Training News and Notes

AOPA News

AOPA offers scholarships

Opportunities for teens and beyond

Scholarships for flight training and other aviation-related activities are available for flying fans of all ages. Through the generous support of donors to the AOPA Foundation, a variety of opportunities are available:

• AOPA AV8RS continues its annual scholarship program for its members, age 13 through 18. Opportunities include flight training, aviation camps, aviation technology schools, and collegiate aviation programs. Deadline is August 31.

• The AOPA High School Flight Training Scholarship Program will award 20 $5,000 scholarships for flight training to high school students who demonstrate an interest in pursuing their pilot certificates. Deadline is August 31.

• The AOPA Foundation offers a flight training scholarship program for those who want to pursue a pilot’s certificate, ages 16 and up, whether it’s for your private pilot or for a career pilot program. Deadline is July 7.

Information on all of these opportunities many be found online (www.aopa.org/scholarships).

Instrument students can turn to ASA for online ground school

ASA has announced the availability of Instrument Pilot Online Ground School. The course, which joins an online private pilot ground school, features evaluation, textbook resources, course tracking, and multimedia presentations. Course contents include weather; weather services; flight instruments and procedures; navigation; regulations and procedures; departure, en route, arrival, and approach; and tips for taking the knowledge test. Among the resources offered are The Pilot’s Manual: Instrument Flying ebook, a searchable Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual, and an on-screen CX-2 flight computer.

Pilots can access the ground school via internet-connected devices such as laptop and desktop computers, smartphones, and tablets. When students complete the course and practice test, they receive an endorsement letter and graduation certificate. Access to the course is available for 24 months after the registration date, even if the course has been completed within that time.

Instrument Pilot Online Ground School is available for $199.95. For more information, see the website.

ASI News

Be prepared

Trust your training if you lose power

We don’t like to think that an engine could fail while we’re flying, and thankfully it does not happen often. But you should be prepared.

The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s new Engine Out! From Trouble to Touchdown video helps you to understand your immediate responsibility and the steps you should take to have the best chance of a successful outcome. The video describes the difference between responding to a simulated engine-out during training and to a real engine-out when you’re on your own—and it covers engine-out scenarios during takeoff and at altitude. It also discusses your best choices for a landing site and provides rule-of-thumb calculations that will give you a quick idea how long a glide you’ll have before touching down. You’ll also learn about important steps you can take to reduce the risk of an engine failure, including proper engine monitoring, maintenance, and fueling tips.

Video made possible by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Flight Safety Foundation and Donner Canadian Foundation.

Web: www.airsafetyinstitute.org/emergencyprocedures/singleengine

Mother Nature’s roller-coaster ride

When thunderstorms unleash their fury, they present a multitude of weather conditions that are dangerous to aircraft. With storm season in full swing, you will benefit from checking out the Thunderstorm Avoidance Safety Spotlight, which has storm-related courses, videos, recorded webinars, quizzes, and publications in one place. How many thunderstorms form daily around the world? Find the answer in the Thunderstorm Avoidance quiz. Test your knowledge.

Milestones

Record-setting scholarships awarded

Able Flight now in its tenth year

Able Flight, the North Carolina-based organization that supports flight for people with disabilities, has entered its tenth year and has awarded a record-setting eight scholarships for 2016.

The recipients come from throughout the country and face challenges from a variety of physical disabilities—seven people who use wheelchairs because of the effects of injuries, and one who is deaf. Receiving scholarships are Johnny Ragland and Justin Falls of North Carolina; Ethan Daffron of Indiana; Scott Earley of Florida; Shafeeq Moore of Georgia; Bernard Dime of Arizona; Trevor Denning of Texas; and Shavon McGlynn of New York. They will train on Able Flight’s campus at Purdue University.

“When I have the pleasure of calling to notify applicants of their awards, I tell them that they are about to embark on a journey that will change their lives forever,” said Charles Stites of Able Flight. “Our program is demanding and challenging and that’s because we work with our partners at Purdue’s department of aviation technology to make it so. When our students become certificated pilots, they know they have earned it.”

Graduates will be awarded their Able Flight Wings on stage at EAA AirVenture on July 26.

Web: www.ableflight.org

10 years of Able Flight
45 pilots trained
53 pilot certificates and ratings
12 career training scholarships
78 scholarships to date