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Top Stories
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Advocacy
Less than one month after AOPA President Mark Baker met with Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, CBP has publicly said that it will be more careful in targeting general aviation aircraft for search.
Read more...
 
AOPA Live This Week
Get behind the controls of an Eclipse 550 with AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines; find out how pressure from pilots led Customs and Border Protection to rethink its warrantless stops and searches of general aviation aircraft; and meet three generations of women pilots.
AOPA Live This Week®, May 29...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
The Trojan Horsemen flight demonstration team, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, will delight attendees at AOPA's Indianapolis Fly-In May 31. The group has advised AOPA that it plans to perform formation passes over Indianapolis Regional Airport with four North American T-28 Trojans before landing about 10 a.m. to participate in the fly-in static display.
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Slideshow
AOPA's second regional fly-in of the year, Indianapolis on May 31, is shaping up to be a grand event with plenty of fun, flying, and food. Check out these top 10 reasons you won't want to miss the fly-in.
Read more...
Fly-In Resources
Flight procedures and notam
Educational seminar schedule
Things to do in Indianapolis
Hotel, transportation information
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Technique and Safety
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Accident analysis
Out West, the turning low-altitude stall catches hunters trying to spot game often enough to earn a distinctive label. But the type of accelerated stall that killed a hunter searching for the carcass of a moose he had shot in Alaska Sept. 5, 2013, happens everywhere, not just in the wilderness.
Learn more in this special report from the Air Safety Institute.
IFR Fix
The pilot has just started a level-off at the assigned altitude when departure control calls with an unexpected request.
Read more...
AOPA Premier Partner Spotlight
In this fast-paced video from AOPA Premier Partner PilotWorkshops, you'll experience a chilling (yet not uncommon) IFR emergency. If you know how to manage this emergency, it's a straightforward event with a safe ending. If you don't, it gets really serious, really fast. Learn how to handle this emergency and review a simple, life-saving procedure. If you watch this video by June 3, you can enter to win a Bose A20 headset!
Watch the PilotWorkshops video...
Flash-based, login required
Imagine being forced to take over the flight controls of a Beechcraft King Air 200 if you'd never flown anything larger than a Cessna 172. Doug White's Real Pilot Story begins when his King Air pilot becomes incapacitated.
Watch the Real Pilot Story...
Blog
This is not a club you want to join—the "Busted Windshield, Dented Airframe Society." An airliner bound for Philadelphia recently had its lights punched out by hail. Do you keep a healthy distance from hazardous weather?
Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
California was the last state to issue a proclamation on the importance of aviation, according to the Alliance for Aviation Across America. General aviation supports business activity, medical care, disaster relief, firefighting, agriculture, law enforcement, and other important resources and services.
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Op-Ed
The third class medical is an example of an old, well-intended rule that needs to be updated. In this op-ed, U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) explains how the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act aims to do just that.
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Advocacy
With 111 co-sponsors in the House, legislation to exempt thousands of general aviation pilots from the third class medical continues to gain momentum. Pilots are encouraged to call their legislators and sign AOPA's traveling petition.
Read more...
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Health
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Members only
Student airmen may have medical certification delayed or even denied if they have a known medical issue and don't learn all the aeromedical implications before applying for a medical certificate. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a common condition that may require a series of costly tests.
Read more...
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Technology
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Blog
AgustaWestland announced recently that its AW609 tiltrotor has completed dual-engine failure autorotation tests. This is a big milestone in the long development process that will result in the world's only civilian tiltrotor, planned for certification in 2017.
Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
Opinion Leaders blogger Amy Laboda admits she's a "ghost pilot," someone qualified to fly for the airlines but unwilling to do so for $15 per hour. Would paying regional airline pilots more solve the problem, or would it take an act of Congress to force exceptions to the new airline transport pilot training rule?
Share your thoughts...
Blog
When Opinion Leaders blogger Max Trescott first read about the Garmin G1000, he thought it was "a waste of a computer." "How wrong I was," he writes. Trescott reflects on the advances in general aviation the G1000 has spurred and wants to know what you think will be the next thing to revolutionize GA.
Share your thoughts...
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Gear
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Apps of the week
Take a break from your usual apps by playing these five games that let you be a World War II ace, helicopter pilot, and more.
Read more...
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Financial
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Article
Quicksilver Aeronautics, a manufacturer of kit and ready-to-fly light sport aircraft, has entered an agreement to distribute its aircraft in China.
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Article
The Tahoe Flying Club in Truckee, Calif., is less than a year old, and it's still searching for the right club aircraft, but it's already filling a need in the pilot community.
Read more...
Member benefits
Are you insured? Learn how to tell whether you're covered, even if you're not the policyholder.
Read more...
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News and Notes
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Article
Bill Bailey, the first to join AOPA among the handful of remaining charter members, died May 25. Bailey, 94, was one of three charter members interviewed for AOPA Pilot's May 2014 issue.
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Article
The sleek, efficient Mooney 201 was the runaway winner of the AOPA Aircraft Personality Quiz. The 14-question online quiz was completed more than 38,000 times, and the Mooney turned out to be the ideal airplane for about 10,000 respondents, far outpacing the Beechcraft Bonanza G36, with about 4,000.
Read more...
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Article
King Schools is offering a discount on its video course for the airline transport pilot certificate in anticipation of changes in training requirements that take effect Aug. 1.
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Poll
The 1968 AOPA Pilot covers include common and rare aircraft. A couple of eye-catchers include a red three-fourths-size replica of the Fokker triplane and a sleek Fournier RF4D. Which cover is your favorite?
Take the poll...
AOPA Strategic Partner Spotlight
Aircraft Spruce is supporting AOPA members by offering periodic special offers and discounts on aircraft parts and pilot supplies, and by sponsoring AOPA events, the aircraft maintenance column on AOPA.org, and the Frugal Flyer column in AOPA Pilot. The company also provides financial support that helps AOPA promote, protect, and defend general aviation.
Visit Aircraft Spruce's website to learn more.
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Career Opportunities
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Aviation job board
SimCom Training Centers is looking for a qualified training center manager to oversee and direct all center activities for the purpose of providing cost-effective training. Responsibilities include staff management, overseeing maintenance and development of training programs, assuring FAA compliance, ensuring customer satisfaction, and more.
See 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, 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
True or false: More than 15,000 private pilot (airplane) certificates were issued in 2013.
Answer
True. In 2013, 15,776 private pilot (airplane) certificates were issued. (Source: U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics: 2013, Table 17.)
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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How much harder is the instrument rating than the private pilot certificate?
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
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.
July 12-13 - Memphis, Tenn.; and Pittsburgh, Pa.
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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Rusty Pilot Seminars
May 30 - Indianapolis, Ind.
May 31 - Santa Paula, Calif.; and Allentown, Pa.
June 7 - Cortland, N.Y.; Riverside, Calif.; Watkins, Colo.; Southbridge, Mass.; Aurora, Ore.; and Fredericksburg, Va.
June 14 - Portage Des Sioux, Mo.; Cleveland, Tenn.; and Gaithersburg, Md.
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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