Training Tips
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Article
Here's a communications scenario any pilot might encounter upon departing an airport in radar-controlled airspace: You are flying an assigned heading; the vector is for traffic, but the 060-degree heading you received is not taking you in the desired direction of your westbound course. How do you proceed? Read more...
 
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Flight Training News
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Advocacy
New airman certification standards are set to take effect June 15. The new standards, which affect those applying for a Private Pilot Airplane certificate or an Instrument Rating Airplane, are available on the FAA's airman testing website. Read more...
Advocacy
Aviation groups including AOPA are renewing their opposition to placing limits on flight training for veterans. Read more...
Video
Find out how Redbird pilot Brittney Miculka fared when she joined Colorado science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students planning and "flying" a real-time simulated global circumnavigation from Liberia to Florida during the fourth installment of the 10-part Winging It video series. Watch the video...
Article
Tuskegee University will introduce aviation to Alabama middle school students and teachers, thanks to a $482,107 grant from the National Science Foundation. Read more...
EAA AirVenture job fair expands to full week
The annual job fair at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is expanding from the traditional one-day event to a full week to better match job seekers with aviation industry employers. The aviation career website JSfirm.com will assist candidates by pointing them to suitable openings, according to an EAA press release.
Online resource
Need a quick refresher on the markings and lights that provide directions for moving on airport surfaces? Use the AOPA Air Safety Institute's new digital runway safety flash cards. The cards include high-resolution illustrations of runway signs and markings. Those that depict pulsing lights include animation to replicate what you'd see in real life. Download the flash cards...
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AOPA Live
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AOPA Live This Week
Find out how the Embraer Legacy 450's six-foot-high cabin, fly-by-wire technology, and 2,900-mile range stack up against other mid-light jet competitors. And if you fly long enough, you might one day face flying an aircraft you know nothing about—find out what to look for and how to stay safe in an unfamiliar airplane. Also this week, discover what it takes to become a Canadian Snowbird pilot and how the demonstration team prepared for its recent Washington, D.C., flyover.
Watch AOPA Live This Week®, June 2...
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Plane Spotter
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When porcupines flew
Plane spotters: Name a flying boat with four 1,065-horsepower radial engines that could stay in the air for 16 hours, served in military and civilian roles, was referred to by its World War II adversaries as a "flying porcupine," and has an example in the famed Fantasy of Flight aircraft collection in Florida. Another hint: The airplane was named for an English town. This litany of distinctions applies only to the Short Sunderland S.25, a 58,000-pound submarine fighter—and later, airliner—that earned its prickly nickname for its bristling armaments.
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Training Products and Resources
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ASA adds free multiengine syllabus
Multiengine students or pilots studying for a flight review can download Bob Gardner's third edition of The Complete Multi-Engine Pilot Syllabus from Aviation Supplies & Academics. The syllabus explains the aeronautical skills and knowledge that pilots need to add an airplane multiengine land class rating to their certificate. The free downloadable PDFs work hand in hand with The Complete Multi-Engine Pilot textbook.
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Note: Products listed have not been evaluated by ePilot editors unless otherwise noted. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors.
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Member Benefits
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AOPA Photo Contest
Voting for the top photos is underway in the AOPA Photo Contest sponsored by Faro Aviation. AOPA narrowed the field to the nine best—three each featuring an airplane, person, or place—and now is your chance to pick the best photo from each category. Make sure you place your vote before June 6. Vote today...
Pilot Protection Services
In 2010, the FAA revised the aircraft registration process to require re-registration of U.S. aircraft every three years. By now, most aircraft owners have developed their own systems or purchased an app to remind them of their aircraft registration expiration dates. But what happens if your registration expires—how can you get it back quickly? Read more...
Member benefit
When it comes to having a pre-buy inspection, don't use the mechanic who currently maintains the airplane. Find out why...
Member benefit
With hurricane season underway, AOPA members who live in or plan to travel to hurricane-prone areas should have a plan in place to relocate their aircraft in advance of a storm. AOPA Insurance Services offers tips to help you prepare a plan. Read more...
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Instrument Tip
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IFR Fix
Inbound to Boeing Field beneath Seattle's Class B airspace, the flight instructor checked the GPS/nav/com's moving map and realized that the left-seat pilot had failed to descend below the 5,000-foot floor of the oncoming block of airspace. Find out what happened...
Login required
Why are there two ILS approaches to the same runway at Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport? Hint: Read the approach plates carefully before answering this question. Both plates are included in the resources for the AOPA Air Safety Institute's IFR Quiz: A Tale of Two ILSs. Take the quiz...
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Final Exam
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Question
I'm about to begin my cross-country flights for my private pilot certificate. Are there specific regulations regarding the fuel requirements for my flights?
Answer
Yes, there are fuel requirements, and in your case, because you are working on your private pilot certificate, you would be required to comply with 14 CFR 91.151, "Fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions." This regulation states: "(a) No person may begin a flight in an airplane under VFR conditions unless (considering wind and forecast weather conditions) there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and, assuming normal cruising speed—(1) During the day, to fly after that for at least 30 minutes; or
(2) At night, to fly after that for at least 45 minutes." For more information on fuel and fuel management, see the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Fuel Awareness Safety Advisor.
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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 AOPA Online. Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.
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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 administration executive assistant, government affairs federal and state vice president, Aviation Insurance Services director, member services representative, financial analyst, Great Lakes regional manager, medical certification specialist, marketing specialist, communications director, Great Lakes "You Can Fly" ambassador, donor relations director, AOPA Foundation communications director, and marketing copywriter. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Jun 4-5 - Tempe, Arizona; and Orlando, Florida
Jun 11-12 - Bloomington, Minnesota; Ashburn, Virginia; and Charlotte, North Carolina
Jun 25-26 - Santa Clara, California; and Columbus, Ohio
Jul 9-10 - Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth, New Jersey
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
Jun 3 - Garden City, New York
Jun 15 - Frederick, Maryland
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Jun 4 - Southbridge, Massachusetts
Jun 5 - Albany, New York
Jun 11 - Lakeland, Florida; New Century, Kansas; Conroe, Texas; and Chatham, Massachusetts
Jun 18 - Hebron, Nebraska
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot Flight Training 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
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
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