Flight Training - July 2012 - 13

Knowledge test
Introducing our aviation crossword puzzle

GAMES

BY MYLES MELLOR

New company wants to increase renter pilot access
Single checkout would be good nationwide
A TEAM OF entrepreneurs is working to solve that age-old dilemma faced by vacationing pilots every day: onerous checkouts when you want to rent an airplane away from home. Rod Rakic, founder of the pilot social networking site myTransponder, is teaming up with other entrepreneurs to develop Open Airplane, a program to allow pilots who go through a standardized checkout to rent airplanes any time at any FBO in the country that participates in the Open Airplane project. The Open Airplane website (www.openairplane. com) tracks the eligibility of pilots who have passed its standardized checkout and allows them to reserve rental airplanes across the nation at participating flight schools and FBOs. The website will allow users to rate the airplanes at the various companies and allow for online reservations. When a pilot shows up to fly at that location, he can skip the checkout. After returning to the airport, he records the Hobbs time on the Open Airplane website. At that point, his credit card is charged and the FBO or flight school is paid, minus a commission for Open Airplane. Based on his market research, Rakic believes the rental companies will realize additional new business from the program, pilots will get more value out of their pilot certificates, and the industry will enjoy better safety because pilots will be more active. Open Airplane will offer standardized instructor training to participating FBOs and flight schools. Pilots will need to maintain a nonowned insurance policy, which many renters already carry. The Open Airplane website is in Beta mode now. Interested pilots can sign up for a free newsletter to learn more. Look for a launch late this year.

NEWS

Across 1. He was named 2012 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year, “Hobie” ____ 6. Navigation system, for short 8. Alien flying machine 9. Schedule of arrivals and departures 11. Exists 12. Autopilot, for short 13. Vital factor to check to decide if you can fly or not 16. Distance measurement, for short 18. Flips the master switch 20. Civil aviation overseer 22. Plan of operation 24. Choppy, as regards to weather conditions 25. Instrument approach system, for short 28. Descends steeply 30. Instrument ____ 34. Bearing, for short 35. Unexpected omissions or breakdowns Down 1. Aircraft’s actual height above sea level (2 words) 2. Night light in the sky

3. Where you have to rely on only your instruments to fly (3 words) 4. Practice flying machine, abbreviation 5. Bring in 6. Talks a lot 7. ____ Log-P diagram used in weather analysis 10. The fluid that planes move through 14. Tried out 15. Precise 17. Instrument instructor rating 19. ____min, GPS brand 21. Allowable cabin load, for short 23. Used before a vowel 26. Indicators 27. Computer department 29. Rules for operating the plane in clear weather conditions, for short 31. Absolute altitude, abbreviation 32. A flight plan must be filed for every flight of this type 33. AZ neighbor

See answers on page 19

JULY 2012 FLIGHT TRAINING

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http://www.openairplane.com http://www.openairplane.com

Flight Training - July 2012

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