Pilot Briefing: News
Hangar Talk: Old-fashioned storytelling
Get the story behind the stories
When Photographer Chris Rose and Senior Features Editor Julie Walker returned from Africa for their story “Hope Has Wings,” published in the October 2016 AOPA Pilot, Rose was detained because Ugandan airport officials wanted to know why he had a drone in their country. After their grueling 10-day trip, Walker considered how bad it would be if she left Rose in Uganda.
Editor in Chief Tom Haines joined Adrian Eichhorn on a portion of the National Aviation Technician of the Year’s round-the-world flight in his Beechcraft Bonanza (“Spirit of Aviation Around the World,” November 2016 AOPA Pilot) and the pair flew into Egypt after a sandstorm. All of Egypt has just five GA pilots—a fact that drove home how fortunate U.S. pilots are.
The dust, the wind, the dryness, and even the fireworks gave Editor at Large Dave Hirschman flashbacks to being an embedded reporter in Iraq when he and Rose were tentmates in the Nevada desert for the annual Burning Man festival (“Like A Mirage,” March 2016 AOPA Pilot).
These and many other behind-the-scenes stories are captured in the biweekly podcast “Hangar Talk,” hosted by Editor Ian J. Twombly and Associate Web Editor David Tulis. The two convivial pilots also deliver the latest aviation news, swap flying stories, and debate new products and regulation changes. It’s an entertaining, old-fashioned radio-style program that will enhance your appreciation of the stories in your magazines and the work of your association.
Find Hangar Talk on iTunes or at www.aopa.org/hangartalk
Muroya’s final four time of 58.529 bested Podlunsek’s by two seconds, allowing Muroya to jump 10 places in the overall standings to third place behind Dolderer in second and season leader Martin Sonka, of the Czech Republic.
“The event was fantastic,” said Jiri Marousek, AOPA senior vice president of marketing. “The setting takes the cake, as does the weather, and pilots came out in force. The AOPA tent was packed all day.”
AOPA pilots who flew in had fuel discounts at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport; free rides from the airport to the harborside race venue; and complimentary sodas, snacks, and sunscreen. AOPA will have a similar presence October 14 and 15 at the Yard of Bricks when the season concludes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Industry News: Trio Pro Pilot install approved
Autopilot STC marks progress in simplified certification
The ability to install equipment designed for Experimental aircraft into certified airplanes continues to make progress. At the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland, Florida, The STC Group announced that it had received a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the kit to install a Trio autopilot in Cessna 172s and 182s.
The company hopes to have a complete STC and parts manufacturer approval (PMA) to build and sell the entire system by EAA AirVenture in July.
Paul Odum, president and CEO of The STC Group, said that compared to traditional STC projects, which often take months or years to complete, the process was fast: only five months. He praised the FAA for its willingness to base the system’s approval process on the risk associated with a particular installation (see “AOPA Action,” page 28).
“We’re seeing a real culture change at the FAA—and that’s hard, we understand that but welcome their willingness to change,” said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA’s vice president of regulatory affairs. Another beneficiary of the new risk-basked process is TruTrak, which announced at Sun ’n Fun that it has received an STC and PMA for the kit to install its digital autopilot in the Cessna 172 and 177.
Odum expects the Trio installation kit to be available for purchase by around May 1 for about $2,000.
Notable People in Aviation History
Bessie Coleman is the first African-American woman and the first woman of Native American descent to receive a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale pilot’s license. Because African-Americans and women were denied the ability to obtain a pilot license in the United States, Coleman flew to France for her flight training. Returning to the United States she became known for her daring maneuvers at airshows, flying a Curtiss JN–4 Jenny biplane. She was killed in a crash in 1926 at age 34. “The air is the only place free from prejudices,” she said.
Related Articles
