|
|
Top Stories
|
Article
On the heels of the NTSB's Nov. 14 release of its Most Wanted list of transportation safety improvements that included general aviation loss of control, the University of North Dakota, in partnership with the AOPA Air Safety Institute, announced that it is studying the use of a continuous turning approach or "circular pattern" as an alternative to the traditional rectangular traffic pattern. Read more...
 
Article
Despite a continued improvement in the general aviation safety record, the NTSB Nov. 14 targeted GA loss of control on its Most Wanted list of transportation safety improvements for the third year. Read more...
AOPA Live This Week
As Hollywood offers a new take on Howard Hughes, AOPA takes you behind the scenes to see what keeps the Spruce Goose spruced up. Also this week, get some glider time over Florida and see what you can learn from this kind of flying, and find out why general aviation remains on the NTSB's Most Wanted list after years of steady improvement. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Nov. 17...
|
|
Technique and Safety
|
|
Article
Investigations of two midair collisions about six weeks apart in 2015 led the NTSB to conclude air traffic controllers erred in both cases. While the safety agency urged the FAA and contract tower operators to use the deadly crashes as object lessons with which to train controllers, the NTSB did not specifically ask the FAA (or others) to address availability or affordability of cockpit traffic awareness technology that, according to both investigations, might have helped pilots prevent each tragedy. The safety recommendations and findings released Nov. 15 include advice for pilots. Read more...
Webinar
Enjoying the freedom of flight is just as much about learning how to think as it is about learning how to fly. In "Mind Over Matter: Strengthening the Weakest Link," AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President George Perry discusses simple techniques that can increase pilot performance and reduce pilot error. Join the webinar Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. Eastern and explore time-tested ways pilots in the safest sectors of aviation are "trained to think" about safety to decrease decision-based human error. Register now...
Video
Is it ever a good idea to relinquish pilot-in-command authority? The AOPA Air Safety Institute doesn't recommend it, and neither does pilot Tom Berge after a frightful flight when the airplane he was following disappeared into the fog. Berge's Real Pilot Story holds many lessons about what it means to be PIC. Watch the video...
Blog
Pilots are always hoping for tailwinds on cross-country flights, "but they are very bad in three places: takeoff, landing, and base leg," cautions AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg. Learn more about the effects of tailwinds in the traffic pattern and low to the ground. Read more...
Pilot Protection Services
If you are interested in hands-on maintenance, be sure to become familiar with 14 CFR Part 43 because you will be held to the same standard as a certificated mechanic when performing preventive maintenance. Read more...
|
Advocacy
|
|
Advocacy
For the third year in a row, AOPA was named a top lobbying association by the respected Washington, D.C.-based publication The Hill. Read more...
Advocacy
Hudson corridor open to pilots
Pilots can once again fly the Hudson River Corridor without worrying about temporary flight restrictions. The FAA has reissued a notam establishing a TFR over president-elect Donald Trump's Manhattan residence that has a 1-nautical-mile radius and extends up to 2,999 feet msl. The smaller radius allows the corridor to be open to traffic as it was before the election. The TFR over Trump's residence will be in effect through Jan. 20, 2017.
|
Technology
|
Article
The FAA has granted supplemental type certification for installation of the Garmin GTX 345 ADS-B Out/In and GTX 335 ADS-B Out transponders in more than 60 helicopter models, Garmin International announced Nov. 16. The popular GTX 345 and GTX 335 are 1090-MHz Mode S transponders with the extended squitter capability that provides Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out; built-in WAAS GPS position sources—which provide the accuracy required by the ADS-B rules—are optional and a good solution for aircraft that don't already have a compatible position source that meets ADS-B requirements. Read more...
|
Opinion
|
Blog
You check the oil before every flight, but do you know what the oil on the dipstick is telling you? "If we really pay attention, we can learn a lot about the condition of our oil and of our engine," writes Opinion Leaders blogger Mike Busch. Read more...
|
Gear
|
Pilot magazine
From headsets to portable navigation equipment and video cameras to handheld radios, general aviation pilots love high-tech gadgets. Get gift ideas for pilots this holiday season from AOPA Pilot. Read more...
