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Top Stories
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Article
The XCub is full of surprises, starting with its existence. A new, FAA-certified, piston general aviation aircraft is extremely rare these days, and the XCub comes to the flying public as a fait accompli. Its six-year development was closely guarded, and the project wasn't even announced until its application for an FAA type certificate was final, and the first production aircraft were on the assembly line. That's unheard of. Read more and watch the XCub in action...
 
Article
AOPA is offering more than 40 scholarships this year worth more than $156,000 through three different programs. Scholarships are open to a wide range of aviation enthusiasts ages 13 and up. Read more...
AOPA Live This Week
It's not your father's SuperCub: Find out how the new CubCrafters' XCub will redefine backcountry flying. Not yet equipped for the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out mandate? The FAA will give you $500 if you are among the first 20,000 to equip starting this fall. Also this week, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta tours the newly restored B-29 Doc during a recent visit to Wichita. Watch AOPA Live This Week®, June 9...
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ADS-B Update
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Advocacy
The FAA is betting that $500 will spur more aircraft owners to equip with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out technology. Following months of encouragement from AOPA and others in the industry, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta placed such a bet June 6 during a meeting at the Wichita Aero Club in Kansas. Read more...
Article
In researching upgrade paths to allow his airplane to keep flying legally in controlled airspace beyond 2020, AOPA Editor at Large Dave Hirschman found a minimal, cost-efficient route to compliance based on some basic criteria. Read more...
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Technique and Safety
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Fly like a fighter
Early in F-15 training, retired U.S. Air Force pilot Larry Brown learned the importance of visual lookout. Whether it was acquiring an attacker to avoid being shot or gaining a tally to go in for a kill, Brown said trainees were guided by the phrase, "Lose sight, lose the fight," which general aviation pilots can apply to their own flying. Read more...
Video
You know to stay out of instrument meteorological conditions unless you are instrument rated and current (or are training with your instrument instructor). But, if by mistake you get caught in the clouds, get help immediately. Talk to air traffic control and admit to the emergency. Learn how controllers can help you escape this perilous situation. Watch the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Confess to ATC video...
Aircraft Maintenance
Unplanned aircraft maintenance is rarely good news, but sometimes it's a blessing in disguise. A&P Jeff Simon shares how investigating small discrepancies on his aircraft revealed larger issues that could have caused serious problems. Read more...
Safety Spotlight
The convective season is here in most parts of the United States, with the potential hazard of strong—even violent—thunderstorms lurking on the horizon. So now is a good time to brush up on how to avoid these convective beasts. Learn how to stay safe with the AOPA Air Safety Institute's Thunderstorm Avoidance Safety Spotlight.
Blog
AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Safety Advisor Bruce Landsberg offers tips on how to communicate effectively with air traffic control. Read more...
Article
AOPA's Air Safety Institute hosted a Safe Skies, Good Neighbors town hall June 3 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, following a series of recent, high-profile accidents in the area. Read more...
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Advocacy
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Advocacy
Aviation organizations have banded together to urge the House to pass an FAA reauthorization bill that can be signed into law before the agency's current funding extension expires July 15. Read more...
Advocacy
RTCA held its annual Global Aviation Symposium in Washington, D.C., June 1 and 2, where AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines and AOPA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger hosted panel discussions about NextGen. Read more...
FAA seeks more pilot participation in GA survey
The FAA is asking aircraft owners to complete the General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Surveys, conducted by third-party research firm Tetra Tech, so that the agency can get an accurate understanding of the number of GA hours flown in 2015 and why pilots fly. According to the FAA, 45 percent of experimental, 40 percent of helicopter, 38 percent of fixed-wing piston, and 32 percent of fixed-wing turbine aircraft owners have responded. The FAA seeks owners' participation even if they didn't fly in 2015. Owners invited to participate would have received a mailing from the FAA.
Advocacy
The U.S. Navy has canceled plans to jam GPS signals in the vicinity of the China Lake, California, Naval Air Weapons Station. AOPA had raised concerns about the impact on civilian air traffic and the size of the affected area. The Navy did not reveal the cause of the cancellation, other than to say the reason was "internal." Read more...
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Health
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Webinar
AOPA Director of Medical Certification Services Gary Crump and Dr. Jonathan Sackier will discuss the common reasons for airman medical certificate denials in a Pilot Protection Services webinar June 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Register today...
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Technology
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Article
FreeFlight Systems, a NextGen avionics manufacturer based in Waco, Texas, announced that it has been granted FAA approval to test Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and radar-altimetry applications designed to help safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System. Read more...
