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.
The common-sense interpretation is that when it’s dark, ensure you’re landing current and turn on your lights. Carry extra fuel. And just because you may legally fly solo to obtain your landing currency, that doesn’t make it wise. A good rule of thumb, if you’re beyond currency, is to engage a flight instructor.
Standard VFR departure procedures are established at pilot-controlled airports to ensure that departing aircraft remain clear of incoming traffic as they climb out of the terminal airport environment.
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.
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.
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?
Learning to fly an airplane should be a fun and enjoyable process, but you need to have a game plan to ensure that your flight training proceeds smoothly and efficiently. Here are 10 tips to help you get the most out of each lesson.
The pathway to a Private Pilot certificate involves many training requirements, including ground school, in-airplane flight training, and a few FAA tests. Here we’ll focus on recent updates to the FAA Knowledge test and how to best prepare for it.
Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course provides a modern, comprehensive training solution for your flight school that is sure to increase enrollment and improve retention and performance. In this detailed guide, you’ll learn how to integrate Sporty’s courses into your curriculum, monitor student progress and take advantage of the Flight Schedule Pro integration.
Sometimes terrain, icing, lack of instrument rating or proper equipment can make flying on an Instrument Flight Plan (IFR) not an option. But that doesn’t mean you need to cancel a flight just because there’s weather along the route or it’s not perfect VFR.
A new online training resource called InstaCFI connects pilots with CFIs across the country to meet virtually for ground instruction, assistance with complex flight planning, avionics instruction and much more.
