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Top Stories
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Special message from AOPA President Mark Baker
AOPA President Mark Baker is focused on setting the stage for general aviation and the association for the next 75 years by growing the pilot population, making GA more affordable and accessible than ever, and keeping it fun and safe.
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Feature
AOPA celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary May 15. Take a look back at how it all started, with brothers Philip T. and Laurence P. Sharples getting lost en route to a fly-out.
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Article
Seventy-five years after its founding in May 1939, a dozen charter members remain active on AOPA's membership rolls. Hear what aviation has been like over the years from three of the members.
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Bill Bailey: Seeing the light
Clancy Hess: A fortuitous youth
Ed Adams: The 'baby student'
Feature
General aviation's future depends on dealing with higher costs and on making do with less, says industry analyst Richard Aboulafia.
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AOPA Live This Week
Strap in and fly an L-39 through unusual attitude training—it could save your life one day. Hear special messages from AOPA President Mark Baker and AOPA Trustee Andy Pew commemorating the association's seventy-fifth anniversary. And taste the hottest cocktail sauce in Indianapolis at St. Elmo Steak House as AOPA highlights its May 31 Fly-In at Indianapolis Regional Airport.
AOPA Live This Week®, May 15...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
Hot Stuff turns heads on ramps wherever it goes. The warbird's twin tails are a hallmark of the famous B-25 Mitchell bomber, but Hot Stuff has a tailwheel instead of nosewheel. To the trained eye, there are other differences as well, like the fuselage, interior configuration, and wingspan. It's a rare Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon.
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AOPA Fly-In seminar schedule
Improve your radio communication skills, learn how to get the most out of your iPad in the cockpit, find out how to save a few bucks with owner-performed maintenance, and get unusual attitude recovery tips that could save your life. Experts will delve into these topics during educational seminars at AOPA's Indianapolis Fly-In May 31 at Indianapolis Regional Airport.
See the seminar schedule...
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Technique and Safety
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IFR Fix
Descending in moderate turbulence through multiple cloud decks, the two pilots, who are unfamiliar with the destination airport and local approach architecture, are all business.
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Accident analysis
Pilots flying in areas covered by airmets for moderate turbulence often encounter nothing especially alarming, so it's easy to forget that actual conditions may be worse than predicted. Early in the evening of Dec. 14, 2012, a Beech King Air E90 broke up in flight about 15 minutes after takeoff from the Rick Husband International Airport in Amarillo, Texas.
Read more in this special report from the Air Safety Institute.
Blog
Too many airlines think we can't handle the truth, and so the flight crew refers to "bumps" rather than turbulence. You'll even hear media types occasionally mention "air pockets," a long outdated term. For light general aviation, turbulence is often uncomfortable and occasionally dangerous.
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Article
Have you visited the Air Safety Institute's new homepage? It is now easier than ever to learn online, take safety to go, read publications, renew your flight instructor certificate, check transcripts, and reprint certificates.
Learn more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
AOPA is once again asking the FAA to withdraw a proposed airworthiness directive that could affect thousands of ECi cylinders. AOPA repeated the request in formal comments on the FAA's initial regulatory flexibility analysis.
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Advocacy
The Santa Monica City Council is considering putting its own charter amendment regarding the future of Santa Monica Municipal Airport on the ballot in November. On May 13, the council voted unanimously to direct staff to investigate a charter amendment designed to compete with a petition now being circulated in the city.
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Health
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Members only
Get your high blood pressure treated sooner rather than later. The risks of untreated hypertension (stroke, heart attack and heart failure, kidney failure, and death) are much more severe than medical certification challenges.
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Technology
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Article
Dick Rutan powered up the new Graflight V-8 diesel on May 5 and flew a mission with potential to change the paradigm. Engine designers Michael Fuchs and Steven Weinzierl have worked largely under wraps in recent years, and deliberately so, subjecting their new machine to torturous ground tests and preparing to greet a skeptical audience (pilots) this summer with a powerplant like no other—diesel or otherwise.
