Get extra lift from AOPA. Start your free membership trial today! Click here

August 28, 2020, issue of 'Flight Training' weekly newsletter

AOPA Flight Training
VOL 20, ISSUE 35 August 28, 2020
Training Tips
When 'margin' goes missing
Sponsored by Aircraft Spruce
When 'margin' goes missing
Marginal weather conditions are a caution, not an invitation. Read more >
Technique
Article
What do you do when weather conditions change?
You are planning to fly to a meeting about an hour away, but the weather forecast looks iffy. Would you drive, move the meeting up and try to beat the weather, or reschedule? Read more >
Flight Training News
Article
Improper disinfectant appears to damage panels
Improper disinfectant damaged the panels of two Skyhawks at Florida's Atlas Aviation, leading to costly repairs. Read more >
You Can Fly
AOPA high school curriculum student takes flight
One Maryland student and aspiring pilot took her first flight lesson in front of ABC News cameras. Read more and watch a video >
Accident Analysis
How long has it been?
If you've been out of the cockpit awhile, the length of that layoff is just one factor to figure into your strategy for returning. Read more >
Flight lesson
Feeling the heat
The afternoon Florida heat took a toll on a pilot flying solo. After becoming lightheaded and seeing stars, the pilot diverted and requested help from air traffic control. Read more >
2021 Aviation Design Challenge opens
Registration for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association's 2021 Aviation Design Challenge opened on August 19. The high school competition is open to the first 150 schools that register and promotes science, technology, engineering, and math education through aviation-focused curriculum and a virtual fly-off.
AOPA Live This Week
Hurricane season heats up; Teens build ultralight
Weather expert and AOPA Editor at Large Tom Horne talks hurricanes and we share advice for relocating your aircraft. Plus, teens build an ultralight, tips for greasing grass landings, and inside an engine overhaul. Watch AOPA Live This Week® >
Career News
Career Pilot
The new reality
The hottest airline job market in 60 years was abruptly swept away in March by the coronavirus pandemic. Read more >
Article
DHS continues to deem flight instructors 'essential'
When the pandemic broke out in the United States, orders restricted nonessential work, but it was not clear that flight schools—and specifically flight instructors—were essential. Now, there's no question. Read more >
FAA awards universities $7.5 million for studies
Twelve universities that are part of the FAA's Centers of Excellence will share $7.5 million in funds from the agency to advance airspace, drone, turbulence, security, and urban air mobility studies.
Sponsored by SiriusXM Aviation
'There I was...': Distracting engine failure
In this episode of the AOPA Air Safety Institute's There I was... podcast, the AOPA Pilot Information Center's Jon Gandy shares how a partial engine failure in a Piper Navajo created a distraction and caused a gear-up landing. Listen to the podcast >
Podcast
'Hangar Talk': Electric aircraft entrepreneur George Bye
Bye Aerospace founder George Bye talks about the future of aviation and the efficiency of electric aircraft including the eFlyer line in development for flight training and personal transportation. Listen to the podcast >
Aviation job board
Job of the week: Fixed-wing flight instructor, Leading Edge Aviation Inc.
Leading Edge Aviation Inc. is accepting résumés for a fixed-wing flight instructor for its Bend, Oregon, location. Duties include instructing students from private through CFII, utilizing goal-setting practices to ensure students progress satisfactorily. Read the full description and apply today >
Training Products and Resources
Login required
Invasive species
Seaplanes' range and ability to drop into distant waterways give pilots a new responsibility: stopping the spread of invasive species. Are you ready to help? Take this AOPA Air Safety Institute quiz to find out.
Note: Products listed have not been evaluated by Flight Training 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
'Fall into flying' at grass strips in September
Autumn arrives September 22, and with it comes fall flying fun. Land at grass strips to take part in AOPA's Pilot Passport Fall into Flying Challenge. Read more >
Pilot Protection Services
Special issuance medical for professional pilots with insulin-treated diabetes
Pharmacist and pilot Larry Diamond explains how the FAA's recent policy change to allow professional pilots with insulin-treated diabetes to apply for first or second class special-issuance medical certificates is "a huge step forward," reflecting medical advances that enhance safety. Read more >
Member benefit
What qualifies as liquidity?
Lenders require a few things before granting loans: steady income; a solid credit history; and enough liquidity to cover financial hiccups. Read more >
Instrument Tip
Pilot magazine
Flying in place
Instrument holds can be used for many reasons, including creating adequate spacing between IFR traffic in busy airspace and as a substitute for a procedure turn on an instrument approach. Read more >
Photo of the Week
Ramp Appeal: Waco UPF–7
Ramp Appeal: Waco UPF–7
If you want to start an endless argument between biplane aficionados, ask whether the Waco UPF–7 or Stearman Kaydet was the superior airplane. AOPA Senior Photographer Mike Fizer captured this picture of a Waco UPF–7, highlighted in the August issue of Flight Training magazine. Find out why it is dubbed "a workhorse from a different era." Follow @flywithAOPA on Instagram to see more photos from AOPA members and staff.
Final Exam
Question

