AUGUST 30, 2013 - VOL 15, ISSUE 35

Technique and Safety

IFR Fix

IFR Fix: Finding zero

After an area forecast tells you where the freezing level is forecast for your flight, you must then decide whether the big weather picture of clouds and precip permits safe crossing of the 0-degrees-Celsius line. Read more... Share:  

Flash-based, login required

Lessons from cemetery crash

Gordon Webster was lucky to walk away from the scene, after crashing his Beechcraft Bonanza into a cemetery. In this Air Safety Institute Real Pilot Story, Webster recounts trying to make a precautionary landing at a nearby airport and shares important lessons learned about preparing for and reacting properly to an emergency. View the story to learn more! Share:  

Article

Answers for Pilots: A ticket to learn

Whether it's a seaplane, tailwheel, complex, high-performance, or multiengine airplane that you hope to someday fly as pilot in command, the FAA requires training and testing, or an endorsement by an authorized instructor, to have an additional category, class, or operating privilege added to your credentials. Read more... Share:  

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Single-pilot IFR works for married pilots, too

One of the most technically challenging environments for a pilot is flying, as the sole pilot, in instrument conditions. Fortunately, it can be done—with adequate preparation and training—safely and with confidence. Broaden your horizons in IMC by taking the Air Safety Institute's Single Pilot IFR online course. Take the course... Share:  

Blog

Leading Edge: Asteroids & monkey poop

You've probably heard about NASA's latest plan to generate interest, and perhaps some funding, by catching an asteroid that is going to destroy the planet and bag it (paper or plastic?). Read more... Share:  

AOPA Aviation Summit

Article

Summit offers broad appeal

Easy access, great programming, and low costs are some of the things that make attending the 2013 AOPA Aviation Summit in Fort Worth, Texas, attractive to members. Read more... Share:  

Video

Approved for pilot audiences: AOPA Aviation Summit

Get a sneak peek at all of the fun planned for AOPA Aviation Summit 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 10 through 12. Watch the video... Share:  

Event information

Register now, save up to 20 percent on Summit packages

AOPA has streamlined pricing this year for its Aviation Summit in order to give members access to all of the content at the event at one low price. If you register before Sept. 6, you will receive up to 20 percent off most registration options. See pricing details... Share:  

Call for volunteers

Sign up to volunteer at Summit

AOPA needs volunteers to help with parking 1,000-plus attendee aircraft, directing ground transportation, and managing the flow of people and vehicles. This year's AOPA Aviation Summit in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 10 through 12 promises to be an outstanding event. Be a part of pulling it off—sign up to volunteer today! Share:  

Health

Video

Can you hear me?

Whether you learned to fly in a Cessna 150 sans headset, listened to too much rock music in your younger years, or if those younger years were long ago, your hearing could be damaged, explains Dr. Jonathan Sackier in the latest episode of Fly Well. Watch the video...

Technology

Article

NASA crash aims for safety

NASA on Aug. 28 dropped a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter fuselage with test dummies on board to test seat belts and gather data. Read more... Share:  

Article

3-D printed rocket part tested

A rocket fuel injector made using 3-D printing technology held up under extreme pressure and temperatures in a NASA test, marking a milestone in the development of technology that has aviation applications as well. Read more... Share:  

Opinion

Blog

The next and biggest threat to GA (part 2)

Pilots should consider the following: The government has identified VFR flying as an area that they do not control in the way that they do most other areas of transportation. They will work to eliminate that ambiguity. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Join the aviation social revolution

It is hard to ignore the current explosion of social networking that is occurring in the general aviation family. Facebook, Twitter, blogging, videos, podcasting, or the next big thing to debut tomorrow ... take your pick. The platform does not matter. General aviation needs you to be all in right now. Read more... Share:  

Gear

Article

Could apps lower your fuel bill?

With the price of fuel continuing to rise, pilots need all the help they can get in managing their fuel costs. These five apps claim they can help. Read more... Share:  

Travel

Blog

MU-2 round the world

Interesting things always used to start with a phone call or an email. And it was an email from an old friend, Ross Russo, that kicked off the discussion that led to an invitation for AOPA Technical Editor Mike Collins to fly around the world to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Mitsubishi MU-2's first flight. Read more... Share:  

Day 1: Frederick to Goose Bay

Day 2: Goose Bay to Reykjavik

Day 3: Reykjavik to Straubing

Member benefits

EA+ update: Overseas travel precautions

There are some basic safety tips every traveler should keep in mind, even if they are the most seasoned of voyagers. Check out these four tips from AOPA's Emergency Assistance Plus Program. Read more... Share:  

Financial

Members only

The 'R' in AROW

Aircraft owners should know by now that the FAA has largely done away with aircraft registration certificates that have no expiration date on their face. Registration certificates will now expire three years after issuance. If you are caught flying an unregistered aircraft, there is the possibility that the aircraft will be seized—a very expensive mistake to make. Read more... Share:  

Article

Club limits membership, increases aircraft access

Membership in the New Hampshire Flying Association is limited to 17 so that members have better access to the flying club's A36 Bonanza. The club has one level of membership for the Bonanza: a $2,200 share price. Dues are $268 a month fixed, and it costs $150 an hour wet, to use the aircraft, with three hours per quarter minimum. Read more... Share:  

News and Notes

Article

ANA buys Pan Am academy

The parent company of All Nippon Airways has acquired Pan Am International Flight Academy in Miami. Read more... Share:  

Article

Citation M2 takes flight

Cessna Aircraft Co. announced the first flight of a production Citation M2 on Aug. 23, with certification expected in the fall. The M2, which first flew in March, is built to carry six passengers on legs of up to 1,300 nautical miles and compete with Embraer's Phenom 100. Read more... Share:  

Article

LSA claims spin-resistance

SAM Aircraft claims its light sport aircraft (LSA) two-seater will only spiral. It is unclear how far the company has pushed the flight test envelope. Read more... Share:  

Article

Redbird Skyport offers dollar-a-gallon avgas

Redbird Skyport is offering avgas for $1 per gallon in October. The Texas FBO is not pulling a stunt, however, but rather seeking data to learn about how costs affect flying habits. Read more... Share:  

Article

FAA ends direct-to-consumer sales of paper charts

Pilots will have to buy paper aeronautical charts from authorized agents after the FAA ends direct sales on Oct. 1. Read more... Share:  

Article

Lufthansa seeks more female pilots

Finding more female pilot applicants and hiring them is the goal of a new partnership between Germany's Lufthansa and the Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide. Read more... Share:  

Article

Jordan joins IAOPA ranks

The International Council of the Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association has approved Jordan as the seventy-second affiliate, growing the ranks of general aviation organization in the Middle East. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Strange but true GA news

A bad videographer choice, drones go Hollywood, and some hard landings. Read more... Share:  

AOPA Career Opportunities

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

Forums

EFB recommendations

A member asks for recommendations on electronic flight bags. Which one do you prefer? Read more...