| SPONSOR |  | Click here to view this week's custom content online. today’s top stories /icon_video.gif?w=20&h=16&as=1&hash=7B06DF4EAE5A6E43DE6B4B0EA49D4907) Industry groups prepare for unleaded future  The Environmental Protection Agency has formally begun the regulatory process that may ultimately lead to standards mandating general aviation’s transition to unleaded avgas. An advance notice of proposed rulemaking gives the GA community an opportunity to comment regarding the possible new environmental standard and the development of a plan for the transition to an unleaded fuel, industry groups said April 21. Find out about the industry’s plans for the future. Watch AOPA Live >> Engage in aviation: Help protect GA What can you do to protect your freedom to fly? AOPA President Craig Fuller talks about the association’s tools in the fight to protect general aviation and how you can get involved. Watch AOPA Live >> GA NEWS WAAS available for older Cessna jets Cessna Aircraft Co. now offers the GPS Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) upgrades for Citation CJ1+, CJ2+, CJ3, and Encore+ aircraft, as well as certain Citation Excel and XLS aircraft. WAAS gives pilots improved GPS navigation accuracy, allowing for greater access to many airports during difficult weather conditions. WAAS LPV approaches provide minimums similar to ILS approaches, with some procedures having minimums as low as 200 feet. Read more >> Politicians and Planes: Flight to increased understanding “I always like to go back to the basics,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a commercial pilot and CFI who prefers to teach in taildraggers. Inhofe’s training in the basics has served him well in difficult situations: flying over Siberia with clogged fuel lines, making a dead-stick landing in a 1939 Stinson 10A, and landing sans nose gear after his Grumman Tiger lost its prop, the flywheel—and a chunk of the engine itself—in flight. Read more >>
Red Bull pilot safe after accident, water rescue  Brazilian pilot Adilson Kindlemann left the hospital with only minor injuries after the first accident in Red Bull Air Race history left him upside-down in the Swan River in Perth, Australia. Kindlemann was maneuvering during practice April 15 when the tail of his MXS-R touched the surface of the water, the air race said in a statement. The right wing then clipped the surface and the 540-kg airplane flipped, leaving Kindlemann inverted and under water. Watch the video >>
Help the Wright brothers get off the ground Orville and Wilbur Wright need your help to get off the ground and into the Capitol. AOPA encourages pilots and aviation enthusiasts to vote for the Wright brothers to be immortalized in the U.S. National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The fathers of flight are among the top 10 finalists to replace Gov. William Allen as one of Ohio’s two representative statues in the Capitol. Read more >> Legend Cub becomes a smarty American Legend Aircraft now offers the Legend Smart Cub G3—a light sport aircraft equipped with the new Garmin G3X multi-function display. The first customer delivery of a Legend Smart Cub G3 is expected in April. Read more >>
Guarding the grid: High-voltage piloting  Power line poles, flashing by at regular intervals, can be mesmerizing—as anyone who has ever taken a long car or train ride across the United States knows. They are no less mesmerizing from about 200 feet agl and 25 feet away, even though a part of your pilot brain is demanding to know why you’re in an airplane this close to 64,000 volts. An estimated 500,000 miles of power lines snake their way around the United States. Ground-bound power company employees do the hands-on maintenance, but general aviation plays an important role by scouting the lines and reporting problems. Read more >> Research aims to increase women pilot ranks Why aren’t more women flying? Research conducted under a Wolf Aviation Fund grant is aimed at finding out. Colorado pilot Penny Hamilton was awarded the grant to partially fund national research to conduct in-depth interviews with female general aviation students and pilots regarding their flight training experiences. Read more >> Pilots to choose charities for Lightspeed Aviation giving Aviation headset manufacturer Lightspeed Aviation has launched a charitable program to benefit nonprofit organizations that help grow the pilot community, educate nonpilots about aviation, and serve others. The AOPA Foundation is among 20 charitable organizations the Lightspeed Aviation Foundation selected for an initiative that allows pilots to vote for nonprofits to receive grants and to designate a portion of their Lightspeed Aviation purchases for a nonprofit of their choice. Read more >> Lindbergh Foundation awards eight grants The Lindbergh Foundation has awarded eight Lindbergh grants to individuals around the world who are conducting research projects dedicated to finding innovative solutions to global environmental challenges. In aviation and aerospace, the foundation awarded a grant to Paul Slusser of Salt Lake City, Utah, who will record the behavior of right whales using radio-controlled hyperblimp airships. Read more >> Teterboro names flight instructor of the year Capt. Richard A. Greene, president and owner of Century Air at Essex County Airport in Fairfield, N.J., was given the 2010 Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year Award in late March from the Teterboro FSDO. Read more >> For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.  SUN ’N FUN NEWS Pilots pledge to engage in aviation at Sun ‘n Fun Pilots are stepping up to do their part to protect their freedom to fly. More than 2,000 Sun ’n Fun attendees stopped by AOPA’s Big Yellow Tent to pledge to engage in aviation this year. Watch AOPA President Craig Fuller talk about how you can get involved. Watch AOPA Live >>
