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Top Stories
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Article
Without warning, radar scopes went dark and radio frequencies fell silent. In the basement of Chicago Center early Sept. 26, investigators say a contract employee severed the main lines of the communications network that underpins some of the world's busiest airspace, set fire to the electronics, and tried to commit suicide. FAA managers declared an "ATC Zero" situation: The entire facility was dropping offline, tearing a 91,000-square-mile hole in the center of the National Airspace System. Without being asked, controllers started driving to facilities in Minneapolis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, which would become inundated with redirected flights.
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Article
Santa Monica voters decided Nov. 4 to leave the future of Santa Monica Municipal Airport in the California city's hands. However, the city is still required to keep it open and comply with FAA grant assurances for now. AOPA will continue "working with airport advocates to defend and protect this valuable airport," said Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of airports.
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AOPA Live This Week
With the votes counted, take a look at the results that matter for general aviation, including the future of the airport battle in Santa Monica. A Maryland man with nearly half a century between flights takes to the skies, and AOPA gets an aerial close-up of an Empire State Building light show.
AOPA Live This Week®, Nov. 6...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
Join AOPA and your fellow aviators at St. Simons Island, Georgia, Nov. 8 for the final AOPA Fly-In of the year.
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Fly-In resources
Flight procedures and notam (PDF)
Register for meals
Educational seminar schedule
Lodging and transportation
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Technique and Safety
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Article
Sometimes in flying, we may feel something is wrong when all is actually well. But what if we sense a real problem—would we feel comfortable declaring an emergency? Learn why it's important to exercise your pilot-in-command privileges when the situation demands it.
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IFR Fix
Do you always aim to fly to practical test standards on proficiency and practice flights? Are you sure?
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Accident analysis
Safe instrument flight requires a realistic understanding of how sharp your skills are today. The 1,600-hour private pilot involved in a fatal crash on a missed approach to Jacksonville Executive Airport was instrument-rated, but the NTSB found that "his inability to align the airplane with both the final approach fix's lateral and vertical constraints is consistent with a lack of instrument proficiency."
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Ice Week
Missed the Air Safety Institute's Ice Week? Relevant videos, quizzes, courses, and publications, including the recorded version of the Air Safety Institute's new "Known Icing, Known Risk" webinar, are bundled together for your perusal.
Learn more...
Blog
Three accidents that reached the national consciousness recently may serve as a reminder to take nothing for granted. That may be hard to do, because most of the time everything works: How many times have you had traffic called and never seen it, but it missed you?
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
Many key general aviation supporters have retained their seats in both houses of Congress following the Nov. 4 midterm elections and at least two more AOPA members will join Congress. But retirements and election losses will leave the General Aviation Caucuses in both the House and Senate with some rebuilding to do in 2015.
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Advocacy
The FAA has released an amendment to clarify its rule regarding the use of state and local fuel tax revenues, saying that the money collected in aviation fuel taxes must be used for aviation purposes.
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Health
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Members only
Check with the aviation medical examiner you plan to visit or call AOPA in advance of your flight physical, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking a medication on a regular basis. One student pilot didn't check before his examination about an antidepressant he was taking and had to leave the AME's office without a medical certificate.
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Technology
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Article
This could give the term "wipeout" a whole new meaning. A trained aeronautical engineer is developing a surfboard towed behind an airplane.
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Article
A tri-motor aircraft with the sun as its energy source, Sunstar represents a bit of a departure for Solar Flight. After 30 years of building and innovation, Eric Raymond said it is time to shift the vision, and remove the pilot from the equation.
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Opinion
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Blog
Opinion Leaders blogger and futurist John Petersen says, "Change is in the wind and, like drones, there will be far more flying cars in the not very distant future."
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Blog
The impression you make as a pilot may last for years. Opinion Leaders blogger Jamie Beckett got a reminder of that lesson recently when someone he had instructed a handful of times 22 years ago looked him up on Facebook.
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Gear
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Blog
On Nov. 13, a Boston auction house will auction the first Hasselblad camera used in space. Astronaut Wally Schirra chose a Hasselblad 500c camera for his Oct. 3, 1962, flight on Mercury 8.