I'm planning to fly a Piper Cub on a cross-country at 2,500 feet agl, and the flight will pass through Class C airspace. I will only have a handheld radio. Can I enter the 20-mile-ring, fly under the 10-mile-ring, and land at an airport under the 10-mile-ring without contacting the approach controller?
Answer
Yes, you can do the operation you described. Class C communication requirements apply within 10, not 20, miles of the primary airport for a standard configuration. Class C services are optional but not required from 10 to 20 miles out, in what is known as the outer area. You only need to have communications established for the area that appears on the sectional chart. Read the full answer and join the discussion >

This discussion is from our online Pilot Information Center, where you can ask questions, contribute answers, earn badges, and join our growing pilot community online. 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.
Education & Seminars
AOPA's in-person educational courses and seminars have been canceled or postponed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Stay sharp with our webinars, podcasts, and videos.
Upcoming AOPA webinars
Sep. 9, 7 p.m. EDT AOPA Rusty Pilots - Webinar edition
Sep. 10, 12 p.m. EDT 'Don't Get Rusty' series: 60 seconds to a perfect landing
Sep. 10, 12 p.m. EDT AOPA Rusty Pilots - Webinar edition
Sep. 15, 7 p.m. EDT AOPA Rusty Pilots - Webinar edition
See the full webinar schedule in our online Pilot Information Center. (Log in to our online Pilot Information Center using your AOPA website username and password to view these events.) View our recently recorded webinars (registration required).
Latest AOPA Pilot Lounge videos
You Can Fly Champions
How a PPS panel attorney protects AOPA members
'Bachelor' star Peter Weber
DK's Top 5: Everything you've always wanted to ask a controller
Kellee Edwards
High school scholarship recipient Tristan Dawson
For a full list of Pilot Lounge videos, see AOPA Online.
AOPA Podcasts
'Hangar Talk': Electric aircraft entrepreneur George Bye
'Hangar Talk' Flight Time series: Jason Miller
'Pilot Briefing': Week of Aug. 24, 2020
'There I was...': Jon Gandy
'Never Again': In a pickle
'Pilot Protection Services Podcast': Predicting the future
To see all AOPA podcasts, visit AOPA Online.
AOPA logo
© 2020 AOPA
421 Aviation Way Frederick, MD 21701
800-872-2672
301-695-2375 Fax
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Flight Training Editors:
Alyssa Cobb
Jim Moore
Dan Namowitz
Jill Tallman
David Tulis

Production Team:
Elizabeth Linares
Kristy O'Malley
Erick Webb
Melissa Whitehouse
Contributors:
Mike Collins
Sarah Deener
Chris Eads
Tom Haines
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Warren Morningstar
Kollin Stagnito
Ian Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
Advertise in Flight Training:
Dan Justman, 301-695-2182

Eastern and Central United States and International:
Jeff Rockwood, 301-695-2089

Western United States:
Tom Linton, 301-695-2055

AOPA Advertising website