Cessna Aircraft Co. is well known as the manufacturer that launched thousands of student pilots behind the yokes of its popular 152 and 172 training airplanes. It also has a sophisticated line of small business jets, including the CitationJet 3 shown here. The CJ3 was certificated in 2004, and approximately 450 of them have been delivered since 2005. The CJ3 can cruise at 417 knots, and it has a range of 1,771 nautical miles. In 2014 Cessna introduced the CJ3+, featuring a new avionics suite and a redesigned cockpit, among other changes.
WHAT: Cessna CitationJet 3 (CJ3)
Where: Orlando Executive Airport, Orlando, Florida
Photographer: Chris Rose
AOPA Fly-in: ‘Great day to be at an airport’
AOPA welcomes thousands to Homecoming Fly-In
By Sarah Deener
Rain the night before dampened the grass at Frederick Municipal Airport, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of about 3,000 attendees who turned out for the AOPA Homecoming Fly-In on October 4.
Ceilings had lifted to a 5,500-foot overcast by the start of the fly-in, and 345 aircraft flew in for what was AOPA’s largest regional fly-in of the year. “It is a great airport,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “It’s a great day to be at an airport.”
From the whine of an L-39 taxiing to its position on display to the rumble of a B-17 Flying Fortress giving rides, the fly-in bustled with the sounds of flying. Aircraft from a vintage Stearman to a Piaggio pusher turboprop attracted attendees to the static display. The biggest draw was an aerobatic demonstration by Michael Goulian, a Red Bull Air Race Championship pilot and a winner of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Championship.
Attendees perused a range of products at the exhibitor tent and met with AOPA staff about gear, flight planning, medical services, and more.
The evening before the fly-in, 130 lapsed pilots packed into a Rusty Pilots seminar to brush up on their aviation knowledge and fulfill the ground instruction requirement of the flight review. At the fly-in, pilots expanded their knowledge of ADS-B or aeronautical decision making; aviation humorist Rod Machado drew a standing-room-only crowd for “Thinking Small to Avoid Big Mistakes.”
At the Pilot Town Hall, Baker caught members up on the latest issues in GA: efforts to reform the third class medical; pilots’ outcry at unwarranted stops and searches of law-abiding pilots, which resulted in a top-down review of Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine; concerns about the value proposition of ADS-B and the need to find a reasonable cost for pilots of older aircraft; the effort to find an acceptable unleaded fuel for GA; and initiatives aimed at growing the pilot population. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker joined Baker on stage, fielding questions on issues ranging from user fees to the battle over Santa Monica Municipal Airport. In response to the final question, whether AOPA will continue regional fly-ins in 2015, Baker responded “Yes,” and, before he could elaborate, was interrupted by a round of applause.
AOPA’s final regional fly-in of 2014 will be held November 8 at Malcolm McKinnon Airport (SSI) in St. Simons, Georgia. For more information or to RSVP, go online.
AOPA recognizes training excellence
Florida’s Paragon Flight takes top spot
AOPA has awarded its third annual Flight Training Excellence Awards to top flight schools and flight instructors ranked by more than 3,600 flight students who voluntarily reviewed their flight training experience through an AOPA online poll.
AOPA recognized Paragon Flight of Fort Myers, Florida, as the 2014 Best Flight School, and Spencer Watson of Manassas, Virginia, as the 2014 Best Flight Instructor. Ten additional flight schools and 10 instructors were named “Outstanding” by AOPA based on the poll results.
“All of us at AOPA would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s award winners,” said Brittney Miculka, AOPA senior manager of pilot community development. “We created these awards to recognize those who instill a lifelong passion for aviation among their students, and who exemplify the best the flight training industry has to offer. It was clear from the customer reviews that these professionals are providing a superior flight instruction experience.”
AOPA has also named an Honor Roll of 62 flight schools and 75 flight instructors, all of whom demonstrated a high standard of accomplishment and received at least three nominations. The complete list is on the Flight Training website.
In addition, a Student’s Choice Award was given to the flight school that receives the highest number of positive nominations. For the third year in a row, Aviation Adventures of Virginia won that award, with 198 nominations.
The 2014 President’s Choice Award winner is GIFT Academy of Vernon, Texas. This award is given by the president of AOPA for significant and innovative contributions to the flight training community. GIFT Academy is aimed at helping female pilots find success in flight training in a supportive setting (see “Women with Wings,” March 2013 Flight Training magazine).
AOPA flight training scholarships awarded
High school senior raises livestock to pay for flight training
By Sarah Deener
Competitive shooter and raiser of champion livestock Anna Weil-bacher is working to add another title to her résumé: private pilot. The high school senior has been named the winner of the $12,000 Noe-Singer Flight Training Scholarship.
Weilbacher, of Leona Valley, California, said she’s always been interested in flying—her father used to fly, and her great uncle flew in World War II—and that her parents surprised her at age 16 with an introductory flight at Van Nuys Airport. Since then, she’s paid for her flight lessons with odd jobs like babysitting and the sale of champion sheep and goats she raised in 4-H. She is studying for the knowledge test and said the scholarship will help her finish her private pilot certificate and move on to instrument and multiengine ratings. The further she can progress in her training now, she said, the closer she’ll get to her end goal of becoming an Air Force pilot, and later moving on to the airlines.
Other recipients for 2014 include:
• Kurt Clemenz of Fishers, Indiana, and Ian Kapit of Orange City, Florida (Richard R. and Gretchen E. Harper Scholarship in memory of Richard Harper).
• Veronica Trujillo, West Covina, California (Gina Santori Flight Training Scholarship).
• Ryan Huebler of Buckley, Washington (Richard Santori Memorial Scholarship).
• Sarah DeRemer, Easton, Pennsylvania (Jimmie Allen Flying Club Scholarship).
• Kevin Berg, Concord, North Carolina (Ceci Stratford Flight Training Scholarship).
• Christine Olson of Huntington Beach, California (Erral Lea Plymate Memorial Scholarship).
• Dennis Parker, Seabrook, New Hampshire; Lance Fisher, Huntington Beach, California (AOPA Foundation Flight Training Scholarship).
Complete details are on the Flight Training website.
Shown in image: AOPA President Mark Baker presents Anna Weilbacher with the Noe-Singer Flight Training Scholarship at AOPA Headquarters in October.
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