Nov. 09, 2012, issue of 'AOPA ePilot' newsletter

Beachside flying, and on the market
Fly like a fighter: Backup to the backup
Designee policy changes prompt concern
Quiz Me: Delayed departure

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Featured

Beachside flying, and on the market

The approach to Runway 24 demands attention and care to clear the narrow row of sand dunes separating pavement and beach. The rewards that await include surf casting; nearby restaurants selling seafood straight from the dock out back; and a quick cab ride into town, local parks, or the historic Montauk Lighthouse. Montauk Airport, perched nearly at the eastern tip of Long Island, has been compared by pilots who know it to Caribbean destinations, albeit with slightly cooler water. It has not escaped the attention of pilots that the airport is for sale. Read more and watch AOPA Live >>

GA News

New faces, familiar challenges after election

As the dust settled from the Nov. 6 elections, aviation advocates began assessing what the new political landscape will mean for the industry, and prepared to work with new and familiar faces in Washington, D.C., and in statehouses nationwide. AOPA President Craig Fuller discussed the effect of the elections—from state offices to the White House—on general aviation with AOPA staffers. Read more and watch AOPA Live >>

Members weigh in on second Obama term

What do you think the prospects for general aviation will be in a second Obama term? The question on AOPA’s Facebook page got members talking. Read more >>

GA flights help hurricane relief effort

Pilots from across the country converged on airports in New York and New Jersey, delivering tens of thousands of pounds of donated supplies to a region reeling from Hurricane Sandy. The nonprofit, all-volunteer organization AERObridge coordinated logistics, helping to ensure that the supplies being delivered matched the needs identified by various relief organizations operating on the ground. Read more >>

Aircraft claims mount in storm’s aftermath

Among the billions of dollars in losses left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy will likely be millions of insured aircraft losses, with one flooded airport on the Connecticut coast accounting for much of the total. About 100 aircraft at Igor Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport, Conn., were damaged, many bathed in corrosive salt water as Long Island Sound swept over the field. Read more >>

FreeFlight Systems gains wider approval for ADS-B Out

Texas avionics company FreeFlight Systems expects approval soon for a supplemental type certificate that will allow owners of various Cessna models to install Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out equipment. An Oct. 10 policy shift by the FAA promises to speed the approval process for other aircraft models. By 2020, all aircraft operating in airspace that currently requires a transponder will be required to fly with ADS-B Out capability. Read more >>

NFL salutes World War II veteran’s service

World War II veteran and pilot Bill Linkenhoker had been chosen as honorary coin-toss captain for the Nov. 4 National Football League game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis between the Colts and the Miami Dolphins. But Linkenhoker, 89, was in Savannah, Ga. The prospect of a long trek involving airline travel and ground transportation was daunting. Linkenhoker’s granddaughter sought a solution via Facebook. Read more >>

Above the Mississippi: An AirCam’s southward migration

Winds are usually the most relevant item for pilots on any ATIS recording—but not on this trip. When flying an open AirCam late in the flying season at Crystal Airport just north of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., temperatures are paramount. And the ATIS numbers on this autumn morning were daunting. Temperature: minus 4. Dew point: minus 9. AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Dave Hirschman braved the cold with fellow traveler John Kounis to ferry the airplane to warmer climes in Florida. Read more >>

Tecnam offers bare-bones model for budget fliers

Tecnam has announced a new version of its P92 series light sport aircraft that comes with shorter wings, and operates at lower weights. The $74,999 price tag aims to appeal to cost-conscious aviators and flying clubs. Read more >>

General aviation manufacturers log increase in sales

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association logged an uptick in deliveries through the third quarter, and urged lawmakers to settle the fiscal uncertainty that is believed to be dampening demand. Read more >>

Hawker Beechcraft sheds more jobs

Hawker Beechcraft has briefed employees of a plan to cut about 410 jobs and close facilities in Little Rock, Ark.; San Antonio; and Mesa, Ariz., all part of a plan to emerge from bankruptcy while closing the business jet lines. Read more >>

Jeppesen completes new iPad, iPad Mini decompression tests

Jeppesen reports it has completed tests of the new fourth-generation iPad with Retina display and iPad Mini, proving the devices can handle an unlikely event of sudden cabin pressure loss. Read more >>

New home for early ‘Air Force One’?

