It was his first airplane trip at age seven that made Eric decide to become a pilot. "While boarding the airplane, a flight attendant noticed my interest in the flight deck and urged me to go talk to the pilot. I give a lot of credit to that pilot for my career choice." Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to an airline career. He learned to fly at Sporty’s as part of the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Program, an initiative he later directed. Eric now manages Sporty’s media network including FlightTrainingCentral.com. In addition, Eric serves as a Captain in a Cincinnati-based corporate flight department.
While you can be compensated to fly as a Commercial pilot, you can only do so under the common law term, private carriage, which is conducted under Part 91. The opposite of private carriage is common carriage which requires a Part 119 authorization (Air Carrier Certificate) issued under Part 135 for charter operators or Part 121 for airlines.
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) Scholarship Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2026 program. The scholarship provides financial support to students enrolled in accredited aviation programs across the U.S., including aspiring pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, and other aviation professionals.
The FAA has released its 2025 knowledge test statistics, offering a fresh look at how pilot applicants are performing nationwide.
In this live PilotWorkshops IFR Mastery webinar, the PilotWorkshops team will walk pilots through a realistic, thought-provoking scenario from the IFR Mastery series. You’ll be placed in the cockpit of a Beechcraft Bonanza and faced with a critical decision: how to enter and execute an instrument approach into Wichita Falls, Kansas, with low ceilings and strong winds complicating the picture.
Sporty’s recently released its February 2026 written test question update in its Learn to Fly Course test preparation module. While the FAA does not publish actual test questions, representative test questions are available, and new questions released by Sporty’s represent emphasis areas which you will likely encounter on the test. The FAA continues to add […]
Ever wonder how Sporty’s new Seaplane Rating Course came together? The latest episode of the Water Flying Aviation Podcast features Patty Wagstaff and Bret Koebbe in a behind-the-scenes conversation about filming from Alaska to Florida—and what it took to make it happen.
Choosing an online ground school is one of the first and most important decisions you’ll make as a student pilot. A quick search will turn up plenty of “best ground school” lists and AI-generated summaries, but those superficial answers rarely explain what actually matters once flight training begins. Learning styles vary, goals differ, and the right choice depends on more than a few bullet points.
Seaplane flying challenges pilots to think differently—about wind, water, and judgment. It’s a rewarding blend of skill, awareness, and freedom that belongs on every pilot’s bucket list.
Flying to and from an airport in Class D airspace is one of the more common communication scenarios a pilot will encounter. While no two airports will function exactly the same, here are some key tips for confidence and success.
With winter weather affecting airports across the country, understanding Runway Condition Codes (RwyCC) is essential for pilots planning flights in snow or ice. These codes, published in FICON NOTAMs, give a standardized view of runway surface conditions, helping you evaluate braking performance and make safer go/no-go decisions before landing or departing.