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Article
McCauley Propeller Systems announced FAA certification of the Blackmac Carbon Series three-blade, constant-speed, composite propeller May 9, along with plans to display it at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Expo in Orlando, Fla.
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Article
It is a mission not every pilot would relish: Deliberately fly into the wake turbulence of a DC-8.
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Opinion
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Blog
Is it any wonder pilots are still flying behind engine technology designed in the '40s and '50s? If the FAA won't grant a competitive time between overhaul to a Lycoming clone, imagine the difficulties that would be faced by a company endeavoring to certify a new-technology engine. However, Opinion Leaders blogger Mike Busch writes, there could be hope for a TBO-free engine someday.
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Blog
The relentless march of technology means people are more connected than ever, in more places than ever. For the most part that's good. But there's a dark side to digital connectivity, and Opinion Leaders blogger Ron Rapp predicts that it's only a matter of time before it enters pilots' airborne lives.
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Gear
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Article
Great word-of-mouth recommendations from pilots, along with publicity from the Voyager around-the-world trip, helped Bose thrive and grow for 25 years in the aviation headset business.
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Apps of the week
Helicopter apps are in the forefront this week, with ones that promote safety and offer rotorcraft comparisons.
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
Rick's Cafe Boatyard provides a great lakeside escape from the city, just steps away from the tiedown area. Perched on an overlook at the southeast shore of Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis, the restaurant serves great seafood and other specialties. It's the perfect side trip after AOPA's Indianapolis Fly-In May 31.
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Financial
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Article
A reasonable yet challenging flying area, a good aircraft fleet, and low member and flight rates are among the benefits of the Waukegan, Ill.-based Stick and Rudder Flying Club.
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Member benefits
Carrying medical payments coverage on your renter's insurance policy is a smart idea because it can sometimes cover the smaller injury claims and prevent a larger lawsuit against your bodily injury liability coverage.
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AOPA Stay Smart webinar
Discover what drives the cost of flying club insurance, plus find out what types of coverage are available and which ones are best for your club. AOPA Insurance Services President Bill Snead will discuss these issues and more during a webinar May 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Register now...
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News and Notes
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Article
East Bay Aviators, a nonprofit organization based at Hayward Executive Airport in California, hopes to reach out to African-American inner-city youths to teach them how to fly.
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Article
Southern California-based Icon Aircraft announced May 14 that it will relocate to a 140,000-square-foot facility in the city of Vacaville, about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco.
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Poll
Make an approach into Mexico City International, and take a look at the diverse airplanes—including the Seabee amphib, Grumman Ag-Cat, and Piper Navajo—on the 1966 AOPA Pilot covers. Vote for your favorite: It could be in the running for the best cover in AOPA Pilot's history.
Take the poll...
Article
A team of students from a Las Vegas high school has won the 2014 General Aviation Manufacturers Association/Build a Plane STEM competition.
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Sweepstakes
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Blog
After months of wearing decals, the Debonair's new paint job is quite a change. It has a clean look, and with a predominant color of "Bahama Blue" is somewhat reminiscent of one of AOPA's previous sweepstakes airplanes.
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More News
The final painting
Showtime: San Marcos and the stormy trip home
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Career Opportunities
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Article
Honeywell is currently seeking a flight operations coordinator to prepare trip itineraries for flight crews and coordinate all necessary logistics.
View the full job description.
AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a member services representative, associate project manager, major gift officer, 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
During which phase of flight is a pilot at increased odds of experiencing a somatogravic illusion?
Answer
Rapid acceleration during takeoff can cause the illusion of being in a nose-up attitude. This may cause the pilot to push the aircraft into a nose-low attitude. A rapid deceleration may cause the opposite sensation. (Source: Aeronautical Information Manual 8-1-5)
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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Has anyone seen a cross-country planning form in Microsoft Excel?
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
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.
June 28-29 - Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix, Ariz.
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 22 - Milan, Ill.
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
May 29 - Batavia, Ohio.
May 30 - Indianapolis, Ind.
May 31 - Santa Paula, Calif.; and Allentown, Pa.
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Aviation Calendar
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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.
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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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