Entries by Flight Training Central Staff

Ask a CFI: How should a pilot respond to a traffic advisory from ATC?

There are only two official responses to a traffic advisory issued by ATC: 1) “Traffic in sight” if the pilot sees the traffic or 2) “Negative contact” if the pilot does not have the traffic in sight. However, Flight Training Central spoke to ATC personnel on the subject who confirm that the phrase “Looking for traffic” is often used informally and is generally understood and accepted.

VFR Challenge from Pilot Workshops—A Fuel’s Errand

In this PilotWorkshops VFR Mastery scenario, you’re making a 650nm VFR cross-country from Red Wing, Minnesota (KRGK) to Sheridan, Wyoming (KSHR) for a ski trip. About half way there, at your only planned fuel stop in Phllip, South Dakota (KPHP), you discover the self-serve pump is inoperative. Now, with no other airports within comfortable fuel range, you’ll have to find a way out of this mess.

What would you have done?

I turned my head left to look out the side window hoping to make sense of what I was seeing, but the pitch blackness with only a couple lights was of no help. I immediately looked at my G5 [attitude indicator], and what I saw made my head spin! For a split second I questioned whether my G5 had malfunctioned.

Ask a CFI: What is an ILS critical area and when should I hold short?

The critical area for the instrument landing system is located near the ILS antenna array, where an airplane on the ground (or vehicle) in that space could interfere with the radio signals for airplanes flying an ILS instrument approach. An ILS consists of two separate facilities that operate independently but come together in the cockpit to enable both lateral and vertical precision guidance.

June 2024 test question update from Sporty’s

Sporty’s recently released its June written test question update in its 2024 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 enounter on the test.

5 flight training myths

Know that stories exist and many have been stretched, bent, twisted, broken and otherwise embellished along the way.  As a wise man once told me, only believe half of what you read and none of what you hear…especially when it comes to these classic myths.