Meet Thunderbirds position No. 8  When the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds captivate airshow audiences flying three feet apart at more than 300 knots, Capt. Kristin Hubbard narrates the show. Hubbard, the first woman to fly position No. 8 for the Thunderbirds, speaks with AOPA President Craig Fuller about serving her country, how the 130-member Thunderbirds team will pull off 73 shows this year, and how she came to be the advance pilot and narrator for the elite demonstration team. Watch AOPA Live >> What can AOPA Airports do for you? AOPA Airports, the association’s new airport directory, is easy to access and easy to use. Listen to AOPA President Craig Fuller talk with Jennefer Price, manager of AOPA Airports, about the new directory and what it offers. One of the enhancements generating interest is the new advanced search function. Watch AOPA Live >> Airport Support Network shares ideas to protect airports Sun ’n Fun is the spring break for pilots, and it brings with it AOPA’s meeting of Airport Support Network (ASN) volunteers at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida. The ASN is dedicated to protecting airports and keeping the public opinion of general aviation alive and well. Volunteers from each airport are in constant contact with AOPA about issues such as taxation, encroachment, harmful development, and local governmental attitudes toward aviation and their airport. Read more >> Florida TV station produces Sun 'n Fun reports You looked forward to Sun ’n Fun all year, then it happened and was over. Now you need something to do between Sun ’n Fun and EAA AirVenture. Here are two solutions. In addition to reviewing the videos from AOPA Live and news stories from Sun ’n Fun, there is a Florida television show you can watch on the Internet: GATV. Read more >> FAA launches new runway safety initiative The FAA announced a new initiative April 14 at Sun ’n Fun aimed at enhancing runway safety. “If you cross the line, you’ve crossed the line!” reminds pilots to stop short of hold-short lines. Read more >> King Schools, Redbird offer simulator
King Schools and Redbird Flight Simulations now offer a $6,995 Redbird TD home aviation simulator. Read more >> Miss the action at Sun ‘n Fun? Catch up on the latest news from the show in AOPA’s Sun ‘n Fun section, complete with videos, photos, articles, and more. Safety & Proficiency Know airspace or bust From national security to habitat conservation, many factors play into the designation of an area as special-use airspace. Do you know the difference between a warning area and an alert area, or when you can fly in a military operations area? Make sure you’re familiar with all the types of airspace that lie along your path—and all the rules that govern them. Test your knowledge in the AOPA Air Safety Foundation quiz “ Special-Use Airspace,” underwritten by the AOPA Insurance Agency. Never Again Online Podcast: Bent wings Severe clear air turbulence over mountainous terrain does visible damage to a Malibu. Download the latest Never Again Online iTunes Podcast or the mp3 file to find out what happens. Enjoy the lessons you learn from these pilots? Listen to more stories in AOPA's Never Again Podcast directory brought to you by the AOPA Insurance Agency. Danger descends with ceilings  Low ceilings and visibility are quiet killers. Thunderstorms may make more noise, but these conditions can catch pilots unaware or lure them to fly on into dangerous weather. Don’t get caught off guard by descending ceilings or fall prey to the temptation to fly a little farther into deteriorating weather. Brush up on your meteorological knowledge with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation interactive course WeatherWise: Ceiling and Visibility .  Sell smart this spring As the weather warms up, so does the market for aircraft. The beautiful spring weather that attracts pilots to the sky makes this the busiest time of year for aircraft purchase transactions. If you’re thinking of selling your aircraft, get tips from AOPA experts to make the sales process run smoothly in the Selling an Aircraft subject report. "Once you have connected with a prospective buyer, knowing the proper procedures for transacting the sale can make the process hassle-free for all involved,” said Woody Cahall, AOPA vice president of the Pilot Information Center. For more information, watch the recorded version of the recent AOPA Webinar on the subject or view the PowerPoint slides.  