
Friday photo: Great Salt Lake
Late summer trip to Lake Tahoe took us just north of Salt Lake City (foreground) and the Great Salt Lake which is the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere.

Slow Flight – HD Flight Maneuver Spotlight
Flying an airplane just above the stall speed in the slow flight configuration will teach you a lot about the handling characteristics and controllability at low speeds, which is a critical step in the development of your flying skills during flight training.

What rusty pilots should know about home simulators
we finally have at-home flight simulation real enough to provide tangible benefits to those rusty pilots who want to get current and stay current. This realism does come with a warning: unstructured or “game” flying can detract from your actual flight lessons or skill set.

Getting current later in life: some tips for success
The first 20 years of life are filled with classes, tests, and homework, so we’re used to absorbing new information and occasionally stumbling on our path to mastery. The typical 45-65 year old, on the other hand, likely hasn’t been in a formal educational setting in a long time.

Video tip: Pilot’s Guide to BasicMed
If you’ve held a valid medical certificate at any point after July 14, 2006, you may never have to see an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) again under the BasicMed rule. This week's video takes a look at how the BasicMed program works, its limitations and the steps you need to take to keep your BasicMed status current.

Hey Rusty Pilot – make your next flight more meaningful by practicing this
Judge your improvement on the quality of your “bad” landings. And practice under a variety of conditions (wind, configuration, time of day, etc.) to better hone your visual cues and mastery of the airplane. A safety pilot or instructor may see elements not as obvious to the pilot flying.

Getting current with a full time job – can it be done?
The thought of taking on flight lessons while maintaining a 40+ hour work week can be daunting. Do not be deterred! There is a path to knocking the rust off while still paying the bills.

Airspace Operating Requirements for Pilots
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The U.S. airspace system is divided into different classes of airspace that extend horizontally and vertically, based on various factors. Learn more about what is required to operate in each class of controlled and uncontrolled airspace in our latest interactive scenario.

Managing common aviation risks
The unforgiving nature of aviation has serious consequences, consequences we should remember every time we enter the cockpit. If we're unrealistic about our new year's resolution, it probably won’t hurt us.

Video tip: get a “big picture” weather briefing
Checking the weather is one of the few constants in aviation. All pilots do it, whether it’s a trip around the pattern in a Cub or a trip across the Atlantic in a Gulfstream. But merely getting a weather briefing isn’t enough; it has to be a good weather briefing to make the flight safer. So what exactly does a “good briefing” involve?