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Top Stories
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Call to action
AOPA has issued a call to action on third class medical reform. The association is asking its members to contact their representatives in the House and urge them to take up and pass the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2.
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Op-ed
The Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 is the "single most important general aviation bill" before Congress, writes Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) in an op-ed. "The foundation of the bill establishes the third class medical reform we've long been waiting for."
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Video
Before AOPA Photographer Mike Fizer was hanging out of airplanes to get award-winning images, his father, Bob Fizer, a retired fighter pilot, was flying photo missions for Cessna. Find out how aviation, specifically fighters, and photography have brought the two together with a sense of admiration and honor that flows both ways.
Watch the video...
AOPA Live This Week
With medical reform hanging in the balance, AOPA President Mark Baker is urging members to call and write their representatives in Congress and keep the pressure on to seal the deal. Also this week, ride along with one of America's very few world-class aerobatic glider pilots, and get an inside look at one aviation publishing company that has opted to keep the printing presses rolling in a digital age.
Watch AOPA Live This Week®, June 16...
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Technique and Safety
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Login required
Your airplane already may have decreased performance during summer's hot temperatures and increased humidity. Flying in high terrain and a heavily loaded airplane? You're now in for a high-density-altitude takeoff and landing challenge. Get an extra margin of safety with the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Density Altitude safety quiz.
Take the quiz...
Login required
You want to fly the airplane, not design it. But perhaps you would like a better understanding of the aerodynamic principles involved in maneuvering flight. Take the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Essential Aerodynamics: Stalls, Spins and Safety online course. The updated course is optimized for desktop and mobile applications. Grasp vital need-to-know concepts and
avoid unintentional stalls and spins.
Video
For Russ Jeter, the January 2011 tragedy that took his son's life is something to grapple with every day. This AOPA Air Safety Institute special half-hour presentation takes a sobering look at the accident and how it happened. Jeter shares the devastation it wrought and the lessons we can take away from it.
Watch the video...
AOPA Premier Partner created content
In this video, Master CFI and Designated Pilot Examiner Wally Moran breaks down the different types of GPS approaches and shares some tips to help you fly them more smoothly, safely, and precisely. He provides an important, three-step check prior to final approach and some strategies to avoid "chasing the needle."
Watch the video, provided by AOPA Premier Partner PilotWorkshops...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
Airman certification standards took effect June 15 for those applying for a private pilot (airplane) certificate or an airplane instrument rating. The new standards replace the practical test standards familiar to most pilots.
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Advocacy
AOPA is asking the FAA to create a comprehensive policy that will make it easier and more affordable for aircraft owners to install modern technology in type-certificated aircraft.
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Advocacy
A large majority of pilots who used the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in IFR operations between 2009 and 2013 said they strongly agree that the technology, which enhances the quality of GPS, improved their flights, according to an AOPA WAAS usage survey completed in May.
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Advocacy
The FAA published a policy update to the Federal Register June 15 focusing on hangar use at federally obligated airports. The update will take effect July 1, 2017, and is meant to be a clarification of "how aviation facilities—including hangars can be used on airports that receive federal funds," according to the FAA.
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Advocacy
The U.S. Senate has passed third class medical reform for the third time in six months, this time as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed June 14 by a vote of 85 to 13.
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Health
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Pilot Protection Services
Fictional secret agent James Bond hardly lives a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Jonathan Sackier writes that because of 007's high alcohol consumption and high-fat, low-fiber diet, he's more likely to die of a heart attack than a bullet.
Learn some of the symptoms of a heart attack...
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Technology
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Article
The first airplane able to fly for days and nights on end using solar power alone circled the Statue of Liberty in the predawn darkness June 11 before landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 165-mile journey ended with the final U.S. stop for Solar Impulse 2 during a circumnavigation that has set records and aims to inspire interest in renewable energy.
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Article
A 130-year college sports rivalry between South Dakota's Hardrockers and Yellow Jackets didn't keep one school's president, a Grumman Cheetah pilot, from emailing the other school's leader, who flies a Cessna 152, to pitch a plan to pool their academic resources to tackle a task that all general aviation pilots must confront by 2020.
