FAAGrantstoExpandOutreachtoUnder-RepresentedStudents

from In Flight USA October 2022

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FAA AWARDS $231,000 IN

GRANTSTO EXPAND OUTREACH TO UNDER-REPRESENTED STUDENTS

The U.S. Department of Transpor tation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Aug. 29 awarded $231,000 in grants to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) outreach.

“If kids can dream it, they can do it. It’s up to us to light the path for them,” said FAA Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims.

Three grants are for universities to facilitate STEM outreach to students, especially those who are under-represented in STEM and aviation fields. The schools will design and conduct drone-centered immersion programs, summer camps, after-school programs and community outreach efforts that will educate and inspire youth from elementary, middle, and high schools.

The STEM outreach grants are awarded to the following universities: • North Carolina State University $125,000 •Kansas State University $100,000 • Sinclair Community College in Ohio $6,000

These grants build on the FAA’s efforts to inspire the next generation of aviators. Specific initiatives include the FAA Adopt-A-School Program, Airport Design Challenge where students in K-12 design airports using the video game Minecraft, the Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academies and the Youth in Aviation Task Force. Earlier this year, the FAA awarded $5 million in grants to fund aviation classes at higher-education institutions, high schools, state and local governments and flight schools to develop the next generation of pilots. Learn more on the FAA website, faa.gov.

Apply for AOPA Scholarships

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were announced in June, and they could not have been more thankful. “The scholarship has allowed me to accelerate my studies and training,” said Logan Harden, a 17-year-old aspiring private pilot. “I have been able to purchase tools, software, and educational materials to help me understand all of the rules and regulations. I have also been able to fly every day, sometimes twice a day.”

The 2023 scholarship window opened Sept. 5, and applications will be accepted through Feb. 10 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. This year, AOPA has made it easier than ever to apply, moving to one streamlined application. All applicants must be a member of AOPA, and student pilots, youth, and military personnel are eligible for a free AOPA membership. Check out AOPA’s website (www.aopa.org) for more details and to see which membership package is the best fit.

And visit the 2023 AOPA Foundation scholarship page at https://aopa.org/training-and-safety/students/aopa-flight-training-scholarships for the full scholarship list, FAQs, and the application.

Keeping Your Aircraft Secure

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rope to the tiedown ring. Secure the loose ends of the tiedown rope or chain. If you're using a chain, pass a link on the free end through the tension side and use a clip to hold it in place. Check the security of the anchor points. A tie-down anchor set in a tub of cement is fine in a zephyr; in a hurricane, it will become another heavy object beating your airplane to death. Some airports have heavy wire cables stretched across the ramp to tie to. If this is the case at your airport, tie down perpendicular to the cable rather than at 45 degrees to it. That will help minimize any slack from the tie-down rope sliding along the cable. For more information see the FAA’s advisory circular on how to tie down an airplane (https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/ advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/documen t.information/documentID/22573). • Lift Fence: Remember that hurricane wind speeds are likely to be higher than the stall speed of your aircraft. That means when the storm comes, your airplane is going to try to fly. A lift fence, attached to the top of the wing about a quarter of the way back, acts as a spoiler, making it harder for the wing to generate lift. There are commercially-made lift fences, but you could make your own with some two-inch square lengths of wood, padding, and attachment cords. Just make sure the lift fence can't break loose.

Both AOPA and the FAA have additional resources regarding keeping an aircraft safe during a strom. Visit AOPA’s website at www.aopa.org or the FAA website at FAA.gov.

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Cover Story: P-51

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the ultimate goal should always be safety. For that reason, we did the most critical work in our factory while still allowing the builder to do 51 percent by assembling pre-fit and drilled components. We do the more critical parts like the wings in our factory.

IFUSA: Do you have any aircraft in the U.S. right now that have an FAA experimental certificate?

CVK: Not yet. We only have one aircraft flying in the U.S. right now, and it is under a Lithuanian experimental certificate. We were thinking about re-registering it as an experimental exhibition. We had a DAR (designated airworthiness representative) examine it, and he was very impressed with the aircraft. Getting the first airplane out to the public in the Experimental/Exhibition Category was the most convenient method, but delivered kits will be set up for certification under the Amateur Build Experimental Category. This allows builders for more freedom of use after the initial fly-off period and dual instruction can be obtained from flight instructors who hold the necessary Letter of Deviation Authorization (LODA, a new requirement). We are being very careful to follow all FAA regulations and mandates. We have two kits in the United States available through Titan Aircraft. Owner, John Williams, is a dear friend and a big supporter of the project. They are in his Austin, Texas facility. He has been a big help to us.

IFUSA: That’s great. He is a very respected individual here in the U.S. I think of tailwheel airplanes as real airplanes. What kind of training to you recommend for this airplane and can this version be used as a trainer for the P-51?

CVK: The aircraft is a two seater, and I’ve flown it from the rear seat already. Plenty of people have flown from the rear seat. It can easily be used as a trainer. All of our aircraft are two seaters, unless the customer just wants one seat. This gives the option for training because they have dual controls.

IFUSA: There have been some issues in the U.S. with training in experimental aircraft. One can only train in an experimental aircraft if their instructor obtains a LODA (Letter of Deviation Authorization). If you are in a limited or restricted category, you cannot offer training in it. Have you covered your bases on training?

CVK: Yes, training will very much be an option. Safety during training is really high on our list. We want to make sure people are safe during the training. We are going to create a training course with authorized instructors, earning the new builder/owner a certificate of achievement, much like currently being done by Cirrus. We realize that many of today’s pilots have no tailwheel experience, but the ScaleWings P-51 retains the same exceptionally wide landing gear of the original P-51, making it very easy to both take off and land. The gear spread is wider than almost all commercially produced “taildraggers.” One reason the original P-51 was so successful and cherished by those who flew it was that your (maybe 20/21 year old) low-time (perhaps 300 hours) fighter pilot could manage the airplane without the take off and landing accidents piled up by other fighters. Our P-51 retains this tradition. All those who fly it favorably comment on the ease of ground handling. Take off and landing speeds are under 50 knots, less than many popular GA airplanes. With take-off ground roll as little as 400 feet and landing rolls of under 700 feet, one is almost at the point of having a “STOL