·
WORKING ON FUTURE
AVGAS
100LL—its rising cost, future
availability, and environmental impact—is on the minds of everyone in the
aviation industry. AOPA is working to help find a viable fuel replacement that
would have a minimal impact on our members and general aviation aircraft. On
March 17, AOPA
responded to the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of a
rulemaking petition to limit lead emissions from general aviation aircraft. The
EPA's move stems from a petition from the environmental group Friends of the
Earth. Removing lead from avgas without having a suitable alternative would
have a catastrophic impact on 30 percent of the GA fleet. Read more on AOPA Online.
·
TEST YOUR
KNOWLEDGE OF NONTOWERED AIRPORT OPS
Operations at nontowered
airports aren't uncontrolled, they're pilot-controlled. Everyone needs to
follow the rules and be alert, courteous, and professional. Test your knowledge
of nontowered airport ops with the latest Safety Quiz
from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. The quiz covers standard and nonstandard
pattern entries, self-announce procedures, and the common radio phrase that the
AIM says shouldn't be used under any circumstances. Learn
more about nontowered operations by reading the recently updated Safety
Advisor. When you're done, check out the foundation's other Safety Quizzes.
·
Close to
Home ~
AOPA APPEALS PHOENIX CLASS B REDESIGN
Pilots in the Phoenix area have been
incensed since the Phoenix Class B airspace redesign went into effect in
October 2007, and rightly so. The FAA ignored
input from pilots, AOPA, and other groups that had weighed in to make the
redesign workable for general aviation and the airlines. AOPA filed a brief
March 7 on its earlier court appeal alleging that the FAA didn't provide enough
detail to allow for public input on VFR flyway changes and that the decision to
lower part of the Class B floor from 3,000 feet to 2,700 feet was arbitrary and
capricious. The FAA has until April 7 to file a response. "The FAA can't
cut GA out of the equation during airspace redesigns," said Heidi
Williams, AOPA director of air traffic services. "And AOPA is making sure
GA won't be overlooked."
·
TWO-LOCK RULE INTRUSIVE, UNNECESSARY, MEMBERS SAY
What do AOPA members think of a proposal mandating two locks for
general aviation aircraft? Intrusive, unnecessary, and just plain unacceptable
are among their responses, and that's the message AOPA is taking to lawmakers.
AOPA Vice President of Regional Affairs Greg Pecoraro testified March 11 before
the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee in opposition to H.B.2292,
which would require two locks on all general aviation aircraft and create
criminal penalties for failing to use them. Read more on AOPA Online.
·
AOPA ASKS
FOR MORATORIUM ON FLORIDA USE TAX
Imagine that you recently bought
an airplane and you want to take it on vacation, maybe a family trip to sunny
Florida. Think again. The state Department of Revenue has recently been
charging Florida use tax on any airplane that is brought to the state within
six months of being bought if the owner did not pay at least 6-percent sales
tax at the time of purchase. AOPA President Phil Boyer has contacted Gov.
Charlie Crist, asking him to put a moratorium on the tax until legislators can
address the problem, especially with so many pilots about to visit Florida for
the annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-In. Read more on AOPA Online.
·
NEW
INSTRUMENT COURSE PUTS CHARTS IN PERSPECTIVE
On its own, a chart is just a
piece of paper, but integrated into the larger world of procedures and
practical situations, a chart becomes a critical tool in a pilot's toolbox. The
AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new online course IFR
Insights: Charts helps pilots get the most from their charts by
showing how they fit into the overall profile of an instrument flight. The
course takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete and covers NACO and Jeppesen
products. In addition to detailed coverage of chart symbology, the course includes a
gripping re-creation of a historic chart-related accident, interactive quizzes,
and numerous real-world flying tips
·
WAKE
TURBULENCE RIPS AIRCRAFT APART
On June 12, 2006, while on
visual approach at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., the
pilot of a Piper Saratoga crossed below the flight path of a Boeing 737 that
was landing ahead on a parallel runway. The Saratoga encountered wake
turbulence so violent that it tore apart the aircraft in flight. Read more in this
special report prepared by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
·
TIPS FOR
FACING DOWN FUEL COSTS
With the increasing price of
avgas, many pilots are looking for ways to conserve fuel and reduce the cost of
flying. "Unfortunately, many of the habits we formed in operating
airplanes when fuel was one-quarter or even one-half of what it costs today are
not optimal given the current fuel prices," explained Peter A. Bedell in "Facing down fuel
costs: How to ease the high price of avgas" in the September 2006 AOPA
Pilot. Read Bedell's article for 11 techniques to help you save fuel, plus
several products to help reduce fuel costs. Use the AOPA Airport Directory Online
to look up FBO fuel prices at airports along your route of flight and plan your
fuel stops accordingly.
·
OXYGEN: A
PILOT'S BEST FRIEND AT HIGH ALTITUDES
Could you spot the effects of
hypoxia and turn on supplemental oxygen in your unpressurized aircraft before
it's too late? Learn about the effects of hypoxia, effective performance time,
and the requirements and equipment for supplemental oxygen in AOPA's new
subject report, Oxygen
Use in Aviation. See just how quickly hypoxia can render you unable to
control an aircraft in this short YouTube video of a
pilot experiencing controlled hypoxia in an altitude chamber. You'll learn why
"four of spades" is his unlucky card. Also read the AOPA Air Safety
Foundation article "Hypoxia,
poor planning a deadly combination."
·
Last month a newly delivered Boeing 777 made
a low pass at the Boeing factory airport in Renton,Wash. The aircraft was
less than 30 feet agl and clocked above 270 knots. It was a sight to behold.
Big noise, big dust, big wind, massive power—awesome! Truly a spectacle! A
video immediately appeared on YouTube, and the story goes that the senior
captain at the controls was fired shortly afterward. Sounds like somebody got
some butts! It’s also rumored that the airline bought the video to have it
removed.
View the YouTube Video
View an article by AOPA Executive Director, Bruce Landsberg in his new Safety eJournal.