Training Tips
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Sponsored by Aircraft Spruce
You are practicing takeoffs and landings in a standard left-hand traffic pattern at your home airport on a weekday morning. As you prepare to touch down, the controller makes an unexpected call, instructing you to make right closed traffic on the go. What prompted this unexpected call? Read more...

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Flight Training News
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Article
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association has opened the fifth annual GAMA/Build A Plane Aviation Design Challenge for all U.S. high schools. The competition is intended to promote science, technology, engineering, and math skills through aviation. Read more...

Online resource
AOPA Air Safety Institute Chief Flight Instructor John Collins recently joined the ranks of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) remote pilots, and he shares memorable moments in the latest CFI to CFI newsletter. This issue also includes tips for lasting proficiency training, plus Rod Machado's technique to help student pilots anticipate the next steps during a flight. Read more...
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You Can Fly
Educators should make plans to join AOPA in Seattle Nov. 6 and 7 at the Museum of Flight and the adjacent Raisbeck Aviation High School to share best practices, resources, and strategies to inspire the next generation of aviators. The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) symposium brings together pioneers in aviation and education. Attendees will also learn about AOPA's partnership with Purdue University to create STEM curricula for grades 9-12. Check out the symposium's learning sessions and register to attend. Learn more...

Article
Flight review students have a new option for brushing up on federal aviation regulations, flight maneuvers, and other knowledge needed for the ground school portion of their logbook endorsement. WINGsReality EDU has designed a blended online and live classroom learning environment, co-founder Michael Lessard told AOPA. Lessard said the physical school, based in Maine, had simply outgrown its confines, so he spread the learning process out from a classroom to a student's own room—wherever that may be. Read more...

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Scholarships
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Wipaire, Inc., the South Saint Paul, Minnesota, family-owned aircraft float manufacturer and modification facility, announced three recipients of the 2016 Ben Wiplinger Memorial Seaplane Rating Scholarship program. Minnesota kindergarten teacher Dawn Cook, Canadian career pilot Colin Fink, and South Carolina marine scientist Kimberly Kanapeckas will each receive $1,500 to help fund their floatplane ratings. The scholarship is named for Ben Wiplinger, who founded the company in 1960. Read more...
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AOPA Live
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AOPA Live This Week
Pilots are flying missions to provide relief to storm-ravaged communities near and far in the wake of Hurricane Matthew; we'll look at where the damage was done, and how general aviation is helping communities recover. Also this week, jump in a gondola and see what it's like to ride among hundreds of balloons at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a photographer's paradise. Speaking of super shots, Garmin has made significant improvements to its Virb point-of-view camera, and we put the new model through its paces. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Oct. 13...

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Plane Spotter
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Six of one
If you are a plane spotter who has wondered whether "out of production" means "hard to spot," find an airport where kit aircraft congregate. Then seek out a builder/flyer of a Van's RV-6 that was produced between 1986 and 2001 and likely is going strong, or perhaps is just getting airborne after the homebuilder's project. If you don't see one of the two-place, side-by-side taildraggers, make sure you haven't passed by an RV-6A, the RV-6's tricycle-geared "cousin." A sliding canopy became an option for both aircraft later in the production runs.
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Training Products and Resources
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ASA's remote pilot eKit
Pilots studying for an FAA Part 107 remote pilot exam can navigate to Aviation Supplies & Academics for an eKit that combines videos, e-books, FAA reference documents, and online software all in one digital package. Aeronautical charts, weather, rules, and regulations are covered with more than five hours of videos, online practice tests, and a seven-day study plan to keep pilots on track. ASA's Remote Pilot eKit is available online for $79.95.
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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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Member benefit
Pilots don't think twice about insuring their aircraft, but what about other items in the hangar—a small refrigerator, a golf cart to tow the aircraft, or a couch or recliner for lounging at the airport? Chances are those items are not covered. AOPA Insurance Services can help. Read more...

Pilot Protection Services
While treating a fellow passenger on a commercial flight, Dr. Jonathan Sackier made several observations that apply to travelers in general, and pilots in particular: It is critical to address health issues promptly, disclose all pertinent information to your doctor, comply with directives, and make the right call in an emergency. Read more...

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Blogs
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Reserve pilots should be flexible, packed, rested, and ready to go when needed to fill in for originally scheduled pilots during sick leave, family emergency, weather disruption, or other factors, explains Flight Training blogger Chip Wright. Read more...

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Instrument Tip
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Login required
Brush up on your IFR chart savvy with this quiz from the AOPA Air Safety Institute. For example, airports shown with a brown symbol don't have a published approach, but are all airports without published approaches depicted on en route charts? Why are some localizers shown while others are not? Take the quiz and find out...
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Final Exam
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Question
I'm a student pilot. Why do I have to carry my logbook with me, and do I have to carry it all the time?
Answer
You need to carry your logbook only on cross-country flights (see 14 CFR 61.51(i)(2)). According to 14 CFR 61.1, cross-country time refers to "time acquired during a flight...that includes a point of landing that was at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure." Your logbook and the endorsements it contains give you authority to fly the cross-country flight. For more information on logging cross-country time, see this AOPA subject report.
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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, Central Southwest regional manager, Great Lakes regional manager, account executive, annual giving manager, donor relations director, high school aviation initiative manager, flying clubs initiative senior manager, New York You Can Fly ambassador, aviation technical specialist, product marketing specialist, advertising-marketing coordinator, and UI/front-end developer. 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
Oct 15-16 - Columbia, South Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Wichita, Kansas
Nov 12-13 - San Diego, California
Nov 19-20 - Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia; and Austin, Texas
Dec 3-4 - Denver, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida
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
Oct 17 - Germantown, Tennessee; Mesa, Arizona; and Van Nuys, California
Oct 18 - Rochester, Minnesota; Nashville, Tennessee; Tucson, Arizona; and Ontario, California
Oct 19 - Blaine, Minnesota; Bellevue, Nebraska; Maryville, Tennessee; and Santa Ana, California
Oct 20 - Olathe, Kansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and San Diego, California
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Oct 15 - Carson City, Nevada; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Burnet, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Richmond, Virginia
Oct 20 - Fort Myers, Florida
Oct 22 - Kissimmee, Florida; Palm Springs, California; and Shelby, North Carolina
Oct 29 - Burlington, Washington; San Diego, California; and Columbus, Ohio
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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