pilot

I’m a student pilot who forgot what the most important thing was

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5 Comments
I think sometimes the pressure I put on myself works against me. I am the type of person who wants to get it done right the first time, every time. Other competitive people understand you can’t turn that off most times. But I would caution against this type of mentality when it comes to flight training and here’s why.

What’s new in Sporty’s flight training apps

Like the EFB apps from ForeFlight and Garmin, Sporty's flight training apps are continuously updated with new content and features to take advantage of the latest iOS capabilities and devices. Let's take a look at what's new here.

What’s Up with the Student Pilot Certificate?

In the middle of January, stories began to trickle out that the FAA had published a new set of rules about changes to the student pilot certificate. With an implementation date indicated as April 1st, 2016, and no notice that we could recall here at Sporty's Academy, we thought that it might be an April Fools prank. It was few days later that the notice of a final rule finally appeared on the FAA's Recently Published Rulemaking site and we found out that it was true.

Drone webinar video explains what UAS are all about

One of the hottest segments of aviation right now involves Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly called drones. Whether for fun, for agriculture or for first responders, there have never been more uses or more aircraft available. To demystify this growing field, Sporty's recently hosted a webinar called, "So you want to fly drones."

Choosing the right headset

Buying an aviation headset is a surprisingly personal decision. There is no “right answer” for every pilot – it depends on the type of flying you do, what airplane you fly most often and your personal preferences. Here are a few things to consider as you compare models.
two pilots in cockpit

The FAA wants you to fly more and 5 strategies to help

So the FAA wants us to fly more.  Finally, a government-sponsored…

Video Tip of the Week: ForeFlight Procedure Advisor

As more and more pilots fly with aviation apps, it's important to stay current on your technology. In our latest video tip, we dive into the details of ForeFlight, aviation's most popular app. Learn how the powerful Procedure Advisor feature works, for both VFR and IFR pilots.

FAA medical insights

I don’t possess the medical qualifications or post-nominals…

Winter weather flying refresher

As the season transitions from fall to winter and the temperature is consistently below freezing, unique challenges are presented to pilots. Flight training doesn't need to stop in the winter though; in fact the colder months provide some great opportunities to expand your knowledge on weather and aircraft operations in less than ideal conditions.
172 landing

The one tip that finally helped me land better

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3 Comments
Making great landings consistently is easier said than done, and it's easy to fall for the latest "miracle cure." I won't offer any of those, because good landings result more from practice, discipline and hard work than quick fixes. But sometimes the right visualization is the key: if you can truly understand all the interrelated events that happen during landing, it's easier to make the correct control inputs.