Training Tips
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Article
Quick, what's the Vso for your trainer? What's 30 percent of that airspeed, and can you think of a scenario in which you would add 30 percent to Vso to determine an operating speed? Your trainer's pilot's operating handbook chapters on operating speeds and performance will provide answers to these questions. Your flight training, especially the slow-flight drills, will give you the ability to hit the speed you need by showing you the approximate power-and-pitch combination required to establish a desired profile. Practice will give you the skill to arrive at those settings quickly and accurately. When might that be necessary? Read more...
 
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Flight Training News
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Video
Pilots are trained to handle in-flight emergencies, but are you prepared to endure a forced landing? A little knowledge on what to do can go a long way. In Survive: Beyond the Forced Landing, the Air Safety Institute shares what actions you can take to keep yourself and your passengers safe until help arrives. You also can download the accompanying publication to carry with you. Watch the video...
Article
AOPA's 2015 Fly-Ins are scheduled for California's Salinas Municipal Airport on May 16, Minnesota's Anoka County-Blaine Airport on Aug. 22, Colorado's Colorado Springs Municipal Airport on Sept. 26, and Tennessee's Tullahoma Regional Airport on Oct. 10. In addition, the AOPA Homecoming Fly-In will be held at Maryland's Frederick Municipal Airport on June 6. "We had a great time with the AOPA Fly-Ins last year and they put us in touch with thousands of members we'd never met before, so we can't wait to do it again," said AOPA President Mark Baker.
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Fly like a fighter
During a two-ship F-15 training sortie, one Air Force pilot experienced a complete radio failure in his jet while the other experienced a failure in one of his jet's hydraulic systems. Find out how they made it back to base, and how you can prepare for similar emergencies.
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AFIT opens new locations
Accelerated Flight and Instrument Training (AFIT) has opened private pilot and instrument training courses at new locations in Pueblo, Colorado, and Van Nuys, California, the training organization announced. President and General Manager Tony P. Montalte said in a press release that his company decided to add the new locations because of overwhelming demand from clients in those areas and the fact that the company continues to exceed its corporate and financial goals.
Article
A five-hour round-trip drive to the airfield makes scheduling lessons difficult, but the payoffs include an unobstructed view of Mount Fuji and the satisfaction of father and son accomplishing goals together. Jimmy Brown and his son Connor soloed on the same day in December at Yokota Air Base in Japan, where the two are training for their private pilot certificates through the Yokota Aero Club.
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Article
Flight instructor Xylon Saltzman wasn't satisfied with what the general aviation simulation market had to offer, so he created his own. The Seattle entrepreneur behind one-G simulation landed new FAA approvals in 2014, and is now beginning to market his advanced aviation training devices in earnest. Read more...
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Training Resources
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Login required
Have some fun and brush up on safety with the Air Safety Institute's "Learn & Earn Safety Challenge." Each time you complete one of the institute's free online safety courses, Real Pilot Stories, and Accident Case Studies, you are entered for a chance to win a Stratus 2 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver, courtesy of Sporty's Pilot Shop. Take more courses, get more chances...
Podcast
If you're thinking of buying an aircraft in the new year, find helpful information in an AOPA podcast on the purchase process. In the podcast, AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and AOPA Senior Aviation Technical Specialist Rodney Martz discuss aircraft purchasing details. Find more information on buying an aircraft on AOPA's website. Listen to the podcast...
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Did you know that student pilots who join AOPA are three times more likely to complete their flight training? Membership includes unlimited access to aviation information by phone (800/USA-AOPA, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time) or from Flight Training Online or AOPA Online. If you're not already a member, join today and get the pilot's edge.
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AOPA Live
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AOPA Live This Week
AOPA President Mark Baker looks forward to a new year of AOPA Fly-Ins as the association aims to build on the success of 2014 events that drew thousands. Speaking of fun getaways, learn the ins and outs of flying to the Bahamas, and get a look at one very capable light sport aircraft.
AOPA Live This Week®, Jan. 8...
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Career Pilot
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Qantas dubbed safest airline for 2015
Australian carrier Qantas topped a list of safest airlines released by aviation website AirlineRatings.com on Jan. 6. The website rated airlines based on factors including their fatality record, audits from the FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization as well as government audits, operational history, and incident reports. Qantas "has a fatality free record in the jet era," emphasized the report, which listed the remainder of the top 10 in alphabetical order: Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines.
