A banner day
Behind the scenes at a photo shoot
By Julie Summers Walker
We get the craziest ideas—and often they are the brainchild of a working relationship between Senior Photographer Chris Rose and Editor at Large Dave Hirschman. Artists and pilots do a lot of what-iffing and, with the help of art director Jill Benton, a plan comes together. For our eightieth anniversary edition of AOPA Pilot, Rose suggested photographing a classic aircraft flying a banner commemorating the anniversary. Hirschman got the photo platform (an AirCam courtesy of Cortlandt Sener), Benton ordered the banner (a 60-foot-by-20-foot ripstop-nylon behemoth), the team found the perfect banner-tow pilot (Chip Gnau and his 1940 Boeing Stearman), and a team traveled to Essex Skypark outside of Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay for the air-to-air flight.
Fingers were crossed for perfect weather. On a partly cloudy day with winds at 5 mph, we got it. Gnau artfully showed us how he picks up the banner using a grappling hook attached to the belly of the Stearman; the Stearman flew down the runway, snapping up the banner that unfurled before us. But Rose saw a problem: In order to get both Stearman and banner in the frame, he asked to have the tow rope shortened. But only 75 feet of the 300-foot line could be cut or the banner would be damaged.
Rope surgery complete, Hirschman fired up the AirCam and with Rose perched in that airplane’s cat-bird front seat, the two aircraft took to the skies. On the ground we could follow their communication, Rose asking Hirschman to fly ever so much closer and asking Gnau to release a smoke trail. Out over the water, in over the airfield, and around and around the two aircraft flew. Hirschman flying with precision right on the tail of that banner. Even from the ground you could see his focus.
“We got it,” Rose finally said, and the aircraft were back on the ground. In under two hours we achieved the remarkable photography seen on page 50. All in a (banner) day’s work.
Email [email protected]
www.aopa.org/pilot/80banner
AOPA Air Safety Institute
Know your angles
VS and VSO are helpful, but stalling isn’t about airspeed
By Alicia Herron
On every private pilot checkride, the Airman Certification Standards guarantees an exchange like this will occur: “When does an airplane stall?” asks the examiner. “When the wing exceeds the critical angle of attack,” says every pilot. The examiner will probably add that airspeed doesn’t matter—stalling is all about AOA. It’s a familiar, rote exchange, but what does it mean for you?
For most pilots, the airspeed indicator is the only in-cockpit device that suggests how close a wing is to stalling. But there’s another tool that’s better: an angle of attack indicator. Common in large aircraft and increasingly present in GA airplanes, an AOA indicator shows precisely where you will stall, regardless of bank angle, airspeed, and weight.
As a refresher, the angle of attack (or alpha) is the angle between the wing’s chord line and the relative wind; the critical angle of attack on an average GA airplane is around 17 degrees. You’ve learned to recognize the signs of approaching the critical AOA through nice, high flights in the practice area. But loss of control accidents do not typically happen in controlled, straight and level, one-G conditions, and anticipating the critical angle of attack can be difficult. That’s why having an AOA indicator onboard, especially in low-altitude maneuvering flight like the traffic pattern, can be so helpful.
Think beyond the airspeed when it comes to stalling (see the video “Stall Recovery in Unusual Attitudes” at www.aopa.org/ft/attitude)—think of the mechanics, the hows and the whys, and if you’re feeling really nerdy, the lift equation. If able, consider investing in an AOA indictor. Even if you don’t have one, go out and practice stalls (with an instructor if you’re rusty) in different configurations and varying bank angles, and note how the stalling speed changes.
Email [email protected]
wwww.airsafetyinstitute.com/aoaindicators
Is final clear?
Don’t put yourself in a hot spot
The runway is an airport’s most critical component, which makes it an airport’s busiest area. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe when operating near the busy runway environment.
- Study taxi routes. Your most important tool in planning? The airport diagram. Translating the aerial view of an airport diagram into what you’re seeing on the ground can be challenging, especially at the start of your training, and if you think you’re lost, just stop. Use taxiway or runway signs to reorient yourself. With practice and the help of electronic flight bags, it is a skill you can quickly develop.
- Know your airport’s hot spots. Hot spots are defined by the FAA as “a location on an airport movement area with a history of potential risk of collision or runway incursion” and knowing where you might find trouble will make you extra aware on the ground. The usefulness of hot spots isn’t limited to ground operations, either. In the pattern and especially on final, knowing an airport’s hot spots can let you keep an eye on traffic holding short that may or may not forget about you during their own preparation to enter the runway.
- Verify with your eyes. Visually confirm that final is clear before you take the runway; and when you check final, expect to see an airplane. Angle toward the pattern in a way that allows you to see traffic when holding short—especially if you’re in a high-wing airplane. Just waiting for position reports or tower’s clearance is not enough. What if an airplane has a radio failure, or no radio at all? And controllers do an incredible job coordinating traffic, but what if ATC makes a mistake?
Learn more about staying safe near the runway environment with the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s course Runway Safety.
www.airsafetyinstitute.org/courses/runwaysafety
AOPA PARTNERS
Choosing inflight weather service
SiriusXM, ADS-B, both, or neither
By Dave Hubner
Beginning January 1, 2020, pilots who want to fly in the airspace listed below will be required to do so in an aircraft equipped with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out transponder:
- Class A, B, and C airspace.
- Class E airspace at or above 10,000 feet msl, excluding airspace at and below 2,500 feet agl.
- Within 30 nautical miles of a Class B primary airport (the Mode C veil).
