Breitling jet team. Now touring in the United States for the first time, the L-39 Albatrosses—piloted by many former members of the French Air Force—perform a precise ballet in the sky unlike most airshow performances you'll see. Led by Jacques Bothelin (see "Debrief," p. 56) the team is a unique group of highly experienced pilots who have been performing together for more than a decade. Sponsored by the Swiss watchmaker, the Breitling Jet Team's American Tour takes place across the country this summer.
What: L-39C Albatross
Where: Mont Blanc, Haut Savoie, France
Photographer: Katsuhiko Tokunaga
AOPA Foundation announces 2015 Giving Back grant program
The AOPA Foundation will once again award 10 Giving Back grants to charities that are doing good work through general aviation. Ten nonprofits will each receive a $10,000 grant. The AOPA Foundation, which is the charitable arm of AOPA, is committed to supporting the freedom to fly and to building a legacy for the future of general aviation. This is the third year for the foundation's Giving Back grant program. For more information, visit the website.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
The annual meeting of the members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will be held at 12 noon on Friday, September 11, 2015, at the headquarters of AOPA, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland, 21701, located on the Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), for the purpose of receiving reports and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting, specifically including the election of trustees. If you are not able to attend, but would like to appoint your voting proxy, please go online or call 800-872-2672.
—Kenneth M. Mead, Secretary
Virtual flights, real communications
Pilots practice skills with interactive technology
By Sarah Deener
Clouds, rain, and the threat of thunderstorms curbed operations at Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia April 3—but inside the terminal, the frequency was alive with activity.
In the offices of flight simulation software company Mindstar Aviation (www.mindstaraviation.com), Av-Ed Flight School instructor Greg Ashby was acting as air traffic control for the virtual flights of real pilots in the region. Monitoring three flights on a large-screen, radar-like display, he toggled between frequencies giving instructions for landing at and departing the airport, located within the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area.
Pilots at Internet-connected Redbird simulators in the National Capital Area Flight Simulation Network could practice their communications skills in a virtual environment created by Mindstar, where pilots could see one another as traffic in the windscreen and communicate the way they would in real-world scenarios. From March 20 through April 19, workers at Mindstar headquarters manned tower and approach frequencies in this virtual world; the company plans to expand the program to other regions and hopes the technology will empower instructors by connecting them to students even when they aren’t physically there.
Seated at the AOPA National Aviation Community Center in Frederick, Maryland, AOPA Aviation Activities Specialist Brenda Tibbs flew a Redbird Jay desktop simulator into the virtual airspace on a Friday to help demonstrate the software. Her groundspeed, squawk code, direction, and N number appeared on Ashby’s screen in Leesburg, where he was able to measure her distance and direction from the Leesburg airport with a drag of a mouse. User-friendly features like these enable pilots to play the role of controller without extensive training, according to Mindstar Aviation President and CEO Stasi Poulos. When his company rolls out the AirspaceVR communications software to a wider market, he said, flight instructors will be able to act as air traffic control for one or many students, even from their home computer.
With software that works with Microsoft Flight Simulator as well as Redbird aviation training devices, Mindstar plans to expand AirspaceVR beyond Washington, D.C., on a subscription basis. The company also aims to develop similar networks in other areas of the country by training leaders in those areas to take on the role of ATC.
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