OCTOBER 11, 2013 - VOL 15, ISSUE 41

Technique and Safety

Fly like a fighter

Lost wingman vertigo

Rolling out on a 15-mile final, the T-38 instructor-in-training lost sight of the lead aircraft three feet to his left in clouds. Initiating the lost wingman maneuver with a radio call and a slight turn away, the trainee turned his head to the right to look inside the cockpit. About 30 feet away from the lead, the clouds parted and he started to rejoin. He looked left, and in an instant was back in the clouds. He immediately got vertigo. Read more... Share:  

IFR Fix

'Probably just the gauge'

On course, on altitude—but what's this? The oil pressure gauge gets your attention—its needle is deflected low of normal. Oddly, there's no rise in oil temperature to present a classic indication of engine trouble. Still, you wish you had paid closer attention to the engine gauges. Read more... Share:  

Article

Red Bull Air Race back in 2014

After a three-year hiatus, the Red Bull Air Race returns with seven competitions worldwide and some of the favorite pilots in the race's eight-year history, including U.S. pilots Michael Goulian and Kirby Chambliss. The races return with a number of safety enhancements. Read more... Share:  

IFR quiz, login required

Are you ready for the flight review?

A flight review is a great way to refresh your piloting knowledge and ensure you are up to date on any changes since your last flight review or checkride. Be prepared before you meet with your flight instructor by taking this Air Safety Institute quiz. Take the quiz... Share:  

Real Pilot Story

Stacking the deck in your favor

On the night of Oct. 9, 2009, Dr. Peeter Jakobson and two passengers were flying over the Gulf of Mexico when their Mooney experienced a sudden engine failure beyond gliding distance from shore. Were they prepared for the ordeal ahead? Watch the Air Safety Institute's Real Pilot Stories: Ditching in the Dark to learn what decisions saved their lives.

Blog

Politics and safety: Santa Monica

All pilots should be interested when politics start to trump safety and operational considerations. AOPA Foundation President Bruce Landsberg shares his op-ed piece scheduled to appear in the Santa Monica Mirror. Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

Advocacy

Aircraft registry, knowledge tests snarled by shutdown

As the federal government shutdown continued into its second week, AOPA joined other general aviation associations in calling on the Secretary of Transportation to reopen the FAA's United States Aircraft Registry to prevent paralysis in sales and delivery of aircraft. Read more... Share:  

Article

Shutdown closes historic airfield

The National Park Service shut down the airstrip at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and two other strips on the Outer Banks of North Carolina as much of the federal government ground to a halt after Oct. 1. Read more... Share:  

Advocacy

Baker to House: Cooperation key to GA growth

General aviation delivers jobs, but user fees, unfunded mandates, and poor regulation can stifle growth, AOPA President Mark Baker told the House Committee on Small Business. Government needs to work with the GA community to help aviation, and the small businesses it supports, thrive. Read more... Share:  

Health

Members only

The value of experience

You may not be aware that one of the many benefits of AOPA membership is unique to the aviation association world. AOPA is the only general aviation organization with a full-time staff of medical certification specialists whose primary role is to assist members with medical certification challenges. Read more... Share:  

Technology

Article

Street-legal airplane: A test drive

Engine noise filled the cockpit, but the propeller stood stationary. It wasn't the only thing that felt a bit off as Trey Johnson pulled out of the exhibit space under power of a 50-horsepower Kawasaki engine—there were the rearview mirrors, too, and the orange switches in the cockpit labeled "Fly" and "Drive." Read more... Share:  

Opinion

Blog

A future with more government shutdowns?

