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New Real Pilot Story: Bird strike! |
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Peak experience: AOPA aviation summit
Keynote highlights service, looks to futureAOPA Aviation Summit 2010 opened Nov. 11 with a stunning tribute to veterans on Veterans Day. Flanked by a color guard, AOPA President Craig Fuller proudly stood before a video presentation honoring those who have served in the armed forces. "To those who have served our country, we thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Without you we could never enjoy our cherished freedom to fly," said Fuller. The keynote address, "Preserving our future," addressed the critical issue of the declining pilot population. Read more >> Cessna, Bye Energy commit to electric Cessna 172Cessna and Bye Energy announced significant progress on a joint project to retrofit Cessna 172s with 210-horsepower electric powerplants at a press conference at AOPA Aviation Summit. Though it’s being called a technology demonstrator, the two companies sounded very much committed to bringing their “Green Flight Project” airplane to the market. For example, the first demonstrator’s schedule has the airplane making its first flight in the spring of 2011. The airplane will be powered by an electric motor manufactured by Bye Energy, and an optional, 40-hp Jet A-powered auxiliary power unit. Read more >> |
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Remos Aircraft has named LoPresti Aviation as its East Coast distributor, as well as a Remos service center. The new association will prove more efficient than the current method of importing Remos light sport aircraft. Prior to this announcement, all Remos airplanes were shipped to the United States from the factory in Pasewalk, Germany, and then sent to Remos headquarters in Rogers, Ark., for final assembly and delivery. Read more >>
WingX and WingX Pro7 have been upgraded and now include current fuel prices; new flight planning capabilities; and the ability to view en route charts, geo-referenced approach plates, and terrain maps simultaneously. The new functionality is made possible by partnerships through 100LL.com, Control Vision Corp., and Seattle Avionics. Read more >>
Daher-Socata unveiled an exclusive maintenance program for newly purchased TBM 850 turboprops at AOPA Aviation Summit. The maintenance program provides free scheduled maintenance for five years or 1,000 flight hours, and extends avionics and systems warranties to five years. The airframe warranty is extended to seven years. Read more >>
Jeppesen announced a number of new products and upgrades Nov. 11 at Summit—including VFR+GPS chart subscriptions, Cessna 172-specific training, and a strategic relationship with Flyvie. Read more>>
Cessna Aircraft Co. announced Nov. 11 that production of its two-seat, $112,250 model 162 Skycatcher continues to increase, with the fiftieth airplane on its way to Cessna’s U.S. reassembly facility. More shipments are expected, and by the end of the year Cessna said it expects to hit its target of 30 Skycatcher deliveries. In 2011, the goal is to deliver more than 150 Skycatchers. “We are happy, not only with the increased pace of deliveries coming from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, but with the high level of quality of the aircraft,” said Jack Pelton, Cessna chairman, president, and CEO. Read more >>
With humor and obvious affection, Mike Melvill and Dick Rutan shared stories from their 35 years of globe-spanning flights in their ultra-efficient aircraft that they built by hand with a receptive crowd on Nov. 11. With slides of breathtaking lands such as Bora Bora and Easter Island, the pair delighted the audience with anecdotes from their flights. On Easter Island the two decided the famous statues on the tiny island must have been created by what is termed "the other option"—extraterrestials. Read more >>
Jim Tucker, a FedEx DC-10 captain and former U.S. Navy attack pilot, survived a brutal hijacking attempt in 1994 with serious injuries, but didn’t give up on returning to the air as pilot in command. The creation of the light sport category gave him hope, and today he flies a Luscombe 8A. Watch Tucker tell his compelling personal story on AOPA Live® at Summit—as well as other interviews that run the gamut from federal airport policy to new cockpit technology. See the full schedule to check out programming and set reminders for the segments you just can’t miss.
Don’t miss the announcement of the winner of AOPA’s 2010 Fun to Fly Sweepstakes Remos GX! AOPA will announce the lucky recipient on the AOPA Live stage in the exhibit hall at about 9:45 a.m. Pacific Standard Time Nov. 12. The moment will be broadcast live online and available later as a video on demand.