airport support Proposed noise-based ban not founded on noise study The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) cannot ban certain aircraft from Hanscom Field because of noise complaints when it has failed to provide evidence of the impact on surrounding communities, AOPA told the authority April 13. Neighbors of Hanscom in Bedford, Mass., are pressuring Massport, the airport’s sponsor, to implement restrictions on aircraft operations. Read more >> To learn more about the Airport Support Network, visit ASN Online. blogs AOPA Now: Getting engaged with Rep. Sam Graves Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri is engaged in general aviation at every level. (Find out more about Graves’ flying, and how he went from line boy to congressman, in this AOPA Live interview.) At a panel Graves hosted at Sun ‘n Fun, the conversation kept coming back to one idea—that we, as GA pilots, have strength in numbers and can have a meaningful impact on policy by getting involved. Read more >> Air Safety eJournal: Sleepless in the cockpit We’re all familiar with the concept of “powering through” as NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman put it in her opening remarks at a workshop at MITRE this week: the college student’s all-nighter in preparation for exams, or doctors and truck drivers known for their commitment to deliver the goods. There are other professions that have taken the view that fatigue is a form of personal weakness. It’s not—it’s a core part of human physiology. Read more >> Fun to Fly 2010 Sweepstakes: Building dreams AOPA eMedia Managing Editor Alyssa Miller loves asking pilots what sparked their interest in aviation. Regardless of the event that hooked them, it is always evident by the glow in their eyes that it had a major impact on their life. Read more >> Hover Power: Tail boom strakes On some helicopters, running the length of the tail boom are “L” shape (or something similar) brackets that protrude about an inch. These are known as tail boom strakes, and they act like spoilers. Read more >> member benefits Meet the AOPA Insurance Agency team To create an even more customer-focused environment, the AOPA Insurance Agency recently transitioned to a team-based structure. AOPA Insurance Agency President Janet Bressler believes this reorganization will provide an enhanced customer experience, which connects a customer with a specific service team to handle all his or her needs. Meet the team leaders >> Quiz Me Here's a question asked by an AOPA member who contacted our aviation services staff through the AOPA Pilot Information Center. Test your knowledge. Question: I am a U.S.-certificated pilot and have been given the opportunity to fly a foreign-registered aircraft located in the United States. Can I legally fly it? Answer: Yes. Under 14 CFR 61.3(b), U.S.-certificated pilots may fly a foreign registered aircraft within the United States as along they have a current pilot certificate, a current medical certificate (if required), and a government-issued photo ID in their possession, and are exercising privileges for which they are properly rated. However, this does not authorize a U.S.-certificated pilot to fly a foreign registered aircraft outside of the United States. When outside of the United States, U.S.-certificated pilots are only allowed to operate U.S.-registered aircraft. Got a question for our aviation services staff? The AOPA Pilot Information Center is a service available to all members as part of the annual dues. Call 800/872-2672, or e-mail to [email protected]. Send comments on our Quiz Me! questions to [email protected]. Picture Perfect  AOPA’s online photo gallery allows you to upload your own aviation photography as well as view, rate, and comment on others’ photos. Your favorite aviation images from AOPA Pilot are still available online through this new gallery. Take a look, and submit your own photos! Aviation Events & Weather  Want something to do this weekend? Planning an aviation getaway? See your personalized online calendar of events . We’ve enhanced our calendar so that with one click, you can see all of the events listed in the calendar regions you selected when personalizing ePilot. Now you can browse events in your region to your planning easier. You can also bookmark the personalized calendar page to check it as often as you want. Before you take off on an adventure, make sure you check our current aviation weather provided by Jeppesen.
To include 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 Clinics The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Sacramento, Calif., May 1 and 2; Pensacola, Fla., and Houston, Texas, May 15 and 16; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., and Albany, N.Y., May 22 and 23. 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 Seminars AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Blacksburg, Va., April 26; Danville, Va., April 27; Morris Plains, N.J., and Richmond, Va., April 28; Hampton, Va., April 29; Morganton, N.C., May 1; Jamestown, N.C., and Poughkeepsie, N.Y., May 3; Smithfield, N.C., and Cohoes, N.Y., May 4; New Bern, N.C., and Rochester, N.Y., May 5; Newton, Mass., and Madison, Wis., May 10; Windsor Locks, Conn., and Milwaukee, Wis., May 11; Manitowoc, Wis., May 12. Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. | 
