Flight Training - September/October 2021 - 26

PREFLIGHT WEATHER
BY THOMAS A. HORNE
FINALLY!
A CARD
FOR PILOTS.
3%
Cash Back1
A CASH BACK1
on
purchases with Select
AOPA Partners2-4
REDEMPTION IS APPLIED AS A STATEMENT CREDIT.
QUARTERLY BONUS POINT CAP OF 2,500 POINTS
Visit
AOPA.org/creditcard
to learn more.
DEALING WITH DROPLETS
RULES OF THUMB FOR ICE AWARENESS
*Certain points and purchases restrictions apply, see full Rewards Terms
and Conditions for full details at AOPA.org/creditcard.
1. Rewards points can be redeemed for Cash Back or other items provided
through AOPA Pilot Rewards. A Cash Back redemption is applied
as a statement credit. The statement credit will reduce your balance but
you are still required to make at least your minimum payment. A minimum
of 2,500 points is needed to redeem for Cash Back. Values for non-cash
back redemption items such as merchandise, gift cards, and travel may
vary. 2. Participating AOPA partners include: Aero-Space Reports, Aircraft
Spruce & Specialty Co., Jeppesen®, Pilot Workshops, SiriusXM®,
Sporty's® Pilot Shop. The listed AOPA partners are in no way affiliated
with Commerce Bank, nor are the listed merchants to be considered
sponsors or co-sponsors of this program. Use of merchant names and/or
logos is by the permission of each respective merchant and all trademarks
are the property of their respective owners 3. Please note that merchants
self-select the category in which transactions will be listed and some merchants
may be owned by other companies, therefore transactions may not
be counted in the category you might expect. Purchases made using Near
Field Communication (NFC), virtual wallets, or similar technology may not
be eligible for bonus points. 4.You will earn 4% Cash Back (1 regular point
= 3%) for every $1 of Net Merchandise Purchases made at select AOPA
partners, 2% Cash Back (1 regular point + 1 bonus points = 2%) for every
$1 of Net Merchandise Purchases made at FBOs (fixed based operators),
aviation and auto fuel, and flight schools, and 1% Cash Back (or 1 point)
for every $1 of other Net Merchandise Purchases. For example, if you
spend $100, you will earn 100 points which is equal to $1 in Cash Back
rewards. A maximum of 2,500 bonus points will be awarded per calendar
quarter, per rewards account. Please allow up to five business days after
the transaction posts to your account for bonus points to be awarded.
DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT IN MANY PARTS OF
the United States average surface temperatures
are trending downward every
day. Winter is on its way, so let's touch on
some top-of-mind issues that affect coldweather
flying.
Those lower surface temperatures
+ 3 bonus points = 4%) for every $1 of Net Merchandise Purchases on
select AOPA purchases, 3% Cash Back (1 regular point + 2 bonus points
mean the freezing level is lowering-in
some cases, right to the surface. You
can call up a map that shows current
and forecast freezing levels, and other
temperature contours, on the Aviation
Weather Center website, under the Icing
link on the Forecasts header. This temperature
check is a must-do before any
flight in cold weather.
So is a check of the CIP and FIP
(Current and Forecast Icing Potential)
situation-also in the Icing link. You
26
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
definitely don't want to fly into icing
clouds in an airplane that's not certified
for flight into known icing (FIKI). For that
matter, there are times when even hightime
pilots flying FIKI-certified airplanes
should avoid icing. High-time or low,
under VFR or IFR, the best policy is to do
your absolute best to avoid clouds and visible
moisture. This means other must-do
items for your preflight briefing: A check
of icing airmets and pilot weather reports
(pireps-found under the AWC's Current
Icing Aircraft Reports header).
All clouds are made up of water
droplets-small, big, or huge. They form
by condensation, and coalescence around
microscopic particles called condensation
nuclei. These could be tiny bits of dust,
salt, dirt, soot, and other particulates that
http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard
Flight Training - September/October 2021

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