Member News and Notes: Pilots flock to Beaufort

By Thomas A. Horne

There was only one unwelcome guest at AOPA’s first regional fly-in of 2016: rain. But in spite of two bouts with rainfall, enthusiastic visitors crowded into Michael J. Smith Field Airport in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Especially popular was the standing-room-only “10 Things You Should Know About Flying with iPad and ForeFlight” seminar, one of more than two dozen seminars on everything from spins to the basics of flying for nonpilots. Also packed was the Barnstormers Party sponsored by Jeppesen, held the night before the fly-in.

Prominent among the aircraft on display were Textron Aviation’s Beech King Air 250, Baron B58, and Cessna 182. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University had a Cessna 172; Piper its M350; Cirrus its SR22GTS and SR22T; and Diamond its new DA62. Whit Hickman, executive director of the American Bonanza Society, headed up his organization’s southeast regional chapter’s presence, whose centerpiece was a 1963 Beechcraft Debonair. The Debonair was flown in from AOPA’s home airport in Frederick, Maryland. The Mooney Ambassadors and Cessna Pilots Society also had a presence.

Marines from the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point flew in a Bell Boeing V–22 Osprey. They joined a Navy CH–53 Sea Stallion and CH–60 Seahawk from Virginia. The Marines also relaxed adjoining restricted areas to allow for freer access to airplanes before, during, and after the fly-in.

AOPA President Mark Baker gave a rundown of AOPA initiatives on the main stage. There, in a show of unity and support, was Jack Pelton, chairman and CEO of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Baker ran down a list of AOPA’s notable recent accomplishments, including the You Can Fly initiative, aimed at inviting people to join and stay engaged in aviation. The Rusty Pilots program, which held 65 seminars this year, is responsible for putting 1,500 pilots back in the air. The Flying Clubs initiative helped start 15 flying clubs in the past 15 months. Advocacy initiatives include third class medical reform and the push to allow less expensive, non-TSOed equipment into the cockpits of certified airplanes. And will user fees ever come about? AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Coon said the issue “may keep coming around, but as long as Mark [Baker] and Jack [Pelton] are around, we’ll be OK.”

Like all of AOPA’s regional fly-ins, Beaufort was a feel-good event. “Everybody have a good time?” Baker asked the crowd. A unanimous “yes” was the reply.

Email [email protected]

2016 AOPA Fly-Ins

August 20—Bremerton National Airport (PWT), Bremerton, Washington
September 17—W.K. Kellogg Airport (BTL), Battle Creek, Michigan
October 1—Ernest A. Love Field (PRC), Prescott, Arizona
74% of fly-in attendees have never been to a large AOPA event before.

Web: www.aopa.org/fly-ins

By the numbers

1,883 Attendees
230 Aircraft
806 Lunches served
28 Display aircraft
55 Exhibitors
414 Breakfasts served
522 Barnstormers Party
84 Rusty Pilots

Products and Services

AOPA Finance

Shopping for an older airplane

Does age influence a lender? Talking with Adam Meredith, AOPA Aviation Finance

The used aircraft market is stocked with older single- and multiengine piston aircraft of many makes and models. If one of these older airplanes has caught your eye, be aware that lenders will indirectly consider an airplane’s age when setting terms and interest rates. Depending on how old the airplane is, you could be required to put down a larger down payment and have a higher interest rate or a shorter term of amortization for the loan, but not for the reasons you think.

Why? “Generally speaking, what drives this isn’t so much age but the byproduct of age, which is the value of the airplane,” said Adam Meredith, president of the AOPA Finance Co.

Indirect byproducts of an aircraft’s age can include damage history and incomplete logbooks. “Both of those tend to create a problem when it comes to financing options,” Meredith said.

It’s not impossible to obtain financing for an airplane with some damage history or missing logbooks, but a borrower’s options will certainly be limited. “The way to get those issues remedied is more money down, a shorter term, and potentially a higher interest rate,” Meredith said. “Also, give yourself a little extra time in the approval process if any of these issues are known or come up,” he said. “It will take longer for the lender to get comfortable understanding the nature of the missing logs or the damage history, and they will need to collect additional documentation—assuming they get comfortable with it.”

Can an airplane be too old to qualify for financing? Not typically, as long as there’s an active market for that airplane. Also, if the airplane you want to purchase is still being manufactured and parts are plentiful, this definitely helps expand the number of financing options available.

Web: www.aopafinance.com

Sandy landing

Sharing our flying experiences with members

By Ty Chaudhry

I spoke with a pilot who called recently to discuss an upcoming trip overseas, in an area with little aviation infrastructure. As we talked, I shared one of my own flight experiences in a foreign environment. I had just arrived in Indonesia to begin my first job as a captain flying a Cessna Caravan. The training captain, Mike, summoned me to the airport in Jakarta for line training. After a brief overview, he told me to hop into the left seat.

Mike directed me to the coastline. He announced that we would be making a sandy landing and pointed to a short, narrow area between palm trees. We flew a low pass. On final approach, I crabbed the Caravan into the strong crosswind. There was no room for error; once I stuck the landing we needed to stop quickly without much reverse so we didn’t create a sandstorm. Once down, I jumped from the Caravan and picked up a fistful of sand, both awed and thankful for my first sandy landing.

Flying in new locations presents plenty of new challenges, from foreign operating rules to a precision landing on sand. If you are planning to fly in an unfamiliar environment, call the AOPA Pilot Information Center at 800-USA-AOPA.

Ty Chaudhry is the digital products support specialist for the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

Ask Jim

I'm almost at TBO--can I still get insurance

By Jim Pinegar, vice president and director of AOPA Insurance Services

Q: My engine will be at TBO in the next year. Will having an engine at or beyond TBO affect my insurance?

A: When an engine is overhauled depends upon many factors: calendar time, tach hours, oil analysis, compressions, et cetera. These affect engine performance and arguably safety. However, with insurance, TBO typically isn’t considered—there’s not even a question regarding it on the application. Unless a particular manufacturer deems that operation beyond TBO is an airworthiness issue and invalidates the airworthiness certificate—and I can’t think of a recent circumstance—TBO does not affect insurance. TBO is typically between you, your engine, and your mechanic.

Have questions? Email [email protected].

NEWS & NOTES AOPA FOUNDATION

Air Safety Institute

Sharing stories

Been there, done that—hangar flying at its best

If you’re around aviation long enough, you’ll eventually witness an invigorating session of pilots sharing troubling flying experiences, thus providing an opportunity for others to avoid similar predicaments. Building on this valuable aspect of hangar flying, the AOPA Air Safety Institute created its Real Pilot Stories series about a decade ago, featuring pilots who got into an “I’m up here, wishing I were down there” situation—and lived to tell about it. Whether the problem came about from their own doing or was out of their control, these pilots agreed to share hard-earned wisdom and newfound perspectives in the hopes that others can learn from them.

The 22 Real Pilot Stories cover a broad spectrum of mishaps, including a new instrument pilot’s icing encounter over the Appalachian Mountains; a brief, but terrifying entanglement with a snake in the cockpit; a pilot being trapped on top of the clouds while low on fuel; a flight instructor battling a fire in the cockpit; and a four-hour cross-country flight that turned into a search-and-rescue mission in the unforgiving Idaho backcountry—to name just a few.

The pilots discuss the problems and solutions in their own words, with the goal of helping you avoid a similar situation. A mix of actual or flight simulator footage and ATC audio (when available) form a realistic re-creation of the event. For example, the story of Doug White—a single-engine, Cessna 172 pilot at the time of the incident who had to take the controls of a multiengine Beech King Air when its pilot became incapacitated—was re-created with flight simulator footage and ATC audio recordings. The story recounts controllers talking White through the process of stabilizing the airplane and eventually landing safely, with his wife and daughters seated in the cabin behind him (“Real Pilot Story: Pinch Hitting a King Air”).

Reviewing these experiences is a great way to sharpen your flying skills and help you anticipate gotchas that can creep into everyday flying. ASI thanks the pilots who have been willing to share their stories and contribute to aviation safety. You can follow their flights on ASI’s website.

Did you know?

Each time you complete one of the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s free online safety courses, Real Pilot Stories, or Accident Case Studies, you are entered in ASI’s Learn and Earn Safety Challenge for a chance to win a Garmin GDL 39 ADS-B receiver for the iPad. Take more courses—get more chances.

Avoid taking your airplane on a roller-coaster ride

When thunderstorms unleash their fury above the Earth’s surface, they present a multitude of weather conditions that are dangerous to aircraft and their pilots. So with storm season in full swing, you will benefit from checking out the Thunderstorm Avoidance Safety Spotlight, which gathers storm-related courses, videos, recorded webinars, quizzes, and publications in one place (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/spotlight/thunderstorms). Guess how many thunderstorms form daily around the world—the answer can be found in the Thunderstorm Avoidance quiz. Test your knowledge of storm avoidance techniques and learn why smart pilots won’t tangle with Mother Nature (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/t-storm).

Going to EAA Airventure? Attend one of ASI’s seminars during the event.

July 27—“The 80/20 Rule”
July 28—“Setting Personal Minimums”
July 29—“What Went Wrong”
July 30—“Mind Over Matter”

NEWS & NOTES pilot protection services

Legally speaking

Close calls with closed runways

recently the attorneys with the AOPA Legal Services Plan received a call from a pilot who, while taxiing to the active runway at the local towered airport, casually crossed a closed runway. As a result, ground control quickly advised the pilot of a deviation, as no clearance had been issued to cross the closed runway. The pilot reviewed the notam in effect for the runway closure prior to the flight, but told us that he believed no clearance was necessary to cross the closed runway, because he had no doubt that the runway was in fact closed.

However, the federal aviation regulations do not make any distinction between a closed runway and an active runway when it comes to clearance requirements. For example, with respect to takeoff, landing, and taxi clearances at Class D airports, FAR 91.129 states that “no person may, at any airport with an operating control tower, operate an aircraft on a runway or taxiway, or take off or land an aircraft, unless an appropriate clearance is received from ATC.”

Additional insight can be gained from FAA Order JO 7110.65W, which prescribes ATC procedures and phraseology and states that for taxi and ground movement operations, “Aircraft/vehicles must receive a clearance for each runway their route crosses. An aircraft/vehicle must have crossed a previous runway before another runway crossing clearance may be issued. Note—A clearance is required for aircraft/vehicles to operate on any active, inactive, or closed runway except for vehicles operating on closed runways in accordance with a Letter of Agreement (LOA).”

Likewise, the FAA’s Best Practice Guide for Runway Safety states that pilots must “never cross a hold line, including inactive or closed runways, without explicit ATC instructions.” With this in mind, never hesitate to query ATC to be certain you are cleared to cross or enter a runway.

Jared Allen is an in-house attorney with AOPA’s Legal Services Plan and an instrument-rated private pilot.