Entries by studentpltnews

Binge out on these popular webinars from 2020

Happy New Year from Sporty’s Student Pilot News! Get a head start on those New Year’s resolutions with some free, quality training courtesy of Sporty’s webinar pilot proficiency series. These popular presentations were delivered throughout the year. Sit back, relax and enjoy! Flight Simulators – What Pilots Need to Know Sharpen Your Flying Skills with […]

5 most popular articles from 2020

2020 taught us a lot about patience, perseverance and determination – a year like no other and one that many of us our happy to see fade into the sunset. We know from your participation at StudentPilotNews.com, that, during the challenging year, the general aviation community was a beacon of trust, stability and hope. We’re […]

Video tip: what are AIRMETs and SIGMETs?

In a perfect world we’d always fly in blue skies with a tailwind, but unfortunately mother nature is an ever-present force that can deliver inclement weather from time to time. This week’s tip takes a look at a few weather forecast products to help you stay away these conditions, like thunderstorms, turbulence, wind shear, icing and other in-flight weather hazards.

Video tip: How to use ADS-B in-flight weather

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is an integral part of the FAA’s Next Generation Air Traffic Control system, and includes a free datalink weather component. This week’s tip looks at the free in-flight ADS-B weather products available to pilots and the portable equipment needed to receive and display the data.

Friday photo: early morning arrival

The moment: early morning arrival The place: Near Jacksonville Executive at Craig (KCRG), Jacksonville, FL The aircraft: Cirrus SR22 The pilot: anonymous The memory: Capturing this early morning sunrise over the Atlantic as I’m headed for a long weekend of R&R along the east coat of Florida reminds me how lucky I am to have invested […]

Video tip: How to fly an Aileron Roll with Patty Wagstaff

There are nearly endless opportunities after earning a private pilot certificate to build and advance your stick and rudder skills. Many pilots go on to specialized flight schools to learn new flying techniques, like how to fly aerobatics. Join Patty Wagstaff in this week’s video tip to see how much fun flying inverted can be, as she demonstrates how to fly an aileron roll in a Super Decathlon over the beaches of St. Augustine.

Friday photo: night flight

The moment: first night flight of the season The place: Cincinnati Municipal Airport – Lunken Field (KLUK), Cincinnati, OH The aircraft: Cessna 172 The pilot: Nick Keene The memory: One positive outcome of the recent time change and early sunset is more time to enjoy the crisp, calm air and spectacular sights of local night […]

Video tip: Fit for Flight

A big part of the go/no-go decision relates to your health and well-being as a pilot. This week’s tip takes a look at various personal factors, including illness, fatigue and the effects that medication and alcohol can have on your decision-making before and during a flight.

Things to Know about Line Up and Wait

According to the Aeronautical Information Manual, “Line up and wait is an air traffic control (ATC) procedure designed to position an aircraft onto the runway for an imminent departure. The ATC instruction ‘LINE UP AND WAIT’ is used to instruct a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway and line up and wait.” In earlier […]

Daylight saving time ends tonight, Sunday, November 1

Sadly, daylight saving time comes to an end on Sunday, November 1 as the clocks “fall” back one hour. As daylight wanes in the coming months, please consider these helpful reminders: Definitions of Night Aircraft position lights on = sunset to sunrise Logging night = end of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning […]