AOPA Online Members Only -- AOPA ePilot Custom Content --Vol. 6, Issue 45
The following stories from the November 5, 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
GULFSTREAM G350 GETS CERTIFIED
The large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350 has received FAA certification only eight months after the model was announced. It has a long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.88 for up to 3,800 nautical miles and costs $27.5 million minus options. It can use 5,000-foot runways and is powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C engines rated at 13,850 pounds of thrust each. It will enter service during the third quarter of 2005.
My ePilot - Turboprop Interest
COMPANIES OFFER 9,000-HOUR TBO ON BEECHCRAFT 1900D
Raytheon Airline Aviation Services and Pratt & Whitney Canada have teamed up to offer a 9,000-hour overhaul interval option for the PT6A-67D engines on the Beechcraft 1900D. To qualify for the extension, operators need to install engine performance monitoring equipment. For more information, visit the Web site.
My ePilot - Other Interest
AEROSTAR BALLOON COMPANY OFFERS SEMINARS
Balloon enthusiasts and experts alike who fly Aerostar hot air balloons can learn about continued airworthiness, preventive maintenance, airworthiness directives, service bulletins, engineering updates, and more during a two-day airworthiness seminar, November 12 and 13, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It includes instruction on topics ranging from 100-hour inspections to repairing envelopes, burners, gondolas, fuel systems, and instruments. For more information, visit the Web site.
My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Tips
RIGHT TRAFFIC
Inbound from the southwest for practice landings at a tower-controlled airport, you spot the field from seven miles out. The wind is southerly, with arrivals and departures taking place on Runway 15. The controller calls your registration number and says, "Enter right base for Runway 15, cleared for the option." (Option clearances are the subject of "Aviation Speak" in the June 2001 AOPA Flight Training.)
Did that controller say to enter a right base? You think about this, and it becomes apparent that your track of 060 degrees will put you neatly on the pattern leg requested. All you'll have to do is turn final and make your first landing. You may still feel discomfort at flying a right-hand pattern, especially if your training base is a nontowered airport that uses the standard left-hand traffic patterns prescribed by the Federal Aviation Regulations. After you turn final the controller hails you again and says, "On the go, make right closed traffic." In other words, your first full traffic pattern will also be flown with right turns. This could be requested for noise abatement over populated areas, conflicting traffic, or other flow-related concerns. Listen carefully to your clearances, and be prepared to execute patterns different from those you fly at the home field. One word can make a world of difference. "I realized that I had missed the single word right when told 'right traffic,'" lamented a new pilot in "Learning Experiences," March 2003 AOPA Flight Training. Read this pilot's story and avoid the trap.
Most of the clearances you receive at a tower-controlled airport will expedite, not complicate, your comings and goings, with air traffic control responsible for aircraft separation. That's a reason practice sessions like the one described above provide so much learning. To see what can be achieved, read the August 2003 AOPA Flight Training feature "An Hour in the Pattern."
Tower-controlled airports don't have a monopoly on right traffic. Nontowered airports may have runways designated for right-hand patterns, indicated by the letters "RP" appearing next to the airport symbol on aeronautical charts (see the Aeronautical Chart User's Guide ). For details, look up the airport in AOPA's Airport Directory Online. An example is this entry for Arkansas's North Little Rock Municipal.
Although it isn't appropriate everywhere, there is a right time and a right place for right traffic.
My ePilot - Student Interest, Training Products
FREE REFERENCE CARD AIDS IN JUDGING AIRCRAFT SIZE, DISTANCE
One of the first things you learn during flight training is to watch for traffic. But when ATC advises you of traffic at "3 o'clock, two miles," do you already have an idea of what you will see? The FAA has developed a 3-by-5-inch card that you can print to use as a reference when judging the size of an aircraft at various distances. The card illustrates what a Cessna 172 and an Airbus 320 would look like if you spotted them at two miles, one mile, or one-half mile. Keep in mind that an aircraft's appearance will differ because of many factors, including visibility. The card is free to download and print. For more information, visit the Web site.
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.
My ePilot - Student Interest, Final Exam
Question: Does a flight instructor have to be present for a person using a flight-training device to log instrument time in satisfying recent instrument experience requirements?
Answer: Yes. According to FAR 61.51(g)(4), "A flight simulator or approved flight-training device may be used by a person to log instrument time, provided an authorized instructor is present during the simulated flight." More information on flight training devices is available at AOPA Online.
