AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 32) PILOTBRIEFING March 1958 | The AOPA Pilot debuts. Once a section in Flying magazine, the idea to publish a standalone, AOPA-produced magazine came as a result of the association’s growing membership in the late 1950s (see “AOPA’s Big Idea,” page 72). March 9, 1961 | FAA Administrator Najeeb E. Halaby launches the “air share” program under which he and other top FAA officials met the general aviation community in a series of “hangar sessions” to discuss changes in the Civil Air Regulations. These meetings afforded airmen the opportunity to “air” their views and “share” the benefits of improved rules for safe flying. March 23, 1965 | The Gemini III is launched. It is the first U.S. two-man space flight; pilots are Gus Grissom and John Young. The four-hour, 52-minute flight into space is dubbed the voyage of the “Molly Brown” and is famous for the corned beef sandwich that was smuggled onto the flight. March 27, 1967 | The FAA approves a new 2,000candlepower runway centerline light to permit operations under visibility as low as 700 feet. March 2, 1968 | The U.S. Air Force unveils the Lockheed C–5A Galaxy as it rolls out of hardware—the lunar module. For 10 days, astronauts James McDivitt, David Scott, and Russell Schweickart put the Apollo vehicles through their paces in Earth orbit, undocking and then redocking the lunar lander with the command module, just as they would in lunar orbit. March 1, 1970 | The FAA implements a revised separation standard to protect small aircraft from wake turbulence, rotating air currents trailed by large aircraft. The new standard changed from three miles to five miles the required separation between “heavy” aircraft (more than 300,000 pounds) and all aircraft operating behind it. March 8, 1974 | Charles de Gaulle International Airport opens in Paris, France. March 27, 1977 | Pan Am Flight 1736 and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Flight 4805 collide on the foggy runway at Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. It was the dealiest aviation accident in history. March 31, 1977 | The 10,000th Beechcraft Bonanza rolls out of the company’s plant, 31 years after the prototype’s first flight in December 1945. the Marietta, Georgia, manufacturing plant. It is the biggest airplane in the world to date. March 16, 1968 | The FAA prohibits VFR (visual flight rules) operations at or above 10,000 feet msl unless a pilot enjoys a minimum visibility of five miles while remaining at least 1,000 feet vertically and one mile horizontally from clouds. March 2, 1969 | The first test flight of the supersonic Concorde takes off from Toulouse, France. March 3, 1969 | Apollo 9 launches and is the third manned mission in the Apollo program, a 10-day (151 earth orbits) mission. Apollo 9 was the first space test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the third critical piece of Apollo aviation history March 17, 1958 | The Vanguard I satellite, launched successfully by the United States is now the oldest manufactured object in orbit. It hasn’t been actively transmitting for many years, but it is in a highly stable orbit and will probably remain there for several hundred more years. March 25, 1960 | Joseph A. Walker is the first NASA pilot to fly the North American X-15 rocket plane after A. Scott Crossfield, the manufacturer’s test pilot. This month in AOPA Project Pilot Watching the numbers Although the pilot population has steadily declined since 1980—when it peaked at 827,071—AOPA continues to find new ways, through planning and study, to ensure a strong pilot population in the future. AOPA’s research over the years has indicated that the majority of active pilots were encouraged or inspired by another pilot. As a result, AOPA launched the AOPA Project Pilot program in April 1994, designed to get new people into flying, and to help lapsed student and private pilots get current again. The program, revitalized in 2006, has helped usher thousands of people into the pilot ranks. But more needs to be done. As the pilot population continues to decline, AOPA is leading the way to keep general aviation alive. Visit the Web site (www.AOPA ProjectPilot.org) to learn more about how you can make a difference in the future of a prospective pilot and in the future of all of general aviation. —Kate Opalewski AOPA PILOT • 32 • MARCH 2008 Number of pilots 900,000 800,000 700,000 600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0 827,071 PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY NASA; NASA JSC (2); UNITED STATES AIR FORCE 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998 2006 http://www.aopaProjectPilot.org http://www.aopaProjectPilot.org
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