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Top Stories
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Article
The HondaJet, with its unique over-the-wing engine mount, is one significant step closer to final certification. Honda Aircraft announced March 27 that it had received FAA provisional type certification for its business jet, paving the way for final type certification "in the next few months."
Read more...
 
AOPA Live This Week
The Commemorative Air Force puts a TBM Avenger, the same aircraft type President George H.W. Bush flew, back in the air. Honda Aircraft receives a provisional type certificate for the HondaJet. Amazon has a secret drone site. Solar Impulse 2 flies backward on its way to China. AOPA gets an update on Harrison Ford, and pilots prove they have big hearts as they help one little boy get closer to his goal of 10,000 model airplanes.
Watch AOPA Live This Week®, April 2...
Article
Just Aircraft has announced a new version of the SuperSTOL, with a longer fuselage that allows for larger engines. The SuperSTOL Stretch XL has performed well in the first phase of flight testing, sporting a six-cylinder, 180-horsepower UL Power 520i engine that improves climb rate and cruise speed.
Read more...
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Technique and Safety
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Accident analysis
Even relatively routine tasks in aviation may provide little margin for error. A 2,200-hour commercial pilot died in an off-airport landing after the turbocharged Beechcraft Bonanza he was flying lost power near the Charlottesville, Virginia, airport in 2013. Investigators found fuel in the tanks and were later able to run the engine up to full power, so why did the aircraft lose power—and how did what may have been a survivable accident turn deadly? Read more in this special report from the Air Safety Institute...
Pilot Protection Services
No specific FAA regulation applies to hand propping an airplane, either to prohibit it or to direct how it is to be done. Failure to follow generally accepted procedures and precautions listed in the Airplane Flying Handbook, however, could land you in trouble with the FAA.
Read about the legal precedent.
IFR Fix
In less than a minute, the aircraft ballooned 500 feet above assigned altitude, then plunged 3,500 feet below it. Power was idle to avoid redlining the airspeed, but VNE was exceeded anyway. The rain noise was so loud that the two pilots could barely hear each other, but more alarming was the turbulence, icing, and uncontrolled rolling of the aircraft beyond 70 degrees of bank.
Read more...
Safety Spotlight
Whether you're coming out of hibernation for the flying season or planning to fly to your vacation spot, now is a great time to polish your flight preparation skills. The Air Safety Institute wants you to "know before you go"—easy to do with the institute's "Flight Planning and Preflight" Safety Spotlight.
Check it out before you shout "clear prop"...
Safety video
Shortly after sunset on Nov. 19, 1996, a landing Beechcraft 1900 regional airliner and a Beechcraft King Air on takeoff collided on the ground at a runway intersection at Quincy Regional-Baldwin Field in Illinois. Through this accident simulation, the Air Safety Institute hopes to bolster your awareness of the need for extraordinary vigilance and appropriate communications, especially critical to safety at a nontowered airport.
Watch the animation...
Blog
Do the reasons for flying a traffic pattern in an airplane hold up for helicopters?
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
A new proposal from the European Aviation Safety Agency is likely to signal the direction of upcoming Part 23 reforms from the FAA.
Read more...
Advocacy
The Powder River Military Training Complex, a 28,000-square-mile block of airspace over South Dakota, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana, will go into effect Sept. 17. Read more...
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Health
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Video
With coronary artery disease, the vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle become blocked. Dr. Jonathan Sackier explains how you can find clues to your risk for this potentially deadly disease.
Watch the video...
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Technology
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Article
Solar Impulse 2 pilot Bertrand Piccard endured a longer flight than expected and landed safely in China March 31. Piccard will trade off with co-founder André Borschberg for the next leg of their round-the-world odyssey, continuing a mission to raise the profile of their zero-emission solution.
Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
Would you pass this critical preflight test today? Opinion Leaders blogger Amy Laboda explains how she recently made a no-go decision.
Read more...
