Membership News & Notes: Reignite the passion
Isn’t it time you started flying again?
These seminars are presented by AOPA staff and aviation experts who educate, support, and encourage lapsed pilots to return to the cockpit. With the passage of third class medical reform (see “Game Changer,” p. 50), the number of pilots who will take advantage of this innovative program will “explode,” said Chris Moser, senior manager of flight training initiatives. “We plan to triple the number of presentations, and increase the number of professional speakers and instructors.” The goal was 150 seminars in 2016; the goal will be 300 seminars in 2017.
Changes to the program are being referred to as “Rusty Pilots 2.0.” This revised three-hour course is formatted like a cross-country flight. From preflight and takeoff to challenges along the way, the course “happens organically, just as a cross-country flight would,” said Moser. The in-person course uses actual sectionals and waypoints for specific areas and is accompanied by videos. Currently AOPA presents seminars at fly-ins and airshows, and enlists the aid of local CFIs in other areas. In 2017, traveling professional speakers and instructors will be added.
“My last flight was 30 years ago and so much has changed,” wrote a Rusty Pilot seminar attendee. “This is an excellent program to help pilots get back into flying. Continue this program to help rusty pilots get back in the left seat again!”
The AOPA Rusty Pilots program
• Receive three hours of ground instruction that applies toward the flight review, and a logbook endorsement.
• Reengage with the aviation community near your hometown.
• You’ll be surprised at what you remember.
• Make a day of it—mingle with instructors after the seminar and sign up for a flight.
• Receive FAA WINGS credit.
• Estimated number of Rusty Pilots back in the left seat since the beginning of the program: 1,747.
• AOPA’s 2016 goal is that 30 percent of Rusty Pilot attendees get back in the left seat.
• Seminars hosted across the United States so far: 265 (96 this year alone).
Meet Chris Moser and Meghan McCutcheon, AOPA Flight Training Initiatives and Pilot community development
Chris Moser is the senior manager of flight training initiatives at AOPA. He manages and supports AOPA’s programs, events, and initiatives related to growing and strengthening the pilot population and supporting flight schools. Moser has been a professional educator for more than 20 years, including being a high school teacher, flight instructor, and freight pilot. “I was a rusty pilot myself for almost 10 years, during which I never once considered giving up on flying again,” Moser says. “When I was fortunate enough to get back in the cockpit of a 172, I was nervous. Within a couple of flights it all came rushing back to me. It was like returning home with all the passion and thrill that fueled my love of aviation as a kid.”
Meghan McCutcheon is the manager for pilot community development at AOPA. She oversees program logistics, generates marketing for each event, and offers support to presenters. McCutcheon comes from a family of pilots and is a student pilot herself. “Rusty Pilots is the little push they were waiting for to get back in the left seat,” she says. “We aren’t kidding when we say once a pilot, always a pilot!”
Products and Services
Tips from PIC
You can fly
What’s so special about a special issuance?
Many of the conditions for which the FAA ultimately grants medical certification are approved under the discretionary section of FAR 67, called a special issuance. This “flexible” regulation allows the FAA to medically qualify pilots with certain medical conditions. Although 15 medical conditions are specified as disqualifying in the regulations, there are many other conditions that the FAA approves with a special issuance authorization. In any given year, there are more than 35,000 pilots flying with some type of special issuance for—to name a few—chronic kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, coronary artery disease requiring stents, or coronary artery bypass surgery.
A special issuance is discretionary on the part of the FAA federal air surgeon, and depends on the results of periodic testing. More than 98 percent of pilots who apply for medical certification eventually are issued a certificate.
The FAA relies on available medical evidence to determine the risk for incapacitation, and thus the risk to aviation safety for the condition being evaluated. Part of that identification process is to determine at what frequency a given condition should be reevaluated for the continuation of the special issuance. In most cases, the FAA requires annual updates to determine that there has been no adverse change in the condition.
For more information on FAA medical certification, visit the website. Members can also call AOPA specialists at 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) with questions about their medical certification.
Gary Crump is the director of medical certification for the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
Pilots who have held a special issuance medical certificate in the past 10 years should be able to take advantage of an exemption from the third class medical requirement that takes effect in 2017 (see “Game Changer,” p. 50).
AOPA Finance
Type matters
Why the aircraft impacts your interest rate
By Gary Crump, Pilot Information Center
When it comes to aircraft financing deals, type matters. According to AOPA Aviation Finance President Adam Meredith, it boils down to risk. Is the bank taking a chance by financing your purchase? The same things that might make a potential owner nervous make banks nervous, as well.
Aircraft types with a long service history, abundant support, and a big trading market are all easy deals—the Cessna 172 or Piper Cherokee, for example. Go with a more unique airplane, and the deal may take extra work, or the lender may offer different terms, Meredith said. “A thinly traded market usually isn’t good.” With that in mind, banks look at how many aircraft are active on the registry, and what the market looks like. A strong market could overcome low numbers. There aren’t that many Cessna 185s remaining, for example, but the demand remains strong. So a bank won’t be overexposed.
