Technique and Safety

Article

'This is test flying'

Buying and flying an amateur-built aircraft is a venture into test flying, but do new owners give that consideration the respect it deserves? Read more... Share:  

Accident analysis

Stretching fuel turns tragic

"Maximum endurance" doesn't mean cutting into the minimum fuel reserves required by regulation—and attaining it safely depends on the willingness to execute an alternative plan before those reserves are threatened. On July 20, 2012, a witness in southeast Ohio saw a small high-wing airplane flying very low. Its engine sputtered, stopped, briefly restarted, and stopped again. It then pitched down and crashed in a near-vertical attitude, killing the solo pilot. Read more in this special report from the Air Safety Institute. Share:  

IFR Fix

BADDA BINGG

An instrument pilot arrives for a proficiency check to find the instructor waiting with the ILS or LOC RWY 23 approach plate to New Jersey's Morristown Municipal Airport. "We're going to Jersey?" "Maybe." If you recognize that snippet of dialog as from a famous 1972 mob movie, that's affirmative. But even if you never fly to this destination, the IAP makes good review material. Read more... Share:  

Flash-based, login required

3SM OVC010

Regardless of the hours in your logbook or ratings on your certificate, making the basic determination of whether the sky conditions and cloud levels will affect your flight can require a bit of skill and knowledge. Learn more about these critical aspects of safe flying by taking the Air Safety Institute's Weather Wise: Ceiling and Visibility online course. Take the course... Share:  

Blog

The great plateau and polarization

Every pilot has experienced a flat spot on the climb to perfection, or at least to solo. One AOPA staffer struggled with those last 10 feet on landing but got past the plateau after discovering an unexpected impediment. It was right in front of her the whole time. Read more... Share:  

AOPA Aviation Summit

Article

Join AOPA President Mark Baker at Summit

AOPA Aviation Summit 2013 is just weeks away, and the energy level is high at AOPA. "During the show, I will be sharing some of my own aviation stories and goals for the future," said AOPA President Mark Baker. "And I want to hear from you, especially when it comes to your priorities for your flying and your association." Read more... Share:  

Article

Summit pancake breakfast sells out

The pancake breakfast and town hall meeting at AOPA Aviation Summit in October featuring new president Mark Baker has sold out. Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

Article

'We added a second shift'

An Indiana measure signed into law just several months ago is already creating dozens of new jobs and increased revenue for general aviation businesses. Read more... Share:  

Article

Regs for results

AOPA supports the FAA's approach to regulating cockpit vision systems, and calls on the agency to implement a performance-based approach—regulations that do not specify equipment or technology, but rather focus on results more broadly. Read more... Share:  

Article

Rule saves CFIs time, money

After years of discussion, the FAA has issued a new rule allowing CFI practical exams to count as flight reviews. The rule reverses an earlier decision and has the potential to save flight instructors time and money meeting currency requirements. Read more... Share:  

Webinar

Webinar: Aircraft searches

In a follow-up to a previous webinar, AOPA will discuss recent developments regarding inspections of general aviation pilots and aircraft by federal and local law enforcement agencies, and what to do if you are stopped, on Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Members of AOPA's Pilot Protection Services have priority admission to this webinar. Register here...

Health

Members only

Wiley Post and medical certification

On Aug. 15, 1953, Wiley Post and the American humorist Will Rogers were killed when Post's aircraft crashed on takeoff in Alaska. Post had previously lost vision in one of his eyes. So how, exactly, does the FAA manage "monocular" vision? Read more... Share:  

Opinion

Blog

Perspective makes all the difference

A boring job or an opportunity of a lifetime? "Life is all about how you look at what's going on around you," writes Jamie Beckett. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Renewing a flight instructor certificate via Wings

If you're not a flight instructor but enjoy sharing your love of flying with others, AOPA Opinion Leaders blogger Max Trescott heartily encourages you to become a CFI. Not only will you become a better pilot in the process, he argues, but you'll find out how much fun it is helping others to learn to fly. Read more... Share:  

Technology

Blog

Berkut VL

An aerospace startup company in India (DASYS), a manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems, has designed a light two-seat helicopter with a coaxial rotor system. Typically, coaxial rotor systems are used on larger helicopters. Read more... Share:  

