-Time Flight Planner, forms that you can download, AOPA's Airport Directory Online, and much more to help you plan and execute a good cross-country.

Do you have a question? Call the experienced pilots in AOPA's Pilot Information Center at 800/USA-AOPA. They're available to take your calls weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 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.

EMBRY-RIDDLE TO OPEN BERLIN CAMPUS
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will open a new Berlin campus on Oct. 12, the university announced this week. The campus was created to help meet the needs of the international airline market and will offer the master of aeronautical science in class with other degree programs in aviation maintenance management, technical management, professional aeronautics, integrated logistics, and project management available through Embry-Riddle's online learning program.

REMOS OFFERS INCENTIVE TO WOULD-BE SKYCATCHER PILOTS
If you've put down a deposit on a Cessna SkyCatcher, Remos Aircraft wants to make a deal. The German manufacturer of the Remos G-3 light sport aircraft says it will cut the price of the G-3 by $5,000 for any pilot who has placed an order for a SkyCatcher. What's more, the company says it will deliver the aircraft within three months. The SkyCatcher is expected to make its maiden flight in the first half of 2008 with deliveries anticipated for later in the year. The company's offer is good through the remainder of 2007. For more information, see the Web site.

FLYING CLUB REACHES OUT TO NONPILOT STUDENTS
What's a good way to attract nonpilots to aviation? Pilots grapple with that question all the time. For the University of Arizona Flying Club, the answer has been to offer introductory flights to prospective members. Once a student joins the club, for $20 per semester, he or she gets to go on flights in one of the club aircraft, listen to aviation experts, and take free ground school classes. Fewer than half the club's members are actually pilots, club president David Hahs told the Arizona Daily Wildcat. "The other half are people who are interested in aviation and want to learn about it," he said. "Especially for students, it's a great opportunity to go flying and not have to pay very much money."

TECHNICAL SCHOOL PROGRAM GETS ACCREDITATION AWARD
A national accrediting agency has named WyoTech's Oakland, Calif., campus as a school of distinction. The recognition was given by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology to a member school that has demonstrated a continued commitment to delivering quality educational programs. WyoTech offers an aircraft mechanic program with classroom and laboratory facilities housed in three buildings at Oakland International Airport.

EXPERIENCE AOPA EXPO ONLINE
AOPA Expo 2007 in Hartford, Conn., is off to a roaring start—leaders in the very light jet industry gave a pulse check of the industry and manufactures announced new aircraft—some of the aircraft could be your future trainers. Don’t miss any of the action! AOPA ePublishing will be providing coverage of the events on AOPA Online. You will also receive daily editions of the newsletter with all of the show's highlights.

SWEEPS CARDINAL'S JOURNEY TO HARTFORD
It was a gorgeous long cross-country flight—just as it should be for the 2007 AOPA Sweepstakes airplane's journey to AOPA Expo in Hartford, Conn., this week. Join AOPA Pilot Technical Editor Julie Boatman in the 1977 Cessna Cardinal for the trip, and see how the airplane is performing with the new fairings installed and the break-in period past.

CONQUER YOUR FEARS, FIND A MENTOR!
Throughout flight training every pilot faces challenges. For AOPA Project Pilot student Nami Ha Colaizy, of St. Paul, Minn., the biggest challenge was landing for the first time. "I was scared to death and cried after the lesson," said Colaizy. "I felt like quitting." That is until she called her mentor Dale Seitzer, also from St. Paul, whom she met through the AOPA Project Pilot Web site. He reminded her that flying shouldn't be stressful and suggested taking a little time off to regroup before trying again. Seitzer's advice paid off. Colaizy completed her first solo in August with her third landing being what Colaizy said she'd remember as the best of any landing she's ever made in her life.

WHAT KEEPS YOUR TRAINER'S ENGINE RUNNING SMOOTHLY?
How much time do you spend learning about your training airplane's engine? It's easy to gloss over the powerplant; after all, your main concern is just that it's running smoothly and producing full power. But knowing the basics of what makes your airplane's engine run smoothly can help you understand what's going on if there is a problem. Learn the basics of piston engines with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Engine and Propeller online course. The interactive, animated course covers carbureted and fuel-injected engines and fixed-pitch and constant-speed propellers. Course topics include hot-starting fuel-injected engines, controlling and monitoring engine temperatures, preventive maintenance, and more.

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.

ASA CFI ORAL EXAM GUIDE UPDATED
The fifth edition of Aviation Supplies & Academics' Oral Exam Guide for the certificated flight instructor has just been released. ASA's guide lists questions most likely to be asked by examiners and provides succinct responses. Each question includes a reference to the specific FAA information source from which the answer is derived. The CFI fifth edition features an updated Fundamentals of Instruction, new Technical Subject Areas owing to changes in the Practical Test Standards, and a new Chapter 11 on emergency operations. The soft-cover, 312-page book sells for $12.95. See the Web site for more information or to order.

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: I'm excited to finally have started my flight training and feel proud each time I look over my pilot logbook. Just to make sure I am keeping track of my pilot experience properly, what flight time am I technically required to log?

Answer: FAR 61.51 outlines information related to pilot logbooks. You must document and record the training and aeronautical experience used to meet the requirements for your pilot certificate. After you are certificated, you need to log all time flown toward a rating, as well as all flight reviews, and recent flight experience (for the privilege of flying passengers). You should record the date, total flight time, departure/destination airport(s), aircraft type and registration number, type of pilot experience or training (solo, pilot in command, dual instruction received, for example), and finally the conditions of flight (day/night, instrument—actual or simulated, and the like). Additional information on logging flight time is discussed in Logbooks and Logging Time.

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.

Houston, TX. The Ron Carter Dealerships Wings Over Houston Airshow takes place October 6 through 7 at Ellington Field (EFD). Contact Bill Roach, 281/579-1942, or visit the Web site.

Tucson, AZ. A Vintage Mooney Group Fly-In takes place October 13 and 14 at Tucson International (TUS). Contact Phil Corman, 805/227-0480, or visit the Web site.

Corona, CA. A Corona Airshow takes place October 13 at Corona Municipal(AJO). Contact Margaret Nunally, 951/277-2913.

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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 San Jose, CA; Indianapolis; Wichita, KS; Nashville, TN; and Corpus Christi, TX; October 20 and 21. 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 Lexington, KY, October 8; and Debord, KY, October 9. The topic is "Regulations: What every pilot should know." For details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.