AOPA Online Members Only -- AOPA ePilot Custom Content --Vol. 6, Issue 30

The following stories from the July 23, 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.

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My ePilot - Jet Interest
MORE GULFSTREAM JETS ARE PACKING ENHANCED VISION
Gulfstream Aerospace has now retrofitted 82 business aircraft with the company's Enhanced Vision System (EVS). The system that allows pilots to "see" down to an altitude of 100 feet above the elevation of the runway's touchdown zone has been installed in the G300, G400, G450, G550, GIV-SP, and GV models. The FAA validated the safety benefits of EVS earlier this year when it amended the Part 91 rules to allow the technology.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Tips
GREAT COMMUNICATORS
How's the communication in your cockpit? Not your interactions with air traffic control-this refers to communication between you and your flight instructor. When you practice a maneuver or technique, do you have a clear idea of what you are doing, and why? When you ask questions, are you satisfied with the answers? Sometimes what seems like a learning problem is actually a communications problem. Identifying it can save you time and money on flying and get a stagnant training program moving again.

"Since communication is important to instruction, it follows that instructors must be good communicators. Of course, that's not always the case," wrote Jeff Falkner in the "Instructor Tips" column "Say What You Mean" in the July 1999 Flight Training. He added, "Even though you may use the right words for you, they may not be the right words for your students, who may pick up incorrect inferences from your choice of explanations and misinterpret what you thought was perfectly clear."

This can be a problem both in the classroom and in the cockpit. "We need to listen carefully to the words we use. Early in my career, as we were coming to the end of a long, power-on approach to a major airport, I said, 'Shut it down,' meaning 'power off.' The student heard 'Go around,' and he went to full power and launched us right into the path of an airplane landing on a crossing runway," recalls flight instructor Budd Davisson in "CFI to CFI," August 2004 AOPA Flight Training.

If there is a communications block shaping up, face up to it. You are a paying customer, and your instructor owes you his or her best efforts. "Commitment reveals itself in professionalism, skill, preparedness, command of the subject, and the communication skills necessary to transfer that knowledge to you," notes the November 8, 2002, "Training Tips" article, "Checking on Your Flight Instructor." Click here to see the discussion of the student/instructor relationship and related links. Then, if you believe action is needed, consider the five steps to conflict resolution recommended in A Failure to Communicate on the new Flight Training Web site. Learning to fly should be fun, but be all business when it comes to keeping your training on track.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Products
COMPANY OFFERS KNEEBOARDS WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS
For those who are seeking more functionality out of their kneeboards, Marty Scott hears your plea. An engineer and a pilot, Scott came up with a kneeboard design based on a "wish list" of features from pilots. Several prototypes and pilot feedback sessions later, the Orga-Knee-Zer was born. It's designed to provide a seven-ring binder on a stable platform with an independent writing surface, and it has a built-in pencil sharpener and combination flashlight/pencil holder, among other features. There are different models for different size cockpits. Order online from Scott Wings Inc. or from AvShop.

My ePilot - Student Interest, Final Exam
Question: I'm just about finished with my training for the private pilot certificate and am considering buying a used aircraft. What resources does AOPA have that would help me in making that decision?

Answer: AOPA has a publication online, Tips on Buying Used Aircraft , which provides helpful information on how to choose the right aircraft, cost of maintenance, prepurchase inspections, financing, and insurance. Also, AOPA's Aircraft Valuation Service (Vref) will give you a price range of various aircraft to consider. In addition, AOPA offers members an Aircraft Financing Program as well as aircraft owners insurance.