Max Trescott Aviation Trends Aloft

Here's a fun update from Jack Pelton, EAA Chairman, on AirVenture which starts this weekend, on the Aviation Geeks podcast. I'm substituting for co-host Rob Marks this summer while he writes a book. I invited Jack to be our guest this week and led the conversation. Great fun....and no, it's not to late for you to get to AirVenture this year! 

Have you been out of the skies for more than 90 days? Or maybe for years, but plan to return someday soon? If so, you may want to attend one of AOPA’s Rusty Pilot seminars!

As you know, sometimes life gets in the way. For pilots, flying is rarely their top priority as they build families and careers. But the dream of flight never goes away and most pilots plan to get back into aviation someday, when time and money permit. So maybe NOW is your time to start returning to the skies. Getting into the air again is not as difficult as most pilots think and AOPA is rolling out Rusty Pilot presentations around the country to help get you back in the sky.

You can find a list of all Rusty Pilot presentations here. And in you’re in the San Francisco Bay area, I encourage you to register for one of the two Rusty Pilot seminars I’ll be giving in Palo Alto on behalf of AOPA. Just click to register for the Wednesday, July 23 at 7 PM seminar or September 13 at 9:30 AM seminar. If you know an inactive pilot, tell him or her about the seminar!

Noncurrent pilots come in all varieties. For some, their 90-day currency has lapsed, while others haven't flown for five, ten or even thirty years. And some student pilots never quite get around to finishing their pilot training! Regardless of how long you've been away from the controls, Rusty Pilots will sharpen your aviation knowledge and update you on recent changes in aviation. 

The Rusty Pilots program is designed to acquaint returning pilots to the changing flight environment. Discussion includes use of newer technology, changes in the airspace system, new resources available to pilots, and much more. Most importantly, this program fulfills the ground instruction requirement of your Flight Review (formerly called a biennial flight review or BFR). Rusty Pilots was designed to address recent changes in the world of flying. Regulatory discussions include light sport aircraft, medical requirements, airspace, and common regulations. Weather includes TAFs, METARs, Internet briefing, and FSS/ Flight Watch. Operation discussions include traffic patterns, communications, incursion avoidance, and pilot responsibilities.

So why is AOPA doing the Rusty Pilot program? Last year, they discovered that there are more than 500,000 lapsed pilots in the United States under the age of 75! And when the survey some of these pilots, they found the vast majority of them planned to return to the skies someday. So helping these pilots get back into the sky is a great opportunit for growing GA.

If you're a noncurrent pilot in the S.F. Bay area, I hope to see you at one of my seminars!

Hard to believe but, it’s been over 30 years since the pedal-powered Gossamer Airplane flew across the English Channel. Besides winning a huge cash prize, some of the carbon-fiber construction techniques used today were invented during the project.

If you’re lucky enough to be in the S.F. Bay area next week, don't miss the Aero Club of Northern California luncheon on Thursday, April 3, featuring Dr. Morton Grosser presenting on the human-powered, Gossamer Airplane project. Luncheon is at 11:15 AM at Michaels at Shoreline, Mountain View, CA. Please send your name and choice of Cobb Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad, or Baked Canneloloni in an email to RSVP@aeroclubnorcal.org or call 408-634-8062. 

Dr. Grosser is a local aviator who is a frequent speaker at EAA AirVenture. In the preamble to his speech, he'll talk about the importance of exposing young people to aviation and encouraging them to learn to fly. In his own family, the aviation baton has passed to his son, Adam Grosser, to whom the family's five airplanes are now registered. 

According to Grosser, the story of the Gossamer Airplane Project is simple: 

"Three teams totaling 44 people (about 20 team members per plane, with many overlaps) designed, built, and flew six 100-foot wingspan airplanes for two new flight regimes in five years. They won the two largest prizes in the history of aviation and several medals, invented many of the carbon-fiber construction techniques used today, wrote widely-cited technical papers, published three successful books, and made three movies which won, respectively, an Oscar, an Emmy, and the Golden Eagle at the National Film Festival." 

Dr. Grosser co-designed and built components for three human-powered airplanes, including the Gossamer Albatross that won the £100,000 Kremer Cross-Channel Prize. He was a member of the flight expedition, a pilot of the Gossamer Albatross II, and wrote the authorized book on the Gossamer airplane projects. This event is open to members and non-members alike. Please attend the luncheon and invite a friend you feel might be interested in joining the Aero Club! Lunch is $20 per person, paid at the door. Please RSVP to RSVP@aeroclubnorcal.org or 408-634-8062. Hope to see you there!