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Top Stories
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Advocacy
During a one-on-one meeting April 30, AOPA President Mark Baker told the head of Customs and Border Protection that egregious encounters with law-abiding general aviation pilots and aircraft must end.
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AOPA Live This Week
AOPA President Mark Baker met with Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske April 30 to fight for general aviation pilots. Also this week, take a look back at AOPA's first regional fly-in, held in San Marcos, Texas.
AOPA Live This Week®, May 1...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
More than 2,500 people and more than 350 aircraft descended on San Marcos Airport in San Marcos, Texas, for AOPA's first regional fly-in.
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Blog
AOPA President Mark Baker writes that AOPA "started these events because we wanted to meet our members where they fly, and because we wanted to help more aviation enthusiasts get engaged in all the exciting things happening in GA. I think we accomplished both goals."
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Storify story
Attendees at the first AOPA Fly-In in San Marcos, Texas, were active on social media. Read and see what happened at the fly-in from their point of view, via Twitter.
See their posts...
Article
Indianapolis-area Experimental Aircraft Association chapters have fly-in pancake breakfasts down to a science. They know the best batter consistency, production flow, and condiment layout to please pilots. Many of the chapters in the area are coming together to host the pancake breakfast at AOPA's Indianapolis Fly-In on May 31.
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Technique and Safety
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Accident analysis
Was the flight of a 1956-model Cessna 310 that took off from the Monett Municipal Airport in Missouri for a short hop to a private grass strip near Miller doomed from the start? Or could the pilots have done something to save it when an emergency started to unfold?
Read more in this special report brought to you by the Air Safety Institute...
IFR Fix
After an instrument proficiency check lesson, your instructor gives a blow-by-blow critique of your flying. He wants to fly again before signing you off. You can't resist mentioning that your flying never exceeded instrument rating practical test tolerances.
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Article
From simple crosswinds to severe storms sweeping the country, weather is a top concern for pilots. A new safety campaign announced May 1, "Got Weather?," aims to help general aviation pilots prepare for weather challenges they may encounter during 2014.
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Login required
You are level at 8,000 feet and receive the following clearance from ATC: "Proceed direct CEC VOR, cleared VOR/DME Runway 35 approach, report procedure turn inbound." Although the instructions are clear, the procedure is decidedly less so. Are you ready for the challenge?
Take the quiz...
The National Weather Service has added two risk categories to the Storm Prediction Center experimental categorical Day 1 through 3 convective outlooks and is seeking comments on the changes through June 17. "Marginal" replaces "See Text," and "Enhanced" delineates risk in the high end of the current "Slight" risk but below "Moderate," resulting in five risk categories of severe convection.
Find further details and a link to the survey...
Blog
Energy management is critical to safe landing: not too much, not too little—just right. A Cessna Citation CJ3 slid off the end of a 4,000-foot runway recently and into the water trap of a nearby golf course.
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
An airworthiness directive on Superior Air Parts cylinders installed on certain Continental Motors engines has grounded some aircraft, but AOPA is working with the company and the FAA on a solution intended to minimize any downtime.
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Advocacy
Members are being asked to help the FAA with its thirty-sixth annual General Aviation Survey.
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Health
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Article
The FAA allows certification for many common gastrointestinal diagnoses as long as your treating physician documents the condition as stable and controlled. This includes gastric ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and certain inflammatory bowel diseases.
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Members only
Just how much of your personal health information is available to the FAA?
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Technology
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Article
Two-seat solar and battery-powered prototypes were announced, and the "rock stars" of electric research and development gathered in California, marking significant progress in electric aviation. Practical electric aircraft are approaching more quickly than even the more ambitious members of "the movement" might have dared imagine just a few years ago.
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Opinion
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Blog
Erik Lindbergh and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are teaming up to research and develop electric light aircraft—if the FAA comes around on a recent proposal that would practically exclude electric-powered aircraft completely from the general aviation experience in the United States.
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Blog
One of the things Opinion Leaders blogger John Petersen mentions during talks about the future of aviation is extraordinary science and technology breakthroughs: One example is a couple of new products that point to the possible elimination of the issue of ice in aviation.
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Gear
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Article
The new Sagetech Corp. ADS-B Tracker Kit uses Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast location information and iPads to track unmanned aircraft systems.
