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.
Gone are the days of making an educated guess on a route, only to have ATC respond with a full route clearance with intersections and airways. It now takes only a moment in ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot or FltPlan.com to enter a departure and destination airport and then see recently issued clearances to other aircraft flying the same route.
The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is a precision approach that provides instrument pilots with both lateral and vertical guidance to a runway. In this video, Spencer Suderman demonstrates what it’s like to fly an ILS in a Cessna 172 with a Garmin G1000 avionics system, and how to use the runway approach lighting system to descend below the decision altitude and find the runway when the ceiling is less than 200′ AGL.
What is the difference between an LPV and LNAV approach? Do you have to adhere to the altitudes on stepdown fixes when flying the glideslope on an LNAV+V approach? And on what segments of an ILS approach can you use an IFR-approved GPS for primary navigation? Learn the answers to these questions and more in our latest IFR video tip.
The flight deck of every airplane includes a collection of flight instruments that display important information, like airspeed, altitude, heading and turn information. In this video we’ll go over the standard 6 instruments you’ll find in a Cessna 172 and how to interpret their indications.
Earning a multiengine rating can open up a world of adventure, from reliable cross country travel to new career options. Our latest video tip includes a segment from Sporty’s new Multiengine Training Course, to give you a feel for the steps to safely operate a multiengine airplane on a normal VFR flight, from startup to landing.
Airplanes with a high-performance engine typically contain a constant-speed propeller for greater efficiency. Learn all about their operation with our latest tip, including how to properly use the throttle, prop control, manifold pressure gauge and tachometer in each phase of flight.
Most students today prefer to use an electronic E6B flight computer when planning a flight or preparing for the FAA knowledge test. The electronic E6B is actually the evolution of a mechanical E6B flight computer, often referred to as a whiz wheel. While the mechanical E6B may take a little longer to learn compared to its electronic counterpart, the learning process is a fun challenge.
The rectangular course is one of the most basic maneuvers pilots learn during flight training. While it may sound boring, there’s a lot to learn from this simple pattern. In our latest Video Tip of the Week, we walk through each step of the rectangular course, with in-cockpit video and 3D animations.
2023 was the biggest year yet for Sporty’s Pilot Training Courses, which included numerous video, test prep, interactive scenario and technology updates. Here’s a recap of all the new features.
The winter flying season is officially here, which means we have a new set of challenges to deal with while flying in sub-freezing temperatures. Flight training doesn’t need to stop in the winter though; in fact the colder months provide some great opportunities to expand your knowledge on weather and aircraft operations in less than ideal conditions.
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