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June 26, 2015, issue of 'AOPA ePilot' weekly newsletter

Members of the Mavericks aerobatic team flying Van's RV-7 and RV-8 aircraft

JUNE 26, 2015 - VOL 17, ISSUE 26

Top Stories

Slideshow

Storms cut large swath

Powerful storms struck the High Plains and Midwest June 22, destroying homes and other buildings, including a hangar at an Iowa airport. Security cameras captured that storm in action, part of an early morning derecho that produced wind gusts as high as 122 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Read more...  

 

AOPA Live This Week

Icon A5 flight, extreme hangar flying

Ride along as AOPA puts the new Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft through its paces, and watch from a safe distance as Red Bull films the most extreme form of hangar flying we've seen yet. Also this week, storms savage the Midwest and High Plains, and one pilot learns the importance of preflight cat checks in a video that's gone viral. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, June 25...  

Technique and Safety

 

Video

Going on vacation?

Not much can trump the fun of flying general aviation to our holiday destination. But let's plan to stay out of the headlines by paying attention to the Air Safety Institute's Vacation Pilot Safety Announcement, a humorous reminder of the various ills that can befall the careless or unwary vacation flier. Make sure your name isn't next on the list...  

 

Flash-based; login required

Cleared for the approach

Knowing what's on the chart is one thing; knowing how to apply it in the real world is something else. Will you make the right choices on this VOR approach to Westminster, Maryland? Find out with the Air Safety Institute's IFR Chart Challenge online course. Take the course...  

 

Pilot Protection Services

NASA helps pilots through Aviation Safety Reporting System

Did you know that filing a NASA report under the Aviation Safety Reporting Program provides a waiver of sanction for pilots facing an FAA enforcement action resulting from a violation of a federal aviation regulation? Read more...  

 

Aircraft Maintenance

Tips for aircraft refurbishment

Depending on the condition of your aircraft's paint, you may want to remove the oxidation and stained paint that lies close to the surface of the paint layer. This is, by design, a destructive process of removing some of the protective coating of your aircraft. Therefore, it pays to carefully consider the need and remove only as much material as necessary. Read more... 

Advocacy

 

Advocacy

Medical reform moving forward slowly

Third class medical reform efforts continue to move forward, and AOPA will pursue every possible avenue to ensure that pilots get the relief they need, the association said June 23. Read more...  

 

Advocacy

AOPA opposes move to raise unicom fees

AOPA is opposing a move by the FCC to raise fees for unicoms and other ground station radios for the second year in a row. Read more...  

 

Advocacy

FAA plans to axe printed WACs

An FAA notice of policy to discontinue World Aeronautical Charts without a public comment period concerns AOPA because pilots’ voices must be heard before any charting changes are made that would affect flight safety. Read more...  

 

Advocacy

Neffenger confirmed as TSA chief

Coast Guard Vice Commandant Peter Neffenger has been confirmed as the new head of the Transportation Security Administration. Read more...  

Health

 

AOPA Pilot magazine

Fly Well: Eyes on the prize

The eye is elegant, delicate, and complex—but, like sophisticated airplanes, stuff fails and preventive maintenance is key. Read more...  

Technology

 

Article

Aspen buys leading GPS chip distributor

Aspen Avionics solidified its position as a major player in the general aviation avionics world with the acquisition June 19 of GPS chip distributor Accord Technology, LLC. Read more...  

 

Article

Drones edging into NAS

NASA continues to test technology to enable large drones to detect and avoid other aircraft, and has invited pilots to join a meeting of the minds. A California conference July 28 through 30 will include briefings on strategies now being developed for low-altitude unmanned aircraft separation. Read more...  

Opinion

 

Blog

When aviation claims a friend

Opinion Leaders blogger Rob Mark pays tribute and bids farewell to his friend Jeremy Monnett, CEO of Sonex Aircraft, who was killed in an aircraft accident June 2. Read more...  

Gear

 

Article

Avidyne completes stack

Avidyne Corp. announced June 18 the long-awaited certification of the IFD440 and a free software update that fixes a bug in the IFD540. Read more...  

 

Article

Cheap chills

Pilots have options—besides suffering and sweating—when the summer sun drives cockpit temperatures north of comfortable. Air conditioning can cost less than you might think. Read more...  

