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Coming up, taking your airplane with you behind your RV.
A big NOTAM for the big game.
Plus, aviation on the red carpet.
And flying to Baja.
AOPA Live This Week begins in just a moment.
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This is AOPA Live This Week
with Tom Haines and Melissa Rudinger.
They announced the Oscar nominations this week.
Wakanda forever. (Tom laughs)
And last Friday, aviation's version of the Oscars,
the Living Legends of Aviation,
straight from the Beverly Hilton,
same place they do the Golden Globes.
Yes, they do, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos was inducted
for his work on the Blue Origin commercial space system.
During an onstage interview, Bezos said,
practice is key to successful space flight.
We are starting with sub-orbital tourism
as our first mission for a couple of reasons,
one of which is the frequency
of that mission can be very high,
and so we can practice a lot.
And one of the really weird things about human beings
is we get really good at anything we practice.
Speaking of practicing,
musician and Beaver pilot Kenny G
said it's taken him about 50 years
of saxophone practice to start getting good.
I'm really humbled to be in the presence
of such accomplished aviators.
I want you know how proud I am to be a pilot.
It's got a lot of the same qualities
that go into being a musician.
You have to practice, you have to work hard,
you can't buy it, it's hard-earned,
you have to be creative, you have to be able to improvise.
And with music, when you're in the sky
and you got that freedom,
it's like playing a jazz improvisation solo.
It's kinda the same feeling.
But the surprise of the evening
was Harrison Ford presenting his Aviation Legacy Award
to aerobatic pilot Sean D. Tucker
for his work in starting the Bob Hoover Academy.
What we have, this metaphor,
this magic called flight,
and I've proven it now.
I've been on this project for six years,
and I'm taking kids who are hopeless.
Their dreams are dead on arrival.
Manny was my first solo student.
They gave us this, he was dead on arrival,
no hope, system gave up on him.
His brother is in prison for murdering the guy
who murdered his other brother.
It's just ugly, and he's scary.
You look him in the eye the first time I met him,
and I thought, he's gonna,
he could do me, and that's scary.
After two hours in my hangar, he's a kid again.
Every single one of my kids I get,
they're dead on arrival,
and every single one of the kids I get
are graduating from high school,
every single one of the kids I get.
(audience cheers and applauds)
And this metaphor is so important
because we're giving them hope.
We're giving them hope.
And Mr. Raisbeck right here in this room told me,
he said, Sean, it doesn't matter
how rich you are, how famous you are.
You're not relevant unless you're giving back.
And we have such a powerful tool.
People in this room, we have such a powerful tool,
and it doesn't matter if you're black,
if you're white, you're rich or poor,
your dreams are relevant and valid in America,
and what we have from this magic called flight,
we're building self esteem in these young people.
We're building, allowing them to believe in themselves,
to believe in something for the first time in their life,
and it changes them, and it make them citizens,
and it makes them proud.
So Sean got really emotional.
It's a great program that he's got
going out there for the kids.
But I gotta tell ya, Kenny G stole the show.
Really? (laughs)
He was very funny, and just a little risque,
and not what you expect from somebody like Kenny G.
But he's a very active pilot and really enjoys his airplane.
His son's learning to fly using the same instructor
that Kenny G used 30 years ago when he learned flying.
Oh, wow.
Well, sounds like it was a great night.
It was a fun night.
From aviation's big night to the NFL's, Super Bowl LIII.
The game is set for Sunday, February 3rd
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
With the annual game comes significant impact
to general aviation in the area,
so if you're wanting to fly near Atlanta
between January 29th and February 5th,
you need to pay close attention to NOTAMs.
There are, of course, TFRs for the event.
There's a reservation program in place
at most of the GA airports in the region
to handle the influx of traffic.
Find out more on the FAA website.
We don't know, but be prepared.
As we record this, the government is still shut down.
Air traffic controllers and other essential
federal employees continue to work and without pay.
And once again, as we record this,
the deal seems to be that the president will wait
until after the government opens before he gives
the State of the Union speech before Congress.
If that happens by Tuesday of next week
as scheduled, or whenever it happens,
the FAA will make the airspace around Washington DC
even more restricted than it already is.
The FAA's flight advisory team tells us
what to expect if the actual NOTAM is issued.
