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Top Stories
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Article
AOPA will give a Reimagined Cessna 150 to a flying club that is just starting out on its mission of making flying fun and affordable for its members. Read more...
 
AOPA Live This Week
AOPA Live® is on location at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland, Florida. Take a ride in a B-17; find out how AOPA is making flying fun and affordable, including giving an airplane to a new flying club; check out innovative, low-cost panel options for certified aircraft; watch Van's and Sonex show off their new kitplanes; and discover the turboprop-powered mystery ship that arrived from across the Atlantic. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, April 7...
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Sun 'n Fun
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Article
The Experimental Aircraft Association and Dynon Avionics announced April 6 that they have obtained FAA approval of a supplemental type certificate that will enable owners of certain Cessna and Piper models to install Dynon's EFIS-D10A as an attitude indicator replacement. Read more...
Article
AOPA is focusing on the fun of flying to increase pilot starts, improve the completion rate for student pilots, and get lapsed pilots back into the skies, AOPA President Mark Baker told a large crowd in the AOPA Program Pavilion April 6. Read more...
Article
Appareo has lowered the manufacturer's suggested retail price of its Stratus ESG, an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out transponder with a built-in WAAS GPS receiver, from $3,490 to $2,995. Read more...
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Article
Michel Gordillo was on his way to Sun 'n Fun, where he planned to talk about his upcoming attempt to fly a Van's Aircraft RV-8 around the world via the Arctic and Antarctic poles, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wouldn't let him enter the country. Read more...
Slideshow
When the sun goes down over Sun 'n Fun, there is still plenty of light to brighten the sky thanks to a long-running and well-loved tradition, the night airshow. Pyrotechnics and colored lights create a dazzling display above the crowd at show center. AOPA Technical Editor Mike Collins took in the sights with his cameras firing. View the slideshow...
Briefs
Piper announced a speed increase for its new M600; Hartzell offers a Trailblazer prop for the Cessna T206H; progress continues on the 135-horsepower Rotax 915 iS turbocharged engine; Flight Design recommends an ADS-B solution for its customers; and companies offer wireless headsets and hubs. Read more in this Sun 'n Fun roundup...
More Sun 'n Fun news
LAMA reports LSA progress
E-Mag works toward FAA certification
Foundation donors gather for updates
Redbird is 'Winging It'
Slideshow: Friends, old and new
Raffle benefits Sun 'n Fun STEM program
Sporty's stays busy with new app, products
SocialFlight offers more 'social' features
Piper scores big with UND contract
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Technique and Safety
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Fly like a fighter
The practices fighter pilots employ in dogfights can help keep you safe in the traffic pattern. Retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Larry Brown explains. Read more...
Aircraft Maintenance
Attention to detail matters, even when the task seems simple. Pilot, aircraft owner, and A&P mechanic Jeff Simon shares how an error in propeller maintenance led to an in-flight emergency. Read more...
Login required
Which types of RNAV (GPS) minimums are equivalent to the straight-in or circling minimums shown on GPS procedures? Do abbreviations like "LNAV" and "LPV" confuse you? You're not alone! Lift the veil on different types of GPS approach minimums with the AOPA Air Safety Institute's IFR quiz on GPS approaches. Take the quiz...
Video
We're living in the golden age of weather flying—and things are only going to get better. So what can we expect in the years to come? This final installment of the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Weather Wise video series gives you a look at how technology will change the experience of weather planning and flying. Watch the video...
Blog
AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg recalls the turbulence and mountain wave he encountered during a recent flight to the Washington, D.C., area, noting that pilot reports could have helped him avoid the unpleasant ride. "If you see something, say something," Landsberg urges. "It may or may not get into the system but it may save someone from a rough ride or a really bad day." Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
The full Senate has begun debating FAA reauthorization, passing amendments designed to increase security and rejecting a proposal to prevent airlines from shrinking seats. Read more...
Advocacy
A government-industry panel charged with making recommendations for creating a "micro drone" category has submitted its formal report to the FAA. Read more...
Advocacy
The FAA has formally tasked an industry committee with making recommendations for improving temporary flight restriction graphics in response to AOPA concerns about inconsistencies and errors in the way the airspace is depicted. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteers and AOPA members will soon have a new tool to help protect and preserve America's community airports. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA emphasized the role of innovation, technology, and regulatory reform in improving safety during the FAA’s General Aviation Safety Summit. Read more...
