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Top Stories
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Advocacy
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives and brought air traffic nationwide to a halt. AOPA immediately jumped into action to fight for general aviation pilots to return to the skies. AOPA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger essentially lived at FAA headquarters for weeks following the attacks, advocating for GA. She takes you inside those dark days to reveal what the association did to restore the freedom to fly.
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Advocacy
A tragic midair collision over Georgia prompted a quick response from NBC, which had a story on the air within hours of the fatal accident at West Georgia Regional Airport. The NBC Nightly News report cast a critical eye on general aviation safety. AOPA responded quickly to the news organization, noting missed opportunities for clarity, missing context, and mistaken notions that the 90-second report could create in the minds of viewers.
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AOPA Live This Week
Outdated fixed-timing magnetos should be a thing of the past, and AOPA Editor at Large Dave Hirschman shows how electronic ignitions can cut fuel burn, improve reliability, and reduce costs. Also this week, tour Duncan Aviation's maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in Battle Creek, Michigan, the location of AOPA's Fly-In Sept. 16 and 17. And, find out how one-G Simulation is using simulators to enhance flight training.
Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Sept. 8...
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AOPA Fly-Ins
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Article
Two great celebrations of aviation—one to bring pilots in the Great Lakes region together, and the other to raise awareness of airports' importance to the communities they serve—will intersect Sept. 17 when the Michigan Air Tour touches down in Battle Creek during the AOPA Fly-In at the W. K. Kellogg Airport.
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Article
Did you know that a normally aspirated aircraft engine will lose approximately 3.5 percent of its horsepower for every 1,000-foot increase in density altitude? Brush up on your high-density-altitude skills and desert-survival planning with advice from these expert mountain flying instructors before heading to AOPA's Fly-In at Prescott, Arizona, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
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Technique and Safety
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Advocacy
The FAA has published a new safety alert on maneuvering during slow flight. The Safety Alert for Operators is a reminder to the flight training community that the certification standard for performing and demonstrating slow flight in an airplane has changed and spells out how to set up slow flight maneuvers for training and testing.
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Video
Here's a reminder to always handle a propeller as though it will turn over unexpectedly, because it just might—like it did to Bruce Stanfield. In the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: Propping Accident, Stanfield explains what happened when a hot magneto and pilot complacency converged at the wrong time.
Watch the video...
Aircraft Maintenance
Almost every part of an aircraft will suffer from lack of use, but some parts are more susceptible than others. Strobes are unique in that regard because the simple act of using them serves to strengthen them and maintain their reliability. A&P and pilot Jeff Simon explains the basic principles of strobe system design.
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Video
That's precisely what you'd be doing by entering instrument meteorological conditions when flying VFR. You'll get the idea watching the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Flying Blind Pilot Safety Announcement.
Watch the video...
Pilot Protection Services
The FAA wants pilots to ensure that their aircraft transponder is on and in the altitude reporting mode while operating on movement areas at all airports.
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Blog
The FAA's data on piston-engine failures are sparse, according to AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg, which can lead to overreaching decisions when problems crop up. Landsberg suggests a simple alternative to gain data that can better inform FAA decisions.
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
The FAA has updated the regulatory requirements and procedures for pilots training in and operating the Mitsubishi MU-2B twin-engine turboprop in a final rule that was published Sept. 7.
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Advocacy
AOPA has been selected to serve on a new RTCA Drone Advisory Committee that will develop recommendations for ongoing efforts to safely introduce unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System. More than 300 groups and individuals applied to serve on the joint industry-government committee, which has only 30 seats.
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Health
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Video
Dr. Jonathan Sackier explains tinnitus, characterized by the sound of a ringing bell in your ears, and how it could affect your flying.
Watch the video...
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Technology
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AOPA Pilot magazine
Find out how new technology and the recent approval of some nontechnical standard order instruments to be installed in certificated aircraft can help you give your vintage aircraft a panel makeover at a reasonable price.
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Opinion
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Blog
Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas shares her efforts to educate nonpilots who go up for flights on the safety and other benefits of aviation. Learn what she's doing to inspire more pilots and share your thoughts on how to better educate nonpilot companions.
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
Flying into Mackinac Island, you will notice the green canopy of trees that blankets most of this 2,200-acre island that is now a Michigan State Park. Since the 1880s, the island's primary industry has been tourism, with most attractions open May through October. A horse-drawn taxi greets you at the terminal, and couples walk hand-in-hand down shaded lanes. Experience the island on your way to or from the AOPA Fly-In at Battle Creek Sept. 16 and 17.
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Financial
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Article
Icon Aircraft will open a composite parts facility in Tijuana, Mexico, to support final assembly of its two-seat A5 amphibious airplanes in Vacaville, California, the company announced Sept. 7.
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Article
Happy with your day job but want to dabble in making some money with your drone? One pilot shares his experience searching for drone jobs through online marketplaces.
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News and Notes
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Article
Australia's Matt Hall claimed his second consecutive Red Bull Air Race World Championship victory over Matthias Dolderer of Germany at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz. With two races left, both on U.S. soil, the series heads next to Indianapolis Oct. 1 and 2 where AOPA will host the Brickyard Bash after qualifying concludes.
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Article
Typical summer VFR weather prevailed along the Gulf Coast as Paul McGhee flew his 1956 Beechcraft Bonanza to transport some dogs to safety through Pilots N Paws.
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Article
A motor vehicle crash robbed Japanese-born Shinji Maeda of half his eyesight at age 18 and nearly extinguished his dream of becoming a professional pilot. Now 37, Maeda was emotional about the accident as he recalled how he overcame the physical and mental trauma of a crushed optic nerve to become a commercial pilot and inspirational speaker.
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Article
James Koonce remembers the day in October 1966 when a student pilot celebrating his seventeenth birthday showed up at Koonce's Joplin, Missouri, fixed-base operation in a Cessna 150 for a private pilot checkride.
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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, administrative coordinator, Central Southwest regional manager, account executive, annual giving manager, administrative assistant, donor relations director, development communications 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 member services representative. 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
While reading the drone regulations in Part 107, you realize that there are parts that you don't want to or can't comply with because of your proposed commercial drone operations. Is there a formal process to request a waiver? If so, where can you find details?
Answer
Yes, you can request a waiver from certain requirements/regulations in Part 107 by either filling out a waiver request online or downloading the paper form. For information about the process, including instructions for completing the form and the list of regulations that could be waived, see the online waiver request page.
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
Sep 10-11 - Elkridge, Maryland
Sep 17-18 - Phoenix, Arizona; and Sandston, Virginia
Sep 24-25 - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Oct 1-2 - Windsor Locks, Connecticut; and Hollywood, 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
Sep 12 - East Hanover, New Jersey
Sep 13 - East Hartford, Connecticut
Sep 14 - Dedham, Massachusetts
Sep 15 - Manchester, New Hampshire
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Sep 17 - Battle Creek, Michigan; Santa Paula, California; Roanoke, Virginia; Winter Haven, Florida; Medford, New Jersey; and Trenton, Maine
Sep 24 - Westminster, Maryland
Oct 1 - Prescott, Arizona; Wichita, Kansas; Camarillo, California; Renton, Washington; and Carlsbad, California
Oct 7 - Fort Myers, Florida
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot 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
Elizabeth Tennyson
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
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