$21,000 airline ticket includes luxury suite
Passengers on Etihad Airways can book a three-room suite with bedroom, bathroom, and a dedicated butler for a flight from Abu Dhabi to London for $21,000, Fox News reports. Dubai-based airline Emirates has dropped hints that it will compete with Etihad, offering its own luxury suite, according to the report.
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For more aviation career news, see the Flight Training website.
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Plane Spotter
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Not the baby bear
What light aircraft helped popularize general aviation in the 1940s, and came with stick-and-rudder controls and tandem seating? Hint: This isn't an aircraft manufactured by Piper in Pennsylvania. In its day, Aeronca's Model 7 Champion—the Aeronca Champ—gave Piper's Cub some keen competition. Today, across the aviation landscape, Champs powered by engines of 65 to 95 horsepower, or more, are commonly spotted flying on wheels, skis, and floats. Descendants and the original lightweight Champs (slightly wider than Cubs, and with better forward visibility) enjoy resurging interest as light sport aircraft.
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Training Products
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e-Book
You've earned your pilot certificate. Now what? Get 99 ideas for what to do next in Aerial Adventures: 99 Ways to Fly, AOPA's first e-book containing all-original content. The book offers suggestions from new training challenges to scenic air tours. Explore a new destination, or use your airplane as a tool. Explore the possibilities...
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Note: Products listed have not been evaluated by ePilot editors unless otherwise noted. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors.
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Member Benefits
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Members only
Are you throwing money away on expensive and unproven vitamins, dietary supplements, and proprietary cures? Some people require vitamins or other supplements, and you should speak to your personal physician for advice. What about the majority of vitamins and supplements? All they do is make your urine expensive, according to AOPA Pilot Protection Services expert Dr. Jonathan Sackier. Read more...
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Blogs
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The flight school closed; your favorite CFI got a job with the airlines; or you like your flight school, but you don't like driving 50 miles to get to it. Whatever the reason, sometimes you need a change. If you're looking for a new flight school or flight instructor, AOPA has some tools that can help you with your search. Read more...
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Final Exam
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Question
A pilot goes for a solo flight and completes the passenger carrying requirement of three takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night in a Cessna 172. The next morning the pilot wants to fly his family to a nearby pancake breakfast. Because the pilot most recently met the requirements for carrying passengers at night, is he then also allowed to carry passengers during the day?
Answer
Yes. FAR 61.57 requires three takeoffs and landings in the past 90 days as the sole manipulator of controls in the same category and class of aircraft to carry passengers. There is no requirement for the landings to be completed during the day.
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Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.
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Career Opportunities
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Aviation job board
W.K. Dickson & Co. Inc., a civil engineering consulting firm, is seeking aviation project managers in its Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, regional offices. Each individual will serve as project manager on air carrier, general aviation, and other airport assignments with expanding technical knowledge of airport engineering design and plan preparation techniques. Read the full job descriptions and apply today!
AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a graphic designer, associate editor—Web/ePilot, program manager for flight training initiatives, senior advertising sales/account executive, online marketing manager, major gift officer, senior ambassador, .Net applications developer, and account manager II. 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
Jan 10-11 - San Antonio, Texas; Long Beach, California; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Bellevue, Washington
Jan 17-18 - Santa Clara, California; Ridgeland, Mississippi; and Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 7-8 - Sacramento, California; Nashua, New Hampshire; Louisville, Kentucky; Fairfax, Virginia; and New Orleans, Louisiana
Feb 21-22 - Fort Worth, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; North Las Vegas, Nevada; and Melbourne, Florida
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
Jan 12 - San Diego, California; and Fort Worth, Texas
Jan 13 - Addison, Texas; and Long Beach, California
Jan 14 - Ontario, California
Jan 17 - Phoenix, Arizona
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
Jan 10 - Farmingdale, New York
Jan 15 - Murrieta, California
Jan 17 - Keene, New Hampshire
Jan 24 - Wilmington, North Carolina
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot Flight Training Editors:
Sarah Deener
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse |
Contributors:
Jill W. Tallman
Warren Morningstar
Alton K. Marsh
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Ian J. Twombly
Dan Namowitz |
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