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Five years of BasicMed; Prop strikes; Fly-out challenges

AOPA ePilot
VOL 23, ISSUE 27 July 2, 2021
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Top Stories
Five years of BasicMed
Pilot magazine
Five years of BasicMed
Thanks to BasicMed, tens of thousands of pilots have come back to flying or decided to continue flying, in no small part because they can have their most important private medical conversations with their personal physician. Read more >
You Can Fly
Aviation STEM curriculum earns important accreditation
The AOPA Foundation's High School Aviation STEM Curriculum received two accreditation honors from the prestigious independent credentialing and education research organization STEM.org. Read more >
AOPA Live This Week
Cubs and a crowd; Earthrounding teen; Portable paddling
We join a multigenerational crowd at the Sentimental Journey Fly-In at William Piper's original patch; check in with a British teen flying solo around the world; and paddle a capable, inflatable canoe. Watch AOPA Live This Week® >
AOPA Events
Pilot magazine
Make it to Manassas
Manassas Regional Airport/Harry P. Davis Field is the busiest general aviation airport in Virginia. The airport will be hosting the first AOPA Aviator Showcase August 27 with Chantilly Jet Center. Read more >
Technique and Safety
Sponsored by AssuredPartners Aerospace and USAIG
Avoiding prop strikes
This AOPA Air Safety Institute video examines why prop strikes happen and provides practical tips to protect your propellers, engine, and firewall by ensuring your props are always striking the air—not the runway, objects, or people.
IFR Fix
An instrument pilot's holiday
It's vacation time and naturally the aircraft is key to your holiday getaway, to coming back on time, and to making side trips. Are you up for it? Read more >
Online resource
Learn from 'CFI to CFI'
Get tips for nontowered airport operations, insights from designated pilot examiners, and more in the AOPA Air Safety Institute's CFI to CFI newsletter. Learn more >
Video
Communication breakdown
In 2012, a Cirrus SR22 crashed just seconds before what would have been a normal landing at Melbourne, Florida. In this AOPA Air Safety Institute Accident Case Study, we reconnect the links of the accident chain and search for lessons in the tragedy. Watch the video >
Advocacy
Advocacy
Aviation groups speak out against dangerous airport precedent
What started out as a victory for an Arizona skydiving outfit not only ended up as a setback for the company, it set a dangerous precedent for any tenant that an airport may consider "undesirable." Read more >
Advocacy
DPE reform report reflects 'clean sheet' approach
The FAA's system for managing its designated pilot examiners could be in for a 12-point overhaul proposed in a study released June 17. Read more >
Health
Pilot Protection Services
BasicMed documents
If you are flying or considering flying under BasicMed, find out which documents you are required to have available and what to expect if you are asked to produce them. Read more >
Technology
Article
Billionaires race to space
Three separate companies are preparing to launch civilians into space, with a billionaire entrepreneur at or near the front of each line. Read more >
Article
First delivery of Excel Eagles
CitationPartners, a firm that transforms older Cessna Citation Excels, delivered its first Citation Excel Eagle featuring Garmin G5000 avionics, a new interior, and fresh paint, among other improvements. Read more >
Opinion
Blog
Considerations before flying after a long pause
Degradation of cognitive processes and loss of physical muscle memory are real dangers when we don't fly as often as we used to, cautions Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas. Read more >
Gear
Multimedia
A canoe fit to fly with
This Travel Canoe from Sea Eagle Boats Inc. is 16 feet long and deflates to the size of a large suitcase that weighs 65 pounds. We took it down the river. Read more, watch a video, and view photos >
Travel
Article
Visit original 13 colonies for July challenge
Check in to as many of the original 13 colonies as possible during the month of July using the AOPA app's Pilot Passport feature. Read more >
Article
Explore the East with ForeFlight Fly-Out
Niagara Falls and the Biltmore Estate are two popular attractions you can visit this summer while participating in the July ForeFlight Fly-Out. Read more >
Want more general aviation travel stories? Sign up for our AOPA Travel Pilot biweekly newsletter.
Financial
Member benefit
How much airplane can I afford?
The amount of cash you have for a down payment, how much you can pay each month, and your debt-to-income ratio are just some of the factors used to determine your aircraft purchasing power. Read more >
News and Notes
Slideshow
Teen flying Skyhawk around the world
British pilot Travis Ludlow, 18, was flying over desolate terrain in Russia when he realized the enormity of being alone for six weeks during an attempted circumnavigation in a Cessna 172. Read more >
Slideshow
Airport terminal renamed for Tuskegee Airmen pilot
The general aviation terminal at Kansas City, Missouri's Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport was renamed for 101-year-old retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles McGee. Read more >
Article
Hartzell drives forward with new prop designs
Rather than waiting to see what might happen during the coronavirus pandemic, officials at Hartzell Propeller took the opportunity to focus on product development and innovation. Read more and watch a video >
Article
AOPA, Air Safety Institute honored with Excel Awards
AOPA and the AOPA Air Safety Institute were recognized June 16 for their news and educational media during the virtual forty-first AM&P Network Association Council Excel Awards. Read more >
Webinar
Program fosters female aviation leadership
The Ninety-Nines will host a briefing about the organization's Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative during a July 7 webinar at 8 p.m. Eastern time, priming participants for the upcoming class with a July 31 application deadline. The program provides structured career mentorships that last up to two years.
Career Opportunities
Aviation job board
Job of the week: AOPA content producer
A content producer creates a high volume of general aviation-related content across all AOPA media channels—including print, online, video, and social media. 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 an email marketing manager, a data analyst, an editorial assistant, and a member services representative. Learn about AOPA career opportunities >
Question of the Week
Question

I have an FAA private pilot certificate issued on the basis of a foreign pilot license and am considering training for the glider rating in the United States. Because I didn't take the FAA private pilot written test (knowledge test), will I be required to take the FAA glider knowledge test to complete my training here?
Answer
It's a good idea to contact the flight standards district office where you are planning to take the practical test to confirm. The CFI and designated pilot examiner will check with the FSDO when the application is presented. 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. 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
Jul 8, 12 p.m. EDT 'Don't Get Rusty' series: Weather and how to read it
Jul 8, 6 p.m. EDT AOPA Rusty Pilots - Webinar edition
Jul 14, 12 p.m. EDT AOPA Rusty Pilots - Webinar edition
Aug 3, 3 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
Hartzell President JJ Frigge talks about new products
'A Pair of Wings' author Carole Hopson
Garmin's Cliff Pemble on earning the Collier Trophy for Autoland
For a full list of Pilot Lounge videos, see AOPA Online.
AOPA podcasts
'Ask the A&Ps': 'An oil filter inspection is non-invasive, unless you're an oil filter'
'Hangar Talk': Pilots to the Rescue founder Michael Schneider
'Pilot Briefing': Week of June 28, 2021
'There I was...': John Lancaster
'Never Again': Where are the towers?
To see all AOPA podcasts, visit AOPA Online.
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