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TRAINING TIPsEngine-out landings Simulations being what they are, some elements of forced landing procedures don’t always get their due. For example, when an off-airport landing is imminent, what’s to be done about your aircraft’s flaps, fuel, and electrical systems? Should aircraft doors be opened before touchdown, or left alone? Be sure to review these procedural details, even if only by stating to your instructor what steps you would have taken. “One problem with making forced landings is that pilots may be unintentionally biased by their training. For safety reasons, instructors use a good field when practicing emergency landings. In the real world, Murphy's Law almost guarantees that an engine failure will occur at low altitude over inhospitable terrain. If pilots have been conditioned to think that a reasonable landing site is always available, they may not react appropriately in situations that have no reasonable alternatives,” Robert N. Rossier pointed out in “ Learning Experiences: Emergency Landings.” There are many decisions to make. The forced landing without engine power checklist for a 1980 Cessna 152 has nine action items. Among them: placing the mixture in the idle cutoff position, shutting off fuel and ignition (to prevent a fire), and unlatching doors before landing. The electrical system? Don’t shut it down until after final flaps have been set. On the glide, follow recommended airspeeds (65 KIAS flaps up, 60 KIAS flaps down in the Cessna 152). To see how pilots faced with the real thing made good and bad decisions, see “Accident Analysis: Boundary Issues: The long and the short of forced landings” on AOPA Flight Training Online. Then sharpen your thinking by taking the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Safety Quiz " Emergency Procedures." Now you’re ready to get the most out of your emergency procedures practice!YOUR PARTNER IN TRAININGBird migratory season will soon be at its peak, which means the possibility of a bird strike is a very real threat to pilots. A two-pound bird can shatter an airplane's windshield or cause structural damage to its wings or empennage. Read AOPA’s aviation subject report “Bird and Wildlife Strikes” for tips on how to reduce your chances of encountering birds in flight and what to do if a bird strike is unavoidable.
Did you know that student pilots who join AOPA are three times more likely to complete their flight training? Membership includes unlimited access to aviation information by phone (800/USA-AOPA, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time) or from AOPA Flight Training Online or AOPA Online. If you're not already a member, join today and get the pilot's edge. Login information is available online. FLIGHT TRAINING NEWSMidwest LSA Expo set for Oct. 1 to 3Mount Vernon Airport in Mount Vernon, Ill., is the home of the first-ever Midwest LSA Expo, set for Oct. 1 through 3. The event aims to educate visitors and pilots about light sport aircraft (LSA). Numerous LSAs will be on the flight line, including the Allegro, American Legend Cub, Cubcrafters Sport Cub 2, Evektor SportStar, Flight Design CT, the Gobosh, Paradise P1, Rans S-19 and S-7LS, Remos, StingSport, Tecnam P92 Eaglet and P2006T, Thorpedo, and Zodiac. A full slate of forums and seminars is scheduled, including sessions on pilot training, aircraft requirements, FAA regulations, and care and maintenance of Jabiru and Rotax engines. An exhibitor hall will feature pilot supplies, headsets, personal locator beacons, and more. For more information, see the Web site. Light sport aircraft logs more than 13,000 landingsA Flight Design CT light sport aircraft that has been operating daily at a German airfield has logged nearly 3,000 hours and more than 13,000 landings. This particular model, a 2003 CT2K registered D-MGAC, was the first-generation model of the CT. The log indicates that the aircraft has been flown daily as a basic trainer at Jesenwang airfield. It’s on its second Rotax engine. Flight Design USA says the trainer’s performance proves that doubters who think LSAs can’t stand up to student abuse are wrong. Ariz. flight school to add Texas locationAir Safety Flight Academy of Glendale, Ariz., said it will open a second campus at North Texas Regional Airport in Denison. The new location will be operational by mid-October with classes set to begin on Nov. 2, the school said. North Texas, a former U.S. Air Force base, won the nod because of its first-class facilities and “two of the longest and widest runways in the region,” said Dee Pinkston, president of Air Safety Flight Academy. Air Safety Flight Academy trains international and domestic commercial airline pilots. It operates a fleet of 35 aircraft and has a student population of 116. Stranded flight students line up for recordsTwo weeks after their flight school shut its doors, student pilots who had been training with Langa Air were able to get their training records. The school, located at St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto, Ill., closed on Sept. 1. Owner Scott Langa cited financial difficulties in a message on the school’s Web site. Student pilots were unable to access their training records until Sept. 17, when they were allowed onto airport property and handed their records by two former Langa employees. Records were in boxes and handed out from the tailgate of a van, according to a report in the Illinois Telegraph. Some students are still wondering whether they’ll be reimbursed for block time they paid for in advance. Safety Spotlight chips away aircraft icing mythsA little bit of ice won’t spoil your flight, right? Think again: A layer of ice no thicker or rougher than a piece of coarse sandpaper can reduce lift by 30 percent and increase drag by up to 40 percent. Even aircraft equipped for