Looking back on his flight into space as pilot of SpaceShipOne, Mike Melvill finds the whole experience somewhat surreal. “As old as I was at the time, I didn’t think there was any way I’d be chosen to do that,” he said. “Dropping off the hooks, it’s like a bomb falling off an airplane. If anything’s loose in the cabin it floats up into the air.” After release, he said, you unguard the rocket ignition switch and light the rocket as quickly as you can, to minimize altitude loss. “The acceleration was just staggering. A rocket motor doesn’t come on gradually like a jet; it comes on full tilt.” Read more >>
Usually “long and distinguished” is just a platitude rustled up at retirement time to describe someone’s career, but Burt Rutan really did have a long career, and as the world knows, a distinguished one. Rutan, the founder of Scaled Composites at Mojave, Calif., has decided to retire next April after 36 years of designing aircraft—including the nation’s first passenger spaceship. Read more >>
Yves Rossy flew a loop for the first time with the aid of a wing strapped on his back, four jet engines each the size of a loaf of bread, and his body. He has made several previous flights with the wing, including one crossing the English Channel. He lands by parachute after each five- to 10-minute flight. This time his launch platform was a hot air balloon. Usually he leaps from an aircraft with the engines already started on his wing. The German-made JetCat P200 jet engines were originally designed for model airplanes. Read more >>
The FAA has proposed an airworthiness directive (AD) that adds steps to procedures mandated in an existing AD for inspecting seat rails and components on many Cessna airplanes. The FAA made the proposal, which would retain all inspection and repair actions required by the AD to be superseded, “to prevent seat slippage or the seat roller housing from departing the seat rail, which may consequently cause the pilot/copilot to be unable to reach all the controls,” leading to possible loss of control. Read more >>
After all the hoopla when Congress criticized General Motors executives for flying to Washington, D.C., to request financial aid, company executives are back in the air, The New York Times reports. They are promoting the sale of GM stock. The use of chartered flights does not violate the U.S. Treasury Department’s rules that the company can’t own or lease business jets. Until now, company executives have ridden commercial airlines. Read more >>
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has released third quarter numbers for airplane shipments showing a 14.5-percent drop, an unsurprising development as the nation wallows in the trough of a recession. Aircraft manufacturers say 2011 should be another flat year before a recovery begins. Orders that will boost future shipment totals are increasing. Read more >>
CORRECTION: In the Nov. 5 edition of ePilot, we incorrectly described the propulsion system of the Cessna 172 George Bye expects to fly next spring. The aircraft will have an electric propulsion system, which will be a step toward the development of an electric hybrid propulsion system. We regret the error.
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.
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Losing your medical certificate can ground you from acting as pilot in command. So what are your options when diagnosed with a disqualifying medical condition? Join AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association for a Webinar on medical issues affecting airman certification Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Gary Crump, AOPA director of medical certification services, and Dr. Greg Pinnell, EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council member and senior aviation medical examiner, will discuss the special issuance process and how to minimize certification delays. Register online >>
Gain valuable knowledge about flying safely by learning from the mistakes of others. Using your ePilot personalization preferences, like "piston single-engine" or "turbine," the Air Safety Institute's Accident Database generates a list of accidents that have been added to the database in the past 30 days. If you haven't personalized your newsletter, select your aircraft preferences from the "types of aircraft" section on the ePilot personalization page.
| Stay healthy, fly longer Enroll in the AOPA Medical Services Program and gain access to numerous resources designed to keep you in the air. Plus, receive assistance from our Medical Certification Specialists for FAA related medical issues. |
Some helicopters, like the Robinson R66, have tall masts putting the rotor system high above the tail boom; others, like the MD 500, have a more compact design. Engineers take into account flight characteristics of a design when considering the distance between the tail boom and the rotor disk. Even so, tail-boom strikes can and do happen. One of the more common scenarios is when a helicopter makes a hard landing following an autorotation. Read more >>
Once again, the bad guys are targeting the aviation system. Package bombs disguised as printer cartridges made their way onto at least two cargo aircraft a few weeks ago. General aviation remains, as ever, under the watchful eye of the security folks and it raises the question of just how reactive and protective we should be. Is GA a target? Does it matter? Read more >>
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Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics | Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars | |||||||||
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can’t make it in person? Sign up for the CFI Refresher Online. |
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. |
It was a story, complete with pictures, that rocked the general aviation community—esteemed educators John and Martha King handcuffed and detained by police in Santa Barbara, Calif., because the police had been given faulty intelligence regarding the airplane the Kings were flying. On Nov. 8, the Kings, accompanied by AOPA President Craig Fuller, returned to Santa Barbara to meet with Mayor Helene Schneider and city officials, determined to make some good come from the incident. The Kings presented guidelines to help police who are called on to make a stop involving GA aircraft. Read more >>
