|
|
Top Stories
|
Article
A Lockheed Constellation named Columbine II, the first aircraft to fly as Air Force One, arrived in Virginia March 23 under its own power. The flight marked another remarkable milestone for an aircraft that was nearly lost in a boneyard, and its arrivals in Texas and Virginia drew admiring crowds. Read more...
 
AOPA Live This Week
Eric Peterson didn't see it coming. AOPA's cameras were rolling as the missionary pilot with nearly 40 years of humanitarian flying under his belt took delivery of his new ride, the AOPA You Can Fly Sweepstakes Reimagined 152. Also this week, get a sneak peek at the next AOPA sweepstakes airplane—it could be yours in 2017. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, March 24...
AOPA sweepstakes news
Missionary wins Cessna 152
How is the sweeps winner identified?
AOPA Sweepstakes 172 kicks off
|
|
|
|
Technique and Safety
|
|
Article
AOPA will present a packed schedule of seminars during the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo to help you save money, and perhaps much more. Experts will share tips for handling emergencies, incorporating new technology, and sharpening your flying skills. Make plans to drop by for coffee with AOPA President Mark Baker too. Read more...
Accident analysis
In aircraft maintenance, shortcuts around approved methods can cost much more than they save. Read more in this special report from the AOPA Air Safety Institute...
Aircraft Maintenance
After one hour of uneventful post-maintenance flying, the owner of a Mooney M20M who had just had the aircraft's fuel injectors cleaned thought the aircraft was out of the "post-maintenance woods." That wasn't the case. Read more...
Flash-based, login required
"Cleveland Center, N613JM, do you copy? I'm declaring an emergency!" In the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Story: Engine Failure at Night, pilot Emanuel Kanal recounts how he, his passenger/wife, and air traffic control secured a positive outcome in an emergency. Learn what happened...
PDF download
Looking for a handy way to brush up on speeds, systems, and emergency procedures for any aircraft you fly? Whether renting, owning, or transitioning, review particulars with the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Aircraft Flash Cards. Customize each card with appropriate POH information and toss them into your flight bag. Download the cards...
|
|
|
Advocacy
|
Mark Baker takes your questions
Want to know more about third class medical reform, flying clubs, or the future of the pilot community? Here's your chance to ask AOPA President Mark Baker. He will be taking some of your questions for an upcoming issue of AOPA Pilot and a segment on AOPA Live This Week. Send your questions to [email protected].
Advocacy
Funding for the FAA has been extended through July 15, following House passage of a bill to keep the agency operating. Read more...
Advocacy
AOPA is asking the FAA to revise new procedures for issuing student pilot certificates that preclude student pilots from soloing on their sixteenth birthday. Read more...
Advocacy
Drone pilots operating near airports can get help deciphering FAA guidance and learn more about best practices from a new AOPA fact sheet. Read more...
Advocacy
The House of Representatives has unanimously passed AOPA-supported legislation that would once again allow Women Airforce Service Pilots to have their ashes placed in Arlington National Cemetery, restoring a privilege that was revoked in 2015. Read more...
Advocacy
The terrorist attacks in Brussels early March 22 postponed a key meeting between officials with IAOPA Europe and the European Parliament that was scheduled to take place that evening. Read more...
|
|
|
Technology
|
Article
California airshow performer Spencer Suderman popped open the canopy of his Sunbird S-1x and shouted for joy on the ramp after performing 98 consecutive inverted flat spins in a modified biplane. Read more...
|
|
|
Opinion
|
|
Blog
Women in Aviation International has given $10 million in scholarships to more than 1,400 men and women in aviation-related fields since 1995. Opinion Leaders blogger Amy Laboda writes that some recipients have since established their own scholarships through the organization because "that's how we enable the next generation of aviators to soar." Read more...
|
|
|
Gear
|
DuraCharts exits print market
According to its March newsletter, DuraCharts, the maker of tear-resistant aeronautical sectional charts, stopped producing new charts as of March 21. The company is exiting the market. "We are sorry that this has happened, but we have come to the end of a feasible business to sell paper charts," the company wrote to its clients.
|
|
|
Travel
|
Pilot Getaways feature
In New Mexico's high desert, rugged mountains encircle an arid land spiked with yuccas and agaves. In this landscape, one can visit a desert within a desert and explore the past, present, and future of space exploration. Read more...
|
|
|
Financial
|
Article
Piper Aircraft Inc. has cut prices on the lower end of the M-class turboprops, anticipating the arrival of the M600. The company announced reduced prices for the Matrix and M500 models as progress toward M600 certification continues. Read more...
