Setting the right course
Fly smart with AOPA’s Flight Planner
AOPA’s Flight Planner offers unique features that help you plan flights efficiently and safely. Quickly and easily gauge distance, find fuel prices along your route, check for weather, and much more. The AOPA Flight Planner allows you to fully plan flights, then transfer plans to your EFB so you can focus on flying. The AOPA Flight Planner is a benefit of your AOPA membership (www.aopa.org/membership).
You can send your flight plan directly from AOPA’s Flight Planner to your favorite EFB apps, including:
- Droid EFB
- FltPlan Go
- ForeFlight Mobile
- Garmin Pilot
- Naviator
- Seattle Avionics FlyQ
- WingX Pro7
www.aopa.org/travel/aopa-flight-planner
TIPS from PPS
On-again, off-again
Drone registration now on for good
By Chad Mayer
Included in the National Defense Authorization Act signed into law on December 12, 2017, is a provision reinstating the FAA’s requirement to register all drones weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds. This requirement applies whether the drone is used for commercial purposes or only for hobby or recreational purposes. A federal court decision earlier in 2017 had struck down the existing registration requirement as it related to hobbyists because a 2012 statute restricted the FAA’s authority to regulate model aircraft operated by hobbyists. That decision left in place the requirement to register drones that are operated commercially, and the new legislation once again applies the requirement to all drones. The cost is $5, and you can register your drone with the FAA online (https://registermyuas.faa.gov).
Chad Mayer is an in-house attorney with AOPA’s Legal Services Plan.
Ask AOPA
Ground school
Is it required?
By Ferdi Mack
Q: My instructor told me that I need to sign up for “ground school” at my local FBO. Is ground school required? What does it cover?
A: Ground school is not required, but it can be helpful. It is mostly intended to provide you with the knowledge required to pass the FAA aeronautical knowledge test, although there is knowledge crossover into other areas of your testing.
As a student pilot working toward a private pilot certificate under FAR Part 61, eventually you must be prepared to take and pass the FAA knowledge test, as well as the oral and practical portions of your checkride. The knowledge test consists of multiple-choice questions on a variety of aviation topics such as signage, weather, instruments, performance, and weight and balance. These topics should be covered in your ground school.
Although there is no set definition for Part 61 ground school, it is a popular way to learn the material. It involves having the information taught to you in a classroom setting along with other student pilots, encouraging a helpful Q&A environment that can maximize your understanding of the content. The classroom sessions may run from as long as a few months to as short as one weekend. Ground school programs are also available as interactive digital programs.
It is common for ground schools to provide an endorsement at the end of the class, which will acknowledge your mastery of the material. You must present this endorsement—which also may be obtained from your flight instructor if you learn the required material another way—when you show up at the testing center to take your exam. You may have to take one or more practice written exams and produce satisfactory scores to obtain your endorsement from the instructor.
Contact AOPA’s Pilot Information Center for more answers at 800-872-2672 or email [email protected].
Ferdi Mack is senior manager of the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
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