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News & Media Membership: Working for pilots

Membership: Working for pilots

AOPA’s big wins in 2019—and more to come in 2020

March 1, 2020 By Julie Summers Walker
From state legislatures and airport board meetings to Capitol Hill and the FAA, AOPA works at the local and national level, protecting general aviation for more than 80 years.
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No test, no rating, and no endorsement

Q: I recently became interested in aerobatic training and was looking at FAR 91.303. All that tells me is where I can’t fly aerobatics. Where are the requirements to become aerobatic qualified?

A: There are no regulatory requirements to become aerobatics qualified: no practical test, test standards, or currency requirements. Hence, there is no certificate, rating, or endorsement to be earned. The same is true regarding aerobatics flight instructors: no test, no rating, and no endorsement. Furthermore, very few instructors have ever flown aerobatics themselves, and they couldn’t teach you if you asked.

So, how does one become aerobatic qualified, in your words, since there are no ratings, endorsements, or minimum hours of required training?

Ideally, find a flight school that offers aerobatic instruction in a properly certificated airplane, with trained instructors. Take as much instruction as you wish. You will find that it is pretty easy to fit quite a few maneuvers into a short training session. Be sure to cover spins, loops, and rolls. They are the basics of aerobatic flying. Just about all other maneuvers are based, in part, on those three.

Barring that, find someone who knows how to fly aerobatics, and has access to a properly certificated airplane, and take a few flights. Personally, my aerobatics instructor was a 275-hour private pilot who had 150 hours of aerobatic time; I was a 3,800-hour instructor. We split the rental fee and he taught me the basics.

I would hesitate to suggest that you teach yourself, again, in a properly certificated airplane; however, the regulations do not prohibit this. Remember, there are no training requirements or ratings, so nothing regulatory prevents teaching oneself aerobatic maneuvers, so long as the aircraft is not operated in a “careless or reckless” manner.

For more information, contact AOPA’s Pilot Information Center at 800-872-2672 or [email protected].

Craig Brown is a senior aviation technical specialist in the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

The U.S. Senate passed a resolution for AOPA’s eightieth anniversary in May 2019, recognizing the association’s leadership in advocating for general aviation. AOPA’s advocacy arm continued working hard during the anniversary year. Here are the top advocacy wins of 2019:

Mexico travel. AOPA led efforts urging Mexico’s Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics to officially recognize and accept pilots flying with BasicMed to travel to and from Mexico. Pilots were permitted to begin flying between the United States and Mexico under the authorization starting December 10. 

TFR impact. In February 2019, President Trump signed a bill securing $3.5 million in reimbursement funding for three non-gateway airports—New Jersey’s Solberg and Somerset airports, and Florida’s Palm Beach County Park Airport, also known as Lantana—and businesses closed by temporary flight restrictions associated with his VIP travel. AOPA is the leading advocate in Washington, D.C., working to find a solution for presidential TFR impacts on airports.

New certification standards. The FAA published revised standards for airline transport pilot certification and type rating issuance that more closely align with the knowledge pilots must have to fly safely. AOPA chaired the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee’s Airman Certification System Working Group that worked with the FAA to develop new holistic and integrated certification standards that ensure pilots are trained and tested on all the elements needed to operate safely in the national airspace system.

Border crossing. AOPA collaborated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on CBP's Mobile Primary program and testing of the eAPIS Mobile Quickclear app to expedite the cross-border experience. The association’s ongoing efforts include working toward more innovation and risk-based solutions for GA.

AIP and workforce funds. A government funding package signed by Trump in December 2019 included $3.35 billion for the Airport Improvement Program and $10 million for workforce grant programs, a huge win for AOPA and the aviation industry, particularly as the industry works to introduce high school students to aviation through STEM-based aviation curriculum, grow the pilot population, and address aviation maintenance technician shortages.

aopa.org/advocacy

Washington, D.C.-based publication The Hill released its annual list of top lobbyists. AOPA was named to the list for the sixth year in a row, which “highlights the broad range of talents needed to succeed in the influence industry.” AOPA is among the nation’s top companies, labor unions, and associations.

Julie Walker

Julie Summers Walker

AOPA Senior Features Editor
AOPA Senior Features Editor Julie Summers Walker joined AOPA in 1998. She is a student pilot still working toward her solo.
Go to Julie Summers Walker's Profile

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