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Top Stories
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Article
The AOPA Air Safety Institute on Aug. 11 released the twenty-fifth edition of the Joseph T. Nall Report, and this momentous anniversary arrives with a welcome helping of good news: a 12-percent drop in the rate of noncommercial fixed-wing accidents in 2013, including an 18-percent decrease in the fatal accident rate. The accompanying 2014-2015 GA Accident Scorecard shows that this was not a fluke: The improvement was maintained in 2014, and 2015 numbers look promising. Read more...
 
AOPA Live This Week
A $1,000 Piper Cherokee proves the dream of aircraft ownership doesn't always have to be out of reach. A seaplane newbie gets her feet wet in a Seabee, and finds it is the most fun you can have with wings. Also this week, a pair of bizarre-looking aircraft are ready to fly, and general aviation celebrates the safest year on record. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, August 11...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
Perched on Puget Sound and nearly surrounded by water, it's no wonder Seattle-Bremerton has an abundance of floatplane pilots. Born of necessity and fostered by an active aviation community, at least three flight schools offer seaplane ratings that open up new horizons. Read more...
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Technique and Safety
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Aircraft Maintenance
The human mind is capable of a surprising amount of self-deception in order to achieve what (we think) we want. Rationalizing our desires can result in actions as benign as breaking a diet or as serious as risking death. For this reason, pilot and A&P Jeff Simon recommends conducting a postflight inspection after every flight. Read more...
Video
In the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: From Miscue to Rescue, pilot Brian Brown takes you on a personal and emotional journey as he reflects on how poor decisions and a lack of preparation turned a four-hour cross-country flight into a 30-hour survival crisis for him and his family. Learn about the importance of matching expectations with experience and skill levels, and not pressing on in adverse conditions. Watch the video, made possible by AOPA Insurance Services...
Article
A steady stream of pilots filled a darkened room packed wall to wall with Redbird flight simulators as two dozen hands deftly guided virtual airplanes along realistic flight paths. Twelve pairs of eyes darted across panels aglow with flight instrumentation, radio frequencies, and maps. Instructors at EAA AirVenture's popular Pilot Proficiency Center mentored their VFR and IFR students through 32 challenging scenarios. Some students sweated more than others, powering through unexpected but realistic flight emergencies. Read more...
Blog
A fouled runway on the Sunday before EAA AirVenture saw arrivals stacked in holding patterns around Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on its busiest day of the year. It almost spelled disaster for one of those many circling airplanes, particularly when the misused phrase "minimum fuel" nearly resulted in dry tanks and a much more dramatic arrival than anyone wants. AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg offers this reminder of what those words mean, and when "emergency" is really the only word for it. Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
AOPA has submitted supporting comments and recommendations for enhancing the FAA's proposed changes to pilot certification and training. The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in May detailing a number of improvements to the federal aviation regulations, particularly Part 61, governing pilot certification and currency requirements. Read more...
Advocacy
The Government Accountability Office on Aug. 8 released a report that said the Airport and Airway Trust Fund has lost as much as $2 billion since 2006 due to a fuel fraud law. Read more...
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Advocacy
Effective Aug. 15, Lockheed Martin Flight Service will be renamed Leidos Flight Service, but the services that the company provides to pilots will remain the same. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA is working with the FAA to make pilots aware of new weather products that will become available via Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) beginning next year. Pilots also should note new limitations in the delivery of notices to airmen that will take effect in September. Read more...
Advocacy
The FAA has delayed the Oct. 1 implementation of the international flight plan form for all civil domestic flights. Flight service vendors are working to implement the change to their systems in late January 2017. Read more...
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Health
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Pilot Protection Services
While the clock is already running on the FAA's deadline to implement third class medical reform, you can't take advantage of the new law to fly without a third class medical certificate just yet. Read more...
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Technology
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Article
The FAA has rolled out a new web interface to its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Performance Monitor, making it easier—and faster—for aircraft owners to validate the performance of their ADS-B Out installations. Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
Opinion Leaders blogger Garrett Fisher learns that finding digital navigation data for flying in Europe isn't as simple or as cheap as it is in the United States. Fisher's quest for economical information leads him to Jeppesen's Mobile FliteDeck VFR app, which is EASA approved. He provides a glimpse into what Jeppesen does to try to simply incorporate the various pieces of navigation data into its app. Read more...
Blog
If you are interested in someday flying a Cessna, Beechcraft Bonanza, Piper Cherokee, or Mooney to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, consider the mass arrival: The goal is to be able to train, fly, and camp with pilots who have a love of the same aircraft. Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas takes you inside the mass arrivals from this year's event. Read more...
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Gear
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Lynx links to ForeFlight
L-3's Lynx NGT-9000, -2500, and -2000 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) models with built-in Wi-Fi capability are now compatible with ForeFlight's mobile app, the avionics manufacturer announced Aug. 4. According to a news release, users can "now overlay ADS-B weather and traffic data onto the many charts and maps that the app brings to the cockpit." The panel-mounted NGT-9000 is a Mode S ADS-B In/Out touchscreen transponder, receiving on both ADS-B frequencies—978 MHz and 1090 MHz—with a display for traffic and weather. L-3's NGT-2500 and -2000 are universal access transceivers that allow ADS-B Out capability at low price points, according to the manufacturer.
