"Although midair collisions are extremely rare, the high-traffic airspace in this area requires all pilots to exercise extreme vigilance," said Bruce Landsberg, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. ASF's 2007 Joseph T. Nall Report, which examines accident trends and factors from 2006, states that six midair collisions occurred during the year, down from 10 in 2005. Of the six collisions, four were fatal, killing a total of nine people. Most midairs occur during day VFR conditions, according to the report.
Instructional flying comprises 13.3 percent of all GA accidents and 7.7 percent of fatal accidents. In 2006, 18 of the 144 flight training accidents were fatal. Instructional accidents improved 12.7 percent over 2005, which totaled 165 accidents.
Keeping your eyes outside the cockpit is a key element of "see and avoid." Download the ASF's Collision Avoidance: Strategies and Tactics Safety Advisor to learn more.
-Alyssa J. Miller
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| Paul Brown (left) and Ken Hendrickson (center) with LSA North Chief Pilot Scott Johnson. |
Minnesota flight school helps disabled pilots earn their wings
A Minnesota flight school recently garnered some positive attention in the local media by helping two disabled men earn sport pilot certificates. LSA North in Lake-ville, Minnesota, helped Paul Brown and Ken Hendrickson obtain sport pilot certificates with scholarships through Able Flight. They shared their stories, and their elation at being able to fly when they believed it wasn't possible, in an article and video that appeared in the Lakeville Sun Current. Chief Pilot Scott Johnson said the light sport program at his flight school has drawn "more mature students," the vast majority of whom are age 55 or older, and "who wanted to fly again but couldn't because of medical regulations."
'Ab initio' program trains Kazakhstan student pilots
The first class of student pilots from the Republic of Kazakhstan arrived in Florida in December to begin an intensive ab initio program aimed at preparing them to fly for their national airline. The students are training for 12 to 14 months with Commercial Airline Pilot Training (CAPT) program in Palm Coast, Florida. They are sponsored by Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan, which is headquartered in Almaty. Air Astana will need to recruit 300 pilots by 2012, and has opted to train its own pilots through the CAPT program. CAPT is considering constructing a new campus in Almaty, the company said.
Missouri man hopes to be nation's oldest pilot
Ralph McConnell of Carthage, Missouri, would like to get into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest man ever to fly an airplane. At age 90, he admits he has a ways to go to break the record, which is 102 years old. McConnell no longer flies regularly but takes a flight instructor along each year on his birthday. He celebrated his ninetieth birthday in November with a flight in a Piper Warrior from Joplin Regional Airport to Carthage and back, according to a report in the The (Arkansas) Morning News. McConnell has about 15,000 hours of flight time and was a bomber pilot instructor during World War II, an airshow pilot, and a crop duster.
Girls With Wings awards scholarship
Girls With Wings, an organization aimed at encouraging girls' interest in aviation, has selected Dowling College student Amy T. Blechman as its 2008 scholarship recipient. Blechman is a junior at Dowling, majoring in aviation management with a professional pilot minor. She receives $1,000 to further her aviation goals. Girls With Wings is accepting donations for its 2009 scholarship; see the Web site for more information.
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:
- Meet AOPA's New President. Craig Fuller's passion is flying, and he's ready to defend that passion with 35 years of experience in advocacy.
- Cross-Country in an LSA. Does a light sport aircraft such as the Flight Design CT make a good traveling vehicle? With extra elbow room and economical fuel burn, the answer is a resounding "yes."
- Fly It or Drive It: The Bendix/King AV8OR GPS offers satellite weather and touch-screen efficiency in one low-cost package.
Are you ready to read about more advanced subjects such as these? Just as pilots upgrade to more advanced certificates, it might be time to upgrade your magazine. You can convert your paid membership to AOPA Pilot at any time by calling AOPA toll-free (800-USA-AOPA).
What It Looks Like: Small N number
By Mark Twombly
Size matters when it comes to the registration markings on general aviation aircraft, and for some aircraft owners, smaller is better.
Most aircraft today have 12-inch-high N numbers because the FAA says that is the minimum required height.
But it used to be that an N number on a fixed-wing airplane could be as small as two inches high. More than 20 years ago the FAA changed the minimum height requirement to 12 inches. Many owners found that a bitter design pill to swallow because the larger registration markings were so obtrusively large in comparison to what everyone was used to.
Fortunately for the purists, a provision in Federal Aviation Regulation 45.29 allows the owner of an airplane built prior to January 1983 to retain the two-inch-high registration numbers on an aircraft, at least until the airplane is repainted or the N number is repainted, restored, or changed. If one of those events occurs, the new N number must be 12 inches high.
But wait, there's more. FAR 45.22 also says that an airplane at least 30 years old (an antique in the FAA's eyes) may have minimum two-inch-high registration markings, regardless of any repainting or restoring or N-number change.
However, the owner of an airplane with two-inch-high markings must apply temporary 12-inch-high markings before penetrating an Air Defense Identification Zone or Distant Early Warning Identification Zone, or flying to a foreign country.
An N number must be displayed on both sides of the vertical tail, or both sides of the fuselage providing it is positioned ahead of the empennage and aft of the trailing edge of the wing.
A few more FAR requirements pertaining to N numbers:
Width: Characters must be two-thirds as wide as they are high except for the number "1," which must be one-sixth as wide as it is high, and the letters "M" and "W," which may be as wide as they are high.
Thickness: Characters must be formed by solid lines one-sixth as thick as the character is high.
Spacing: The space between each character may not be less than one-fourth of the character width.
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 staff and may be found on page 17.
- What document(s) must be in your personal possession or readily accessible in the aircraft while operating as pilot in command of an aircraft?
- Certificates showing accomplishment of a checkout in the aircraft and a current flight review.
- A pilot certificate with an endorsement showing accomplishment of an annual flight review and a pilot logbook showing recency of experience.
- An appropriate pilot certificate and an appropriate current medical certificate if required.
- Each person who holds a pilot certificate or a medical certificate shall present it for inspection upon the request of the FAA administrator, the National Transportation Safety Board, or any
- authorized representative of the Department of Transportation.
- person in a position of authority.
- federal, state, or local law enforcement officer.
- Which basic flight maneuver increases the load factor on an airplane as compared to straight-and-level flight?
- Climbs
- Turns
- Stalls
- A steady green light directed from the control tower to an aircraft in flight is a signal that the pilot
- is cleared to land.
- should give way to other aircraft and continue circling.
- should return for landing.
- Which procedure is recommended to ensure that the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) has not been activated?
- Turn off the aircraft ELT after landing.
- Ask the airport tower if they are receiving an ELT signal.
- Monitor 121.5 before engine shutdown.
Final Exam answers
1. The correct answer is C.
A person may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft unless he or she has a valid pilot certificate, photo identification, and medical certificate (if required) in his physical possession. If requested, a pilot (other than a student pilot) must be able to present his logbook and endorsements to the FAA in a timely manner, but is not required to carry them with him.
2. The correct answer is C.
FAR 61.3(l) requires each person who holds an airman certificate or medical certificate to present it for inspection upon request from the FAA administrator, the NTSB, the TSA, or any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer.
3. The correct answer is B.
Turns increase the load factor because the lift from the wings is used to turn the airplane as well as overcome the force of gravity. In a 60-degree banked turn, for example, the load factor increases to two, meaning that total lift needed is double that of straight-and-level flight.
4. The correct answer is A.
A steady green light from the control tower to an aircraft in flight is a signal that the pilot is cleared to land. A steady red light to an aircraft in flight signals to give way and continue circling. Flashing green indicates that the aircraft in flight can return for landing.
5. The correct answer is C.
By monitoring 121.5 MHz before engine shutdown, a pilot can hear if an ELT is activated. If the signal is coming from your aircraft's ELT, the signal volume may be very loud and may even bleed over onto other frequencies with certain radios. Otherwise, no tone heard is an indication that the ELT has not been activated.
AOPA members can discuss these or any aviation questions with Pilot Information Center staff by calling 800-USA-AOPA or sending an e-mail.