Pilot Protection Services
Imagine a scenario in which sending an email about selling your airplane creates a legally enforceable offer to sell it. Sound like an email phishing scam? Think again. Learn about the pitfalls of digital communication from one aircraft owner's costly mistake. Read more...
|
|
|
News and Notes
|
|
Article
A Tennessee aerospace college student hopes to inspire young people when he re-creates Calbraith "Cal" Rodgers' 1911 Vin Fiz cross-country flight from New York to California in May. Read more...
Webinar
Outstanding customer service helps build loyalty among flight school students and is key to a successful training operation. Join AOPA for a webinar March 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time to explore business-boosting strategies from AOPA Flight Training Excellence Awards winners. Register today...
Article
Pilots wanted: Remote Area Medical brings vital health services to isolated places in Guyana by flying a single-engine Cessna U206 into a network of unimproved airstrips. Read more...
Webinar
Learn about FAA investigations, the FAA's options in compliance and enforcement matters, and the agency's records and expunction policy. Lawyer, CPA, and flight instructor Ray Speciale explains what you need to know to protect yourself during an enforcement in this previously recorded webinar. Log in to watch the webinar...
|
|
|
Career Opportunities
|
|
AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for a pilot community development coordinator, "You Can Fly" ambassador—Great Lakes, donor relations director, AOPA Foundation communications director, aviation technical specialist, Flying Clubs Initiative senior manager, marketing copywriter, Web project manager, and member services representative. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
|
Question of the Week
|
Question
You're planning a flight down the east coast of Florida to Key West. The last time you made this flight, Miami Approach couldn't take you on as VFR traffic to transit the Miami Class B airspace, so you ended up flying through two alert areas and over some less-than-favorable terrain. Is there a way you can transit Miami's Class B airspace without involving Miami Approach?
Answer
Yes. On the back of the Miami Terminal Area Chart you will find the VFR Flyway Planning Chart. This flyway chart uses light blue lines to show suggested routes and altitudes for VFR aircraft to transit outside/under Class B airspace. VFR flyways were created to give VFR pilots a way to avoid Class B airspace. An ATC clearance is not required to use these routes. You can plan to use the VFR flyways as a backup in case you are unable to pick up services from Miami. For more information about VFR flyways and other VFR routing options see Aeronautical Information Manual Section 3-5-7 and the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Know Before You Go: Navigating Today's Airspace online course.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Education and Seminars
|
Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Apr 2-3 - Denver, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; Needham, Massachusetts; and Dulles, Virginia
Apr 9-10 - Indianapolis, Indiana; and Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 16-17 - San Diego, California
Apr 23-24 - Atlanta, Georgia
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.
|
Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Apr 5 - Olathe, Kansas; and Lakeland, Florida
Apr 6 - Bellevue, Nebraska; and Lakeland, Florida
Apr 7-9 - Lakeland, Florida
Apr 11 - Hopkinsville, Kentucky; and Salt Lake City, Utah
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
|
Rusty Pilots Seminars
Mar 26 - Englewood, Colorado; Lake in the Hills, Illinois; Fort Pierce, Florida; and Pearland, Texas
Mar 31 - Cheektowaga, New York
Apr 2 - Henderson, Nevada; Hayden, Idaho; Vancouver, Washington; Appleton, Wisconsin; Findlay, Ohio; Colby, Kansas; Elyria, Ohio; and Columbus, Ohio
Apr 5 - Nashville, Tennessee
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ePilot Editors:
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
David Tulis
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