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Opinion
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Blog
In an age of high-tech moving maps and electronic flight bags, Opinion Leaders blogger Garrett Fisher found out that avgas and airplanes are not the only things that make flying much more expensive in Europe. Aiming to delay a $400 purchase to save a few dollars but not miss the good weather, Fisher resorted to old-fashioned paper charts—and found it surprisingly easy, as well as rewarding in unexpected ways.
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Blog
Many aircraft owners get frustrated when a shop refuses to welcome them on the floor during an annual inspection. Opinion Leaders blogger Mike Busch shares the frustrations of hands-on owners but also presents the perspective of shop managers.
Read more...
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Travel
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Advocacy
With Father's Day weekend coming and the summer flying season getting underway, AOPA recommends that pilots who will be flying in western states between June 17 and 19 check notams frequently to stay updated on temporary flight restrictions that will be in effect in California and New Mexico during a presidential visit to several national parks in connection with the National Park Service's centennial celebration.
Read more...
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Financial
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Webinar
AOPA Pilot Information Center Vice President Mike Filucci and Senior Aviation Technical Specialist Rodney Martz will cover the ins and outs of buying an aircraft in a webinar June 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Get expert advice on how to find the right aircraft, and make the jump from renter to owner.
Register today...
Member benefit
New private pilot Dennis Hopkins is maximizing the fun of his certificate with his 1979 Piper Archer that hauls him and his wife (plus their stuff) yet sips fuel to allow him to fly without worrying about the fuel bill. AOPA Aviation Finance helped make the purchase possible.
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News and Notes
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AOPA Photo Contest
In May, AOPA asked you to submit your best aviation images celebrating the joy of flying. More than 750 entries flooded in to the AOPA Photo Contest, sponsored by Faro Aviation, for three categories—people, places, and aircraft.
Check out the winning images...
Article
Mary S. Feik, a noted aviation engineer, pilot, aircraft restorer, and inductee of aviation halls of fame, died June 10 at her home in Annapolis, Maryland. She was 92.
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Article
Nine years and five months after taking over the National Aeronautic Association, the 111-year-old organization that certifies aviation records and administers awards including the Robert J. Collier Trophy, Jonathan Gaffney will step down Sept. 30. His tenure may have set a record, though Gaffney, with a laugh, said that he just can’t be sure.
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Article
The Mooney Ovation Ultra, one of two upgraded models that feature left-side doors and enhanced interiors, made its maiden flight June 4 at Kerrville, Texas. The aircraft performed well in a 60-minute sortie by Chief Test Pilot Mike Miles, and will join the Acclaim Ultra at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July.
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Article
When Willis Allen Jr. learned that a "stunningly beautiful" 1933 Lockheed Vega in a private collection had gone up for sale after the death of its owner, Allen knew exactly where the airplane belonged, for history's sake and for the public to enjoy.
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Article
Two columns of floor-to-ceiling warehouse shelves were cleared at Aviation Supplies & Academics to make room for pallets of handbooks containing the new airman certification standards, which went into effect June 15. Read more...
 
Blog
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta was among the admirers checking out your AOPA Sweepstakes 172 during a recent visit to Wichita, Kansas, where work is well underway transforming the vintage Skyhawk into a modern machine.
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? AOPA is looking for an aviation technical specialist, fundraising specialist, 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, communications director, 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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Question of the Week
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Question
You're an avid radio-controlled and manned aircraft pilot. A local organization has asked you to photograph an event with your quadcopter. The organization plans to use these photos in advertising. You have a commercial pilot's certificate, but you've never done any commercial operations, manned or unmanned. Is this something you can do?
Answer
No. The FAA's model aircraft provisions apply only to hobby and recreational purposes. Non-recreational operations fall under a different set of rules, for which you are not authorized. Your best option is to recommend that the organization hire a commercial drone operation to take the photos. For more information, see the FAA 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
Jun 25-26 - Santa Clara, California; and Columbus, Ohio
Jul 9-10 - Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth, New Jersey
Jul 23-24 - Jacksonville, Florida; and Memphis, Tennessee
Aug 6-7 - Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Worth, Texas; and Long Beach, California
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
Jul 9 - Alpine, Wyoming
Jul 27-30 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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
Jun 18 - Hebron, Nebraska
Jun 19 - Dodge Center, Minnesota
Jun 25 - Flushing, Maine; Temple, Texas; Morrisville, North Carolina; Lincoln, California; Burlington, Washington; and Bakersfield, California
Jun 26 - Greenwood, South Carolina
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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