When America's first operational jet fighter flew in 1944, the propeller-driven trainers of World War II could not prepare pilots well for flying turbojet airplanes. Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star designer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson suggested creating a jet trainer by stretching the Shooting Star by 41 inches to accommodate a second cockpit; the result was the T-33A Shooting Star, affectionately known as the T-Bird.
Climb aboard and find out what it’s like to fire up the T-33's early turbojet engine.
Christmas is coming and so are the drones. Congress steps in on the subject of unmanned aircraft. Also, civilian pilots receive long overdue congressional honors, and a flying dog helps bring more kids into general aviation.
AOPA Live This Week®, Dec. 11...
Passing 3,000 feet and only 9 miles from the field, smoke started coming out from between the seats of the T-37 the Air Force student was flying with an instructor pilot. "When I realized it was real, and the smoke was not dissipating, the good old adrenaline kicked in," writes retired Air Force pilot Larry Brown. His emergency procedures training paid off.
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Turbulence had knocked out the autopilot as a Cessna Citation's flight crew prepared for arrival in Naples, Florida. With weather near minimums, the increased workload of hand-flying the approach wasn't a welcome development. At such times, a thought runs through a pilot's mind: "I hope nothing else goes wrong." But something did.
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You should stick with someone you trust for the long-term maintenance of your aircraft, assuming he or she is skilled and thorough. That said, there is significant value to getting a fresh pair of eyes on your airplane every so often.
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These words serve as a reminder of how quickly one wrong turn while taxiing in severely reduced visibility can set the stage for mistaken assumptions by air traffic control and pilots. Learn how they averted a serious accident and how you can avoid a runway incursion by communicating clearly, being vigilant, and having good situational awareness. Watch this Air Safety Institute animation...
As winter weather settles into many parts of the country, make sure to take enough time for a thorough weather briefing and to check pireps before launching in conditions that may be conducive to icing. For a solid refresher on how to avoid precipitation that can turn your aircraft into an icicle, take the Air Safety Institute's Weather Wise: Precipitation and Icing online course.
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A Phenom 100 business jet recently crashed on approach to the Gaithersburg, Maryland, Montgomery County Airpark, resulting in fatalities on the ground as well as in the airplane. Preliminary flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder information showed that about 20 seconds prior to the crash the stall warning annunciator and voice alert were triggered. How did an experienced pilot wind up in this circumstance?
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Effective regulation of unmanned aircraft systems is vital for the safety of our skies, and the FAA must take steps to expedite rulemaking for small commercial unmanned aircraft, AOPA told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in a statement submitted Dec. 10.
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The general aviation community hopes to have new allies on the powerful House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as two new pilots, including one AOPA member, join the group when the 114th Congress convenes in January. Read more...
General aviation provides vital service to the isolated communities of the Arctic within Alaska, despite a critical lack of supporting infrastructure. Given the limited infrastructure, it is essential that government agencies "make a coordinated effort to implement creative and cost-effective solutions" to fill the gaps, AOPA said in comments submitted to an agency within the Department of Commerce.
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Simulators can cut training time and costs, a plus for students; but they are advantageous for instructors too, writes Opinion Leaders blogger Amy Laboda. Instructors can teach in a quiet, distraction-free area; enable students to quickly practice multiple repetitions of a task; and program weather conditions and instrument failures.
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What's the best thing a pilot can do with his or her certificate? Use it, of course. Over the years, AOPA's editors have flown in, over, and to some very special places. In Aerial Adventures: 99 Ways to Fly—AOPA's first e-book containing all-original content—they share some of their favorite destinations, getaways, and routes. If you feel like you've run out of places to fly, this is the e-book for you. Who will be first to try all 99?
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The Breitling Jet Team has announced an itinerary of 18 stops for the team's first U.S. tour in 2015. The seven-ship formation of L-39 Albatros jets will launch this inaugural North American circuit at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida.
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Try your hand at flying and landing the Commercial Space Transportation-100 simulator with former shuttle astronaut Chris Ferguson at Boeing's Space Exploration Division facility in Houston. The opportunity is open for bidding in the AOPA Foundation's online auction and includes a tour of the CST-100 mock-up.
Place your bid on this unique experience!
It is still a tough market for selling used aircraft, but about as good as it gets for those looking to buy. Boosted by confidence in the overall economic recovery, buyers are filling order books and returning to a used market still flush with relatively low-time inventory, and they will eventually drive prices up.
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The "Flying Minute Men" of World War II gathered for a Dec. 10 ceremony in Washington, D.C., to receive the highest honor conferred by Congress. Fewer than 100 veterans of the founding days of the Civil Air Patrol survive, but many were on hand for the ceremony—including family members, more than 600 made the trip capping off a year of honoring courage, airmanship, and dedication.
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A Deland, Florida, light sport aircraft manufacturer is planning the first light sport pylon air race April 1 based on the Red Bull model. Read more...
The world's second-largest general aviation aircraft owner and pilot organization, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, will soon have new leadership for the first time in nearly two decades.
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Ask someone on the street to name the first small airplane that comes to mind. Chances are the response will be the Piper Cub. So probable is it that anyone you meet knows something about the little yellow airplane pilots call the J-3 that the phenomenon helped persuade Pennsylvania's legislature to bestow official recognition on the aircraft this year.
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Poll
Pick the best 'Pilot' cover from 2002, 2003
A Diamond Star DA40, Ford Tri-Motor, TBM 700B, and American Champion Super Decathlon were featured on the covers of AOPA Pilot in 2002. The Luscombe Silvaire, Mooney Ovation, Adam Aircraft A500, and Sikorsky S-38 Amphibian were highlighted in 2003. Vote for your favorite from each year.
The Department of Aviation Technology at Purdue University invites applications for a chief flight instructor (continuing lecturer) position, to be located on the West Lafayette, Indiana, campus. This position is a fiscal year appointment (12 months), and will commence on Jan. 1, 2015. The Aviation Technology department houses multiple undergraduate and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) degree programs designed to prepare graduates to serve in many diverse positions in the discipline. The Professional Pilot Program prepares students to become highly skilled aviators and future industry leaders.
Read the full job description and apply today.
If you accomplish a flight review in a seaplane, do you also need to complete another flight review before you can be pilot in command of a glider (if you are rated in both)?
Answer
No. A single flight review in any category of aircraft for which you are rated is sufficient to meet the requirements of 14 CFR 61.56.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.
Education and Seminars
Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Jan 3-4 - Charlotte, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jan 10-11 - San Antonio, Texas; Long Beach, California; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Bellevue, Washington
Jan 17-18 - Santa Clara, California; Ridgeland, Mississippi; and Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 7-8 - Sacramento, California; Nashua, New Hampshire; Louisville, Kentucky; Fairfax, Virginia; and New Orleans, Louisiana
Check 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.