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Travel
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Article
Promotion begins in 2015 for a fundraising campaign to build a replica of what was considered the Concorde of its time, the Handley Page HP42 25-passenger biplane. Only eight were built, and none survive today.
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Financial
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Article
Increased aircraft shipments and billings in the third quarter of 2014 support optimism that the industry continues its emergence from recession, said the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
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Article
Reasonably priced flying and access to low-cost aircraft are the "lifeblood" of the Arkansas-based Texarkana Flying Club.
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Member benefits
Jim Klauber returned to flying after 20 years, and recently turned to AOPA to insure the Cessna Cardinal he bought and uses for family travel.
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Article
Eight aviation charities, selected through online voting, will receive grants from $2,000 to $10,000.
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News and Notes
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Article
A system designed to increase drag upon reentry into the atmosphere deployed prematurely just before the breakup of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo that left one Scaled Composites test pilot dead and another injured Oct. 31, the NTSB reported.
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Article
The Civil Air Patrol is extending the life of many of its aircraft through a thrifty refurbishment program.
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Article
Cessna's 182 JT-A Skylane, announced in 2012 and expected to be certified by the end of 2013, will not be certified before early 2015, a Cessna official said.
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Article
Four people died and six were injured Oct. 30 when a Beechcraft King Air B200 turboprop crashed into a pilot training center on takeoff from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, Kansas.
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Poll
Vote for your favorite 'Pilot' covers from the early '90s
From the jet set to aerobatic pilots, and from fixed-wing to rotary-wing aircraft, the AOPA Pilot covers of 1992 offered something for everyone. From a classic Luscombe to a Quicksilver ultralight, the Pilot covers of 1993 offered plenty for the low-and-slow crowd, but a number also featured jets for those who prefer to fly high and fast. Vote for your favorite covers from each year.
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A growing number of pilots are enjoying aviation without glasses or contacts with laser refractive surgery. AOPA members can get $1,000 off custom Wavefront Lasik from Christenbury Eye Center through the AOPA Lifestyles Member Discounts Web page.
See this and other great deals...
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Career Opportunities
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Aviation job board
Are you a mid-level sales or marketing professional looking for an exciting new career opportunity? Then Bose Corp. is looking for you! Join the team as a major accounts manager to manage existing and potential OEM account relationships. Prepare and deliver product presentations, develop market and sales strategies, provide event support, and more.
Read more about this exciting opportunity!
AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a digital marketing manager, major gift officer, senior ambassador, ambassador for Southern California, .Net applications developer, social media evangelist, legal services plan program manager, 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
You've spotted an airplane for sale that is perfect for you. However, it is in Canada and you're located in the United States. Which document could you obtain to verify the aircraft is still airworthy?
Answer
An export certificate of airworthiness (ECA) may be issued by a mechanic certified by the export country. It may be issued when the mechanic determines the aircraft meets airworthiness standards for the country in which the aircraft is located. Since a bilateral airworthiness agreement (BAA) exists between the United States and Canada, the airworthiness standards are equivalent. Learn more in this Pilot Information Center subject report.
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 heard of having an IFR-certified glass cockpit in a Cessna 150/152?
Weigh in...
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Nov 8-9 - Atlanta, Georgia; and San Diego, California
Nov 15-16 - Anchorage, Alaska; and Austin, Texas
Dec 6-7 - Orlando, Florida; Northbrook, Illinois; and Denver, Colorado
Jan 3-4 - Charlotte, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Ypsilanti, Michigan
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
Nov 10 - Jacksonville, Florida
Nov 11 - San Diego, California; and Daytona Beach, Florida Nov 12 - Frederick, Maryland; Long Beach, California; and Melbourne, Florida
Nov 13 - Ocala, Florida; and Ontario, California
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
Nov 7 - St. Simons Island, Georgia
Nov 8 - Kennesaw, Georgia
Nov 15 - Farmingdale, New York; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Waukegan, Illinois
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 Editors:
Sarah Deener
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Warren Morningstar
Alton K. Marsh
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Ian J. Twombly
Dan Namowitz
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