Gear

AOPA product

FlyQ EFB update released

Terrain and obstacle avoidance warnings and a simple one-tap preflight data check are among the updates in AOPA's FlyQ EFB 1.2. Read more... Share:  

Article

More member must-have apps

Look up aircraft tail numbers, turn on your aircraft's preheater remotely, check METARs and TAFs in their raw or easy-to-read format, and zip through the Electronic Advance Passenger Information System with these "must have" apps recommended by AOPA members. Read more... Share:  

Travel

Article

The edge of Earth

Even with modern communications, the Arctic region and Northwest Passage can leave visitors utterly cut off. The vast expanse of wilderness is dotted with wrecks of ships and airplanes dating from the age of exploration to the present. Modern explorers have another use for one of the most hostile environments on the planet. Read more... Share:  

Blog

MU-2 round the world

In their journey around the world, AOPA Technical Editor Mike Collins and Mitsubishi MU-2 owner Mike Laver saw fascinating sights, breezed through many countries, landed during a monsoon in Indonesia, and got out of Japan less than a day ahead of a typhoon that caused flooding and evacuations. On Sept. 17, they arrived home. Read more... Share:  

More News

Day 19: Cebu to Taipei, Taiwan

Day 20: Taipei to Nagoya, Japan

Day 20, Part 2: A hero's welcome in Nagoya

Day 21: Nagoya

Day 22: Nagoya to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia

Day 23: Petropavlovsk to Fairbanks, Alaska

Day 24: Fairbanks to Minot, ND

Day 25: Minot to Frederick, Md.

Financial

Article

Cessna logs huge 172 order

Cessna's venerable Skyhawk was already one of the most popular aircraft in history when the company announced one of the largest orders ever for the Cessna 172: Moscow-based ViraZH bought 79 Skyhawks to be stationed at schools around western Russia. Read more... Share:  

Webinar

Webinar: Leaseback agreements

Thinking about a leaseback agreement? Join aviation attorney Talbot Martin for a free webinar, "Let's talk leasebacks," at 8 p.m. Eastern time Sept. 24. Martin will advise on deciding between leasing and owning, making a mutually beneficial agreement, and "gotchas." Register here...

News and Notes

Article

Pilot among the DC victims

Michael Arnold, among the victims gunned down at the Washington Navy Yard Sept. 16, was a pilot and aircraft builder. Fellow aviators mourned his loss following a tragedy that touched communities across the country. Read more... Share:  

Article

Training brought to you

While Nationwide Aviation is based in Fort Worth, Texas, its three instructors will bring flight training directly to students. Read more... Share:  

Article

Kalamazoo High Flyers Club: Phoenix rising

Purging inactive members and recruiting new ones, reaching out to other organizations, and encouraging active participation are among the things that brought Michigan's Kalamazoo High Flyers Club back from the brink of shutting down. Read more... Share:  

Article

Seaplane fly-in turns 40

At a time when airports are hemmed in by high fences, barbed wire, and security gates, seaplanes provide rare direct public access to airplanes. These "people magnets" drew a crowd to Greenville, Maine, which hosted its fortieth annual International Seaplane Fly-In in 2013. Read more... Share:  

Blog

1988 predictions: Pilotless airplanes, empty control rooms

At a conference in Cambridge, Mass., 25 years ago, representatives from Japan, Europe, the USSR, and the United States made predictions of what the future held. Let's see how they did. Read more... Share:  

Article

Afghan pilots finish training

Afghanistan marked a milestone in September, when the first native-born flight crew took command of a fixed-wing combat flight without a U.S. mentor on board. The event was an important step toward creating a military that will be self-reliant after the planned departure of American forces. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Strange but true general aviation news

One helicopter rescues an aircraft, another makes an unusual landing, and an organization does a chicken airlift. Read more... Share:  

Sweepstakes

Blog

Slidedown tiedowns

Take a peek at the Debonair's "Slidedown" tiedown system, which uses small sliding cylindrical tubes to exert a locking force on tiedown ropes. Read more... Share:  

AOPA Career Opportunities

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for a web applications developer III, financial analyst, staff assistant/PAC coordinator, and AOPA Live editor/graphic artist. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.

Forums

LSA annual cost

What is the cost for an annual for a light sport aircraft? Weigh in...