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Apps of the week
In the spirit of the song "Give the people what they want," this week AOPA highlights five apps that members swear by. They do everything from providing timely information on fixed-base operators to helping with navigational tasks.
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Travel
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Article
Twenty six airport restaurants have been named the best of the best in $100 Hamburger's top U.S. fly-in restaurants. Did your favorite eatery make the list? Find out and share what sets your frequent $100 hamburger stop apart from others.
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Article
Young pilots have a unique opportunity: Apply for a chance at a free, two-week trip to France to participate in the Tour Aérien Des Jeunes Pilotes.
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Article
Aloha! Pilots can now use OpenAirplane's universal pilot checkout system to fly in Hawaii.
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Member benefits
Find out three simple rules for airport camping, and get tips regarding your responsibilities for insurance for the outing.
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Financial
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Article
With the purchase of Beechcraft by Textron now complete, Textron Aviation followed through on promised job cuts with 750 layoff notices, fewer than some expected.
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Article
Myth No. 1: It is always cheaper to pay cash. Whether pilots empty their checking/savings account or the stash under their mattress to buy their dream aircraft, they tie up their cash in a non-liquid asset.
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AOPA Foundation focus
The AOPA Foundation on May 1 opened the application period for its annual Giving Back grant program, which awards 10 grants worth $10,000 each to nonprofit aviation organizations.
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News and Notes
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Article
The Commemorative Air Force will move its headquarters to Dallas Executive Airport, where the organization plans to build a world-class, $40 million aviation attraction.
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Article
Meredith and Dana Holladay, who flew a Piper J-3 Cub to all 48 lower states, are now working hard to grow their Holladay Aviation flight school in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Article
Eager to begin selling its first factory-built light aircraft, Quicksilver Aeronautics celebrated an unofficial blessing of the Sport S2SE.
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Poll
Hundreds of members have been voting for their favorite AOPA Pilot covers to help editors pick the best of all time for the association's seventy-fifth anniversary. What will be your top pick for 1964?
Take the poll...
Partner Spotlight
Alamo, Enterprise, and National offer AOPA members car rental discounts of up to 25 percent. These partners also support AOPA through sponsorship of AOPA events, AOPA Airports, and the "Fly-Outs" feature in AOPA Pilot, along with financial support that helps AOPA promote, protect, and defend general aviation.
Learn more...
Blog
A painter committed the majestic lines of the B-17 Aluminum Overcast to canvas at AOPA's San Marcos, Texas, fly-in.
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Career Opportunities
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Aviation job board
If you are an experienced video producer, King Schools is looking for you! Responsibilities include live production, media management and backup, scheduling all studio functions, preparing scripts for shooting, and more.
View the full job description...
AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for an AOPA Live producer/videographer I, executive assistant for government affairs, director of state government affairs, and account manager II. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities,
visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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Question
In an aircraft with a reciprocating engine, the engine will be lubricated by either a dry-sump or wet-sump oil system. What is the difference?
Answer
The basic difference is where the oil is stored. In a wet-sump oil system, all of the oil is contained in the sump, which is an integral part of the engine. In a dry-sump system, oil is stored in a separate tank and pumps are used to circulate it through the engine. (Source: Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, 6-15.)
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. Contact AOPA. |
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Forums
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Are analog instruments safer?
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
May 3-4 - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Albany, N.Y.; and Pensacola, Fla.
May 17-18 - Sacramento, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Houston, Texas.
June 7-8 - Santa Clara, Calif.; and Ashburn, Va.
June 21-22 - Charlotte, N.C.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Orlando, Fla.
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's new Online eFIRC.
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Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
May 12 - Madison, Wis.; and Garden City, N.Y.
May 13 - Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; and Milwaukee, Wis.
May 14 - Manitowoc, Wis.; and Albany, N.Y.
May 15 - Brockport, N.Y.
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
May 3 - Quinton, Va.
May 10 - Fitchburg, Mass.
May 10 - Spanish Fork, Utah.
May 14 - Cheektowaga, N.Y.
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot Editor:
Benét Wilson
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Sarah Deener
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Warren Morningstar
Alton K. Marsh
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Ian J. Twombly
Dan Namowitz
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