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Opinion
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Blog
What can the average aviation lover do to help inspire the love of flight and protect their home aerodrome? Opinion Leaders blogger Jolie Lucas offers some advice. Read more...
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Gear
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Article
Flight Resource, the Bloomer, Wisconsin-based distributor of composite MT propellers and upgrades, has received a supplemental type certificate for a thrust-reversing system for many Cessna single-engine piston aircraft equipped with MT composite two-blade and three-blade props. Read more...
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Travel
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Pilot Getaways feature
Old movies about Texas often depict the entire state as a desert surrounded by rugged mountains. This is true of only one special region of Texas—the Big Bend Country, where the Chihuahuan Desert unfolds. Within this starkly beautiful country lie numerous ranches, and Cibolo Creek Ranch is one of the grandest, with dozens of springs creating an oasis in the desert. Read more...
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Financial
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Webinar
You've decided to make the jump from aircraft renter to owner. Walk through the purchasing process with AOPA Pilot Information Center and Flight Operations Vice President Mike Filucci and AOPA Senior Aviation Technical Specialist Rodney Martz during a webinar June 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Register today...
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News and Notes
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Article
Japanese pilot Yoshihide Muroya "wrote a new page in Japan's sporting history" before 50,000 fans June 5 with his victory at the Red Bull Air Race World Championship event in Chiba, Japan. Read more...
Article
The Experimental Aircraft Association plans to train a small number of pilots to "fly the Oshkosh way" at its first EAA Sport Pilot Academy. Read more...
Article
After the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels had accidents June 2, the teams' future performances at airshows this season are uncertain. Read more...
Article
A National Transportation Safety Board accident investigation has concluded that the probable causes of a fatal midair collision between a Robinson R44 II and a Cirrus SR22 near AOPA headquarters at Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland Oct. 23, 2014, included the pilots' failure to look for known traffic, and their use of nonstandard traffic pattern altitudes. Read more...
Pilot Protection Services
Thinking about giving rides to support a charity raffle? AOPA Pilot Protection Services attorney Jared Allen explains the federal aviation regulations governing the way private pilots can conduct flights offered by a charitable organization in exchange for donations. Read more...
Member benefit
Join a flying club, take on a new type of flying, visit new destinations, attend aviation events, take your family on a vacation—these are just some of the ways you can put your private pilot certificate to use. Read more...
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Career Opportunities
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AOPA career opportunities
Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? AOPA is looking for a fundraising specialist, administration executive assistant, government affairs federal and state vice president, Aviation Insurance Services director, member services representative, financial analyst, Great Lakes regional manager, medical certification specialist, marketing specialist, communications director, Great Lakes "You Can Fly" ambassador, donor relations director, AOPA Foundation communications director, and marketing copywriter. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.
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Question of the Week
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Question
On your way back from a long cross-country, you advise the tower that you would like to do some pattern work. ATC clears you for the option, but you are not sure what that allows you to do. Where can you learn more about "the option"?
Answer
A pilot in command who is cleared for the option can choose to perform a touch-and-go, low approach, missed approach, stop-and-go, or full-stop landing, according to Chapter 3, Section 8 of FAA order JO 7110.65W.
Got a question for our technical services staff? Contact AOPA.
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Education and Seminars
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Flight Instructor Refresher Courses
Jun 11-12 - Bloomington, Minnesota; Ashburn, Virginia; and Charlotte, North Carolina
Jun 25-26 - Santa Clara, California; and Columbus, Ohio
Jul 9-10 - Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth, New Jersey
Jul 23-24 - Jacksonville, Florida; and Memphis, Tennessee
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the Air Safety Institute's Online eFIRC.
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Air Safety Institute Safety Seminars
Jun 15 - Frederick, Maryland
Topics vary—for details and a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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Rusty Pilots Seminars
Jun 11 - Lakeland, Florida; New Century, Kansas; Conroe, Texas; and Chatham, Massachusetts
Jun 18 - Hebron, Nebraska
Jun 19 - Dodge Center, Minnesota
Jun 25 - Temple, Texas; Morrisville, North Carolina; Lincoln, California; Burlington, Washington; Bakersfield, California; and Long Beach, California
For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online.
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ePilot Editors:
Alyssa Miller
Jim Moore
David Tulis
Production Assistant:
Melissa Whitehouse
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Contributors:
Mike Collins
Sarah Deener
Dave Hirschman
Tom Horne
Alton K. Marsh
Warren Morningstar
Dan Namowitz
Jill W. Tallman
Elizabeth Tennyson
Ian J. Twombly
Julie Summers Walker
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