Training Tips
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Sponsored by Aircraft Spruce
Your training is moving along at a pleasing pace when your instructor calls with a surprising bit of news: Your trusty, reliable trainer is leaving town, to be replaced by a completely unfamiliar make and model. Don't be unnerved. You likely have enough experience already to make the transition a brief and rewarding experience. Read more...
 
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Flight Training News
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Flight Training magazine
Spend a day in the life of an air traffic controller at AOPA's home base, Frederick Municipal Airport, in central Maryland. Plus, learn helpful tips that will improve your communication with ATC. Read more...
Video
During a flight, air traffic control asks you to change the transponder code. Should you switch the device to "standby" during the process? The AOPA Air Safety Institute shares one controller's observations in Ask ATC: Transponder Operations. Watch the video...
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Podcast
Aviation legends John and Martha King have produced thousands of products through King Schools, and they continue to delight audiences with a playful back and forth that anyone who's married can appreciate. Not only do the Kings live and work together, they fly together as well. Tune in to this week's Hangar Talk podcast to hear who they say is the better pilot and how they keep things fun and safe in the cockpit. Listen to the podcast...
Webinar
Join AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President George Perry Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. Eastern time to discuss simple techniques that can increase pilot performance and reduce pilot error. The webinar explores time-tested ways pilots in the safest sectors of aviation are "trained to think" about safety to decrease decision-based human error. Register now...
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AOPA Live
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AOPA Live This Week
Watch a harvest like no other in Oregon, where Christmas trees slip the surly bonds of Earth in a helicopter hoist. Mountain terrain, massive numbers, and a compressed harvesting season require this method, which in turn requires some awesome feats of flying. Luminaries known for their own aviation feats gathered in California to remember and honor the late, great Robert A. "Bob" Hoover. Also this week, AOPA membership is your ticket to fame: The association was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame along with Boeing, the U.S. Coast Guard, and others who make a difference. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Nov. 23...
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Plane Spotter
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Stinson Sentinel
Whether you refer to a World War II-era tandem two-place single-engine airplane by its nickname, the "flying jeep," or by its true name, Stinson Sentinel, the liaison aircraft model L-5, as it was designated in 1942, flew missions from reconnaissance and evacuations to VIP transport. Approximately 4,000 of the aircraft were built, with many still flying and in museum collections. Based generally on the civilian 75-horsepower Stinson Model 105 Voyager, the L-5 was powered by a 185-horsepower engine, and was given numerous tweaks to produce an entirely new, utilitarian design.
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Training Products and Resources
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Lightspeed launches winter promotion
Headset manufacturer Lightspeed Aviation announced a winter promotion for Tango wireless and Zulu.2 active noise reduction headsets purchased through Jan. 2, 2017. Customers purchasing one of the models will receive a $50 Visa gift card. "By focusing our Winter Event on our two top-rated and top-selling headsets, we've simplified the decision for the customer: wireless or wired," wrote Teresa De Mers, Lightspeed's executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Easy-to-read oxygen meter changes colors
A clinically tested, color-coded pulse oxygen saturation meter allows pilots to check their levels at a glance. The North American Health and Wellness easy-to-read oxygen meter slips over a fingertip and displays three colors along with saturation levels: green for normal (95-99), yellow for caution (91-94), and red for low (90 and below). The pulse oximeter is available from Sporty's Pilot Shop for $44.95.
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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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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...
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...
Pilot Protection Services
Pilots often contact AOPA's medical services team because they have either started blood pressure medication or have an increase in blood pressure and are concerned about how that might impact their upcoming flight physical. AOPA Pilot Information Center Medical Certification Section Director Gary Grump provides some insight. Read more...
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Blogs
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What's the pilot's role on an airline flight that has a medical emergency on board? Airline pilot and Flight Training blogger Chip Wright explains. Read more...
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Final Exam
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Question
A friend had an accident that resulted in no injuries. The FAA has filed a violation against him and sent him a letter about taking a flight check. What is involved in this process?
Answer
The FAA has the authority to reinspect many aviation entities under U.S. Code 44709, including the reexamination of a pilot. The local flight standards district office sends a letter to the pilot requesting the 709 demonstration. According to FAA Order 8900.1, "the letter must identify the certificate or ratings for which the inspector wishes to conduct the reexamination. If appropriate, specific flight maneuvers or flight phases in a particular aircraft and crew position should be identified as questionable." For example, if the event occurred in a tailwheel aircraft, it is likely that a tailwheel aircraft will be required for the reexamination. For more information, see this AOPA Online article.
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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 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.
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 Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
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
Jan 20-21 - San Antonio, Texas; Portland, Oregon; 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
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.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
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
Dec 17 - Fort Myers, Florida
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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