Simulator Edition
In much of the United States, the winter months make it difficult to fly as often we do during the rest of the year. This lull can be detrimental for flying clubs, as less flying can lead to lower levels of member proficiency, as well as less time spent together as a group. One question we are often asked at HQ is what clubs can do to remain active throughout the winter. This issue will explore something that you could do as a club to maintain proficiency and fun on the ground, regardless of the weather outside: use a flight simulator.
Much of this simulator edition is devoted to looking at the different things your club could do with, well, a simulator addition. Our Question of the Month highlights four of the biggest reasons that your flying club might want to consider adding a simulator to its lineup, whether it is an advanced flight training device or simply a PC simulation installed on a computer. If you’re curious about some of the different simulators out there, as well as some options for flying clubs, our Aircraft Spotlight discusses some of the most popular devices in use. A real world example of how simulators can be integrated into a club can be found in the Club Spotlight, which focuses on the Skyhaven Flying Club—a New Hampshire flying club that operates a Cessna 172, a Cirrus SR20, and an FAA-approved flight simulator. Finally, our Safety article provides tips on how you can use simulation to improve your proficiency and handle situations that you will hopefully never have to face in the air.
New Features on AOPA Flying Club Finder
If your club promotes itself on AOPA's Flying Club Finder, there have been recent changes to the platform that you'll want to know about—changes that will put more control in the hands of your club than ever before. For the first time, a club administrator can make changes to a club’s page without submitting a request to AOPA HQ. We hope that this makes it more convenient for clubs to make everyday edits (for example, adding additional details about a club aircraft) than it has been previously.
To find out how your club administrator can edit your flying club’s page in Flying Club Finder, watch this video to see how simple the process is. Please note, for an administrator to make changes, they must be logged in to the AOPA Web site prior to viewing their club’s page.
Not sure who your club’s administrator is? To find this information out, or to request to become an administrator yourself, e-mail the Flying Clubs Network at [email protected].
AOPA’s 2019 Scholarships are Open
Are you, or someone that you know, considering flight training this year? If so, be sure to take a look at AOPA’s four scholarships that are available this year—scholarships that, in total, will see more than $1 million dollars awarded to aspiring pilots.
The four AOPA scholarships available to different audiences in 2019 are the High School Flight Training Scholarship, the Teacher Flight Training Scholarship, the Primary Flight Training Scholarship, and the Advanced Rating Scholarship. The High School Flight Training Scholarship will allow 80 exceptional high school students, ages 15 to 18, to receive $10,000 toward their training. The Teacher Flight Training Scholarship, which is new in 2019, will award scholarships to up to 20 teachers, who will also receive $10,000 in the pursuit of their primary pilot certificate. Both the high school student and teacher scholarships are made possible through the generosity of the Ray Foundation.
The AOPA Primary Flight Training Scholarship, which is funded by donations to the AOPA Foundation, will award current AOPA members at least 16 years of age amounts ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 to be used toward primary training expenses. To support outstanding pilots with career aspirations, the AOPA Foundation will also award various scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 to AOPA members seeking advanced ratings.
To read details and requirements of the various AOPA scholarships being offered in 2019, visit our AOPA Scholarship Program page. Thanks again to all of those who have chosen to support the future of aviation by donating to the AOPA Foundation; it is only their generosity that makes AOPA’s scholarship program possible.
You Can Fly Supports Flight Schools at FSANA Conference
The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) held its 2019 Flight School Operators Conference in Orlando, FL February 13-15. The conference was attended by several You Can Fly employees, including Keith West, sr. director, flight school business support, and You Can Fly executive director Elizabeth Tennyson. Established in 2009, FSANA is a membership-oriented association with a mission of increasing the pilot population by engaging people at an early age. Its membership includes flight schools and other firms providing products and services in the flight training industry, as well as supporting partners and individuals.
According to West, “AOPA is pleased to participate in the conference, and to support FSANA’s ongoing efforts to grow the pilot population. Their goals are very much aligned with You Can Fly’s—we want to increase the number of pilots.” In addition to supporting flight schools, Tennyson also joined a panel discussion at the conference which focused on ways that flying clubs and flight schools could enjoy symbiotic relationships.
