Training Tips
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Sponsored by Aircraft Spruce
A student pilot is flying the traffic pattern at the destination airport on a solo cross-country. Putting aside his chart and flight log, he reaches back for the checklist, which he had tossed on the rear seat. He continues clutching the yoke while lunging for the list—putting the airplane in a banked, nose-up attitude and eliciting a yelp from the stall horn. Read more...
 
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Flight Training News
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AOPA Premier Partner sponsored content
Many pilots shy away from landing at a busy Class B airport, but watching a Cessna 172 land between Boeing jets at Boston's Logan International Airport is interesting whether or not you ever want to do it. Listen to the rapid-fire ATC communications and watch pilot Keith Smith slip into a smooth landing in this video from AOPA Premier Partner PilotWorkshops. Watch the video...
Embry-Riddle posts free training videos
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has posted 46 high-definition videos on its VFR YouTube page "to improve flight training industry-wide" and "to serve as supplements to the training" provided by the school's flight instructors and professors, according to a Sept. 27 news release. The videos are part of an interactive multimedia course to help flight students prepare for lessons.
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Article
TRU Simulation and Training is expanding its Lutz, Florida, ProFlight Pilot Training Center with a 30,000-square-foot addition to house four additional full-motion advanced flight simulators, classrooms, and training aids. Read more...
Online resource
Cockpit distractions, confusing airport layouts, and miscommunication can result in trouble when taxiing to and from the runway. The AOPA Air Safety Institute's Safety Spotlight about runway safety offers help. Tackle the complexities of airport surface operations after reviewing videos, quizzes, flash cards, and the recently updated Runway Safety online course. Learn more...
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AOPA Live
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AOPA Live This Week
The aviation community lost a great advocate and passionate pilot with the passing of Arnold Palmer. Although Palmer's achievements as a golf legend were widely known, his accomplishments in the cockpit are no less impressive. This week's show comes to you from Prescott, Arizona, home of the final AOPA Fly-In of 2016 on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, where we will bring you up to date on the latest developments in the battle over the future of California's Santa Monica Municipal Airport. Also this week, a grass runway with a rich history in Pennsylvania draws a collection of rare taildraggers and their pilots for a picnic. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, Sept. 29...
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Plane Spotter
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A different look in Hatz
A biplane lands at a grass strip fly-in. From the 145-horsepower Warner Scarab radial engine to a smooth rubber tailwheel, the airplane has the look and sound of something from aviation's early days. Actually, this two-place taildragger owned by McNeill Hodges of Hodges Field in Georgia is a much-modified Hatz CB-1, a homebuilt designed in the 1960s to resemble the1930s-vintage Waco F. "It's so nimble, just a sweetheart of an airplane," said Hodges, adding, "There are a lot of Hatzes out there, but they don't look anything like that."
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Training Products and Resources
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Online resource
The AOPA Air Safety Institute's Flight Instructor Refresher Course is the most comprehensive FAA-approved CFI renewal program available—and it puts all of its revenue back into developing free safety initiatives. Not a CFI? No problem: You, too, can learn what an instructor needs to know. The two-day in-person course provides an opportunity to network with other flight instructors in your area, while the online course can be completed at your convenience at home. Learn more...
Flame-resistant flight suits available
PilotMall.com now offers flame-resistant Nomex flight suits with multiple pockets, a full zipper, and a variety of sizes to fit just about any pilot. The military-spec, tan one-piece suits are durable, are breathable, and have integrated adjustable waist belts. The flight suits are available online for $249.
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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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Pilot Protection Services
Flu viruses can be detected year-round in the United States, but the bug is most common between December and March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As flu season nears, find out what the CDC recommends regarding the flu shot. Read more...
AOPA Aviation Finance
Rebuilding an aircraft engine is expensive. JP Guilbault used AOPA Aviation Finance to refinance his Cessna 172S, secure a lower interest rate, and use the remaining principal to rebuild the aircraft's engine. Read more...
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Blogs
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Ground operations are among the most challenging in aviation, especially at larger, more complicated airports. Flight Training blogger Chip Wright shares three areas of emphasis you should know for the taxi briefing. Read more...
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Final Exam
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Question
What does the term "Mode C veil" mean?
Answer
"Mode C veil" refers to an area around a Class B airport in which at least a Mode C-capable transponder is required. According to 14 CFR 91.215(b)(2), the requirement for Mode C transponders applies to all aircraft "in all airspace within 30 nautical miles of an airport listed in Appendix D, section 1 of this part from the surface upward to 10,000 feet MSL." An exception found in 14 CFR 91.215(b)(3) includes, among others, any aircraft that "was not originally certificated with an engine-driven electrical system." For more information on Mode C, read 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, Central Southwest regional manager, Great Lakes regional manager, account executive, annual giving manager, 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, and advertising-marketing coordinator. 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 1-2 - Windsor Locks, Connecticut; and Hollywood, Florida
Oct 8-9 - Santa Clara, California; and Nashville, Tennessee
Oct 15-16 - Columbia, South Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Wichita, Kansas
Nov 12-13 - San Diego, 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
Oct 5 - West Lafayette, Indiana
Oct 6 - Zionsville, Indiana
Oct 8 - Watkins, Colorado
Oct 10 - Herndon, Virginia; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Danville, Kentucky
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Oct 1 - Prescott, Arizona; Wichita, Kansas; Camarillo, California; Renton, Washington; and Carlsbad, California
Oct 7 - Fort Myers, Florida
Oct 8 - Morrisville, North Carolina; Stevensville, Maryland; Pearland, Texas; Watkins, Colorado; and Grantsburg, Wisconsin
Oct 12 - Middleton, Wisconsin
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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