May 27, 2016 - VOL 16, ISSUE 22

Flight Training News

Article

2016 Flight Training Poll opens

Have you flown with a flight instructor within the past 12 months? Whether you are a student pilot working to earn a pilot certificate or a certificated pilot receiving additional training or undergoing a flight review, share your experience by taking the 2016 Flight Training Poll. Read more...  

Video

Takeoff calculations

Do you have an abort point in mind when you begin the takeoff roll? The Air Safety Institute's Takeoffs and Landings: Determining an Abort Point video discusses the critical elements to consider. Be prepared to stop on the runway if the takeoff roll isn't going as planned. Watch the video...  

Article

Robinson Cadet certified

Robinson Helicopter Co. is ready to sell the R44 Cadet following FAA certification announced this month. The two-seat trainer shares the airframe, rotor system, and Lycoming engine of the R44 Raven, minus two seats, and is priced to appeal to the training market. Read more...  

Article

Glider instructor designs sim

The author of a series of glider instructional materials has designed a simulator with integrated flight controls to enable glider pilots to train at home, at a glider club, or at a commercial operation. Read more...  

Airline waives training costs for pilots' pledges

Trans State Airlines partnered with New Smyrna Beach, Florida's Epic Flight Academy to waive $15,000 in flight training costs for pilots pledging to fly for the airline after earning their hours. The program "is geared towards pilots who have some hours, but don't have the minimum number of hours required to apply for a commercial job," wrote Trans State Airlines Communications Manager Stacey Ross. Learn more...

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Mayday in the mountains

Sightseeing the gorgeous Alaska Range by air is great. Being the pilot is even better, except when things don't go as planned. Just as the stunning panorama of Mount McKinley unfolded, a pilot suddenly had his hands full keeping the airplane intact. Watch the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: Mayday at Mount McKinley and hear the pilot describe what happened...

Scholarships

Sun 'n Fun awards scholarship

Central Florida Aerospace Academy senior Greg Holden received the Top Gun Citation of Merit from Sun 'n Fun Inc. in Lakeland, Florida. The organization has in recent years turned the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo into an event that supports the aviation-themed high school located on its campus, along with related programs and scholarships. The award is given to a graduating senior who has demonstrated scholastic excellence, character, and community service, and comes with a $4,000 scholarship and a flight bag from MyGoFlight. Holden plans to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Plane Spotter

Maule talk

Within a single aircraft family, a plane spotter can have a field day parsing picky points of model designations and variations. The short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) airplanes from Maule Aircraft offer such an opportunity, as a particular M-model may be available in two taildragger variants (aluminum-spring gear or oleo strut) or in tricycle configuration. Maule's menu includes the reinforced heavy-lifting, 235-horsepower, four-place M-9, boasting a line-topping useful load of 1,100 pounds. Add to your Maule-spotting vocabulary by checking out this chart from Maule's website that decodes the manufacturer's alphanumeric model designation system.

Training Products and Resources

Sporty's upgrades online 'Learn to Fly' course

Sporty's Pilot Shop has increased interactivity for its online Learn to Fly course with a new "Ask a CFI" feature, HD videos that automatically detect bandwidth, and other updates that enhance the user's experience. According to Sporty's, the course "goes beyond the textbook to teach you real world flying, making you a safer, more confident pilot" and is available for $199.99.

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.

Member Benefits

Slideshow

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Hundreds of people headed to Michael J. Smith Field Airport in Beaufort, North Carolina, May 21 for AOPA's first fly-in of 2016. Unfortunately, so did a mass of rain that had been hanging out over the Atlantic Ocean, apparently with nothing better to do. Read more...  

AOPA Photo Contest

Vote for your favorite pics

AOPA has sorted through hundreds of pictures, cropping the selection to the nine best so you can vote for your favorite in each category—aircraft, places, or people. Place your votes in the AOPA Photo Contest, sponsored by Faro Aviation, between May 27 and June 6. Vote now...  

Pilot Protection Services

Close calls with closed runways

Think you can cross a closed runway at a towered airport without specific clearance from air traffic control, just because the runway is closed? Think again. Read more...  

Blogs

Welcome to the cockpit of an airliner

Although you can no longer visit the cockpit of an airliner in flight, you can on the ground. Children often ask to visit pilots up front, which airline pilot and Flight Training blogger Chip Wright welcomes. However, he also encourages adults to pop in and learn about the business side of the jet. Read more...  

Check out summer aviation camp opportunities

School is almost out, and if you have a child who is interested in aviation, now is the time to look into enrolling him or her in an aviation summer camp. Opinion Leaders blogger Amy Laboda highlights some of the camps available this summer. Read more...  

Final Exam

Question

What kind of information can you gather by observing the windsock at an airport?

Answer

The windsock, or the "wind cone" as the FAA calls it, is a good source of information for a pilot. It not only indicates wind direction, but also allows the pilot to estimate wind velocity and gusts. According to Advisory Circular 150/5345-27D, FAA Specification for Wind Cone Assemblies, the cone will be fully extended in a 15-knot-or-greater wind. A limp windsock indicates a no-wind condition, and a windsock extended at 45 degrees may indicate a wind of about seven knots. Windsocks tend to move back and forth when the wind is gusty. They point downwind, so when you land or take off, you will be flying from the smaller end of the cone toward the larger. Learn more about windsocks and other wind indicators.

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.

Career Opportunities

AOPA career opportunities

Join the AOPA team

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for an Aviation Insurance Services director, member services representative, financial analyst, Great Lakes regional manager, medical certification specialist, marketing specialist, communications director, pilot community development coordinator, 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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