What if government shutdowns become the new normal? It wasn't that long ago that filibusters in the Senate were rare, but since 2009 they've become routine. Read more... Share:  

Blog

The universal headset

Nothing ruins an otherwise pleasant flight faster than a throbbing headache brought on by the weight and clamping force exerted by a cheap, beat-up, or poor-fitting headset. Could in-ear headsets be the way to go? Read more... Share:  

Blog

The importance of hitchhikers and fence lice

Many pilots got their introduction to the field by attaching themselves like lice to the goings-on of the airport at the fence, or getting to hop along on a ride in a new airplane. But Opinion Leaders blogger Martin Rottler says that now it seems "these young (and old, as the Fence Lice phenomena knows no age limits) are considered a mild annoyance or are ignored outright." Read more... Share:  

Gear

Article

Garmin introduces unique GPS watch

Garmin's D2 begins a new era in aviation: the wearable GPS. Calling it a watch is sort of like calling the Space Shuttle an airplane. It's more accurate to call it a wearable navigator. Read more... Share:  

Article

Rig it right: Improving aircraft performance, part 3

Proper rigging is essential for top performance. If your airplane is not properly rigged, the aircraft is fighting against itself in flight. Misaligned control surfaces can induce a lot of drag and the control inputs you use to correct things only make matters worse. Read more... Share:  

Travel

Slideshow

Baker splashes in

AOPA President Mark Baker attended the newly launched Lake Gaston Resort Seaplane Splash-In Oct. 5 in southern Virginia and, flying in a 1947 Republic Seabee, literally splashed in. Read more... Share:  

Blog

World trip, by the numbers

Readers have asked for statistics about Mike Collins' around-the-world trip, and some of them are starting to come in. Read more... Share:  

Financial

Article

Redbird calls early halt to $1 avgas sales

Redbird Skyport will end its much-publicized experiment selling $1-per-gallon avgas on Oct. 15—or 16 days earlier than planned—as it struggles to avoid being swamped by demand for the fuel, which normally sells in the $6-per-gallon range. Read more... Share:  

Article

Mooney funding news expected

Mooney Aircraft has promised for months that it is looking for a funding partner, and it may have found one in China. Read more... Share:  

Member benefit

Insurance info for new pilots

Insurance is an important piece of joining the ranks of aviators. New pilots may have an existing life and/or accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) policy; if so, take time to pull it out and read the exclusions thoroughly. Read more... Share:  

Article

Texas partnership a fit for pilot

Buying into a partnership can be risky, but for John Field, the decision to become part of Addison Flyers LLC fit his mission and his personality. The limited liability company has a Cessna 182 and a turbonormalized Bonanza B36 and 10 members. Affordable ownership without any schedule conflicts made the investment risk worthwhile for Field. Read more... Share:  

CORRECTION: In the Oct. 4 issue of AOPA ePilot, we incorrectly identified the model number of a donated Socata Trinidad. It is a TB21TC. We regret the error.

News and Notes

Article

AOPA responds to patent lawsuit

AOPA responded to the SD Holdings patent infringement lawsuit against FlyQ Web on Oct. 7, requesting dismissal due to the fact there is no basis for SDH's patent infringement allegations against AOPA's online aviation flight planning tool that is available to members free of charge. Read more... Share:  

Blog

Strange but true general aviation news

A student gets real-world flight training, a cop tickets a Black Hawk helicopter, and Capt. Kirk confesses. Read more... Share:  

Article

Pilots vie for world title

Rob Holland and the rest of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team are on home turf as the FAI World Aerobatic Championships returns to U.S. soil for the first time in 10 years. Read more... Share:  

Article

NBAA to host Teachers' Day

The National Business Aviation Association will host a Build A Plane Teachers' Day at its annual meeting. Read more... Share:  

Article

Piper delivers turbine trainer

Piper Aircraft may reconsider a past decision against marketing its Meridian turboprop to the flight training market, having sold one to Airline Transport Professionals. The comparatively low cost of operating the Meridian will benefit students who need turbine time. Read more... Share:  

Webinars

View upcoming webinars

AOPA offers several webinars each month. October Webinars will tackle subjects including aircraft insurance for renters, operating rules for flying clubs, avionics upgrades, and health. View the upcoming October webinars here. 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

iOS 7 upgrade

Has anyone had issues with apps after upgrading to iOS 7? Read more...