If you're flying in the Washington area next week,
check it out on our website.
And as we told you last week,
some of the labor unions representing
the 800,000 unpaid federal workers
filed suit to get their paychecks.
The Controllers Union, NATCA, is a part of that lawsuit,
and the hearing was rescheduled for Thursday of this week.
We'll report the outcome, if any, next week.
And another quick note about the shutdown,
yes, the computers are up,
and you can take an FAA knowledge test,
and you can take a practical test
with a designated examiner.
But after you pass, the DE will have to manually process
the pilot certificate application.
You'll get a temporary certificate,
and you can fly on that, but it might expire
before you get your permanent certificate.
You can contact AOPA's Pilot Information Center
for more information.
Well, it's the best of both worlds.
A Florida couple found a way
to travel long distances in comfort
and have the ideal fun airplane for flying low and slow.
AOPA's senior content editor, Ian Twombly,
shows us how they do it.
Who says a slow airplane like this Kitfox
can't take you where you want to go?
Florida couple Bob and Dusti Jones
found the ideal way to go wherever they want
and take their airplane with them.
We travel in this maybe sometimes
up to three months a year or more,
but three months at a shot
is about as long as we've done it.
And we tow our Kitfox airplane behind us in a little...
Enclosed trailer. Enclosed trailer.
And consequently, we are very fortunate.
We're able to travel all over the country,
and stop at little airports, roll the plane out,
and have a hoot and a half,
and then roll it back in when we're done,
and stay in our lovely, spacious accommodations here.
The arrangement gives
the couple the ultimate freedom,
sleeping wherever they can find a spot.
I am an antique diamond-wearing,
Porsche-driving corporate CEO.
But she's not putting the kinda--
Sleeping in a Walmart (laughs) frequently.
(laughs) Because of that pilot husband of hers.
Because of the pilot husband of mine.
Bob has his system down to a science
for securely storing, loading, and unloading the airplane
whether the couple is on the road
or at their home in Marathon Key.
And one of the really neat things
about this particular location is
I can take baby plane out of its little trailer,
in through the back gate,
and I can be there in 10 minutes,
and I'll call flight service on the way,
fold the wings, and I'm ready to go,
so that really works out well for us.
The Keys are an ideal place to fly.
Dry Tortugas, Fort Jefferson,
he's flown over all of those.
Wonderful, you see fabulous boats and beautiful houses.
And so, it's low and slow, fun,
touring, little baby airplane.
And if it's calm enough and pretty enough,
he'll be up every morning at five o'clock
in the morning and flying around.
If it's calm enough and pretty enough,
I like the sunset view,
and we've both enjoyed that extremely much.
The Kitfox, along with the trailer setup,
gives this pilot couple the ultimate access to the skies,
whether the airport is down the street
or across the country.
Ian Twombly, AOPA Live.
Look for this story and more
in the March Destination sections of AOPA Pilot Magazine.
I've never known of anybody to do that,
and it looks like a lot of fun.
It does, I think some people just get life right. (laughs)
Yeah, they do.
What a cool way to get around the country
and have some great houses in between.
Well hey, did you know that four out of three people
make a math mistake at some point?
Well, this month it was our turn,
and the internet had a blast with it.
In the February edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine,
we have this pie chart,
and as you can tell, we really like pie.
The numbers don't quite add up to 100%,
and well, the pie chart is all sorts of disproportionate.
Whoops.
We'd like to apologize to the 13% of you
who were offended by this.
The other 92% who didn't roast us on the comments section,
thank you for that, and thanks for supporting us 100%.
Coming up after the break,
Boeing's eVTOL takes to the air.
And heading way down south, flying to Baja.
We'll be right back.
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to consider before purchasing an aircraft.
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help guide you through the process.
We combine expert knowledge
with our longstanding commitment
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Learn more at AeroSpaceReports.com.
Welcome back.
A massive opportunity to grow the next generation of pilots,
one million dollars in scholarships
to be given away to AOPA members this year.
The You Can Fly High School
Flight Training Scholarship Program
will award 100 $10,000 scholarships.
80 scholarships would go to high school students.
Another 20 will go to teachers dedicated
to advancing aviation education in the classrooms.
