Training Tips
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Article
How does a pilot who is ready to depart find out that some very nasty weather is about to move across the route of flight? A last-minute check of the weather turns up a newly issued convective sigmet advising of the dangerously bad weather that has developed. Read more...
 
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Flight Training News
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Article
Aircraft builder, high school senior, junior golfer, and student pilot Abbey Carlson has a lot on her plate before she enters Vanderbilt University this fall on an athletic scholarship. Read more...
Article
The FAA's familiar green Airport/Facility Directory is changing its official name with the March 31 editions to become the new U.S. Chart Supplements. Read more...
Article
Auburn University will host two weeks of summer aviation camps in Alabama for high school students; activities include stick time in cockpits, full-motion simulators, and drones. Read more...
Webinar
Customer service is crucial to flight training industry professionals. Learn how to build loyalty among flight students and find out how to succeed in the 2016 Flight Training Excellence Awards during a webinar March 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Register now...
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Scholarships
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Article
High school student Ty'Niyah Harris received a lift from AOPA's Women in Aviation International Chapter March 10—a $3,000 scholarship to help her pursue her flight training dreams. Read more...
WAI scholarships top $10 million
During the 2016 International Women in Aviation Conference March 10 through 12, the organization celebrated a milestone—$10 million in scholarships have been awarded to women and men since the nonprofit's scholarship program started in 1995. The group awarded 126 individual scholarships during the event, totaling more than $600,000, WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian announced. Information about scholarships for 2017 will be available in July.
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AOPA Live
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AOPA Live This Week
A Texas festival is gathering Millennials and airplanes together for a party aimed at building general aviation—MODAERO features live music, more than 200 aircraft, camping, and drones. Also, lawmakers work to keep the FAA up and running, U.S. pilots fare well at the Red Bull Air Race World Championship season opener, and Rod Machado offers tips on bracketing the glideslope. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, March 17...
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Plane Spotter
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An innovative Impulse
What weighs 5,000 pounds, has a 236-foot wingspan, and is flying around the world, powered only by the sun? The answer: an aircraft called Solar Impulse 2, on a mission to be the first aircraft to round the world on solar power. The zero-fuel aircraft has more than 17,000 solar cells and can fly at night, tapping stored energy from batteries. Solar Impulse 2 landed in Hawaii last July. Technical issues have delayed its eastward journey, but a successful test flight took place Feb. 26, so keep watching for this miraculous machine's mainland arrival.
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Training Products and Resources
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Login required
Do you listen first and know what to say before you press the push-to-talk switch? Get a little help from the AOPA Air Safety Institute and avoid communication blunders with the Say It Right: Mastering Radio Communication online course, recently updated to a new tablet-friendly format. Take the course...
Sporty's offers personal weather station
Adding a wireless weather station to your home, hangar, or airfield is easier with FODY's Bluetooth Weather Station. It pairs Bluetooth technology with iOS and Android devices to supply wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, and precipitation through an easy-to-use app. The device is available for $159.95 from Sporty's Pilot Shop.
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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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Pilot Protection Services
An airman who passes a kidney stone the first time no longer requires a special issuance medical certificate. But, those who have a history of more than one episode of kidney stones will still need to have their medical application reviewed by the FAA and might be placed on an annual special issuance. Read more...
Member benefit
Before you take that wonderful first flight of the spring season, you need to clean, inspect, and lubricate your aircraft. Read more...
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Blogs
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In the last of three installments, Flight Training blogger Chip Wright describes encountering nasty weather with updrafts, wind shear, twists, and turns during an arrival plan intended to minimize passenger disruptions. Read more...
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Instrument Tip
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AOPA Premier Partner created content
Picking up an IFR clearance isn't always easy, especially if you're departing a nontowered airport. Former National CFI of the Year Doug Stewart shares simple tips to help you keep up with fast-talking controllers, eliminate clearance void time pressure, and pick up clearances in the air. This free PDF transcript is useful for instrument pilots of all levels. Download the transcript from AOPA Premier Partner PilotWorkshops...
Video
How does the air traffic control tower handle a request for multiple instrument approaches to the airport? Find out in this installment of the AOPA Air Safety Institute's popular "Ask ATC" series. Watch the video...
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Final Exam
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Question
Can a pilot replace or recharge an emergency locator transmitter battery as part of the aircraft's preventive maintenance?
Answer
Yes. A pilot/operator can replace or recharge an ELT battery under Appendix A to 14 CFR Part 43—Major Alterations, Major Repairs, and Preventive Maintenance. The individual must be able to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, and the battery must have a plug-in or snap-on connector that doesn't require soldering. The new expiration date for replacing or recharging the battery must be legibly marked on the outside of the transmitter and entered in the aircraft maintenance records. Read more about this topic in A Pilot's Guide to Preventive Maintenance from the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
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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 Flight Training Online or 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 a "You Can Fly" ambassador—Great Lakes, donor relations director, Foundation communications director, aviation technical specialist, social media evangelist, Flying Clubs Initiative senior manager, marketing copywriter, Web project manager, and member services representative. 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
Mar 19-20 - Orlando, Florida; and Elkridge, Maryland
Apr 2-3 - Denver, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; Needham, Massachusetts; and Dulles, Virginia
Apr 9-10 - Indianapolis, Indiana; and Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 16-17 - San Diego, 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
Mar 21 - Concord, California; Ypsilanti, Michigan; and Bedford, Massachusetts
Mar 22 - Fresno, California; and Independence, Ohio
Mar 23 - Irvine, California; and Columbus, Ohio
Mar 24 - Batavia, Ohio
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Mar 19 - Belleville, Michigan; West Lafayette, Indiana; and North Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar 23 - Riverside, California; La Porte, Indiana; and Middleton, Wisconsin
Mar 26 - Englewood, Colorado; Lake in the Hills, Illinois; Fort Pierce, Florida; and Pearland, Texas
Mar 31 - Cheektowaga, New York
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 |
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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