Whether you fly a little bit of IFR, or file every time—or are just thinking about getting started in an instrument ticket— a variety of seminars at AOPA Aviation Summit will inform, educate, and encourage you to make the best use of your aircraft and your rating.
A final approach can be the shortest segment of any flight, but it can be filled with the most excitement and danger. Hidden traps abound for the unwary IFR pilot. Step through some of the pitfalls with veteran ATP and CFII JJ Greenway, the Air Safety Institute's chief flight instructor, in the seminar “IFR Safety Focus: FAF Inbound” on Friday, Sept. 23, from 10 to 11 a.m. in Room 23 of the Connecticut Convention Center.
Don't like New England's weather? You know what they say: Just wait five minutes and it'll change. In this discussion, AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Tom Horne will look at some of the Northeast's most notorious adverse flying weather, as well as the ways it crops up. He'll look at some weather accidents along the way, and then check out some websites and inside information that will help you become more aware of weather dynamics in general, Thursday, Sept. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in rooms 14 and 15 of the Convention Center; and on Friday, Sept. 23, from 10 to 11 a.m. in rooms 21 and 22 of the Convention Center.
What is NextGen—the Next Generation Air Transportation System—all about? How will its technologies like ADS-B impact our flight operations in the near and far term? Join AOPA and a panel of NextGen experts who will share what NextGen means for general aviation and how it will impact operations in the National Airspace System. Joining moderator Heidi Williams, AOPA senior director of airspace and modernization, will be a panel including Bobby Nichols, FAA implementation lead for surveillance and broadcast services; Bill Stone, aviation products manager at Garmin; Mark Ward, FAA Air Traffic Organization group manager, operations support, Eastern Service Center; and Tim Taylor, president and CEO of FreeFlight Systems, Thursday, Sept. 22, from 3:30 to 4 p.m. in Room 24 of the Convention Center.
Learn how to handle GPS and WAAS approaches from 2008 National CFI of the Year and author Max Trescott in “Practical Tips for Flying GPS and WAAS-Based Approaches” Thursday, Sept. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Convention Center rooms 11 through 13, and Friday, Sept. 23, from 10 to 11 a.m. in Convention Center rooms 14 through 17.
Of course you breezed through the checkride or aced that last proficiency check. But you're still hesitant to venture aloft on that "three hundred and one" day. Find out with Greenway how pilots who fly every day in all kinds of weather do it. The Air Safety Institute’s "Real World IFR" safety seminar goes beyond basic IFR training into the world of professional piloting. Join in on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 10 to 11 a.m. in Ballroom A of the Convention Center, or Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in rooms 14 through 17 of the Convention Center.
In the seminar “Tips from Controllers: Navigating the NAS,” you will get a better picture of how the National Airspace System (NAS) really works. Find out how weather impacts routes and how traffic management initiatives are used to increase efficiency. Controllers from around the country are looking forward to your questions on both VFR and IFR operations on Friday, Sept. 23, from 10 to 11 a.m. in Convention Center rooms 11 through 13.
AOPA Aviation Summit will take place Sept. 22 through 24 in Hartford, Conn. Register today.
Dan Namowitz
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