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

Training Tip: We are (still) not alone

AOPA Flight Training
VOL 20, ISSUE 36 September 4, 2020
Training Tips
We are (still) not alone
Sponsored by Aircraft Spruce
We are (still) not alone
Expecting less traffic is no reason to change your method of seeing and avoiding other aircraft, one pilot learned during a rattling experience. Read more >
Technique
Article
A long and winding road
Good flight planning is critical in mountain flying, where the airplane and pilot operate closer to their limits and options during an emergency might be limited. Read more >
Unusual Attitude
Did I really say that?
Tiny point-of-view video cameras have tremendous utility in flight training—and they can benefit instructors and students alike. Read more >
Flight Training News
Multimedia
California students building electric ultralight from scratch
High school students in the San Francisco Bay Area are brainstorming, building, and learning to fly an electric-powered ultralight aircraft through Flight Club Aerospace. Read more and watch a video >
Webinar
Sightseeing safely
Earn FAA Wings credit and learn best practices for sightseeing flights during a webinar hosted by Jason Miller of The Finer Points and AOPA Air Safety Institute Manager of Aviation Safety Programs John Collins on September 10 at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Article
VFR Unleashed: The great Florida escape
When a go/no-go decision sits on the edge of your personal minimums, the opportunity to fly may still exist, but it will require careful thought. Read more >
What Am I
Hidden helper
Carburetors have given way to fuel injection systems in cars, but they are still common in general aviation airplanes. Read more >
Podcast
New 'Ask the A&Ps' maintenance podcast debuts
Imagine having three world-class airplane maintenance experts at your fingertips. Now you do. AOPA's new podcast, Ask the A&Ps, answers your aircraft maintenance questions. Listen to the podcast >
Podcast
'Hangar Talk': Outreach pilot Jerome Stanislaus
From the tattoos that share a story about his love of flying to his passion for jumping out of airplanes, pilot Jerome Stanislaus is on a mission to share aviation with inner-city youth. Listen to the podcast >
AOPA Live This Week
Marking the end of World War II; Leading by example
Warbirds over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of World War II. Also, high-profile backcountry aviators gathered to fine-tune fun for safety. Watch AOPA Live This Week® >
Career News
Blog
Voting as a pilot
Pilots should consider aviation issues when evaluating candidates running for public office, writes airline pilot and Flight Training blogger Chip Wright. Read more >
Thousands attend virtual CAP national conference
The Civil Air Patrol's virtual national conference attracted more than 8,600 volunteers, pilots, and cadets in August. The event featured 12 custom learning tracks and a national award ceremony.
Virtual Redbird Migration registration opens
Registration opened August 31 for the tenth annual Redbird Migration Flight Training Conference, a virtual event October 21 and 22 with speakers including NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg, Hartzell Propeller Chairman Joe Brown, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Kenyatta Ruffin, and others. The event is designed to inspire, equip, and recharge flight training industry personnel.
FAA debuts aviation podcast
The FAA debuted its The Air Up There podcast "to share this passion with the world, through stories that will inspire the next generation of aviation professionals." The co-hosts are FAA employees Alison Duquette and John Croft, who is also a general aviation pilot.
Aviation job board
Job of the week: Charter sales, Kalitta Charters II
Since 1967, the Kalitta family name has been associated with excellence in the air transport of critical cargo. Due to recent expansion, Kalitta Charters is looking for a charter sales associate to work a four-day on, four-day off rotation in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Read the full description and apply today >
Training Products and Resources
Login required
Push, then talk
Good communication skills can reduce stress and allow you to focus on flying the airplane. Test your radio knowledge with this AOPA Air Safety Institute quiz.
Latest instructor's handbook available from FAA
The 2020 edition of the FAA Aviation Instructor's Handbook designed for ground instructors, flight instructors, and aviation maintenance instructors is available online. The handbook includes several new terms in addition to updates.
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
Share your favorite airports featuring outdoor activities, restaurants
Tell us your favorite airports to fly into where you can walk, bike, or get a car to enjoy nearby activities and restaurants while social distancing. We'll compile the responses and share them in an upcoming issue! Submit your top picks >
Pilot Protection Services
Breaking the grip of habits
Dr. Kenneth Stahl offers tips to avoid letting habits get in the way of safety. Read more >
Member benefit
A loan is a loan ... or is it?
AOPA Aviation Finance Co. President Adam Meredith explains why you shouldn't expect the same interest rate on an aircraft loan as an auto or mortgage loan. Read more >
Instrument Tip
Advanced Training
At your fingertips: Cockpit weather for IFR flights
If you view aeronautical charts on a portable electronic device, today's technology makes it possible to overlay on your route an array of near-real-time weather data. Read more >
Photo of the Week
Into the sunset
Into the sunset
AOPA eMedia Associate Editor David Tulis documented airshow performer Julie Clark flying her Beech T–34 Mentor into the sunset for the last time during an EAA AirVenture 2019 performance that signaled her retirement after 40 years and 34,000 hours logged. See more breathtaking photos from AOPA photographers in the September issue of AOPA Pilot. Follow @flywithAOPA on Instagram to see more photos from AOPA members and staff.
Final Exam
Question

Could the FAA be persuaded to relax the stadium temporary flight restriction during games with no fans present?
Answer
The FAA recently addressed the sport/stadium TFR issue in its Aeronautical Information Optimization Summit. The TFR is based on stadium or venue capacity, not the actual number of fans in attendance. 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. 10, 7 p.m. EDT Safety webinar: Sightseeing safely
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
'Ask the A&Ps': I'm upside down and there's no oil in my engine!
'Hangar Talk': Outreach pilot Jerome Stanislaus
'Hangar Talk' Flight Time series: Jason Miller
'Pilot Briefing': Week of Aug. 31, 2020
'There I was...': Jon Gandy
'Never Again': Deadly decisions
'Pilot Protection Services Podcast': Predicting the future
To see all AOPA podcasts, visit AOPA Online.
AOPA logo
© 2020 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
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