flight into icing conditions are significantly affected by ice accumulation on unprotected areas such as antennas, flap hinges, wing struts, cowlings, etc. And, don’t think icing danger lurks during winter months only; ice can form any time an airframe encounters visible moisture in freezing temperatures, so beware in late fall and early spring seasons, too. Explore this chilling topic’s free resources conveniently gathered in one spot on the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Web site. Learn from a reenactment of an actual airframe icing accident. Take award-winning courses and challenge your knowledge with safety quizzes. Check out this recently updated Safety Spotlight >> Inside AOPASurvey tracks weight-and-balance habitsThe AOPA Air Safety Foundation is conducting a survey to find out if pilots perform weight-and-balance calculations, and if so when during the preflight planning process they do the calculations. Take the short survey to participate and offer valuable feedback. Book now for discounts at Summit hotelsAOPA has successfully negotiated price reductions at two of the official AOPA Aviation Summit hotels in Tampa, Fla. The Hyatt Regency Tampa and Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk have agreed to lower their prices for the AOPA Aviation Summit room block for a limited time—prices are guaranteed until Oct. 13. Read more >> Members trust AOPA Insurance AgencyWhen Nina Ortega of Sebastopol, Calif., purchased her first airplane, she was concerned about being able to get insurance coverage. “But AOPA made the process easy and they were willing to insure a beginner pilot,” said Ortega about the AOPA Insurance Agency, which has worked hard to build a service organization that far exceeds any other in the general aviation community. Ortega has called upon her agent for a number of insurance-related reasons, including the addition of approved pilots to her policy, changing ownership, and providing certificates of insurance. Read more >> Turn good deals into great dealsIntroducing Add It Up, a new free benefit to AOPA members who carry an AOPA Bank of America credit or check card and are enrolled in Bank of America’s online banking. With Add It Up, you can earn up to 20 percent cash back from online purchases. Register your card in Bank of America’s Add It Up program and start earning cash back from hundreds of your favorite online retailers. There is no limit to how much you can earn, and every dollar is deposited directly into the eligible Bank of America checking or credit card account of your choice. So start getting more for your online shopping. Read more >>
TRAINING PRODUCTSClub helps pilots master instrument navigationInstrument-rated pilots looking for a way to increase their proficiency and confidence flying in instrument meteorological conditions have a new resource: the IMC Club. The club, based in Norwood, Mass., is opening its free membership nationwide and encouraging pilots to start chapters in their area. The IMC Club offers biweekly meetings to permit instrument students, pilots, and flight instructors to discuss instrument flying, stay engaged in the aviation community, and maintain their instrument-flying skills. For more information or to form a chapter in your area, see 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. FINAL EXAMQuestion: I recently passed my private pilot checkride. Do I still need to carry my logbook with me when I go flying?
Answer: No. Student pilots are required to carry their logbooks with them when flying solo because they contain endorsements that authorize solo flight privileges. FAR 61.3 outlines the required certificates and documents that a pilot must carry when operating as pilot in command. Included in the list are your pilot certificate, medical certificate, and government-issued photo ID—but not your logbook. It may actually be a good idea to leave your logbook at home as it decreases the likelihood of theft, loss, and damage. For additional information on logbooks and logging flight time, take a look at our subject report on the topic. Got a question for our technical services staff? E-mail [email protected] or call the Pilot Information Center, 800/872-2672. Don't forget the online archive of "Final Exam" questions and answers, searchable by keyword or topic. AOPA CAREER OPPORTUNITIESEver dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for an AOPA Air Safety Foundation 2010 Spring Intern, an Aviation Technical Writer, and a Communications Coordinator. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online. Picture Perfect
AVIATION EVENTS & WEATHER To submit an event or to search all events in the calendar, visit AOPA Online. For airport details, including FBO fuel prices, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online. Flight Instructor Refresher ClinicsThe next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Seattle, Wash., Sept. 26 and 27; San Jose, Calif., and Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 3 and 4; Wichita, Kan., and Corpus Christi, Texas, Oct. 10 and 11. 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 Mesa, Ariz., Clayton, Mo., and Blue Bell, Pa., Sept. 28; Tucson, Ariz., Boise, Idaho, Kansas City, Mo., and Allentown, Pa., Sept. 29; Springfield, Mo., Grand Forks, N.D., Santa Teresa, N.M., New Cumberland, Pa., and Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 30. 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]. |
Most simulations of engine failure during training conclude after the flight instructor and student glide to a low but safe altitude and then evaluate whether the bid to reach the landing site would have succeeded. ( 
Pilots love to take photos, and they love to share them with other pilots. Now you can upload your flying photos to our 
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