March 30, 2018, issue of 'AOPA ePilot: Flight Training Edition'


VOL 18, ISSUE 13	March 30, 2018

Training Tips

Sponsored by Aircraft Spruce

Show time

Your flight training is almost complete, and as you wait in line for takeoff on a checkride dress rehearsal with your CFI, it's hard to fight off your impatience to get airborne. Read more >

Flight Training News

AOPA Foundation focus

AOPA presents first 2018 flight training scholarship

During the 2018 International Women in Aviation Conference March 22 through 24, AOPA presented its first 2018 flight training scholarship to Madelief Schelvis, who is already in the cross-country phase of her private pilot training. Read more >

Article

Pilot jobs highlight WAI conference

While aviation-industry hiring was not the primary focus of the International Women in Aviation Conference, it was an objective for more than 40 of the 162 companies and organizations with booths in the exhibit hall. Read more >

Article

Explore the world from the airport out with 'AOPA Travel Pilot'

When you have access to a general aviation airplane, a new adventure is just over the horizon. Our new biweekly publication, AOPA Travel Pilot, will give you ideas, motivation, travel discounts, and tools for your next adventure. Read more >

Missouri college orders reconfigurable Frasca trainers

Missouri's Saint Louis University ordered three Frasca advanced aviation training devices with touch screens and digital interfaces for the school's aviation program, Frasca International announced March 21. The devices will be reconfigurable between Piper's single-engine Warrior and Arrow, and twin-engine Seminole aircraft.

Gulfstream grows student leadership program

The addition of Gulfstream Aerospace's Dallas completion facility and service center brought an expansion of the business jet manufacturer's Student Leadership Program. The initiative introduces local high-school youth to career options, mentorship, and life-skills training near Gulfstream's Texas, Georgia, and Wisconsin facilities.

Young Aviators Fly-In registration opens

Registration is open for the first Young Aviators Fly-In, a fun, low-cost "young people's Oshkosh" June 8 through 10 at South Carolina's Triple Tree Aerodrome.

Video

No one on final

Before taxiing onto the runway, visually check that final approach is clear. This AOPA Air Safety Institute video reviews two incidents at towered airports that demonstrate why it's important. Watch the video >

Scholarships

Upwind scholarship winners announced

The Upwind Foundation has announced that three high school students won scholarships for an intensive, nine-week flight and ground training program provided by expert instructors. Alessandro Franco, Daniel Levin, and Aditya Munshi will begin ground training in April and flight training in June.

AOPA Live

AOPA Live This Week

Queenstown challenge; Inspiration in Oregon

Watch an Erickson S–64 Aircrane take on a new kind of lift—inspiring the next generation of aviators in Oregon. Also this week, we fly one of the most challenging instrument approaches in the world, winding through the steep terrain surrounding Queenstown, New Zealand, and check out the new avionics unveiled at the Aircraft Electronics Association convention. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, March 29 >

Training Products and Resources

VFR waypoint or checkpoint?

Rediscover the lost art of dead reckoning. This AOPA Air Safety Institute quiz will help you navigate the sectional chart on your next flight. Take the quiz >

Shelta hat protects pilots from UV rays

The Shelta hat protects pilots from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, keeps rain at bay, doubles as a place to stash a spare key and cash, has a lanyard to keep it in place when the winds pick up, and fits under headsets. AOPA eMedia Associate Editor David Tulis gives the sun hat rave reviews after wearing it during a variety of assignments. The hat is available for $64.50 from the manufacturer or other retailers.

