AOPA Online Members Only -- AOPA ePilot Custom Content --Vol. 6, Issue 23

The following stories from the June 4, 2004, edition of AOPA ePilot were provided to AOPA members who expressed an interest in the particular subject areas. Any AOPA member can receive information customized to their areas of interest by updating their member record file online.

---

My ePilot - Jet Interest
FAA CERTIFIES CESSNA CITATION SOVEREIGN
The FAA has granted a type certificate for Cessna's 680 Citation Sovereign. The certificate for the $13.5 million, 459-knot aircraft was awarded on Wednesday. "The fully integrated [Honeywell] EPIC avionics, new highly efficient wing design, and new production line tooling are just a few advancements that we've achieved by adapting and improving existing technology," said David Brant, Cessna's senior vice president of engineering. See the feature from AOPA Pilot.

My ePilot - Instrument Interest
NEW DIGITAL IAPs TO DEBUT ONLINE
Beginning with the next aeronautical charting cycle on June 10, AOPA will introduce significant enhancements to the instrument approach charts incorporated into AOPA's Airport Directory Online. A change to digital approach charts, which will provide a significant improvement in quality without increasing download time, will affect AOPA members' personalized "My Procedures" area. As part of the upgrade process, AOPA will have to reset all "My Procedures," then members can restore their settings-this time by airport, not by individual IAP. The changeover will take place at 0901 Zulu on June 10. We encourage you to note now the charts you currently have stored to facilitate updating of your "My Procedures" after the conversion. AOPA regrets any inconvenience this may cause. However, we believe this will be offset by the ongoing ability to more conveniently access all procedures for each airport and by the improved readability of the new charts.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Tips
FLY SOLO, SHARE RESPONSIBILITY
Flying an aircraft is a responsible undertaking. Shouldering the responsibilities begins almost as soon as flight training itself. Some trainees regard the flight instructor or school as a parental figure who sees to all administrative details, while the trainee's only job is to show up and be educated. Not so! Especially after you have earned solo privileges, you accept the duty to ensure that your logbook endorsements are up to date, that you are authorized to solo the aircraft you plan to fly, and that the flight can be made considering limitations set by your CFI.

Need to review? Start with the Federal Aviation Regulation that states: "A student pilot may not operate an aircraft in solo flight unless that student pilot has received:
(1) An endorsement from an authorized instructor on his or her student pilot certificate for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown; and
(2) An endorsement in the student's logbook for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown by an authorized instructor, who gave the training within the 90 days preceding the date of the flight."

Note that both your student pilot certificate and your logbook must bear correct entries. Logbook management was the subject of the November 22, 2002, Training Tips. Are you in compliance? A switch of training aircraft after you first soloed-say from a Cessna 152 to a Cessna 172-could put you on the wrong side of requirement (1) if your certificate was never endorsed for soloing the Cessna 172. If you changed flight schools, or everyone (including you) forgot, requirement (2) for a logbook endorsement within 90 days could lapse.

A pitfall: If there is an airport within 25 nautical miles of your home airport that you use on dual flights for takeoffs and landings, don't fly there solo unless the instructor who gave you the training authorizes it with a logbook endorsement. All other required endorsements must be current.

Remember that solo flying is subject to limitations set by your instructor, perhaps prescribing minimum weather conditions or maximum winds or crosswinds, as discussed in David Montoya's December 2002 AOPA Flight Training feature "What Dreams Are Made Of."

Flying solo is a joy and a responsibility. Savor the joy; accept the responsibility!

My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Products
'YOUR FIRST FEW HOURS' DVD OFFERS INTRO TO TRAINING
Your First Few Hours, Volume 1 of Sporty's interactive DVDs, is intended to give the viewer basics of the first few flight lessons: aerodynamics, aircraft flight controls, aircraft systems, preflight inspection, starting the engine, taxiing, takeoff, basic flight maneuvers, and traffic patterns. The DVD is two hours and 22 minutes long and includes 14 interactive quizzes and one scored review exam with FAA questions. Not sure if the DVD format is right for you? Try Volume 1 for free and pay $3.95 for shipping. Order online or call 800/SPORTYS.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Final Exam
Question: Can you tell me what the differences are between isolated thunderstorms and scattered thunderstorms?

Answer: AOPA's weather provider, Meteorlogix, explains that isolated thunderstorms are generally smaller and more widely spaced, taking up less than 20 percent of the forecast area. Scattered storms are more numerous and cover 20 percent to 50 percent of the forecast area. You'll find much more information online about thunderstorms in AOPA's subject report, Thunderstorm Avoidance .