February 17, 2017 - VOL 17, ISSUE 7

Flight Training News

Article

Night flying tips for students

Learning night flying techniques brings up special challenges for students who are more familiar with daytime operations. To put them at ease, Berkshire Aviation Enterprises certificated flight instructor and ground instructor Jason Archer shares a few tips that have worked for his students at Walter J. Koladza Airport in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Read more...  

Video

Ice-bathed airplane

Flying a familiar route in a trusted airplane with no serious weather in the forecast can sometimes turn out to be more of a challenge than anticipated. Dean Clark recounts the tale of his unexpected encounter with ice-filled clouds in the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: Ambushed by Ice. Watch the video...  

Air Wisconsin offers bonus for pilots

Air Wisconsin has increased pay for first officers and added a substantial signing bonus, according to a Feb. 9 news release. The new incentives include a $33,000 sign-on bonus, starting pay of $35 per hour, and a $4,000 referral bonus to employees who refer new pilots. Air Wisconsin Chief Operating Officer Bob Frisch said the airline expects to "hire over 400 pilots in the next two years," with the idea of retaining and promoting first officers to captain.

Article

Pilot wins trip for taking safety seriously

Former military aviator Taylor Boaks of Edison, New Jersey, is used to a rigorous approach to maintaining proficiency. While he appreciates the freedom and flexibility of recreational flying, this airline transport pilot with multiple type ratings and about 3,000 hours said the Captain Jepp Challenge fits perfectly within a strategy to maintain skills and stay sharp. Read more...  

Article

CAP team scores save

Technology deployed by the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) helped rescuers pluck stranded pilots from severe winter weather for the second time in a month. A combined analysis by the CAP's National Radar Analysis Team and its Cell Phone Forensics Team helped pinpoint both downed aircraft, which led to quick recovery efforts that likely saved the lives of the pilots and passengers in the face of harsh conditions. Read more...  

Scholarships

Article

Able Flight names 2017 scholarship recipients

Able Flight, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities learn to fly, has named nine scholarship recipients for 2017. Read more...  

Plane Spotter

Choose your wings

There's no separate subset of homebuilt aircraft designated as garage-built, but if there were, the Bowers Fly Baby would be a strong candidate for admission. The single-seat, low-winged, wood-and-fabric airplane with an open cockpit and foldable wings has been beguiling builders since 1960, and even some basic aerobatics are not beyond the capabilities of its sturdy structure. You saw an airplane that looks like a biplane version of a Fly Baby? Good spotting. Implementing a "wing swap" can convert a monoplane Fly Baby to a biplane if desired.

Training Products and Resources

ASA introduces drone operator's logbook

Recordkeeping is a snap for drone operators who log their unmanned flights in a logbook for convenient reference. Aviation Supplies & Academics modified a traditional pilot's logbook into the Standard UAS Operator Log by including pertinent entries for UAS operations. The logbook features columns for UAS make and model, takeoff and landing information, flight conditions, types of operating time, aircraft identification number or certificate of authorization, and more. The book also includes a summary page and a maintenance log, plus initial and recurring endorsements. The UAS Operator Log is available from ASA for $13.95.

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.

Member Benefits

Article

AOPA GO app updated

Weather, airport, and flight planning functions were updated in AOPA GO version 1.4, released Feb. 7. Read more...  

Pilot Protection Services

Health resolutions for pilots

Dr. Jonathan Sackier offers five resolutions to help you protect your health and combat high health care costs. Read more...  

Blogs

Deicing

General aviation pilots are taught to avoid icing conditions at all costs, but airline pilots operate under a different principle. Airline pilot and Flight Training blogger Chip Wright explains. Read more...  

Instrument Tip

Video

Big-picture IFR flight planning

Spending time in the clouds means more exposure to potentially dangerous conditions—which makes good preflight planning even more essential. The AOPA Air Safety Institute's Weather Wise: IFR Flight Planning video offers a practical approach to handling risks in instrument weather flying. Get a solid grasp of the "big picture" before leaving the ground. Watch the video...  

Final Exam

Question

What is wind shear, and how can it affect an aircraft during flight?

Answer

Wind shear is a rapid change in wind speed and/or direction. Although its effects on aircraft are the same at all altitudes, the most spectacular—and dangerous—are those encountered close to the ground. Wind shear can be caused by temperature inversions, frontal zone passages, and thunderstorm activity. Several accidents have been attributed to aircraft encountering microbursts near thunderstorms. Microbursts are small-scale intense downdrafts that spread out in all directions upon reaching the ground, causing vertical and horizontal wind shear that can be particularly dangerous to aircraft, especially at low altitudes. Such an encounter during landing might exceed an aircraft's ability to maintain a stable descent rate, and can exceed the rate-of-climb capability of even a transport category aircraft. To learn more about this potentially hazardous weather condition, read "The Weather Never Sleeps: Ill Wind."

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.

Career Opportunities

Aviation job board

Job of the week: Part 135 director of operations

Privaira, a growing and well-established ARGUS Platinum and IS-BAO Stage II-rated Part 135 charter and aircraft management company located in Boca Raton, Florida, is looking for a director of operations. The director of operations will be instrumental in managing the flight operations within the boundaries of safety regulations and regulatory compliance, while at the same time fostering a strong relationship with flight crews and promoting the company's goals and values. Read the full job description and apply today!

AOPA career opportunities

Join the AOPA team

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for an IT project manager, UI/front-end developer, public affairs and executive communications manager, communications coordinator, legal services plan attorney, digital asset manager and graphic designer, aviation event operations senior manager, travel and destination products director, insurance program administration manager, donor relations director, aviation technical specialist, flying clubs initiative director, and part-time administrative assistant. To learn more about these and other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.