Category Archives: Uncategorized

EAA WEBINARS SURPASS 200,000 TOTAL ATTENDANCE FOLLOWING MAJOR GROWTH IN 2020

More than 30,000 people have participated since March

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (September 24, 2020) — The Experimental Aircraft Association’s free webinar series, which has brought top aviation experts and personalities to online presentations for the past decade, has now welcomed more than 200,000 people to the sessions following substantial growth in 2020.
The webinars, which are supported by Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, have drawn more than 30,000 people since March 1 as aviation enthusiasts sought information and community during the COVID-19 pandemic. EAA expanded its webinar offerings to as many as four sessions per week in recent months.
“Achieving this attendance milestone well ahead of schedule is very gratifying to us, as it means we are reaching EAA members and other aviation enthusiasts with the information they want and the sense of community that is so important to us who fly,” said Charlie Becker, EAA’s director of chapters, communities, and homebuilt community manager. “The enthusiastic feedback we have received for this content means we’ll be planning for even more in the coming months.”
EAA’s webinar series at EAA.org/Webinars covers the entire spectrum of recreational aviation, from learn-to-fly and aircraft maintenance to weather knowledge and aviation history. All live webinars are free to all, with nearly 600 archived webinars available to EAA members via the association’s video library.
Many webinars are eligible for FAA WINGS and AMT credits through the FAA Safety Program. The upcoming series in October and November currently includes the following sessions, with more expected to be added:
 Tuesday, October 6: (Homebuilders webinar series) $500 HUD; John Muzzoli
 Wednesday, October 7: The Looming Mechanic Shortage; Mike Busch*
 Wednesday, October 14: Strategies for Limiting, and Protecting Yourself From, Liability as an Aircraft Owner or Renter; Jack Harrington, Paul Herbers, Alan Farkas, and Jim Anderson
 Tuesday, October 20: Emergency Bailout Procedures for Pilots and Survival Equipment; Allen Silver*
 Tuesday, October 27: Flying Clubs – Growing Participation in Aviation; David Leiting
 Tuesday, November 3: (Homebuilders webinar series) Van’s RV-14; Greg Hughes
 Tuesday, November 10: International Aerobatic Club Turns 50 Years Old, Mike Heuer and Lorrie Penner
 Wednesday, November 11: True or Magnetic?, Prof. H. Paul Shuch*
(* – Eligible for FAA WINGS and/or AMT credits)

DON’T FOR GET TO LOOK FOR MY AIRCRFAT OWNERSHIP WEBINARS!

Get ready for a Virtual AirVenture!

Look for my online webinars Tuesday, July 21, 2020  at 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM CDT and Saturday, July 25, 2020 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM

More details below.

EAA SPIRIT OF AVIATION WEEK SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF FLIGHT

July 21-25 lineup includes top aviators, dozens of forums, ‘best of’ moments

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (July 7, 2020) — Highlights from across the world of flight will entertain and educate aviation enthusiasts on July 21-25 as part of the extensive schedule for EAA’s Spirit of Aviation Week. That initial schedule was unveiled today as part of the free online experience hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association.

With already more than 170 scheduled events, the five-day online aviation fest includes streamed and on-demand content, encompassing nearly every facet of aviation, with a focus on educational, informational, and entertaining moments. EAA’s special interest groups will also be heavily involved, bringing highlights that include homebuilts, warbirds, vintage, aerobatics, ultralights, and much more at EAATogether.org.

“The support and participation from across the entire aviation community, including NASA and the U.S. Air Force, has allowed us to create a schedule that truly reaches across the entirety of flying highlights,” said Jack Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board. “The content throughout the week is more than something to watch – it is a week where everyone can truly be engaged as an active participant.”

Among the features scheduled throughout the week are:

• Discussions and content covering homebuilts, vintage aircraft, warbirds, ultralights, chapters, learning to fly, hangar flying, air shows, military aviation, spaceflight, and more
• Forums across multiple channels ranging from how-to content and learning to fly to aviation history and technical insights
• Multiple live workshops each day on aircraft building and restoration skills
• Pilot proficiency content for FAA WINGS credit
• Interviews with aviation personalities, plus favorite EAA archive material – some of which has never been seen publicly

“While nothing can replace the in-person Oshkosh experience, Spirit of Aviation Week brings multiple channels of highlights throughout each of the five days,” Pelton said. “In that way, it is like being on the AirVenture grounds, where every turn brings a new possibility to discover and engage in everything about aviation. Wherever you are during Spirit of Aviation Week, this experience reminds us that we are indeed #EAATogether.”

More activities will be added in the coming days, so check back for additional highlights to come.

About EAA

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 240,000 members and 900 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/EAA.

Factory Approved School still required for Liability Only?

While discussing liability only insurance on a pressurized aircraft the question was,  “All I want to buy is liability insurance for my new aircraft. But the underwriter still requires that I attend a Factory Approved School. What gives?”

Typically, when you own or buy certain aircraft the aviation insurance underwriters require you to have Factory Approved School. Either initial  ground and flight or recurrent. This school requirement usually needs to take place within twelve months from the flight.  So, if you are looking at a pressurized or cabin class aircraft you will be required to attend Factory Approved School.

Why they still require school?

Just buying liability insurance doesn’t eliminate the insurance companies’ responsibility. Remember that buying insurance of any kind is a part of risk management. Liability in its pure definition is an “unlimited exposure” to the pilot.  If the buyer does not feel comfortable in self-insuring the risk (the chance that they may be responsible for hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in the event of an accident) they need to transfer that risk to someone else (the insurance company).  But when you transfer the risk, you also transfer control to the underwriting.  The underwriters can require or mandate that the insured participate in training or get additional dual or even fly solo for a certain number of hours.

The majority of the claims are for damage to the aircraft itself (the hull). Many buyers feel that by not buying physical damage (hull) protection for the aircraft hull they can alleviate the training requirements.  But that is not true.  The insurance company may still be on the hook for paying a claim if you crash or damage the aircraft.  While they may not be responsible for damage to your aircraft, they are still responsible for paying claims related to the bodily injury and property damage to third parties.  That “liability coverage” is usually a larger payout for the insurance company than the hull coverage (although, not as often).   And since the insured is still the pilot, the insurance company still wants them to be qualified and competent in the aircraft.

You wouldn’t want a lawyer or surgeon to work on your behalf and not maintain their currency or training, would you?  A pilot should have the same attitude.  How many aircraft owners would want to fly in an airline crewed by pilots that only get training once every few years? Professional pilots are usually required to get training on a regular basis (some as often as every six months) and they fly more hours than the average general aviation pilot.

The insurance companies look at the statistics and the numbers on the bottom line, if training helps reduce claims and helps save money in a particular model or style of aircraft, they’ll require it.  And there is always the option of not getting the training and being self-insured.  Very few states require the owner of an aircraft to buy insurance coverage.