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
The Columbia River Gorge, flanked by 4,000-foot cliffs, is one of the most scenic landscapes in the country. Impressive views of Mount Hood and Mount Adams, as well as myriad hiking trails and cascading waterfalls, are not to be missed. At the eastern end of the gorge sits Hood River, Oregon, a town of 7,000 people where you can enjoy juicy apples and pears, one of the Northwest's oldest vineyards, tasty microbrews, friendly people, and an air museum. See it for yourself on the way to or from the AOPA Fly-In at Bremerton, Washington, Aug. 19 and 20. Read more...
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Financial
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AOPA Foundation focus
Those who donate to support freedom to fly, aviation safety, and the many missions of the AOPA Foundation will be rewarded with a gorgeous view—16 of them, in fact. A tax-deductible donation made online will secure your 2017 AOPA Foundation wall calendar, featuring 16 months of magnificent, full-color aviation images by AOPA photographers Chris Rose and Mike Fizer. The AOPA Foundation's mission extends far beyond what AOPA could support with membership dues alone. Donate today to receive your 2017 calendar...
Member benefit
AOPA member Greg Smith turned to AOPA Insurance Services for renter's insurance after witnessing an incident at his home airport and realizing he needed more insurance than his flight school carried. Read more...
AOPA Aviation Finance
Ready to buy a used turbine-powered airplane? Both you and the lender will need an appraisal. There are three main paths the appraisal process can take. Read more...
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News and Notes
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Article
The Bugatti 100P, a replica of a 1930s air racer created by auto designer Ettore Bugatti, crashed during a test flight from an Oklahoma airport Aug. 6, killing pilot Scotty Wilson, 66. Read more...
Article
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association released aircraft shipment data covering the first half of the year on Aug. 5, with numbers down across the board, and pointed a finger at the U.S. Congress for failing to support the industry with needed reforms. Read more...
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Article
When a flying club or other group with a formal structure encounters a question about such matters as the duties of its officers or how it should schedule membership meetings, the answers usually are found in the organization's bylaws. Read more...
Flight school students and pilots have a few more days to help shape the future of flight training by voting in the 2016 AOPA Flight Training Poll before it closes Aug. 22. The poll's feedback is valuable because it gives a voice to students and helps flight schools improve their teaching techniques. Participants are entered into a prize giveaway sponsored by Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, Jeppesen, PilotWorkshops, and Sporty's Pilot Shop. Take the poll...
Blog
Hover Power blogger Maria Langer offers an inside look at a unique commercial helicopter operation: drying cherries. Read more...
OBAP honors founders at convention
The Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, founded in 1976, will honor six career pilots at an awards gala that will cap the organization's annual convention in Lombard, Illinois, Aug. 12. The convention is dedicated to increasing minority participation in future aerospace careers. Pilots Benjamin Franklin Thomas, William C. Rand, Raymond Dothard, Simon Patrick Gaskill, J. Georges Sulmers, and Oscar Perry will be inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame.
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Career Opportunities
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AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for an account executive, advertising-marketing coordinator, member services representative, Central Southwest regional manager, graphic designer, administrative coordinator, New York You Can Fly ambassador, aviation technical specialist, fundraising specialist, government affairs federal and state vice president, Great Lakes regional manager, communications director, donor relations director, and AOPA Foundation communications director. To learn more about these and other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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Question
You're about to make the return leg of a business trip and the weather isn't looking great, so you plan to file IFR. The problem is that your VOR receiver (you only have one) isn't up to date on the 30-day equipment check. There isn't a ground checkpoint to test your receiver, but there is a VOT frequency. It's been forever since you've heard that term. What's a VOT, where can you find the frequency, and how do you know if your equipment has passed the test?
Answer
The answers that you're looking for can be found in the Aeronautical Information Manual Section 1-1-4. A VOT is a VOR test facility, which broadcasts a signal that allows you to test the accuracy of your VOR receiver without having to be positioned on a particular spot on the airport, though there may be places where it is unusable. The signal can be used while airborne, but is used primarily on the ground. The frequency can be found in the Chart Supplement (formerly the Airport/Facility Directory) in the back, under the heading "VOR Receiver Checkpoints and VOR Test Facilities." When you center the CDI, the OBS should read 180 degrees "TO" and 360 degrees "FROM." The maximum allowable bearing error is +/- 4 degrees for a VOT check. Remember to record the check in the aircraft logs or status sheet, because if it isn't recorded then it doesn't count. Read more in this AOPA Online article.
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
Aug 20-21 - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and Reno, Nevada
Sep 10-11 - Elkridge, Maryland
Sep 17-18 - Phoenix, Arizona; and Sandston, Virginia
Sep 24-25 - Colorado Springs, Colorado
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
Aug 20 - Bremerton, Washington; and Clayton, Georgia
Aug 24 - Frederick, Maryland
Sep 6 - Wichita, Kansas; Madison, Wisconsin; and Seattle, Washington
Sep 7 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Portland, Oregon
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Aug 13 - Fort Worth, Texas
Aug 20 - Bremerton, Washington; Hayden, Idaho; and Fullerton, California
Aug 27 - Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Naples, Florida
Aug 31 - Racine, Wisconsin
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot Editors:
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
David Tulis
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Mike Collins
Sarah Deener
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Alton K. Marsh
Warren Morningstar
Dan Namowitz
Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
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