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Flight school, albeit fun, can be a real drag. I can recall fretting over the next “turns around a point” lesson for the fourth time. Don’t get me wrong, any chance you have to get in the air and burn some 100LL is a great day, but looking at the upcoming lesson outline would often […]
Over the past 3 years pilots have been quickly transitioning to a paperless cockpit, using the iPad as an electronic preflight and in-flight resource. The iPad allows pilots to reliably organize and display sectional charts and airport directories, view GPS moving maps, and organize PDF documents all in one location. Student pilots have found this […]
There’s never a good time for something to break, especially in aviation. But things do break and airplanes do require care and service, so if there were a theoretical “good” time for something to go inoperative, surely it’s after completing a mission when there’s time to consider options and have any squawks dealt with in […]
This summer, my family and I have decided to take a number of mini-vacations centered around our enjoyment of roller coasters and amusement parks.
During the month of June, we have had the opportunity to visit 2 parks outside of our home park.
On one trip, we elected to use a general aviation airplane; on the other, we elected to drive our mini-van. This blog will compare those trips.
I always have a plan B. Typically, when flying, I also prefer to have a plan C and D in case of an emergency or if things don’t go according to plan. This could mean simply taking into account nearby airports along your route in case of emergency, filing an alternate when flying IFR (even […]
Many students beginning their training often ask the question “is the iPad the right tool for me in my flight training?” There are many schools of thought on the use of technology during flight training and I couldn’t possibly cover all of them, so rather than try, I will stick with how we recommend the […]
We’re all required to log our flight times and landings to prove FAA currency, but this only tells part of the story of a flight. Here you’ll learn how you can record a more memorable experience from your flight by using a smartphone or portable cockpit camera to capture the sights and sounds.
Many new pilots regard Air Traffic Controllers with a mix of respect and fear. So it’s only natural that we trust them and want to follow their instructions no matter what. But as Ben Franklin famously said, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”
Earlier this week, I was talking to a few students from my Fundamentals of Instructing class about a presentation that they have to do for my class. The presentation requires the students to teach an individually assigned maneuver to the rest of the class while evaluators judge their performance. As we discussed these presentations and […]
The pending closure of 149 contract control towers as a result of the FAA’s sequestration plan has brought the issue (or non-issue) of non-towered airport operations to the forefront. For those of you training at a non-towered airport, or as I prefer to call it, a pilot-controlled airport, these operations are simply what you know. […]
