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Click here to view this week's custom content online Today's Top StoriesTSA lessens security restrictions on transient pilotsAs of ePilot deadline, the Transportation Security Administration confirmed that is has a new security directive signed by TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides that tones down proposed security restrictions for transient pilots flying into commercial-service airports. The new directive, called SD-8G, clarifies and corrects some of the issues that AOPA and the GA community objected to in SD-8F. The new directive will go into effect June 1. “We’ve worked with the TSA to have transient and after-hours pilots’ concerns addressed,” said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. According to the new directive, transient pilots who fly into commercial-service airports no longer need to get an airport badge or background check. Read more >> North Las Vegas flight ban avertedWhether you fly light general aviation, business, or experimental aircraft, you are welcome to fly into Nevada’s North Las Vegas Airport. State legislators made that clear May 26. Instead of restricting certain aircraft from the airport, they adopted a resolution focused on enhancing safety. Read more >> Members of Congress congratulate AOPA on 70 years of serving GARep. Charles Dent (R-Pa.) recently introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives congratulating AOPA for celebrating its seventieth anniversary and commending the association for its work on behalf of general aviation. “As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security Committees, I have greatly enjoyed working with AOPA to advance general aviation in the United States,” said Dent, who introduced the bill along with 16 co-sponsors. “AOPA and its many members should be very proud of the contributions they’ve made to our aviation system over the last 70 years. I hope this resolution will illustrate Congress’s appreciation for all AOPA has done throughout its rich history.” Read more >> AOPA ready to work with new FAA chiefThe U.S. Senate on May 21 confirmed Randy Babbitt, former president of the Airline Pilots Association, as the head of the FAA. The position has been filled by acting administrators since the term of the previous administrator, Marion Blakey, expired at the end of fiscal year 2007. “I look forward to working with Administrator Babbitt,” said AOPA President Craig Fuller. “During his confirmation hearing, and in my conversations with Randy, he demonstrated that he clearly understands general aviation pilots and our needs.” Read more >> Helicopter pilot in England foils burglary attemptEnglish businessman Jeremy Taylor had just lifted off from his timber yard in his Augusta 119 helicopter when he spotted a suspicious white van. His yard gates were open, and he quickly figured out that he was being burglarized. Noticing the helicopter, the burglar sped off, and Taylor followed him. Read more >> CJ4’s wing meets fuselage Memorial honors Jack Broome: pilot, rancher, philanthropistA public memorial was held on May 27 in honor of John S. “Jack” Broome, an Oxnard, Calif., rancher and pilot whose philanthropy supported numerous education- and aviation-related projects and programs. Broome died last month at his ranch. He was 91. Read more >> An uncontrollable urge to fly
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online Safety & ProficiencyNew quiz helps you avoid being thunderstruckSummer is just around the corner, which means peak thunderstorm season is nearly upon us. These convective beasts can produce airframe-shattering turbulence, damaging hail, sudden and dramatic wind shear, blinding downpours, and strong, gusty winds—sometimes as much as 20 miles from the edge of a cell. Understanding thunderstorms is the key to avoidance. Witness their power while putting your knowledge to the test in the latest graphics-rich interactive safety quiz from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. Got a flying-related pet peeve? Tell us!It's tough to fly without interacting with other pilots and air traffic controllers—and sometimes these interactions can make it downright tough to fly. Fellow pilots and ATC can display some exasperating behavior at times. Two upcoming seminars (one from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and another from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association) will expose these annoying habits, from the mildly irksome to the outright dangerous. And we're giving you a chance to weigh in and sound off. Please send the foundation an e-mail describing the things pilots or controllers do that drive you bonkers—and what, if anything, should be done about it. Answers for pilots: Flying to Canada blogsAir Safety eJournal: Head-to-head on baseAn Air Safety eJournal reader recently wrote to AOPA Air Safety Foundation President Bruce Landsberg soliciting pilots’ input on a recent situation encountered in a traffic pattern. “I heard him call ‘an extended left base for 34.’ This seemed a bit odd, since 34 is published as right traffic…. So—what was I supposed to do now? Flying a right base toward converging traffic obviously wasn’t going to work.” Read more >> Reporting Points: A manufacturing innovatorSome business analysts are suggesting that auto makers must reinvent themselves in order to survive. WIRED magazine this month carries an article about how the car makers should become more like PC makers did 20 years ago. How about looking to aircraft manufacturers? Read more >> Hover Power: Speed limitsOne big advantage to a helicopter’s rotor system is the vertical thrust that allows the aircraft to hover. However, when this same rotor system is flown edgewise through the air, it creates an aerodynamic problem that limits the helicopter’s forward speed. Read more >> member benefitsCFIs: Protect yourself and your livelihood As a certificated flight instructor, you can be held liable for incidents of your students, even if you weren’t on board the aircraft at the time. This startling fact makes having the right insurance policy a necessity. The AOPA Insurance Agency understands that your needs as a CFI are unique—and that without the right policy, you could be putting your livelihood on the line. That’s why, when you get a CFI policy through the AOPA Insurance Agency, you can rest assured of being protected during flight instruction. Read more >> Quiz MeHere's a question asked by an AOPA member who contacted our aviation services staff through the AOPA Pilot Information Center. Test your knowledge.
Question: I am a relatively new private pilot. Most of my flight training was done in the winter months with nice cool temperatures and no turbulence. I am now flying in hotter weather and find that I start to feel slightly airsick at times. Can I take nondrowsy Dramamine to help?
Answer: New or experienced pilots can encounter occasional mild to moderate motion sickness during flights on hot, bumpy days. However, the FAA does not allow the use of Dramamine (dimenhydrinate). The drugs used to treat motion sickness symptoms, even the less drowsy formulas, can produce sedating side effects. Our AOPA medical certification specialists suggest that products containing ginger, either in a capsule, tea, or cookie, may relieve the symptoms. Also, motion sickness wrist bands, available at some pharmacies, or mint flavored gum may help. If the motion sickness symptoms are severe enough, consider flying with another pilot who can act as pilot in command. If the symptoms persist, there may be a more serious underlying medical condition that requires further evaluation.
Got a question for our aviation services staff? The AOPA Pilot Information Center is a service available to all members as part of the annual dues. Call 800/872-2672, or e-mail to [email protected]. Send comments on our Quiz Me! questions to [email protected]. 2009 LET’S GO FLYING SWEEPSTAKES UPDATESR22 struts its stuff on West Coast Picture Perfect AOPA's new online photo gallery allows you to upload your own aviation photography as well as view, rate, and comment on others' photos. Your favorite aviation images from AOPA Pilot are still available online through this new gallery. Take a look, and submit your own photos! Aviation Events & Weather
Flight Instructor Refresher ClinicsThe next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in San Jose, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., and Ashburn, Va., June 6 and 7; Phoenix, Ariz., and Minneapolis, Minn., June 13 and 14; Orlando, Fla., and Columbus, Ohio, June 27 and 28; Newark, N.J., July 11 and 12. 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 SeminarsAOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Oshkosh, Wis., July 29, 30, and 31; Germantown, Tenn., Aug. 31; Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 1; Maryville, Tenn., Sept. 3. Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. |
Got news? Contact ePilot. Having difficulty using this service? Visit the ePilot Frequently Asked Questions now at AOPA Online or write to [email protected]. |
Cessna Aircraft Company reports that it has completed the wing-to-fuselage mate of the third Citation CJ4—which is serial No. 003. The first two CJ4s are currently in use for avionics, systems, and function and reliability certification flight tests, and more than 800 flight hours of testing already have been completed. Serial No. 003 is the first CJ4 to be completed on the airplane’s new assembly line. The CJ4, set to enter service in 2010, is an $8.8 million, single-pilot-certifiable, 435-knot, 1,825-nm eight-seater with Pro Line 21 avionics and 3,400-lb thrust Williams FJ44-4A engines. For a cool glimpse of the wing-to-fuselage mating, see the 
After a hiatus of nearly seven decades, Lt. Col. Maury Marler is back at the controls as pilot in command. “I just got an uncontrollable urge to start flying again,” Marler said. After checking one flight school that wanted nothing to do with the then-90-year-old pilot because of his age, he found an instructor who encouraged him. So how old is too old to fly? The effects of aging on pilot performance are not entirely clear, but age in itself should not discourage someone from flying; genetics, lifestyle, and experience all contribute to one’s “true age.” 
As the weather gets warm, many pilots, like birds, get the urge to fly north. From May through September, AOPA answers thousands of phone and e-mail inquiries from pilots asking what is needed to fly across the border into Canada. While many of the requirements for border crossing remain the same, this year there are new aspects to consider, including using eAPIS, which is Customs and Border Protection’s Electronic Advance Passenger Information System. 
Wherever it goes, the AOPA’s 2009 Let’s Go Flying SR22’s reputation seems to precede it. On its first trip to the West Coast for the forty-fifth annual Watsonville Fly-in on the Monterey Bay, visitors recognized the distinctive graphics on the high-performance, high-profile aircraft that some lucky pilot will win early next year. Even though they knew the airplane from pictures and news articles, seeing the Let’s Go Flying SR22 on the West Coast came as a surprise to many California AOPA members. 
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