AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2012 - 40

PILOT BRIEFING

Your favorite 2011 cover
LEAP OF FAITH
No doubt the Quest Kodiak is a ruggedly handsome airplane with loads of character, but we at AOPA Pilot were so surprised that readers selected it as our top magazine cover of 2011—and that it took an amazing leap on the Sunday of the poll—that we had to find out why. It turns out the turbine-powered heavy hauler designed for Christian missionaries performing dangerous, unglamorous work in some of the world’s most remote places has won some devoted converts. A few members of Quest Missionary Teams put out the word that their airplane was in the running for the AOPA honor, and their friends responded through social media and online prayer circles. Votes for the Kodiak from pilots and nonpilots alike flooded in from as far away as Australia, and the tough, reliable airplane surged from single digits to win the contest in a ring landslide. Answe all the C “This wasn’t anything that we at Quest B ? organized,” said Julie D F T 182 G Stone, a spokeswoman T A for the Idaho firm that manufactures the Kodiak. “This effort was started and carried out by people who love the Kodiak and what it does. They are geographically diverse, but they’re connected—and they get things done.” Thanks for voting—and beware the power of social media.
a.org www.aop CE THE VOI ERA OF GEN TION L AVIA 2011 MARCH
2011 MARCH ght: Run | Dogﬁ Kodiak Quest s Dry? the Tank

An informal poll yields surprising results
In an informal poll on AOPA Online we asked readers over the Thanksgiving weekend to tell us their favorite AOPA Pilot cover of 2011. A quick note also went out with that Friday’s ePilot, we noted it on the AOPA Facebook page, and editors Tweeted about the poll. We expected a modest response from those in a tryptophan coma but thought even a random sampling would give us interesting results and, as of Saturday, it was pretty clear what the favorites were. Then something happened (see “Leap of Faith”) and by Sunday a new leader had emerged. America. The combination of the classic, perfectly balanced biplane; unparalleled natural beauty; good friends; and adventure made this moment one of my most treasured in a fortunate life of flying.”

3. November 2011—“Leave it to the Beaver” Photographer
and author Jason Paur shot the de Havilland Beaver from a Cessna 180 BEAVER on floats over the Puget Sound just off of Discovery Park north of downtown Seattle. “We scheduled the shoot in early August expecting great weather. But clouds filled the western horizon and the weather turned for the worse. Then just as we were getting ready to fly, the clouds on the horizon parted and we were able to get some sun for the evening shoot. We chose N900KA, the last pistonpowered de Havilland Beaver off of the assembly line in 1967.”
NOVEMBER 2011 THE VOICE OF GENERAL AVIATION www.aopa.org

NOVEMBER 2011 Kenmore Air | de Havilland Beaver | Wing Walker | Bahamas Rescue

LEAVE IT TO THE
Flying the Northwest
p. 50

1. March 2011—“Quest Kodiak: Answering the Call” Chris Rose took
this image of the Quest Kodiak over the Prettyboy Reservoir in Maryland from a Beechcraft Bonanza A36. Dave Hirschman was the author of the story and flew the subject airplane in the photo mission. “We flew at sunset on a brisk winter evening, and the low light and long shadows were ideal for revealing the Kodiak’s rugged character. The tough, uncompromising Kodiak was a joy to fly, and I can’t help but admire this pioneering company, its visionary founders, and the good works that they perform all around the world.”

NIX THE NDB? p. 100

Dogﬁght: Round 6

GA IN THE BAHAMAS p. 66 CROSSOVER CLASSIC FINDS A HOME p. 76
We Have a Winner

After the Hurricane

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Kodiak Quest

4. April 2011—“The Wonders of Yellowstone” Mike Fizer shot the
Aviat Husky over Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park from a Cessna 172. Al Marsh was the author of the story. “The 172, at the Yellowstone Airport elevation of 6,649 feet, couldn’t carry more than Yellowstone one passenger. (The owner never installs the back seats even when operating from his home airport 30 miles away.) I couldn’t go on the photo shoot since there were no back seats in the fourplace 172. But I went out with the owner first and it was sunny; when Mike went to shoot, it was cloudy. But Mike pulled it off. The Aviat was the personal airplane of the secondin-command Yellowstone ranger...the one who supervises all the others.”
APRIL 2011 THE VOICE OF GENERAL AVIATION www.aopa.org

Plus— View the video. View the slideshow

AOPA PILOT •

40 • JANUARY 2012

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2. August 2011—“Epic Flight: Colorado River Run” Chris Rose

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took this image of a Waco YMF–5D over the Canyonlands National Park from the open door of Recreational Aviation Foundation President John McKenna’s Cessna 185. Dave Hirschman was the author of the story and flew the subject airplane in the photo mission. “We took off before sunrise on a crystal clear fall morning with the temperature a few degrees above freezColorado River Run ing. As the sun began to rise, the sky turned pink, then a brilliant, shimmering gold. Below us, the raging Colorado River carved a winding path through some of the most wondrous scenery in North
AUGUST 2011 THE VOICE OF GENERAL AVIATION www.aopa.org

APRIL 2011

Flying Yellowstone | 180-Degree Turnback | Challenges: Helicopter

The Wonders of

Flying in the Parks

p. 50

The Impossible Turn?
Barry Schiff on the 180 Turnback p. 95

Whirly Girl

Fixed-Wing Pilot Tries a ’Copter p. 75

AUGUST 2011

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Epic Flights: Colorado River Run | Red Bull Helicopter | Piper Cherokee 50th Anniversary

Epic Flights

p. 52

50 Years of Cherokees Red Bull Helicopter

THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL p. 58 YES, IT DOES BACK FLIPS p. 66
Dragonﬂy-Like Aircraft

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2012