Membership News & Notes

Checking off the bucket list

A visit to Montana is on every pilot’s mind

By Dave Hirschman

Sunshine, mild temperatures, and a neon orange sunset capped off an extraordinary first day during the AOPA Fly-In at Montana’s Missoula International Airport, June 15 and 16. Pilots flew about 300 airplanes to AOPA’s first fly-in of the year, located among the northern Rockies in western Montana.

About 4,000 pilots and aviation enthusiasts attended educational seminars, and short takeoff and landing (STOL) and water-bombing demonstrations under ideal conditions as the fly-in opened Friday.

“Montana is a bucket-list destination for a lot of people, and they got to experience the best of it on Friday,” said AOPA President Mark Baker, who spoke with association members who had come from as far away as Maine, Florida, Arizona, and California.

A low-pressure system spinning in from the Pacific brought a steady, cold rain to the second day of the fly-in, and attendance dropped to about 2,500 people with visitors filling indoor exhibits and educational forums to learn about topics ranging from aircraft maintenance to backcountry flying.

The AOPA Sweepstakes Super Cub drew more attention than usual from a crowd of aviators who are especially well-versed in mountain flying. The Sweepstakes Super Cub was restored in Baker, Montana, by Roger and Darin Meggers, and visitors took notice of the father/son team’s exceptional craftsmanship.

“They notice every detail,” said Alyssa J. Cobb, AOPA director of eMedia and the sweepstakes project manager. She flew the airplane on the 20.5-hour trip from Maryland to Montana. “There’s a lot of nostalgia for Super Cubs here, and in this part of the world, pilots know that if they win it, they could fly it off wheels, floats, or skis.”

The Sweepstakes Super Cub will be given away in 2019.

From Missoula, Cobb planned to fly the Sweepstakes Super Cub to McCall, Idaho, for a mountain flying course offered by expert instructor Lori MacNichol of Mountain Canyon Flying. The well-traveled airplane will be at the AOPA booth at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 23 to 29.

Michael and Beverly Anderson of McCall, Idaho, stayed in a tent next to their Cessna 206 Stationair Friday night. They planned to join other pilots on a Saturday fly-out to Seeley Lake for a Recreational Aviation Foundation potato bake before camping again in the evening.

“We knew there was a chance of rain when we came, but we really didn’t expect this much of it,” Beverly Anderson said. “We’re prepared to deal with it, though. We’re all in this together.”

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Member Products and Services

Legally speaking: Why is the FAA calling?

Occurrence investigations

By Ray Carver

You lined up on the runway at atowered airport following your preflight inspection. As you applied full throttle, something didn’t feel right. You decided to abort the takeoff and advised air traffic control that you wanted to taxi back to the ramp. This was not an “incident,” and certainly not an “accident,” so you are shocked when you receive a letter from an FAA inspector stating that she is “investigating an occurrence.”

If you find yourself the subject of an FAA occurrence investigation, it does not necessarily mean you did anything wrong. In Order 8020.11C, the FAA defines “occurrence” as an event, other than an accident or incident, that requires investigation for its potential impact on safety by the Flight Standards Service. This can include aborted takeoffs, turn-backs, or diversions for reasons other than weather. Aborted takeoffs are often subject to mandatory occurrence reports by ATC.

During these investigations, the FAA frequently requests documents similar to what would be requested during a ramp check. The agency may request copies of logbooks, pilot certificates, and medical certificates. The FAA is entitled to see any of this documentation regardless of the circumstances.

If the occurrence was caused by a mechanical failure, the inspector will want to know if there were any indications of a problem before the flight, what happened during the occurrence, and what steps you took after the occurrence. As always, you should have a certificated A&P mechanic inspect the airplane before returning it to service and ensure that the inspection and any accompanying repairs are logged appropriately. If it’s necessary to relocate the aircraft before the repairs are made, you should first obtain a special flight permit (“ferry permit”), which is done through the local flight standards district office.

As long as your certificates are valid, you possessed the necessary currency for the flight, and you were not aware before the flight of any mechanical issues that could affect the airworthiness of the aircraft, the investigation should close quickly.

Ray Carver is a staff attorney with AOPA’s Legal Services Plan, offered as part of AOPA’s Pilot Protection Services. Web: www.aopa.org/pps

Ask Adam

Should I upgrade before retirement?

Q: My wife and I are planning to retire soon. We have several real estate income streams, but I’ll technically be out of a job. Would it be prudent to upgrade our airplane before retirement?

A: Major life events, such as retirement, can make financing complicated, especially when being done simultaneously. For simplicity, it may make sense to upgrade before retiring. Lenders are going to review the past two years for sufficient cash flow. You should have a good understanding of what your income will be post retirement. A common rule of thumb most lenders accept is forecast income equal to 5 percent of your total marketable securities plus pensions, Social Security, and other investment income, such as rental real estate and business investments.