Travel

 

Webinar

Explore Canada

Learn the ins and outs of flying to Canada and get tips on exciting fly-in destinations from the experts at Pilot Getaways magazine in a webinar July 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Register today...  

Financial

 

Article

AOPA Foundation to fund nonprofit flight training scholarships

Nonprofit organizations seeking to offer flight training scholarships to aspiring aviators can receive help funding the scholarships through the AOPA Foundation's new grant program. The deadline to apply for one of two $5,000 grants is July 24. Read more...  

 

Article

Financed Cessna 182 meets family's needs

The AOPA Aviation Finance Co. helped an AOPA member through the financing process to purchase a Cessna 182 that "fit the bill for speed, comfort, and great useful load," to transport his family between Georgia and Texas. Read more...  

News and Notes

 

Slideshow

Maryland Cub Scouts take flight

Maryland Cub Scouts, their den masters, and an army of volunteers swarmed around AOPA's headquarters for a week of traditional scouting day camp activities mixed with large doses of fun aviation events to inspire the Scouts' flying fantasies. Read more...  

 

Teacher's Day registration opens

Teachers who want to learn how science, technology, engineering, math, and aviation can motivate students should register now for the free Teacher's Day program presented by Build A Plane at EAA AirVenture on July 21 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Voyager pilot Dick Rutan will deliver a keynote address about what it's like to fly nonstop around the world. Contact Debbie Phillips at 505/980-5915, or visit BuildAPlane.org to register.

 

Slideshow

Swifts flock to Corvette country

Pilots of sleek World War II-era Temco Globe Swift aircraft showed off their flying skills, aircraft modifications, and camaraderie at their 2015 Swift National annual convention near Chevrolet's Corvette roadster museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, June 13. Read more...  

 

Blog

Owners, pilots, and owner pilots

Helicopter owners, pilots, and owner pilots might want different things, but there’s a way to work together to help all of the interested parties achieve their goals, writes Hover Power blogger Maria Langer. Read more...  

 

Article

Renowned composer dies in crash

Hollywood and the aviation community mourned the death of James Horner, who was killed June 22 in a California airplane crash. Horner, 61, was an experienced pilot and owned several aircraft. Read more...  

 

Blog

Reflecting on life, loss, and risk

AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg reflects on composer James Horner's recent fatal accident and the public's reaction. Read more...  

Career Opportunities

 

Aviation job board

Job of the week: Instructor, aeronautics/pilot training

Gateway Technical College is seeking a chief instructor to provide ground and flight instruction as part of its two-year associate degree program in aeronautics—pilot training. The successful applicant must meet 14 CFR 141.35 Subchapter A through D qualifications. Responsibilities include classroom instruction, flight instruction, conducting course stage checks, and supervising teaching assistants. Apply today and search for other similar opportunities...

 

AOPA career opportunities

Join the AOPA team

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a director of regulatory affairs; Northwest Mountain regional manager; AOPA National Aviation Community Center aviation event planner; marketing project coordinator; account executive, AOPA corporate partnerships; videographer, Air Safety Institute; senior director of government affairs (airport advocacy); aviation technical specialist; vice president, information and technology; and director of studies, research, and analysis. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.

Question of the Week

Question

You're cruising along at 4,500 feet msl on a sunny day. While receiving radar service and monitoring the moving map on your tablet, you notice you are approaching an alert area but have not received clearance to enter. Can you proceed?

Answer

Yes. Alert areas indicate areas of a high volume of flight training or unusual aerial activity, but a clearance to enter is not required. (Source: Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, 14-4.)

Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.

 

Education and Seminars

Flight Instructor Refresher Courses

Jun 27-28 - Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix, Arizona

Jul 11-12 - Parsippany, New Jersey; and Millington, Tennessee

Jul 18-19 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Jul 25-26 - St. Augustine, Florida

For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.

Rusty Pilot Seminars

Jun 27 - Fullerton, California

Jun 28 - Greenwood, South Carolina

Jul 11 - Atlanta, Georgia; Renton, Washington; and Manchester, New Hampshire

Jul 18 - New York, New York; and Broomfield, Colorado

For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.

 

Aviation Calendar

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.

ePilot Editors:

Sarah Deener
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
David Tulis

Production Assistant:

Melissa Whitehouse

Contributors:

Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Warren Morningstar
Alton K. Marsh
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Ian J. Twombly
Dan Namowitz

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