Meredith said the complexity of systems, number of engines, and even years since certification can play a factor. “Just think of how much it would cost the bank if they have to take it back,” he said. “And you have a good idea of the way the financing will go.”
There are options, however. More money down and a shorter term may be offered. And you can get representatives of AOPA Aviation Finance on your side. Meredith said his team will reach out to lenders and sell them on these tougher transactions. “We love a challenge,” he said.
Web: Visit www.aopafinance.org or call 800-627-5263 to speak to a representative and learn more.
AOPA Foundation
AOPA Air Safety Institute
From ‘Instructor Report’ to ‘CFI to CFI’
A publication’s journey into the digital world
By Machteld Smith
The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) had an ah-ha moment when it found a new way to provide tens of thousands of certificated flight instructors with a pertinent, focused, and modern newsletter aimed at sharing knowledge and offering aviation safety information. ASI’s Instructor Report was an eight-page, two-color print publication mailed quarterly to CFIs in the nation. In 2010, it got a facelift as the new CFI to CFI newsletter—but with a twist.
At first, the reformatted and vibrant color publication provided additional commentary and articles, and a digital replication so subscribers could view the publication on the fly. CFI to CFI finally found its niche as a digital-only, tablet-friendly newsletter. This has allowed it to offer more news items, how-to articles, and shared wisdom from one CFI to another. Since it is digital, it’s also a perfect platform for viewing safety videos and offering comments and suggestions to readers.
Who hasn’t had trouble remembering VFR weather minimums for different airspace classes? In CFI to CFI Volume 7 Issue 2, Rod Machado solves the problem with a clever visual mnemonic. Are you worried about pop-up temporary flight restrictions (TFRs)? Get firsthand tips from NORAD on working around them and watch the accompanying “intercept” video.
Like most ASI products, the newsletter is free. Find back issues and subscribe on the website (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/cfitocfinewsletter) to access it any time.
Machteld Smith is an aviation technical writer for the AOPA Air Safety Institute.
Don’t get caught between a rock and a hard place
Learn how to avoid obstacles in flight
On a nice VFR day, it can be tempting to get a quick weather briefing, hop in the cockpit, fire up the GPS, and be on your way. But before you go, take a close look at the sectional chart and mark terrain elevations, tall towers, and wind farms. That way, you’ll be alert and on the lookout for fixed objects that may be on your flight path.
Also, watch the recently released ASI video Look Out! Avoiding Terrain and Obstructions. The video reviews practical ways to use charts for terrain and obstacle information, and it provides insight into the unique risks associated with flying at night in hilly terrain. In addition, it examines the effects of adverse weather, airspace boundaries, and sluggish aircraft performance at high density altitudes.
Please share this video so others can avoid getting caught in a tight spot.
This video is made possible by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) and the Donner Canadian Foundation.
Recognize Airport signage and lighting in a flash
Brush up on runway and taxiway signs, markings, and lighting with ASI’s updated, digital runway safety flash cards. Each high-resolution illustration includes an explanation and a reference to the FAA regulations.
Download the flash cards to your mobile device. Use the “Save PDF” link in the top tool bar, or the printer-friendly link on the last page to print the cards and stick them in your flight bag.
Legally Speaking
Operating drones near airports
The FAA’s new rules for commercial unmanned aircraft
the FAA’s new rules for small unmanned aircraft systems are effective August 29. These new regulations, found in FAR Part 107, allow unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds to be operated for a commercial use by a “remote pilot in command” who holds an FAA-issued “remote pilot certificate with small UAS rating.”
Do the rules allow unmanned aircraft to operate near airports? was one of the first questions asked, by a commercial pilot considering whether to obtain a remote pilot certificate to expand his aerial surveying business. The answer is yes, but with several conditions.
For operations near airports in controlled airspace, FAR 107.41 states that “No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from ATC.” This rule provides ATC with the authority to determine whether a UAS lacking equipment such as a radio, transponder, or ADS-B can safely operate in controlled airspace. However, it does not include Class G airspace, home to the majority of airports, heliports, and seaplane bases in the United States.
Another new rule, FAR 107.43, applies to all airports. This FAR mandates that “No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base.”
In its comments to the final rules, the FAA stated it “does not consider it necessary to prohibit small UAS operations in the vicinity of an airport in uncontrolled airspace” because of the requirements of this rule, as well as other new rules requiring remote pilots to yield the right of way to all other aircraft (FAR 107.37) and not operate in a careless or reckless manner (FAR 107.23). The FAA “expects that most remote pilots will avoid operating in the vicinity of airports because their aircraft generally do not require airport infrastructure, and the concentration of other aircraft increases in the vicinity of airports.”
The new rules of Part 107 do not apply to UAS operated for hobby or recreational use, which typically must meet the requirements of a model aircraft. However, federal law and new regulations in Part 101 still apply to model aircraft. Those flying model aircraft within five miles of an airport must provide prior notice to the airport’s operator and control tower (when an ATC facility is located at the airport).
Jared Allen is an in-house attorney with AOPA’s Legal Services Plan and an instrument-rated private pilot.
