September 11, 2015 - VOL 15, ISSUE 37

Flight Training News

Article

A day to serve

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...  

Article

Examiner gives 10K checkrides

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

Like father, like son

The similarities between Rick Mihalinac's logbook and his late father’s pilot logbook are uncanny: Both had 69.5 hours of flight time when they took their private pilot checkrides; both of their checkrides lasted 1.2 hours; and Mihalinac's checkride took place on Aug. 27—40 years to the day from his father's first solo. Read more...  

Article

California A&P program adds night classes

California's North Valley Occupational Center has added night classes for students in the aviation technical school's 2,400-hour aircraft mechanics program. Read more...  

Article

FAA predicts GA's future

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...  

Northeast State adds aviation maintenance program

Northeast State Community College of Blountville, Tennessee, has added a technical certificate program in aviation maintenance technology to its curriculum beginning this fall. The program is designed to teach students the basic knowledge and skills needed in the aviation maintenance and repair industry. The program director is U.S. Air Force veteran Richard Blevins, who comes to the school from Bell Helicopter, where he worked as a training department manager.

Plane Spotter

Cessna's VLJ

If you spot a small jet with rear-fuselage-mounted engines, a T-tail, and the overall aura of a member of the Cessna Citation family, get out your plane-spotter's notebook and add Cessna's Model 510, the Citation Mustang, to your aeronautical archive. Be sure to include a footnote that the 340-knot, six-place Citation Mustang marked a historical milestone for Cessna when it received certification as the manufacturer's first very light jet in 2006. The single-pilot aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 8,645 pounds and a maximum operating altitude of 41,000 feet.

Training Products and Resources

Pilot Safety Announcement

Don't multi-task while taxiing

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...  

Member Benefits

Member benefits

Red Bull offers member perks

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...

Member benefits

10 helpful packing hacks

Check out these helpful hints for packing smarter for your next trip whether flying general aviation or the airlines. Read more...  

Pilot Protection Services

The double whammy of a motor vehicle action

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...  

Blogs

Choose the express lane

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...  

Instrument Tip

Login required

IFR quiz: A day in the sun

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...

Final Exam

Question

You are in the cockpit for the flight portion of your private pilot checkride and are reviewing preflight procedures. Because the person flying with you is an examiner, is it correct to assume there is no requirement to provide a passenger briefing?

Answer

No. You are the pilot in command, and the examiner is technically a passenger for the flight. You are therefore required to provide a passenger briefing covering all points cited in 14 CFR 91.519.

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

Career Opportunities

AOPA career opportunities

Join the AOPA team

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.