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Top Stories
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Slideshow
Black Rock City Municipal Airport springs from an inhospitable dry lake bed each year for a week of exuberant, over-the-top partying that culminates in the fiery destruction of a series of massive wooden art structures, and then disappears into the Nevada desert. Read more...
 
Slideshow
Sept. 11 has become a National Day of Service and Remembrance, and general aviation pilots have abundant opportunities to contribute in unique ways. Read more...
AOPA Live This Week
General aviation pilots use acts of kindness to honor thousands of lives lost and to remember the day aviation stood still. AOPA Senior Features Editor Julie Summers Walker reveals the latest developments from Virgin Galactic's Mojave Desert outpost where composite spaceships are readied for launch. And, an airport rises from the Nevada desert each year to celebrate the Burning Man festival before disappearing into the night. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Sept. 10...
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Technique and Safety
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Article
The flight crew of a Gulfstream G-IV business jet that crashed on takeoff from Laurence G. Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, May 31, 2014, failed to perform a flight control check, resulting in critical controls still being locked during the takeoff attempt, the NTSB concluded Sept. 9. The NTSB's investigation revealed the pilots' "long-term pattern of non-compliance" with standard operating procedures. Read more...
Fly like a fighter
Every time we fly we need to assess whether we are rested enough to take to the skies. If not, then we should act as pilot in command and take charge to delay, reschedule, or cancel the flight. Read more...
Pilot Safety Announcement
Cockpit distractions are the leading cause of runway incursions. In Phone Home, one of the Air Safety Institute's popular Pilot Safety Announcements, you'll discover why you should finish checklist items and load waypoints into the GPS when the airplane is not moving. Watch the video...
Competition aerobatics 101
Gliders, at least a few of them, are fully capable of pulling you out of your seat, shaking and stirring the soul—in the right hands, of course. Read more...
Login required
While nondirectional radio beacon (NDB) approaches are slowly disappearing, automatic direction finding equipment can still home in on NDBs across the country. Some of the more unusual ones have distance measuring equipment (DME) like the NDB/DME-A instrument approach to Idaho's Friedman Memorial Airport (KSUN). Are you up for the approach? Take the quiz...
Blog
What is reasonable risk, and what might be considered pushing the risk factor too far? AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg pulls highlights from an NTSB preliminary report of a fatal accident in which a Cessna 172 flew into a mountainside in Montana at night. Analyze the preliminary facts and decide whether the flight was prudent...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Pilot magazine
Outfitted in airline captain-style epaulettes, Steve Kanatzar breezed through the aisle of the giant Boeing KC–97 greeting customers. A couple with three small girls looked up from their meals. "They just flew us back from Paris," said the man as he gestured to the smiling young pilots of this flight in the main attraction of The Airplane Restaurant in Colorado Springs. The KC–97 intersects the walls of the aviation-themed restaurant's main building. Pilots may visit the restaurant while in Colorado Springs for the AOPA Fly-In Sept. 26. Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
Ongoing controversy over issues including the debt ceiling, funding for the federal government, and the Iran nuclear deal are likely to delay both FAA reauthorization and third class medical reform, AOPA leaders said. Read more...
Advocacy
The FAA has rescinded a sweeping notice to airmen regarding the reliability of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and TCAS after AOPA raised concerns about the ambiguous language, short notice, and month-long duration. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA is urging pilots to familiarize themselves with temporary flight restrictions that will be in effect during Pope Francis' upcoming U.S. visit. Read more...
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Health
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Answers for Pilots
Pilots seeking sinus relief from allergies during the fall leaf season should check the AOPA Pilot Information Center's medication database to verify which medications the FAA allows pilots to use and still fly. Read more...
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Technology
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Article
Garmin revealed that it has developed a new touchscreen control system—the GTC 580—designed for use with its G2000, G3000, and G5000 avionics suites, and the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet single-engine turbofan will be its launch customer. Read more...
Article
The BendixKing KSN 770 joins other products that let you treat your cockpit display like a smartphone, but there are buttons too, in case turbulence sends your finger wandering. Read more...
Article
McMurdo's new center in Maryland immerses guests in the world of search and rescue with live demonstrations, educational sessions, and a next-gen MEOSAR satellite console. Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
Other than saving time, what are the benefits of flying your private aircraft versus the airlines for certain business trips? Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas uses examples from her recent business flight from California to Montana in her Mooney to illustrate the advantages. Read more...
Blog
The beauty of general aviation is that it offers pilots the freedom to choose their type of flight operations, writes Opinion Leaders blogger Ron Rapp. "If you want to file IFR everywhere and only fly with multiple turbine engines in day VMC, fine. That's your choice. For others, flying in the mountain canyons in a single-engine piston and landing on a short one-way strip on the side of a steep hill is well within their risk tolerance." Read more...
