April 14, 2017, issue of 'AOPA ePilot' weekly newsletter


VOL 19, ISSUE 15	April 14, 2017

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Top Stories

Article

Diamond goes big

Diamond Aircraft unveiled a five-seat, single-engine prototype DA50-V at AERO Friedrichshafen in Germany, two weeks after logging the maiden flight of the first of three new DA50 variants in the pipeline, featuring seating for four, five, or seven. Read more >

AOPA Live This Week

Night airshow secrets; Inside Reagan's ride

Get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into lighting up the sky at a night airshow, and check out Ronald Reagan's Air Force One as part of your options for excursions during the first AOPA Fly-In of the year set in Camarillo, California. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, April 13 >

AOPA Fly-Ins

Article

Charming Camarillo loves aviation

Motor up the Pacific Coast Highway, fly over the Sierra Nevada, or buzz along the California coast—any way you get there, Camarillo Airport is a friendly airport planning to host an exciting AOPA Fly-In April 28 and 29. Events begin April 28 with intensive all-day workshops (fees apply). Fly-out opportunities and nearby attractions make Camarillo a great aviation destination for a weekend trip. Read more >

Technique and Safety

Online resource

Looking for traffic

Collision avoidance is a fundamental responsibility of every pilot. Although the risk is low, the consequences can be extreme. Brush up on best practices with the AOPA Air Safety Institute's recently updated Collision Avoidance safety advisor. View it now >

Aircraft Maintenance

Find the right display for ADS-B information

Pilots have a variety of options for displaying Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In (ADS-B In) traffic and weather in the cockpit. It all depends on what you already have installed in your aircraft, your budget, and how much you want to upgrade your aircraft's panel, writes pilot and A&P Jeff Simon. Read more >

Video

Fowled-up flight

How do you deal with an unexpected feathered guest in the cockpit? The pilot in the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: Bird Strike shares how he handled the commotion and offers advice. Watch the video >

More safety products

Frontal boundaries and pressure patterns explained
Avoid stall/spin pitfalls with accident map
Angle of attack indicators offer stall safety buffer
When everyone says no, do you say go?

Advocacy

BasicMed effective date fast approaching

With less than one month before BasicMed goes into effect May 1, medical reform is top of mind for many pilots, as was evident at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo April 4 through 9 in Lakeland, Florida. Read more >

Advocacy

AOPA offers flight school certification improvements

AOPA suggested ways to streamline the process of approving Part 141 pilot schools in comments on a draft update to an FAA publication concerning flight school certification. Read more >

Advocacy

Graphical forecasts become operational

The National Weather Service's project to replace the area forecast with digital-age interactive forecasting moved into a key phase April 13 when an experimental graphical forecasting tool became operational. (NOAA image.) Read more >

Advocacy

FAA updates, digitizes drone limits

The FAA announced April 7 that it will soon prohibit drone flights over 133 military facilities nationwide, followed days later by word that drones may eventually get faster access to other airspace. Read more >

Advocacy

NAV Canada to update procedure-clearance phraseology

NAV Canada announced that it will implement International Civil Aviation Organization phraseology April 27 "to explicitly indicate to flight crews if they should abide by speed and altitude restrictions associated with a given procedure" on standard instrument departures and standard terminal arrivals. Read more >

Blog

FAA seeks weather website testers

Pilots in the Lower 48 have a wealth of weather information at their fingertips, but sometimes, looking at the actual weather conditions from weather cameras across the route would make the go/no-go decision easier. Pilots in Alaska have long relied on weather cams, and the FAA is testing a new weather cam website that includes current weather reports, TAFs, and pireps. The agency is asking pilots across the country to evaluate it in hopes of extending it beyond Alaska in the future. Read more >

Technology

Article

Continental Motors advances diesel Skyhawks

Continental Motors Group announced the addition of a Turbo Skyhawk JT-A to the fleet of a major flight training institution, and noted approval from U.S. and European government agencies to retrofit older Cessna 172s with its diesel-powered engines. Read more >

Opinion

Blog

O controller, where art thou?

Opinion Leaders blogger Garrett Fisher learns the frustrating yet comical side of aviation in Spain as he flies his Piper J-3 Cub to photograph brilliant peach tree orchards in blossom. (Photo by Garrett Fisher.) Read more >

Gear

Article

PS Engineering cuts prices, adds standard features

PS Engineering announced reduced prices on plug-and-play audio panels, new standard features, and a free flight trial to encourage owners of legacy audio panels to upgrade. Read more >

Travel

Article

AOPA heads to San Diego Red Bull race

American pilots Michael Goulian and Kirby Chambliss are projected to have a strong Red Bull Air Race World Championship season, and much depends on how they fly April 15 and 16 in San Diego. AOPA members also have incentives to fly in. (Photo by Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool.) Read more >

Financial

Pilot Protection Services

What's the difference between 'wet' and 'dry' aircraft leases?

