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Top Stories
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Pilot magazine feature
Jamming the throttle forward and dancing on the rudder pedals, Canadian pilot Joel Hensen powers the 1989 Cessna Caravan down the seven-percent incline of this grass strip in Boga Province, a volatile region in the southeast portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Caravan shudders with the effort and bounces erratically over the ruts and crevices of this remote runway, accelerating toward grass as tall as a man at the abrupt end of the 2,600-foot strip. Read more and watch a video...
 
Advocacy
Lest you think that government over-regulation is purely an American sport, consider this from South Africa: Government officials want to require manned crash, fire, and rescue forces at up to 3,000 of the nation's landing fields. The opportunity for pilots to comment on the proposal closes Oct. 24. Read more...
AOPA Live This Week
The Zivko Edge 540 V3 has proved to be the ultimate aerial hot rod in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, and we'll take you inside the factory where these specialized speedsters are made. Also this week, see a robotic co-pilot with a truly hands-on approach, and be a fly on the wall as a Texas flying club gets the word they've landed a free airplane. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Oct. 20...
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Technique and Safety
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Flash-based; login required
The scenario: You're on an IFR cross-country flight from Bozeman, Montana, to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The challenge: Do you know how to interpret the RNAV (GPS) X approach to Runway 1 at your destination? Fly the approach and get tips on programming the GPS with the AOPA Air Safety Institute's IFR Chart Challenge: RNAV Approach free online course. Test your knowledge...
Video
The words, "I'll just slide in there and take a peek," became the undoing of a pilot receiving multiple warnings that VFR was not recommended on his 400-nautical-mile trip through forbidding terrain. The AOPA Air Safety Institute's Accident Case Study: VFR into IMC explores why the pilot pressed on in the face of adversity. What would you have done differently? Watch the video...
AOPA Premier Partner created content
In certain situations, VFR on top can be a valuable tool for instrument-rated pilots. This video from AOPA Premier Partner PilotWorkshops explains why you should use VFR on top and how to request it from air traffic control. The video also explains the difference between VFR on top and VFR over the top, block altitudes, and other en route procedures you will find useful during your IFR flights. Watch the video...
Video
What's your approach to preflight weather planning? Are you getting the right information at the right time? The AOPA Air Safety Institute's Weather Wise: Gathering Information video shares strategies to use the system that fits your needs. Know when to evaluate weather and make those critical decisions before flight. Watch the video...
Pilot Protection Services
Pilots and aircraft owners have a regulatory responsibility to notify the FAA when their mailing address changes, according to 14 CFR 61.60 and 14 CFR 47.45. Both regulations impose a 30-day notification limit. Find out what happens if you miss this window. Read more...
Article
The first of three trips for two to EAA AirVenture 2017 and two of six MyGoFlight gift cards have been awarded in the Captain Jepp Challenge, but there are still opportunities for you to enter to win by completing aviation safety programs. Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
AOPA is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case involving aviation products liability, an issue that could have a significant impact on the cost of flying. At the heart of the case is the question of whether juries can impose aircraft design standards at the state level in aviation products liability cases, in conflict with the FAA's federal regulatory and certification standards. Read more...
Advocacy
A general aviation pilot finds a notebook and discovers that it contains bomb-making information. An airport worker reports an identification badge missing. Suspicious persons are noticed photographing airport security checkpoints. These incidents and others were called in to federal authorities by airport users as part of AOPA's Airport Watch Program. Read more...
Advocacy
The FAA is continuing to remove redundant and underutilized ground-based instrument approaches from service as new technology comes on line and has announced the fate of 125 of 198 procedures it had listed as candidates for cancellation. Read more...
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Technology
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Article
A unique public-private collaboration is poised to prove electric airplanes can dramatically cut the cost of flight training, and venture beyond the traffic pattern. The players include two small towns in California's Central Valley, a flight school, a nonprofit energy consultant, a community college, and Slovenian aircraft maker Pipistrel, each with a role creating a network of electric airplane charging stations. Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
Operating temperature, more than any other factor, determines how long an engine will last, writes Opinion Leaders blogger Mike Busch. Even a relatively small difference in temperature can cause major problems for cylinders and drain thousands of dollars from an unwary owner's wallet between overhauls. Read more...
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Gear
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Article
The FAA proposed an airworthiness directive (AD) on Oct. 20 that would require removing certain NavWorx Inc. model ADS600-B remote-mounted universal access transceivers (UATs) from the aircraft in which they have been installed, and would prohibit their installation on any aircraft. The products provide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out and In on the 978-MHz frequency. The FAA estimates that approximately 800 U.S.-registered aircraft would be affected by the proposed AD. Read more...
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
You probably wouldn't expect to go bush flying in New Jersey—especially not within sight of the New York City skyline. Yet the town of Andover has all of the ingredients necessary to challenge a pilot's abilities and push an airplane to its limits. Read more and view a slideshow...
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Financial
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AOPA Aviation Finance
Ready to sell your large piston single or twin and make the move to a turboprop? Time to do some homework. There's a lot to learn when it comes to such transactions. If you're buying a turboprop with any engine rated at more than 550 shaft horsepower, or with eight or more seats, you'll have to put your new airplane on the international registry. Read more...
Member benefit
Before renting an aircraft, there are some things you should consider to make sure you are protected while flying it. Read more...
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News and Notes
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Article
The jet pack has captivated public imagination for more than 50 years, a fascination dating, for some, to the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball, when Sean Connery used a Bell Rocket Belt to escape from a scrape. While the military deemed them impractical for real-world use, that has not stopped civilians from pursuing the dream. Read more and watch a video...
Article
Sometimes you just can't catch a break. Michael Goulian, one of two American pilots in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, arrived in Las Vegas for the finale of the 2016 season hungry for victory, having not stood atop the podium since 2009. Goulian set a new track record in his first head-to-head race Oct. 16, but desert winds promptly forced race officials to cancel the rest of the weekend. Read more...
Article
Brittney Miculka, the host of Redbird Flight Simulations' popular Winging It video series, is confronting another test in addition to the challenges that she mastered in 2016 for a growing YouTube audience. Miculka will steer 200 flight instructors, educators, and flight school managers through the sixth annual Migration at Redbird headquarters in San Marcos, Texas, Oct. 24 to 26. Read more...
Online resource
With cold weather on the horizon, you might spend more time inside the hangar working on your aircraft. By performing routine maintenance on your own aircraft, you will learn more about the equipment you fly, and you might save some of the annual maintenance costs associated with aircraft ownership. Learn more...
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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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Question of the Week
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Question
You heard recently from a fellow member of your flying club that there have been some changes to how runway braking conditions are reported, specifically that Mu reports are being replaced with runway condition codes, and that a report of "Nil" will effectively close a runway. Where can you find more information on the change?
Answer
This change was announced during the summer months, but it did not take effect until Oct. 1. For more information, see the FAA's Safety Alert for Operators, AOPA's article, or this FAA update.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.
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 Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Nov 12-13 - San Diego, California
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
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 24 - Garden City, New York; Concord, California; and Tampa, Florida
Oct 25 - Poughkeepsie, New York; Fresno, California; and Fort Myers, Florida
Oct 26 - Albany, New York; Irvine, California; and Hollywood, Florida
Oct 27 - Milan, Illinois; and Brockport, New York
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Oct 22 - Kissimmee, Florida; Palm Springs, California; and Shelby, North Carolina
Oct 29 - Burlington, Washington; San Diego, California; and Columbus, Ohio
Nov 5 - Austin, Texas; and Carlsbad, California
Nov 12 - Lakeland, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Lawrenceville, Georgia
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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