Article
DJI, the world market leader in small drones, hired Academy Award-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda to create a short film shot entirely with the Inspire 2, one of two new models the company announced Nov. 15, and to prove a point that a system that costs about $6,000 can produce professional-grade results. Read more...
|
Travel
|
Article
Since 1979, the Bahamas Pilot's Guide and Caribbean Pilot's Guide have been the go-to sources for reliable information on island flying, and now the 2017 updates are available with AOPA serving as the new publisher. Read more...
|
Financial
|
Article
Optimism for future aircraft manufacturing remains high despite third-quarter 2016 results that were “not what we had wanted to see,” said the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, releasing a report of industry shipment and billing figures. Read more...
AOPA Foundation focus
Two young women who are working toward their private pilot certificates have each been awarded a 2016 Ceci Stratford Flight Training Scholarship under the AOPA Foundation's Flight Training Scholarship program. Read more...
AOPA Aviation Finance
When you receive a pre-approval for an aircraft loan, lenders will provide a specific dollar limit they are willing to lend you based on your unique financial situation. With most pre-approved loans, you can lock in the rates for a specific period. For example, AOPA Aviation Finance lenders can lock in your rates for 30 to 60 days. Read more...
|
News and Notes
|
Article
Wildfires are scorching the Appalachian Mountains, plaguing pilots with smoke and low visibility in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Temporary flight restrictions have been activated for firefighting activity as winds continue to fan flames caused by lightning strikes and drought with no immediate end in sight. Read more...
Article
Garmin Pilot app users who upgrade to version 8.5 can send planned routes created in the AOPA Flight Planner to the EFB on their portable iOS devices. Read more...
Webinar
Learn how to make your older aircraft like new again. In this recorded webinar, AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and Editor at Large Dave Hirschman share the experience and expertise they've gained from multiple aircraft overhauls, rebuilds, upgrades, and refurbishments. They cover what makes some airplanes better candidates than others, where and how to start, what jobs to tackle, and how to find resources that fit your project. Register or log in to watch the webinar...
|
Career Opportunities
|
|
AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for a government affairs federal and state vice president, Great Lakes regional manager, account executive, annual giving manager, donor relations director, high school aviation initiative manager, New York You Can Fly ambassador, aviation technical specialist, UI/front-end developer, and marketing specialist. To learn more about these and other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
|
Question of the Week
|
Question
You're considering growing a beard. Because much of your flying is at higher altitudes in unpressurized aircraft, which necessitates the use of oxygen, you're concerned that your newly grown facial hair would have an impact on the seal and effectiveness of your oxygen mask. Where can you find information on this topic?
Answer
The FAA's Advisory Circular AC 120-43, "The influence of beards on oxygen mask efficiency," validates your concerns that a beard can affect the efficiency and the ability of your mask to seal properly—with up to 67 percent leakage in some of the military's tests. If all of your flights remain below 18,000 feet, you could switch to a cannula oxygen delivery system, learn to breathe through your nose, and pay more attention to your pulse oximeter. Need to brush up on your oxygen requirements and knowledge? See the FAA's "Oxygen Equipment: Use in General Aviation Operations," or 14 CFR 91.211.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.
|
|
|
|
 Education and Seminars
|
Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Nov 19-20 - Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia; and Austin, Texas
Dec 3-4 - Denver, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida
Jan 7-8 - Charlotte, North Carolina; Rockford, Tennessee; Santa Clara, California; and Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jan 14-15 - Bellevue, Washington; Elkridge, Maryland; and Ridgeland, Mississippi
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.
|
Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Jan 9 - Reno, Nevada
Jan 10 - Sacramento, California; and Houston, Texas
Jan 11 - Milpitas, California; and San Antonio, Texas
Jan 12 - Austin, Texas; and Santa Rosa, California
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
|
Rusty Pilots Seminars
Nov 19 - Loveland, Colorado; Henderson, Nevada; and Murrieta, California
Dec 3 - Tyler, Texas; Scottsdale, Arizona; Panama City Beach, Florida; and Pembroke Pines, Florida
Dec 8 - Bartow, Florida
Dec 10 - Dallas, Texas; Newnan, Georgia; Long Beach, California; and Smithfield, North Carolina
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ePilot 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
Elizabeth Tennyson
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
|
|
|
|
|
|