Aviation support groups in Venice, Fla., are celebrating local election victories that hold the promise of a new era of cooperation and progress for the Venice Municipal Airport. On Nov. 2, three candidates supportive of the airport won election to the Venice City Council. They replaced three incumbents, including the mayor, who had held office since 2007 and had taken numerous actions that hindered long-term airport planning and conflicted with management obligations the airport faced under terms of its federal funding. Read more >>
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AOPA has submitted formal comments to the Air Force’s draft environmental impact statement on a proposal that would create the nation’s largest block of special-use airspace by quadrupling the size of the Powder River Military Training Complex. AOPA disputes the need for the expansion, which would pose operational risks and economic hardship for general aviation in the affected region that includes parts of Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Air Force also has not provided sufficient justification for year-round use of the expanded airspace, AOPA said. Read more >>
AOPA is reviewing draft language the FAA hopes will simplify the work of aviation safety inspectors handling inspection authorization (IA) applications submitted by airframe and powerplant mechanics. The proposal, published Nov. 5 in the Federal Register, is seen helping inspectors verify the experience of applicants who only work part time as aviation mechanics. AOPA wants to make sure that any policy change does not disqualify mechanics who only specialize in working on older aircraft. It is their unique expertise that ensures the safety of flight. Read more>>
About 200 pilots and aviation enthusiasts gathered at Lancaster Airport in Lancaster, Pa., Nov. 6 to learn about issues affecting general aviation as well as participate in safety forums, tour the tower, and more. AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger spoke at the event, hosted by Aviation Safety Video Founder Bob Reed and the FAA Safety Team. Rudinger discussed the current state of GA, with flat flight hours and aircraft sales and a downturn in student starts. However, she pointed out that the GA industry will survive this trough just as it has previous lows. Read more >>
Montana’s more than 120 publicly owned airports provide mobility for business, recreational, and family travelers and help address the challenges of getting around in the vast state. Gov. Brian Schweitzer recognized the state’s aviation and aerospace industry during the month of November—Aviation History Month—in a letter. Recreational Aviation Foundation President John McKenna contacted Schweitzer about November’s designation as Aviation Month. Read more >>
| AOPA Aircraft Financing Program offers NEW lower rates Our goal is to get pilots into the aircraft of their dreams. To help make aircraft ownership more attainable, we just lowered our rates to make monthly payments more affordable. For more information, or to have a representative call you to discuss financing, go to www.aopa.org/loans. |
More than 11 million Americans had their identity stolen last year and pilots are at even greater risk—up until a few years ago, a pilot's certificate number was his Social Security number. That's where LifeLock comes in—as the leader in proactive identity theft protection, LifeLock helps prevent identity theft before it happens. Wallet stolen? One call to LifeLock and the company will do the rest to cancel your cards and have them reissued. LifeLock's eRecon Service continually monitors the Internet for any illegal selling or trading of your personal data. Read more >>
Don Hull is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. In 2007, Hull’s doctor noted a potential problem in the form of a heart murmur which his doctor believed might be helped with medication, but needed to be monitored. The following year, the situation was worse, and then a heart valve replacement surgery in April 2009 left Hull with no FAA medical certificate. He telephoned AOPA to ask about the Medical Services Program and decided to join as he knew he would have to get his medical back. Read more >>
As an AOPA member, you can access airport diagrams, information about FBOs, and more from anywhere using your Windows Mobile or BlackBerry device. AOPA Airports apps for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry are free to members as part of AOPA’s collection of mobile applications. The application was developed by Hilton Software, maker of the popular WingX product. Download it today >>
| FREE Video Tip! — Courses for Beginner to Pro! Click for a Free Video Training Tip and find a course to achieve your next goal, or to make your flying safer and more rewarding. Not sure? Call us at 800-854-1001 and talk to one of our pilot training advisors. |
Picture PerfectAOPA’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! |
A pilot new to ownership asks for advice on how to negotiate the puchase price of an airplane. Find out the answer in this AOPA Forum Read more >>
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Engage in AviationCheck out user-submitted events from your region. To include an event or to search all events in the calendar, visit AOPA Online. AOPA does not endorse the events listed below, nor have ePilot editors edited the submissions. AOPA assumes no responsibility for events listed. |
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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 planning a flight with my family and need to become current to carry passengers at night. Where can I review the regulation and determine the official times for sunset and sunrise?
Answer: According to 14 CFR 61.57(b), no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise, unless within the preceding 90 days that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise. To determine sunset and sunrise for your area, refer to the American Air Almanac. On this website, you’ll also find the beginning and end times of civil twilight for the purposes of logging night time. You might also read AOPA’s Night Flying subject report for a refresher on night operations.
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/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672), or e-mail to [email protected]. | |
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ePilot Editor: Sarah Brown | Contributors: Alyssa Miller Jill W. Tallman Warren Morningstar Alton K. Marsh | Dave Hirschman Tom Horne Ian J. Twombly | Production Team: William Rockenbaugh Lezlie Ramsey Mitch Mitchell | Advertise in ePilot: |
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