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Gear
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Article
Spot, the satellite tracking device that can be carried aboard an aircraft, can tell Lockheed Martin Flight Service where you are and whether you are still moving. Read more...
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
In the corner of Colorado at the base of the imposing San Juan Mountains, Durango serves as a gateway to a huge array of unique adventures. Experience it for yourself on your way to or from AOPA's Colorado Springs Fly-In Sept. 26. Read more...
Member benefits
Check out these helpful hints for packing smarter for your next trip whether flying general aviation or the airlines. Read more...
Article
Hundreds of antique and classic aircraft, including Curtiss Robins, Stinsons, Fairchilds, Wacos, Howards, and a rare Bentzen Sport, descended on Antique Airfield's 2,350-foot main turf runway Sept. 2 through 7 for the sixty-second annual Antique Airplane Association/Airpower Museum fly-in. There's no unicom or common traffic advisory frequency, just volunteer flaggers who use red or green flags to instruct pilots to go around or land at the Iowa airfield. Read more...
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Financial
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Member benefits
AOPA members who want to get in on the high-octane action at the Red Bull Air Race World Championship events in Dallas/Fort Worth Sept. 26 and 27 and Las Vegas Oct. 17 and 18 can show their AOPA membership card at the gate to enjoy a special viewing area and receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour. Purchase your tickets...
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News and Notes
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Article
Thousands of drone enthusiasts gathered in Las Vegas for a glimpse at what's to come. From new products to expert speakers to demonstrations for teeming crowds, the International Drone Conference and Exposition has all of the elements of a general aviation show, except there's a roof overhead.
Read more...
Article
The FAA released statistics earlier this year predicting what general aviation will look like in 2035. Last year, there were 593,499 pilots and 120,546 student pilots. Will those numbers increase or decrease by 2035? Find out...
Article
Tennessee Aviation Hall of Famer, retired NASA employee, and Designated Pilot Examiner Clyde Shelton recently gave his 10,000th checkride, and he's not ready to give up the right seat. Read more...
Article
Kirby Chambliss climbed atop the podium with a third-place finish in Austria Sept. 6 with Michael Goulian finishing in the middle of the pack of 14 racers. Now they head to the United States for two races. Read more...
Pilot Protection Services
Anyone who holds an FAA airman certificate must understand how the federal aviation regulations define "motor vehicle action" and the consequences of not making the required reports of such an action to the Civil Aviation Security Division of the FAA within the time prescribed in 14 CFR 61.15. Read more...
PDF
Updated FAA guidance for model aircraft operation replaces a 1981 advisory circular and now includes specifics for unmanned aircraft systems. Advisory Circular 91-57A reminds all aviation hobbyists to comply with current statutes, temporary flight restrictions, notams, and regulations. Download the PDF...
Slideshow
Wayne Mathis can make airplanes from soda cans or just about anything, and has done it all his life. Read more...
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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 database developer; aviation event planner; manager of aviation safety programs; ambassador—Texas; director of aviation security; graphic design intern; director of media relations; and director of regulatory affairs.To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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Question
You're about to go up with one of your flying buddies in an aircraft he just purchased. Since it's an aircraft that is fairly new to both of you, you decide to take a look at the aircraft documents. You notice that the serial number on the airworthiness certificate is correct for the aircraft, but the registration number is incorrect. At some point the aircraft's N number was changed, but a new airworthiness certificate was never obtained. Is this still a valid airworthiness certificate? Can this aircraft be flown?
Answer
No. This airworthiness certificate is no longer valid. FAR 91.203(a)(1) explains that an airworthiness certificate must show the aircraft's current registration number after the number has been on the aircraft for more than 10 days. This aircraft should not be flown until an updated certificate is obtained from the local flight standards district office. For information on the process for changing the N number on an aircraft and obtaining a new airworthiness certificate, see the FAA's website.
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
Sep 12-13 - Colorado, Springs, Colorado; Elkridge, Maryland; and Sandston, Virginia
Sep 19-20 - Phoenix, Arizona
Sep 26-27 - Sacramento, California
Oct 10-11 - Nashville, Tennessee; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Windsor Locks, Connecticut
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
Sep 16 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Sep 17 - Boise, Idaho
Sep 28 - Mesa, Arizona; Duluth, Minnesota; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Hampton, Virginia
Sep 29 - Tucson, Arizona; Blaine, Minnesota; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Fairfax, Virginia
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilot Seminars
Sep 12 - Sparta, Tennessee; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Richmond, Virginia
Sep 15 - Chatham, Massachusetts
Sep 19 - Atlanta, Georgia; and San Diego, California
Sep 23 - Duanesburg, New York
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:
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
Sarah Deener
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