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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
The aviation world owes much to an easy-to-overlook Piper Super Cub that will be on display at the AOPA Fly-In at Anoka County-Blaine Airport in Minneapolis on Aug. 22. The airplane painstakingly restored to its original 1950 condition is the first PA-18 ever built, N5410H. Read more...
 
AOPA Live This Week
Ride along with AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Al Marsh in Tecnam's P2010, a speedy four-seater priced to compete with Cessna's venerable Skyhawk. Plus, check out some vintage beauties from the 1920s and '30s at the Golden Wings Flying Museum on the field at Anoka County-Blaine Airport, another great reason to join your friends at AOPA's Minneapolis Fly-In Aug. 22. Also this week, AOPA honors the seventieth anniversary of V-J Day aboard the only B-29 Superfortress currently flying. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Aug. 13...
Article
Convincing teens and wounded veterans that they can—not only fly but achieve their dreams—is the central purpose behind the High Hopes for Colorado nonprofit at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. Read more...
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Technique and Safety
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Fly like a fighter
Preflight tasks admittedly aren't nearly as exciting as flying itself. But doing—or not doing—certain things before flight can have significant, even fatal, consequences, writes retired Air Force fighter pilot Larry Brown. Read more...
Aircraft Maintenance
When a maintenance issue threatens to delay a pilot's departure from EAA AirVenture, volunteers from Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 75 jump into action offering tools and help to get the pilot on his way right on schedule. Read more...
Accident Case Study
In Accident Case Study: Delayed Reaction, the Air Safety Institute explores events that led to a Socata TBM 700 accident in 2011 near Morristown, New Jersey. Learn what we can do to make the right decisions sooner to prevent this type of accident. Watch the video...
Article
Turning the wrong way in the aerobatic box makes competition, in the sense of being competitive, difficult. A sense of humor and resilient ego come in handy. Read more...
Article
A Georgia Tech research project on thunderstorm avoidance needs 300 pilots to contribute one hour each by Aug. 31. Read more...
Blog
An airline pilot landed at Fargo, North Dakota, while it was closed for Blue Angels practice recently because the aircraft was low on fuel. Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg examines factors in the incident, including fuel planning and mistakes in checking notams, and discusses problems with the notam system that make it easy to miss critical information. Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
The FAA has agreed to an AOPA-requested delay in implementing changes to flight plan requirements. Read more...
Advocacy
After surveying pilots about their use of world aeronautical charts, AOPA has filed formal comments asking the FAA to continue producing some of the charts or offer an acceptable alternative for the pilots who use them. Read more...
Advocacy
The Mexican government has extended the deadline for installing 406 MHz ELTs in light aircraft. AOPA requested the extension during a March meeting with the leader of the Mexican Civil Aviation Authority. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA attended the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee's annual meeting in Boston July 29 through 31. The association also attends national Democratic legislative conferences. Read more...
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Health
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Pilot Protection Services
After two recent flights in which Dr. Jonathan Sackier experienced different atmospheres at general aviation airports, he reflects on the health of the aviation community and of individual pilots. In this Pilot Protection Services column, Sackier offers tips to help protect both. Read more...
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Technology
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Article
Pilot reports of unmanned aircraft sightings, some flying as high as 10,000 feet, continue to increase in number rapidly. The FAA received 275 reports from pilots who encountered unmanned aircraft operating in the National Airspace System in June and July alone, more than the total number for 2014. Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
The next time you see a business jet with odd or exotic modifications, take note. The "time, effort, money, and engineering that went into what is surely a one-of-a-kind machine" is remarkable, writes Opinion Leaders blogger Ron Rapp. Read more...
Blog
Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas reflects on a lesson she learned from the late Pilot Getaways co-founder and editor John Kounis and his family: "Imagine if our moral code was to embody honor, love, obligation to others, self-respect, and teamwork? How would we protect our airports, how would we welcome nonpilots to our events? Would selflessness impact the way that we inspire flight in the next generation?" Read more...
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Gear
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Article
Don't count out the dedicated handheld GPS units just yet. Adventure Pilot recently introduced the iFly 740, a device it said customers were itching for. Read more...
Article
Fly Mechanic thinks it has the answer to the frustrating search for a great maintenance technician. Read more...