Columbine II, a Lockheed Constellation rescued from the scrap heap decades ago, may soon head east from the Arizona desert to reclaim its place in history. The airplane’s presidential pedigree was nearly forgotten when the Department of Defense sold the C-121A to firefighting and aerial spraying operators in Wyoming in 1970. A chance encounter a decade later revealed the connection with President Dwight Eisenhower, and the owners now hope to make one final flight—to a military museum. Read more >>

Learn to fly apps

Bye-bye bulky books, hello 3-D animations, videos, and live ATC radio communications. This week's five featured apps can help students and pilots of all levels hone their skills. Read more >>

Aviation-themed park debuts at SC airport

It’s a sunny day—time to get outside and have some family fun. You could go to the park, or you could head for the airport and watch airplanes. If you live near South Carolina's Greenville Downtown Airport, now you can now do both. Read more >>

Sikorsky X2 continues to attract awards

Already a winner of the 2010 Collier Trophy, the 250-knot-true-airspeed Sikorsky X2 technology demonstrator now has yet another honor, a spot in the University of Maryland Hall of Fame for the principal engineer who designed the aerodynamics for the blades. Read more >>

Registration opens for online flight services

Lockheed Martin Flight Services announced that pilots can now register online for its Automated Flight Service Station Pilot Web Portal and Adverse Condition Alerting Service (ACAS). The portal lets pilots who file flight plans directly with Lockheed retrieve the same briefing information and weather graphics as briefing specialists, and input information including favorite flight plans and aircraft data. ACAS provides alerts of new adverse conditions specific to Lockheed Martin Flight Services-filed flight plans via text, email, and Iridium satellite devices, and prompts pilots to update briefings.

Quicksilver wins multiple kit approvals from FAA

An ownership change from Quicksilver Manufacturing to Quicksilver Aeronautics, located in Temecula, Calif., triggered a rule requiring the FAA to determine that 51 percent of the kit is built by the owner, in order to qualify for the experimental amateur-built category. Several kits have now received a letter of authorization showing that approval. Read more >>

iPad giveaway: AOPA awards prizes from Summit drawings

Winners of the 2012 AOPA Aviation Summit iPad Giveaway drawing will have powerful flight planning and electronic flight bag capabilities at their fingertips. Grand-prize winner Kathy Swigard of California receives a new 32 GB iPad and 12-month subscription to AOPA FlyQ EFB. Read more >>

Debonair Sweeps: Flying D’Shannon’s tip tanks

After leaving its former home at Hartford-Brainard Airport, AOPA’s sweepstakes Beech Debonair made a trip to D’Shannon Aviation’s office in Buffalo, Minn., for a series of upgrades: 20-gallon tip tanks, a new “Speed Slope” windshield, tinted side windows, and aileron and flap gap seals. Read more >>

Reporting Points: Strange but true

A Los Angeles man faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to pointing a laser at aircraft, including a police helicopter. Read about this and other strange but true general aviation news.

Hover Power: Off-airport landings

One of the big advantages of helicopters is the ability to land off airport. However, deciding where and when to land a helicopter deserves considerable thought as the consequences of a bad decision can be very serious. Read more >>

AOPA Live This Week: Election analysis, storm survey

What impact do the election results have on general aviation? AOPA's political experts have the answers. When Hurricane Sandy battered the Northeast, general aviation came to the rescue. Take a look at what was new out on the ramp at the NBAA convention in Orlando. Plus, beautiful beaches, great food, wonderful airport—it could be yours, for $18 million. And flight simulation could help you get your pilot's license faster and more easily. Find out more on AOPA Live This Week, Nov. 8.

AOPA Live This Week: Spotlight on bizav

The spotlight was on business aircraft and changes at well-known manufacturers when AOPA Live This Week aired from the floor of the National Business Aviation Association’s convention in Orlando, Fla. See what the emerging Beechcraft Corp. will—and won’t—manufacture, inspect the upgraded Cessna Sovereign and Dassault Falcon 2000 bizjets, and meet Embraer’s new entry. Then it’s time for some spin awareness, with political pros Mary Matalin and James Carville.

Poll

Do you use digital charts? Many pilots now use iPads or other tablets to supply their maps, charts, and procedures. Examples of these products include ForeFlight HD, WingX Pro, Garmin Pilot, Flight Guide iEFB, Anywhere Map, and Seattle Avionics Voyager. How many paid data subscriptions do you currently have active?

