As Sporty’s lead aviation course and video producer, Bret is usually flying an interesting airplane, and often with a camera rolling. He oversees the development, production and distribution of over 30 aviation courses from Sporty's, including the Private Pilot Learn to Fly Course. He is a flight instructor and check airman at the Sporty's Academy flight school and a senior captain on a Cessna Citation.
During your preflight briefing, you observe that the air is clear and there are no storms in sight – does this mean you’re in store for a smooth, enjoyable flight? Possibly, but you should also consider another weather factor that can have a big impact on the comfort of the flight on VFR days: turbulence. This week’s tip takes a look at ways to avoid rough air and find a smoother ride on your next flight.
Join Sporty’s course development team as they demo the latest new features in Sporty’s 2021 Learn to Fly Course. This webinar recording shows all the new features in Sporty’s award-winning pilot training course how to use it to save time and money during your flight training. Presented by Sporty’s Eric Radtke and Bret Koebbe.
The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B for short) is designed to replace the ground-based radar system used by ATC to track air traffic throughout the US. This week’s tip explains how the ADS-B system works and how you can also benefit from in-flight traffic and weather services offered by the system.
The altimeter is a flight instrument that provides accurate altitude information to pilots and relies solely on outside air pressure. This week’s tip explores how the altimeter works, the various types of altitudes you need to know about and potential errors you may encounter while referencing the altimeter.
Most of your flight training will focus on the essentials of flying like stick and rudder skills, navigation and communicating on the radio. One item that’s often overlooked is what to do after landing on a cross-country flight and taxi up to the airport parking area. This week’s tip takes a look at the resources available to you at the FBO and some advice on how to take advantage of them.
The cross-country phase of private pilot training is an exciting time where you’ll learn the flight planning steps and flying techniques required to fly longer trips between two airports. While it might be tempting to navigate directly to the destination airport using GPS, it’s important that you first learn how to fly the trip first using the fundamental navigation techniques of pilotage and dead reckoning.
Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course has been a popular home study tool for decades, and is famous for its relentless pace of innovation. Every year, we add new content, new training tools, and technological enhancements. This year is no exception, with a host of upgrades that make training more engaging and more efficient. Here’s a look at some highlights.
With Eddie Albert – Cincinnati Air Traffic Controller It’s not uncommon for pilots to have some fear of interacting with Air Traffic Control (ATC) often concerned with making a mistake or of being judged by others on frequency. Not only is that the wrong attitude, but can also deprive you of valuable services and even […]
Sporty’s Pilot Training course is the go-to product in self study flight training for pilots of all levels. Continuous updates to the platform have provided valuable tools for student pilots and flight instructors alike. While the video training and written test prep have obvious benefits to aspiring pilots, the latest 2019 version sneaks in some […]
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