Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (Quad A)

The AAAA Education Committee is also responsible for identifying and/or producing resources to support safe flying and crewing. While many of these resources are listed here and available to everyone, some resources are available only to members in good standing.

Videos

Ground schools are recorded for documentation and instructor training purposes. We have also created online ground schools for both Private and Commercial certificate-seeking pilots.  You may purchase access to these ground schools at our online store. The participants in our in-person ground schools are also granted access for 60 days to the corresponding class for additional learning and review.

The monthly general meetings including the program and safety corner are available via Zoom or in person. Recordings are made available to members in good standing. Some of the programs are also available to the general public. These can be viewed on our YouTube channel. (bit.ly/AAAAvideo)

Other videos are produced on an as-needed basis and made available to the public and/or members via the website or our YouTube Channel.

Hot Air, Hot Wires!

This video, produced by AAAA back in the 1980s, focuses attention on one of the most dangerous aspects of flying hot air balloons, the powerline. Watch the video to learn about powerlines, avoiding them, and how to react if you do entire them in your balloon. And enjoy the “campiness” of this production.

Flying in the Albuquerque Area

This video is a recording of the June 2021 AAAA General Meeting. At that meeting, Peg Billson presented the “changes” to flying in the Albuquerque area. It specifically addresses where the Class C and D airspace is, how to recognize it from the air, and who to communicate with if you’re going to be in that airspace. This is a must-see video for those who fly in the Albuquerque area.

Watch the video!

Over-the-counter Pharmaceuticals and flight

Temperature & Weight Calculations

Watch the presentation then…
Download the sheet of cards so you can record your preflight calculations and have them handy during your flight. Don’t forget to buy an AAAA Calculator to make your calculations simpler. Available in the online store.

Tethering Handouts

• Tether Set-Up Handout
• Tether Attachments Handout

LTA Endorsements

We all have occasions to write or receive endorsements in our logbooks for different times in our flying career, but what should those endorsements say, and what about the wording? Does it matter? The FAA says it does. Here’s a tri-fold brochure compiled by AAAA with language provided by Beth Wright-Smith of the most popular endorsements. Download and print it out. Keep it with your logbook for those times you are dealing with an endorsement.
There’s a companion brochure that looks at just the Flight Review. What is it, what should be covered, what does the endorsement need to say, and what if it doesn’t go well? It’s included in the download below.

• LTA Endorsement Brochure/Flight Review Guidelines

Back in the Basket

This series of posts was developed as the COVID-19 pandemic shut-down started winding down. It is still good information for anyone who has spent any time away from flying for whatever reason. They are not intended to be all-inclusive or mandatory, just advisory. Many pilots in other parts of the country routinely stay on the ground for a few months at a time due to flying conditions, but in the southwest, this temporary “grounding” is new territory. We hope the articles are helpful and informative and if you’ve got a tip, feel free to send it along. Check out the entire series at Back in the Basket.