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Gear
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Article
AOPA and premier aviation retailer Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co., celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, have renewed their strategic partnership. Aircraft Spruce provides special offers and discounts to AOPA members.
Read more...
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Travel
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Article
Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo organizers have decided to cancel the Seabird Splash-In due to high water in Lake Agnes. Record rainfall has pushed the lake level more than two feet above normal, concealing obstructions and making land approaches difficult.
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Financial
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Webinar
Most things tend to deteriorate with age, but you can do a lot to bring new life to older aircraft. Find out about choosing an aircraft for a refurbishment project, where to start, and more in a webinar April 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and Editor at Large Dave Hirschman will share the expertise they've gained from multiple aircraft overhauls, rebuilds, upgrades, and refurbishments in the webinar, brought to you by AOPA Insurance Services and AOPA Aviation Finance Co.
Register...
AOPA Insurance Services
As an AOPA member, you have exclusive, guaranteed access to AOPA Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance benefits to protect you and your family in case of an accident, whether you are at home, in the air, at work, or on the go. These benefits protect you anywhere, 24/7, and they have no aviation exclusions. With the AOPA AD&D Protection Plan, you can be sure that you have coverage designed to fit your lifestyle, regardless of how often you may fly.
Learn more...
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News and Notes
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Article
Caleb Yao had told his mom, Karen, that he wanted 10,000 model airplanes for his sixth birthday on March 16, but he and his family were surprised when they found about 70 packages stacked outside their door.
Read more...
Article
Advanced avionics, iPads, and new flight service capabilities online put a wealth of traffic, weather, and safety-of-flight information at our fingertips. But do we know how to access all of those features? AOPA seminars at Sun 'n Fun will offer tips to help you maximize your use of the technology in your aircraft.
Read more...
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Article
A border collie named Piper has become a key player in a Michigan airport's effort to reduce the risk of bird strikes.
Read more...
Article
Above and Beyond: The Untold True Story is a documentary about the Jewish American pilots who flew in Israel's 1948 war for independence.
Read more...
Login required
The classic Piper J-3 Cub edged out the B-17 Flying Fortress by just 22 votes to advance to the finals in AOPA's bracket-style Best Aircraft Showdown, brought to you by Aero-Space Reports. The Vought F4U Corsair soundly defeated the Supermarine Spitfire by 458 votes. So which aircraft will become the 2015 champion—the iconic general aviation airplane or the venerable warbird? You decide!
Vote now...
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Career Opportunities
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AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for part time, temporary digital product support; a director, pilot community development; vice president, information and technology; senior ambassador, You Can Fly; outreach and events coordinator; vice president for major and leadership gifts; Sitecore developer; director of studies, research, and analysis; associate editor—Web/ePilot; 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
If an aircraft initiates a climb after the static port becomes blocked, what will the airspeed indicator indicate?
Answer
The airspeed indicator will indicate lower than the actual airspeed "because the trapped static pressure is higher than normal for that altitude," according to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge 7-11.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA. |
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Apr 11-12 - Salt Lake City, Utah; Hebron, Kentucky; Atlanta, Georgia; and Indianapolis, Indiana
Apr 18-19 - Needham, Massachusetts; Denver, Colorado; and Ashburn, Virginia
Apr 25-26 - Tampa, Florida; and San Diego, California
May 2-3 - Sacramento, California; and Kansas City, Missouri
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.
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Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Apr 6 - Greenville, Kentucky; and Duluth, Minnesota
Apr 7 - Blaine, Minnesota; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Morehead, Kentucky
Apr 8 - Saint Paul, Minnesota; and West Lafayette, Indiana
Apr 9 - Rochester, Minnesota; and Morris Plains, New Jersey
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
Apr 4 - Palm Springs, California
Apr 11 - Savoy, Illinois; Boonville, Missouri; Carson City, Nevada; and Apopka, Florida
Apr 18 - West Lebanon, New Hampshire; and San Martin, California
Apr 25 - Lakeland, Florida; Quinton, Virginia; and Medford, New Jersey
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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