This is all possible by a very generous donation
from the James C. Ray Foundation.
Find out more on our website.
Boeing's working on a much smaller
aircraft than usual, an air taxi.
What they're calling the passenger air vehicle
flew for the first time earlier this week.
The VTOL Air Taxi had a successful
takeoff, hover, and landing,
and Boeing is working with
Aurora Flight Sciences on the project.
It's one of many similar designs
in development to try and meet Uber's vision
to have a fleet of air taxis
flying in US cities by the early 2020s.
We've all seen the incredible shots
Hollywood can get out of drones.
Did you ever wonder how to get
that cinematic feel out of your small UAS?
AOPA's drone team has some helpful hints.
Check out the article right now
in the news and information section of our website.
It's full of tips like using the proper filter.
in the case of what you're seeing here,
a neutral-density filter,
and that can help you get that perfect look.
It's cold across much of the US this week.
Here in Frederick, Maryland,
we've seen single-digit temperatures
with 45 mile-per-hour wind gusts.
So thinking warm thoughts,
let's take a trip down the Baja Peninsula.
AOPA senior photographer Mike Fizer takes us to Loreto.
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I've been coming to Baja since I was a kid.
My father put in some airstrips into Baja in the '70s,
and he put in the cabanas down in San Francisquito,
so I've got incredible memories
of flying down here my whole life.
Today, we're in Loreto, Mexico.
It's about three quarters of the way down the peninsula.
Very beautiful flight from San Diego.
We left from Montgomery Field,
took about three hours and 10 minutes in the 210.
It's definitely not a stretch
for the higher-end pistons, the 210s, the Bonanzas.
182s and 172s usually will fly
somewhere like San Felipe and clear customs,
and then it makes it a pretty easy jaunt
for them to get down here.
You really gotta sit back and slow down
before you take off and come to Mexico.
If you get out of your airplane
and walk into the customs office with the mentality that,
hey, it might take me 45 minutes to get through this,
and just relax and slow down,
it'll make your experience so much better.
I can understand that people might have the perception that,
hey, if I don't speak Spanish, I shouldn't come.
Bring somebody maybe that speaks Spanish
if you're concerned about that.
The Baja Bush Pilots put on
several programs if you're timid,
but you shouldn't be afraid.
It's an experience of a lifetime, I think.
All pilots that have access
to the West Coast should come to Mexico.
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(woman laughs)
(water splashes)
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It's interesting when you're in a town like Loreto.
One of the folks here got hurt in an accident,
and they did a fundraiser,
so we got to see five or six rock bands.
It was a fabulous festival.
And the Mexican people are so, they're so loving.
I think the best time of year to come
is late spring and early fall.
It gets a little hot down here
in mid-July, August, September.
Fishing on the East Cape is the best that time of year.
If you're coming to kinda enjoy the weather,
May and June are fantastic.
October, November, we're sitting here November 5th,
sitting in 82-degree weather.
The water is 80 degrees this time of year.
The flying is epic.
I have to be coming down here at least once a year.
You might do it with a friend
that's got a similar type airplane,
and you can buddy down.
When you are flying down to Baja,
and you look out your window to the left
and you see whales and tuna jumping in the clear blue water,
and to the right you see the Sierra Madre
going to six, seven thousand feet, it's insane.
It's absolutely incredible.
The thing with Mexico is,
if you have the attitude that life is good,
and you slow down, and you enjoy it,
you give a little love, it comes right back to you.
It's a lot of fun.
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This is another location that will be featured
in the March Destinations section in AOPA Pilot.
I could use some Baja right now.
I think if we hop in the Bonanza...
We can do it.
Probably get us down there in a couple of days.
We can do it.
I've done it, not in the Bonanza,
but I've flown down to Baja several times
to a little place called Punta Pescadero south of Loreto
in a Mooney, and it was great fun.
It's beautiful flying down there.
It's so stark, the terrain down there,
like very little vegetation on most of the peninsula.
And it's great weather,
and the fishing's really good in the Sea of Cortez,
and yeah, it's a good place to use an airplane.
Great, we'll look forward to reading about it.
That's all for this edition.
Join us again next time.
If you have any thoughts about our show, let us hear them.
The address is aopalive@aopa.org.
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