AOPA PILOT CONTENTS July 2021 SECTIONS 44 Postcards Death Valley National Park. 46 Musings The thrill is back. 46 AOPA ACTION 12 Working for You Top stories, regional roundup. 91 COMMENTARY DEPARTMENTS 6 President's Position A balanced approach. 20 Waypoints Terrain at every turn. 22 Proficient Pilot All in the family. 24 Flying Life Uncommon common sense. 26 Safety Spotlight Shifting sands. 28 For the Record If it's broke, fix it. 4 AOPA Online Take your reading beyond these pages. 16 Letters Can air. 109 Fly by Wire Index of advertisers. 109 Tips from PIC How does the FAA know I'm BasicMed qualified? 112 Pilots Cecilia Aragon. 34 AOPA Sweepstakes Tiger History 101. 35 Milestones First powered flight to Mars. 36 Future Flight Going Public. 37 Events Make it to Manassas. 39 Test Pilot On their wings. 40 You Can Fly Scholarship excitement. 42 First Look The Wings of West Point. MEMBERSHIP NEWS & NOTES 102 Pilot Information Center Planning to buy? 104 AOPA Air Safety Institute Faulty assumptions. 106 Turn On Your Notifications Freedom 13 challenge. 108 Products and Services The three Ps. 14 View from Capitol Hill A lofty privilege. PILOT BRIEFING 31 Just for Fun What's in a name? PROFICIENCY & EFFICIENCY 88 Flight Planning Pick a number. 91 Performance What matters most. 94 On Instruments The GPS backup. 96 Savvy Maintenance Misfueled! 100 Never Again Bad advice. Sit, Lockheed Buckets and Bull's-Eyes PETS' AVIATION NAMES p. 31 DRONE PILOTS TEST THEIR SKILLS p. 80 Portfolio GOLDEN HOUR IN NYC p. 72 The Voice of General Aviation aopa.org/pilot | July 2021 | $8.95 Path Less Taken FLYING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL p. 58 BasicMed 4 SIMPLE STEPS p. 66 39 TECNAM P2006T TEST PILOT On their wings. Fuel-Sipping Twin ITALIAN TAKE ON EFFICIENCY AND FUNCTION p. 50 Contact us at 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) 2 | AOPA PILOT July 2021 FUEL-SIPPING TWIN The Tecnam P2006T is not the multiengine trainer your grandparents flew. Learn more in Jill W. Tallman's story " Little Big Twin, " which begins on p. 50. Photography by Chris Rose Junly2021 Tecnam P2006T | Flying the Appalachian Trail | Portfolio | Drone Pilot Challenge | BasicMed aopa.org