- Above the ceiling and within the lateral boundaries of Class B or Class C airspace up to 10,000 feet.
- Class E airspace over the Gulf of Mexico, at and above 3,000 feet msl, within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. coast.
While ADS-B Out is a requirement, once a pilot has met the mandate, the ADS-B In services, traffic in and weather, are a choice—not an FAA requirement.
The 2020 mandate does not require a pilot to use ADS-B In traffic in or weather. When it comes to selecting an inflight weather service, pilots are free to choose SiriusXM, ADS-B, both, or neither.
- Aircraft must be equipped with ADS-B Out by January 1, 2020, to fly in the previously mentioned airspace.
- Pilots are not required to use ADS-B In—traffic or weather.
- Pilots are free to choose SiriusXM, ADS-B, both, or neither weather service.
With these choices, the question becomes which weather service is the right one for you or your flight school and students. The AOPA Air Safety Institute recently released the video ADS-B or SiriusXM, What’s Right for You to educate pilots on the differences between the services, so you can make an informed decision when selecting an inflight weather service.
Dave Hubner is with SiriusXM Aviation Services.
Letter from Mark
AOPA president addresses credit card issue
Dear AOPA Member:
I want to reach out directly regarding the credit card in your wallet. It has come to my attention that some Bank of America credit card holders aren’t aware of the fact that their credit card is no longer the AOPA credit card, no longer provides any aviation benefits, and in no way supports or is a part of aviation.
About a year ago, AOPA made a hard, but necessary decision. We chose to build a true aviation credit card that is built for pilots from the ground up, with every benefit considered by pilots, for pilots. Bank of America no longer carries the pilot’s credit card and there is now only one credit card that bears the name AOPA and represents the best credit card for pilots. If yours doesn’t look like this, you don’t have the AOPA pilot’s credit card. There is only one card that gives pilots the unique benefits that save them money, keeps them flying, supports aviation, and supports AOPA. That card is the new AOPA World Mastercard issued by Commerce Bank.
Pull out your card and check it against the images, if it doesn’t match one of them, it’s not the AOPA credit card. Your purchases are no longer supporting AOPA and in turn are no longer supporting general aviation.
I hope this letter clears up any confusion and I strongly encourage you to learn more about our new AOPA World Mastercard. It’s an absolute game-changer for pilots. It truly is the best credit card for pilots.
Make the switch today to start saving on your aviation purchases and much more.
Visit aopa.org/creditcard or feel free to give my staff at AOPA headquarters a call at 800-872-2672.
If you see me or any of our team at an aviation event or one our fly-ins, stop over to chat and tell us you made the switch.
—Mark Baker
Tips from PIC
Buying your first airplane
By Rodney Martz
If you’ve been flying for a while now, you can probably see the benefit of owning your own airplane. Pilots travel farther and stay longer when rental return is not a factor. If you are browsing aircraft ads, here are some tips to help you choose the best aircraft for your overall needs.
- Buy for 80 percent of your missions in the next year. This may force some compromise, but will keep you thinking about the number of seats and the cruising speed you really need.
- Fly the airplane before you buy it. If you know someone who owns the make and model of choice, ask if you can fly it. You want to check how it fits you and how it will fit your flying missions. Is it what you expected?
- Calculate your costs. With 10-, 12-, or 15-year amortization and about 15 percent down, financing is reasonable through AOPA Aviation Finance. Insurance quotes can be obtained from AssuredPartners Aerospace. Estimate your operational expenses: gas and oil, hangar or tiedown. Shop around for hangar space as it can be pricey, and see if it’s possible to share space. Research maintenance costs by talking with owners of the model of your interest about routine maintenance and the annual inspection. You can also learn much by chatting with the mechanics on the field.
- Finally, if costs seem prohibitive, consider a co-owner. One co-owner can cut your costs in half; two can cut them by two-thirds. Many pilots choose to co-own for this reason, as well as for camaraderie.
Contact AOPA with questions Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672), or email, [email protected].
Rodney Martz is a senior aviation technical specialist.
Legally Speaking
Sellers take note
Remember the ELT
By Chad Mayer
AOPA’s Legal Services Plan receives hundreds of calls each year related to aircraft transactions. When it comes time to sell an airplane, many owners are familiar with standard FAA paperwork such as a bill of sale. However, the seller of an aircraft has some regulatory requirements that may be easy to miss regarding the registration of the aircraft itself and sometimes of the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).
Per FAR 47.41, an aircraft’s registration becomes ineffective upon the transfer of ownership of the aircraft. It is then the seller’s responsibility to remove the registration certificate from the aircraft, complete the reverse side, and mail it back to the FAA within the prescribed time period (typically 21 days). The buyer is responsible for applying for a new registration.
If the aircraft being sold is equipped with a 406 MHz ELT, then the seller is also responsible for notifying National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT). Similar to how an aircraft owner is responsible for notifying the FAA when there is a sale as discussed above, or when there is an address change per FAR 47.45, FCC regulations require that, “Aircraft owners shall advise NOAA in writing upon change of aircraft or ELT ownership, or any other change in registration information” (see 47 CFR § 87.199(f)).
For more information, see FAA Advisory Circular 91-44A, which addresses ELTs including information on registration at section 7.8.
Chad Mayer is an in-house attorney for AOPA and a private pilot.
www.aopa.org/pps
Pilot Passport Program
Easy and Fun to Participate
- Explore new airports and places to fly
- Check in through the AOPA app
- Track your progress
- Earn points and badges
- Participate in challenges
Join the eightieth anniversary challenge and win great prizes. Free from iTunes and Google Play.
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