Safety & Proficiency

Fly like a fighter: Backup to the backup

Approaching bingo fuel and unable to return to home base or the planned alternate, this T-38 instructor had little time to find another backup to set the bird down. Where did he put the aircraft down? Read more >>

‘Minimum fuel’ or ‘fuel emergency’?

The headwinds were a bit stronger than you planned for, and ATC changed your routing. Your fuel is getting dangerously low, but you still have enough to make it to your destination. Maybe. If the controllers can vector you straight onto the approach, you’ll have nothing to worry about. But should you tell them you about your fuel status? What does that mean to them? Find out in the latest segment of Ask ATC from the Air Safety Institute and learn how ATC handles the “minimum fuel” call versus a “fuel emergency.”

IFR Fix: Waiting for WEEGI

Today’s instrument proficiency check promises to be invigorating—just what you need after a prolonged absence. First, you’ll warm up with some hooded air work. Next, pick up a clearance for a round-robin flight around Omaha, Neb., and its associated double-hubbed Class C airspace to shoot ILS and VOR approaches at Eppley Airfield and Council Bluffs, concluding with an NDB RWY 12 approach at Millard. That NDB approach might be trickier than you first thought. Read more >>

Through another’s eyes…

One of the timeliest sources of weather information is other pilots through pilot reports, or pireps. Others’ presence in the air can sometimes be the only way to learn about some types of weather phenomena—such as cloud tops, cloud layers, the severity of turbulence, and more. Learn more about pireps by taking the Air Safety Institute's SkySpotter: Pireps Made Easy online course.

Answers for Pilots: Sightseeing flights

The holidays typically bring out the best in us as we focus on giving—to family, friends, communities, and charities. As pilots, this may mean giving sightseeing flights as a fundraiser for a charitable flying event. It's a great way to build camaraderie while raising support for a worthwhile cause. Charitable or community flying events are typically sightseeing flights, operating under FAR Part 91.146, held to benefit a local group. Read more >>

Improve your safety by learning from others

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.

Leading Edge: A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Superb weekend weather in the Mid-Atlantic offered a chance to cast aside the schedules and structure of business flying and just go flying. A short cross-country, returning to a busy towered airport, held many subtle lessons. Read more >>

ADVOCACY

Designee policy changes concern aviation industry

AOPA and six other aviation associations have requested that the FAA delay action on a proposed revision of its designee management policy and provide more time for the industry to study the 500-page document. Read more >>

AOPA Close to Home

Las Vegas airspace plan remains short on solutions

Online tool estimates Washington airports’ economic clout

More time allowed for comments on Ore. Navy training plan

Member Benefits

High blood pressure disqualifying?

Concerned about losing your medical because of high blood pressure? Don’t be spooked by marketing scare tactics: More than 64,000 airmen are flying with high blood pressure on medication. The federal air surgeon does not even require an airman to possess a special issuance for the condition. Dr. Warren Silberman, former manager of FAA Aerospace Medical Certification, explains what pilots will need to do when they’re treated for high blood pressure in an article for AOPA’s Pilot Protection Services. Read more >>

Strategic partner Aircraft Spruce launches new website

Aircraft Spruce, an AOPA strategic partner, launched an entirely redesigned website on Nov. 6 to make the aviation superstore’s website more intuitive and user-friendly than ever before. Read more >>

Who’s who: Broker versus agent versus direct writer

Brokers are the most common option for securing aviation insurance. Brokers deal with multiple insurance companies and shop those available markets to obtain the best coverage and value available for their clients. Agents are defined as those who sell insurance for just one company. True agents are extremely rare in the aviation insurance world. The term “agent,” however, is used interchangeably with “broker” in the industry, so don’t let that lead you to false conclusions. Then we have direct writers, who offer you only themselves as a single option. Read more >>

Webinar offers flying club insights

Thinking of starting a flying club? Join AOPA for a webinar Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern time to find out what's involved. Space is limited. Reserve your seat now >>

AOPA Career Opportunities

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We’re looking for an events coordinator; AOPA eastern regional manager; marketing coordinator; .NET applications developer; production assistant–Web; member services representative; manager, AOPA Flying Club Network; contract administrator; Web developer (eMedia); major gifts officer; and Web graphic designer. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.

Community

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