Sometimes aircraft owners lease their aircraft to maximize the use of the aircraft and to recover some of their expenses. Unfortunately, aircraft owners and operators are frequently confused about the difference between "wet" and "dry" leases. Here's a hint: It's not about the fuel. Read more >

News and Notes

Article

Craig Dotlo was a passionate GA advocate

Craig Dotlo, a former AOPA Eastern regional manager, vigorous defender of general aviation airports, and advocate for GA on state legislative issues, died March 31 at his home in Tarrytown, New York. He was 71. Read more >

Slideshow

Sun 'n Fun in pictures

Take a look back at Sun 'n Fun through the lens of AOPA photographers who captured the action at the night airshow April 5 as well as a U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice session. Plus, see all the activities at the AOPA campus. Read more >

You Can Fly

Unmanned, manned pilots face similar decision making

Whether it's what kind of drone or manned aircraft to buy, deciding when and where to fly, or pricing extra equipment to add to the craft, manned pilots and remote pilots face similar decision-making processes. Read more >

Article

Lindbergh Foundation to host gala

Celebrating the ninetieth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's Atlantic Ocean crossing and the future of a drone program created to protect endangered wildlife, the Lindbergh Foundation will host a black-tie event May 20 in New York. Read more >

You Can Fly

Pilots connect through flying clubs

Bill Lehr and Gary Reeves flew in to Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, from Bruce Campbell Field in Madison, Mississippi, to take in the first large airshow event of the year. The 4.6-hour flight in the Wesley Flyers Inc. flying club's Cessna 182RG gave them a chance to ride in style and share the cost. Read more >

Survey

Groups seek pilot input on runway incursions

The Florida Tech College of Aeronautics, Hampton University Department of Aviation, and Purdue University Department of Aviation Technology are conducting a study about general aviation runway incursions. The study is funded by the Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS) and the FAA Center of Excellence for General Aviation. Pilots are asked to participate by completing an online questionnaire before April 30.

Career Opportunities

Aviation job board

Job of the week: Aviation maintenance technology instructor

The College of Technology and Occupational Sciences at Northern Michigan University is seeking applications for a faculty position in aviation maintenance technology. This opening is for a campus-based, one-year position at the rank of instructor or assistant professor to begin in August. Read more >

AOPA career opportunities

Join the AOPA team

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for a legislative affairs vice president, temporary UAS program coordinator, safety program coordinator, director of philanthropy, customer service representative, airports and state advocacy vice president, flight training business support senior director, flight training technology senior director, aviation insurance sales director, executive office manager, project manager, UI/front-end developer, legal services plan attorney, travel and destination products director, and part-time administrative assistant. To learn more about these and other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online >

Question of the Week

Question

What is the minimum visibility required for pattern work at an airport located in Class E airspace that does not have weather reporting?

Answer

The minimum flight visibility is three statute miles. Flight visibility is used in this scenario because ground visibility isn't reported on the field (see 14 CFR 91.155(d)(2)).

Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.

Education & Seminars

Flight Instructor Refresher Courses

May 6-7	Albany, New York; Hollywood, Florida; and Pensacola, Florida
May 20-21	Conroe, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Sacramento, California
Jun 3-4	Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; and Tempe, Arizona
Jun 10-11	Lake Mary, Florida; and Santa Clara, California

For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC..

Safety Seminars

Apr 18	East Hartford, Connecticut
Apr 19	Waltham, Massachusetts
Apr 20	Manchester, New Hampshire
Apr 25	Zionsville, Indiana

Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.

Rusty Pilots Seminars

Apr 15	Beaumont, Texas; and Ballston Spa, New York
Apr 22	Oakland, California; Trenton, New Jersey; Melbourne, Florida; Morristown, Tennessee; Evansville, Indiana; Bessemer, Alabama; and Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania
Apr 28	Camarillo, California
Apr 29	Stevensville, Maryland; Camarillo, California; Corvallis, Oregon; Chamblee, Georgia; Blaine, Minnesota; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Live Oak, Florida; Longmont, Colorado; and Savoy, Illinois

For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.

Aviation Calendar

Want something to do this weekend? Planning an aviation getaway? See AOPA's enhanced calendar of events. You can filter events by date range, airport ID, state, or region. Before you take off on an adventure, make sure you check our current aviation weather provided by Jeppesen.

To include an event or to search all events in the calendar, visit AOPA Online. For airport details, including FBO fuel prices, see AOPA Airports. AOPA does not endorse or assume responsibility for the events submitted and listed in the calendar.

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ePilot Editors:
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
Dan Namowitz
David Tulis

Production Team:
Elizabeth Linares
Melissa Whitehouse

Contributors:
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Sarah Deener
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Warren Morningstar
Jill W. Tallman
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker

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