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
Visiting Minnesota's Arrowhead Region provides pilots with extraordinary memories of wetting fishing lines, cruising the waters, and listening to the serene sounds of wildlife. Enjoy the world-class fishing, pleasure boating, and swimming beaches on your way to or from the AOPA Minneapolis Fly-In Aug. 22. Read more...
Article
If you live in one of 15 states you have a good shot at visiting one of the "Best of the Best" airport restaurants in the country. If not, that $100 hamburger is going to cost a bit more. Read more...
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Financial
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Members only
While many factors determine the value of an aircraft, the Vref Aircraft Value Reference valuation tool for AOPA members can help you start to determine the general retail value of an airplane. Find out more...
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News and Notes
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Article
Harrison Ford's airplane lost power and he landed short of the runway on March 5 because of a failure within the vintage airplane's carburetor, the NTSB found. The probable cause determination approved Aug. 6 found the movie star and general aviation advocate's injuries were exacerbated by the failure of a retrofitted shoulder harness. Read more...
Article
Just Aircraft issued a statement Aug. 8 attributing co-founder Troy Woodland's Aug. 2 crash landing to engine failure caused by water in the fuel. The accident was the second involving a company aircraft in five months, and the third since 2006. Read more...
Article
"We want kids to learn, but we want them to be passionate, so it has to be fun for them," said flight instructor MayCay Beeler of AeroCamps offered by Triad Aviation Academy of Greensboro, North Carolina. Read more...
Blog
Each helicopter is a unique and aerodynamically complicated machine, and pilots must be cognizant of their differences. Hover Power blogger Markus Lavenson describes the flight characteristics of different helicopter types and how pilots can prepare for them. Read more...
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Article
A popular aviation magazine that ceased publication after its founder died in 2011 is now available online, thanks to the efforts of an Illinois pilot who obtained a grant to digitize the content. Read more...
Fantasy Flight Camp returns in September
The Experimental Aircraft Association's Fantasy Flight Camp, which allows participants to learn about and fly EAA's Consolidated PT-3 and North American T-6 military trainers, will return Sept. 11 through 13. The weekend program provides ground instruction on both aircraft and a 30- to 35-minute flight in both. The experience costs $1,500 including room and board, ground schools, instructional materials, and the flights.
Article
The skills, technologies, and products that will be familiar to the next generation of pilots will be in focus at the Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California. Read more...
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Question of the Week
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Question
You're renting a Piper Arrow from a local flight school to brush up on some complex aircraft operations because you normally fly only noncomplex aircraft. When going through the aircraft's inspections, you see that it will be due for a 100-hour inspection in 0.3 hours. You had planned on making a day out of your flight—certainly flying longer than the time remaining before the inspection is due. May you take this aircraft on your trip? If you do, will you be violating the requirement for 100-hour inspections?
Answer
You may take this aircraft on your trip, and you would not be violating FAR 91.409 or its 100-hour requirement. Because you're renting the aircraft, you're the pilot (one is not being provided), and the aircraft is not being operated to carry someone for hire, the inspection can be overflown. Before the aircraft is offered for flight instruction again, the 100-hour inspection must be completed. FAR 91.409 covers this topic but isn't as clear as it could be. Several letters of interpretation from the FAA's Office of Chief Counsel address this topic, but the most recent one can be found here. If you have a question about a regulation and what it means, chances are that someone else may have had the same question. Researching the regulation on the FAA website may turn up the answer you're looking for.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA. |
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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 a director of aviation security; graphic design intern; director of media relations; director of regulatory affairs; AOPA National Aviation Community Center aviation event planner; and marketing project coordinator. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Aug 15-16 - Reno, Nevada; and Fort Worth, Texas
Sep 12-13 - Colorado, Springs, Colorado; Elkridge, Maryland; and Sandston, Virginia
Sep 19-20 - Phoenix, Arizona
Sep 26-27 - Sacramento, California
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
Aug 26 - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Aug 27 - Northglenn, Colorado
Aug 31 - Ypsilanti, Michigan; Houston, Texas; and Florham Park, New Jersey
Sep 1 - Independence, Ohio; East Hartford, Connecticut; and San Antonio, Texas
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
Aug 15 - Fort Wayne, Indiana; Penn Yan, New York; and Lakeland, Florida
Aug 22 - Blaine, Minnesota; Mitchellville, Maryland; Tucson, Arizona; and Lebanon, Ohio
Aug 25 - Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Aug 26 - Racine, Wisconsin
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
David Tulis
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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