Adam Meredith is president of AOPA Finance. Web: www.aopafinance.com

Tips from PIC

Whoops, there it went

Replacing airman certificates

By Sarah Staudt

Losing a wallet or sending it through the laundry can happen to the best of us, often prompting members to call the AOPA Pilot Information Center about how to replace an airman certificate. Fortunately, this is a low-cost, simple process. The FAA offers three options for ordering a replacement certificate.

The fastest way is to order it through FAA Airman Certification’s Online Services. Creating an account is free and intuitive but does require that you know your airman certificate number. If your certificate has been lost or destroyed, you may be able to find your certificate number from your logbook; endorsements for flight reviews, practical tests, or high-performance aircraft; or another source such as insurance forms. The FAA estimates that this method takes seven to 10 days for processing.

The other two options are both conducted through the mail. An airman can complete a standard form, AC 8060-56, and mail it to the FAA at the address provided on the form. The final option is to mail a signed letter. This letter must include your name, date, and place of birth, Social Security and/or certificate number, and the reason you need the replacement. The FAA estimates requests for certificate replacement that arrive in the mail will take four to six weeks to process. With any option you choose, there is a $2 replacement fee per certificate. You can review these options on the FAA’s website.

If you have questions, give AOPA a call Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672).

Sarah Staudt is a senior aviation technical specialist in the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Fatigue—it’s no yawning matter

A look at feeling sleepy, being tired, and flying

By Machteld Smith

Are you concerned about lack of good sleep and being tired? You should be. Being fatigued can impair memory, judgment, concentration, vision, and coordination. A study published in Nature magazine showed people who stay awake for 17 to 19 hours without rest function at a level similar to those with a blood-alcohol content of 0.05 percent—beyond the legal limit for flying in the United States.

An overwhelming desire to sleep is the most pronounced symptom of fatigue. Consult your physician, especially if you experience excessive snoring, difficulty concentrating/remembering, the need to take frequent naps during the day, headaches, and irritability. These symptoms may indicate obstructive sleep apnea, which is characterized as a repetitive upper-airway obstruction during sleep.

The key to recognizing and combating fatigue is self-assessment—knowing your personal signs of fatigue, actively looking out for them, and making safe decisions. If you’re on the ground, it’s probably wise to stay there. If you’re airborne, do what you can to remain alert and consider diverting to a nearby airport—if you’re already starting to nod off, it’s simple: Get the airplane on the ground as soon as practical.

Want to learn more? Review the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Fighting Fatigue Safety Advisor, which examines factors leading to fatigue. The advisor also provides tips on how to keep fatigue from catching up with you in the cockpit and steps you can take to deal with it.

Machteld Smith is an aviation technical writer for the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

AOPA Insurance

Sudden, accidental, or unexpected

Why aviation insurancedoesn’t cover mechanical breakdowns or wear and tear

By Jim Pinegar

We often are asked about mechanical breakdown and repair issues when it comes to aviation insurance. The best explanation for why aviation insurance doesn’t cover mechanical issues can be summarized in this comparison: If you’re driving on the highway and your car breaks down, do you call your auto mechanic, or do you call your insurance agent? Just as with cars, mechanical wear and tear isn’t covered by insurance, at least not by the typical owner’s policy.

There are always exceptions—such as a warranty on a new engine that covers certain mechanical items for so many months or operating hours—but by and large, items such as wear and tear, deterioration, and mechanical issues aren’t covered in owner’s or renter’s policies.

Insurance is to cover sudden, accidental, and unexpected events. In the event of a mechanical failure, while it may be sudden, it’s not necessarily unexpected because mechanical items eventually wear out and fail. A switch or a gear actuator will only work so many times.

Insurance is designed to put someone back in the place they were immediately prior to an incident. For mechanical failures, that wouldn’t be much help: If a gear-actuator motor had a lifespan of 1,000 cycles and did in fact wear out on cycle 1,000, insurance would replace it with a 999-cycle motor—where it was immediately prior to the failure. If insurance did cover wear and tear and mechanical problems, your premiums would cost much more than they do today.

If a mechanical or wear-and-tear item leads to an accident or incident, then coverage is likely in place. If your brakes are worn out and you are unable to stop during taxiing, resulting in a wing tip striking a hangar and causing damage, a policy with physical damage coverage would fix the wing—but not replace the brakes. And if you’re flying and have a mechanical problem and are forced to have an off-airport landing, your aviation insurance will likely cover transport of your airplane to a secure location. That makes sense, as the insurance company has a stake in the well-being of your airplane.

If you have a situation with your airplane in which you are unsure of coverage, give your broker a call. That’s a good reason to have the AOPA Insurance Agency as your broker: We talk your language and understand general aviation. Let us give you a hand with all your insurance needs.

Jim Pinegar is vice president of finance and administration for AOPA Insurance Services.

Web: www.aopainsurance.org

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
The annual meeting of the members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will be held at 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 6, 2018, at the headquarters of AOPA, 411 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland, 21701, located on the Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), for the purpose of receiving reports and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting, specifically including the election of trustees. If you are not able to attend, but would like to appoint your voting proxy, please visit www.aopa.org/myaccount or call 800-872-2672. —Kenneth M. Mead, secretary