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

Pilot Protection Services

Note BasicMed expiration dates

To ensure uninterrupted compliance with BasicMed, you must complete the required medical examination and online education course within different time periods. Here's what you need to know. Read more >

Member benefit

Your airplane might be worth more than you think

The value of your airplane has likely risen in the past year or two, according to AOPA Insurance Services Vice President and Director of Operations Jim Pinegar. Now's the time to re-evaluate your insurance coverage. Read more >

Member benefit

Insurance carriers adjust premiums

For several years, aircraft owners buying insurance have benefited from a steady drop in premiums. Unfortunately, those days appear to be over: Premiums started to rise in the fourth quarter of 2017. Read more >

Blogs

Tips for proper mag checks

Have you learned how to perform a mag check? Many pilots don't know how to do a mag check properly or interpret the results. Here's a refresher from Opinion Leaders blogger Mike Busch, an A&P/IA. Read more >

Plane Spotter

A tale of two tails

A plane spotter stopping by an airfield aiming to discover unusual aircraft that might be tucked away there encountered what he first identified as a de Havilland Beaver. Then the stout taildragger with the big radial engine came into full view, revealing twin vertical tails and pegging the Beaver impersonator as a Max Holste MH 1521 Broussard, named for the French aeronautical engineer whose company built several hundred of the six-place workhorses in the 1950s. With a handful of Holstes scattered around the United States, spotting one could provide a rare treat. (Photo courtesy of Aircraft Repair, LLC.)

Final Exam

Question

For my upcoming night training flight, I noticed the regulations require that I carry a flashlight having at least two D-cell batteries. I like to use a small Maglite. Is a big flashlight really required?

Answer

No. It sounds like you were reading 14 CFR 91.503, which details required equipment for large and turbine-powered multiengine airplanes, not for your single-engine trainer. The 500-series regulations in Part 91 do not apply to operations in the light single-engine world.

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: CFI, Chesapeake, Virginia

Norfolk Flight Center is seeking a full-time CFI, CFII, and MEI. Responsibilities include flight and ground instruction, submitting student pilot certifications via IACRA, and opportunities to teach classroom ground school. Candidates should be enthusiastic and professional and must hold a minimum of a high school diploma/equivalent, FAA commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates, and a second class FAA medical certificate. Read the full 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 a High School Aviation Initiative manager, aviation program operations coordinator, Air Safety Institute assistant editor, Salesforce developer, marketing coordinator, business analyst, member services representative, and several interns. Learn about AOPA career opportunities >

Education & Seminars

Flight Instructor Refresher Courses

Apr 7-8	Atlanta, Georgia; Salt Lake City, Utah; and San Diego, California
Apr 14-15	Indianapolis, Indiana; and Dedham, Massachusetts
Apr 21-22	Aurora, Colorado; Dulles, Virginia; and Tampa, Florida
May 5-6	Hollywood, Florida; Albany, New York; and Conroe, Texas

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

Safety Seminars

Apr 2	Greenville, Kentucky
Apr 3	Morehead, Kentucky
Apr 9	West Des Moines, Iowa; and Burlington, Washington
Apr 10	Seattle, Washington; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Morris Plains, New Jersey

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

Rusty Pilots Seminars

Mar 31	Corpus Christi, Texas; and Panama City, Florida
Apr 7	Renton, Washington; Fort Myers, Florida; Truckee, California; and Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
Apr 11	Lakeland, Florida
Apr 14	Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania; Henderson, Nevada; Mansfield, Massachusetts; Chesterfield, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and Redding, California

AOPA Rusty Pilots Seminars are sponsored by Sporty's. For a complete schedule, visit the AOPA Hangar. (Log in to the AOPA Hangar using your AOPA website username and password to view these events.)

Aviation Calendar

Want something to do this weekend? Planning an aviation getaway? See AOPA's enhanced calendar of events. You can filter events, add an event, or search all events in the calendar. (Log in to the AOPA Hangar using your AOPA website username and password to search the events or to add an event.) Before you take off on an adventure, make sure you check our current aviation weather provided by Jeppesen.

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 Flight Training Editors:
Alyssa J. Cobb
Jim Moore
Dan Namowitz
David Tulis

Production Team:
Elizabeth Linares
Kristy O'Malley
Melissa Whitehouse

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

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