FAA to change definition of 'cross-country'
Get out your plotters: The FAA is changing the definition of a "cross-country" in the federal aviation regulations for purposes of aeronautical experience from "at least 50 nautical miles" to "more than 50 nautical miles."
The change is one of a package of amendments to the FARs that was issued in August. The FAA also changed the duration of student pilot certificates to match the duration of a third-class medical certificate. For student pilots under age 40, their student pilot certificate will now be valid for 60 calendar months. For those over age 40, the student certificate remains valid for 24 calendar months. This will prevent student pilots from having to get a new student certificate if they are in training more than two years, said Rob Hackman, AOPA senior director of regulatory affairs.
The changes to FAR parts 61, 91, and 141 were to take effect in October. Separately, the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in which it plans to permit student pilots to receive their private pilot certificate simultaneously with an instrument rating by opening up the option currently being used by waiver at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Middle Tennessee State University. The agency also is proposing to require that pilots pursuing a commercial pilot certificate obtain 10 hours of advanced instrument training instead of 10 hours of training in a complex aircraft. The deadline for submitting comments on these proposed modifications is November 30.
California student pilots get money for flight training
Goodbye, CFI. Hello to an airplane that takes off like a homesick angel on climbout--which is how it feels when your instructor is no longer in the airplane with you. That's what Laura Decker of Chico and Jan Johnson of Portola Valley, California, experienced when they completed their first solos.
And to sweeten an already great event, Decker and Johnson were the latest winners of the AOPA Flight Path sweepstakes, and received $1,000 scholarships to continue their training. Our free program helps students track their flight training progress. Students who sign up for the program receive 25 e-mails filled with information and resources designed to educate, inspire, and motivate them to finish their training. When participants reach a milestone, they are automatically entered for a chance to win $1,000. Are you ready to achieve that milestone? Sign up for Flight Path today online.
Abeam the numbers
1,668: Total localizer performance with vertical guidance instrument approach procedures in the United States, making them more prevalent than ILS.
3: Average number of fuel-related accidents each week, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
135: Number of different sections in FAR Part 61, the regulations dedicated to pilot certification.
What It Looks Like: Stall fence
By Mark Twombly
Aerodynamics is the science of compromise. For example, a wing may be designed primarily for a long-range cruise mission, but things like slow-speed controllability, restrictions on allowable wingspan, and manufacturing cost can affect the final configuration. One way to try to mitigate the consequences of wing design compromises is with modifications, and one such modification is a stall fence.
A stall fence is a narrow strip of aluminum or fiberglass mounted perpendicular to the surface of a wing longitudinally. Typically the strip runs from the leading edge of the wing to the trailing edge. Stall fences can be mounted on both upper and lower wing surfaces.
Like the fence that forms a horse corral, the function of a stall fence is to contain--not horses, but air. A stall fence keeps air that is moving across the inboard portion of the wing from "escaping" to the outboard portion.
A stall fence does its best work at high angles of attack, when air flowing over the wing can become disturbed. Instead of flowing smoothly from leading edge to trailing edge, the air can swirl and flow spanwise--from the inboard portion of the wing to outboard. This spanwise flow reduces the effectiveness of the ailerons, which affects the pilot's ability to maintain control of the airplane.
Stall fences have been used on all types of wings, from general aviation singles to supersonic swept-wing fighters. However, they are becoming something of a relic. Vortex generators--small tabs arrayed across wing and tail surfaces--have become the aerodynamicist's preferred device for addressing compromises in
wing design.
Last call for Girls With Wings scholarship
November 1 is the deadline to submit an application for the 2009 Girls With Wings scholarship. Applicants must be female and may not have completed a private pilot certificate. The recipient will receive up to $1,000 to be used toward flight training. An essay and photo are required; for more information, see the Web site. Girls with Wings and its parent company, Very Important Pilots Ltd., aim to introduce girls to flight at a young age by helping them to meet role models in aviation-related careers and hobbies.
Legal Briefing: Overflying clouds
By Kathy Yodice
Q: On a recent solo cross-country flight, the weather was VFR and my destination airport was reporting clear skies, but there was an isolated thin cloud deck along my route of flight at about 3,000 feet that I wanted to fly over at 4,500 feet. The visibility was more than 10 miles at both altitudes and I would have only been flying over the clouds for a few minutes until the cloud cover cleared. Could I do that?
A: FAR 61.89 sets forth general limitations for what a student pilot can and cannot do. Among these limitations, FAR 61.89(a)(7) specifically prohibits a student pilot from acting as pilot in command of an aircraft "when the flight cannot be made with visual reference to the surface." The FAA seems to interpret "flight" as being any portion of a student's solo flight and seems to say that any loss of visual reference to the ground could be a violation of this regulation. This general prohibition against operating in marginal weather conditions is intended to alleviate the problem of student pilots becoming lost or disoriented in those marginal conditions. Operating above a scattered or broken cloud layer could be the sort of marginal conditions that might cause a student pilot to become lost or disoriented. For this reason, section 61.89(a)(7) prohibits a student pilot from acting as PIC above a scattered or broken cloud layer.
Thus, flying over a "cloud deck," even if it is not a solid deck of clouds but scattered or broken, and even if it is only for a limited time during an otherwise beautiful VFR flight, is not allowed for student pilots since doing so inhibits the student's ability to see the ground. As a student pilot on your solo cross-country flights, you should not be tempted to climb higher than the clouds.
Send your legal questions to [email protected] and we'll answer the best in upcoming issues. Kathy Yodice is an attorney with Yodice Associates in Washington, D.C., which provides legal counsel to AOPA and administers AOPA's legal services plan. She is an instrument-rated private pilot.
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