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Health
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Pilot Protection Services
Throughout the year, many pilots encounter a variety of illnesses that require a visit to an urgent care center, the emergency department, or another health care provider. What should you report to the FAA on your medical application, and what documentation does the FAA need from you? Read more...
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Technology
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Article
Recreational drone pilots who plan flights within five miles of an airport can use AirMap to electronically notify airport operators of the flight. Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
Veteran aviator and AOPA Air Safety Institute safety seminar presenter Mark Grady shares tips for pilots of all levels about aviation safety and ongoing training. Grady tells Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas what advice he would give his younger pilot self after decades of flying. Read more...
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Gear
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Article
PS Engineering announced a price reduction for the PDA360EX audio panel made for experimental aircraft. Read more...
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Financial
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Member benefit
AOPA Aviation Finance Co. President Adam Meredith provides three tips for securing the best loan for your aircraft purchase: Pick the right aircraft, be flexible, and use an aircraft finance broker. Read more...
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News and Notes
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Article
The Wright brothers' misplaced patent file for a "flying machine" has been found and will be displayed at the National Archives Museum. Read more...
Article
A Maryland flight instructor and his student spotted a building fire and used a Bluetooth-enabled headset and ForeFlight to contact emergency crews and give them location information. Read more...
Article
Flight Design light sport aircraft deliveries have resumed, but from a new supplier in Taiwan following financial troubles of the German company that led to receivership in February. Read more...
Article
Glasair, located in Arlington, Washington, got FAA light sport aircraft approval for its $150,000 Merlin aircraft. Read more...
Online resource
What are the requirements for adding an instrument rating, a multiengine rating, or a logbook endorsement to fly complex or high-performance airplanes? Find plain-language answers about adding these and other privileges at AOPA's Ratings and Endorsements page.
Soloy to buy Tradewinds Turbine Bonanza STC
Soloy Aviation Solutions of Olympia, Washington, announced an agreement to purchase the supplemental type certificate for the Tradewinds Turbine Bonanza conversion package from the current STC holder, Don Brooks. Soloy, an STC product specialist, helped develop the Tradewinds conversion in 1986.
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Career Opportunities
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AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for a communications director, pilot community development coordinator, Great Lakes "You Can Fly" ambassador, donor relations director, AOPA Foundation communications director, aviation technical specialist, Flying Clubs Initiative senior manager, marketing copywriter, interactive project manager, and member services representative. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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Question
You are planning a cross-country flight with some friends in your flying club's tailwheel aircraft. You recently attained single-engine-landing currency in a Cessna 172. Must you also attain landing currency in a tailwheel aircraft to act as pilot in command for this flight?
Answer
Yes. If you are planning to carry passengers in a tailwheel aircraft, and act as PIC, you are required to have performed at least three takeoffs and landings (to a full stop) in a tailwheel aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if required) in the past 90 days (see 14 CFR 61.57). For more information on this and other PIC currency concerns, see this Flight Training magazine article. If you are not current, don't worry—getting legal is easy. Before your cross-country flight, do your currency landings (solo and to a full stop). Then top off your tanks, load up your passengers, and go flying.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA. |
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Apr 9-10 - Indianapolis, Indiana; and Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 16-17 - San Diego, California
Apr 23-24 - Atlanta, Georgia
May 14-15 - Sacramento, California; Pensacola, Florida; and Kansas City, Missouri
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.
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Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Apr 9 - Lakeland, Florida
Apr 11 - Hopkinsville, Kentucky; and Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 12 - Zionsville, Indiana; and Frankfort, Kentucky
Apr 13 - Milan, Illinois; and West Lafayette, Indiana
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Apr 9 - Lakeland, Florida; Alexandria, Indiana; and Louisburg, North Carolina
Apr 16 - Lansing, Michigan; Dallas, Texas; and San Diego, California
Apr 23 - Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Apr 27 - Logan, Utah
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot Editors:
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
David Tulis
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Mike Collins
Sarah Deener
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Alton K. Marsh
Warren Morningstar
Dan Namowitz
Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
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