5 flight planning resources you should be using

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Flight planning today has never been easier for pilots, thanks to all the sophisticated mobile apps and wealth of up-to-date weather data available at our fingertips. You can easily use one mobile app (e.g. Garmin Pilot, ForeFlight, WingX Pro, etc.) to do all of your flight planning, get airport/FBO info, brief the weather and file a flight plan right from your iPhone or iPad.

The caveat, however, is that it can be easy to fall into a trap where your favorite mobile app becomes the only place you go before a flight, causing you to miss out on other important sources of preflight information. To help expand your flight planning toolkit, here are 5 flight planning resources to consider while preparing for your next flight. You probably won’t need to use them all on every flight, but each serves a unique purpose depending on your mission for the day.

SocialFlight – It’s Friday afternoon and the weekend weather forecast is calling for clear skies and light winds. You have an airplane reserved at the flight school Saturday morning, but the only hangup is that you don’t know where you want to fly to. The good news is an app called SocialFlight app can help, offering a comprehensive listing of upcoming fly-ins, pancake breakfasts, air shows, forums and much more. The best part is they’re all displayed on a map, making it easy to locate events that are within range.

Download SocialFlight for iPhone/iPad

1800wxbrief.com – Flight Service, in collaboration with many aviation app developers today, has done a great job at offering standard graphical weather briefings right in the Briefing section of the app. Did you know though that Flight Service also offers an expanded set of flight planning, weather briefing and flight plan filing from a dedicated website? This includes the ability to take advantage of several helpful, more advanced features at no charge:

  • Adverse Conditions Alerting Service: receive emails or text messages when hazardous weather conditions arise along your route of flight after you receive a briefing
  • EasyActivate™/EasyClose™: Flight Service will send you a text message or email with links for fast flight plan activation and closure, eliminating the need to call Flight Service on the phone or over the radio after you land.
  • Flight Plan Close Reminders: Flight Service will send you a text message or email if your flight plan has not been closed at 20 minutes after the Estimated Time of Arrival.
  • ATC Notices: Instrument pilots will receive a text message or email when your filed flight plan has been accepted by ATC, or if an ATC change to your flight plan’s route is detected.

Visit the Flight Service website here: https://www.1800wxbrief.com

3D satellite imagery – When planning a flight to a new location, especially one located near unique features like city buildings, mountains or bodies of water, it can be very helpful to explore the topography around the airport from a 3D perspective. A great way to do this is through Google Earth, which will display detailed satellite imagery in a 3D view, which will show the height and depth of hills and mountains as you pan around. You’ll find it helpful to drag your finger across the terrain to simulate a final approach to the planned runway and get a good view of the lay of the land.

Download the Google Earth app

Graphical Forecasts for Aviation

The text Area Forecast will be discontinued on October 10, ending the life of the 1930s-era regional weather forecast products for pilots. As a replacement, the National Weather Service is now a product called the Graphical Forecast for Aviation (GFA), which provides an interactive forecast map with options to display cloud coverage and forecast cloud tops, visibility, icing, thunderstorms, winds and more. While it won’t provide airport-specific forecasts, it’s a great way to get a picture view of potential hazards that could develop along your route of flight. Make sure to use the slider at the top of the map to select the forecast period, for a view of up to 14 hours out from the present time.

Visit the GFA product here: https://www.aviationweather.gov/gfa

ForeFlight Web

Pilots of all experience levels have come to love the ForeFlight app for iPhone/iPad, thanks to its pilot-friendly interface and comprehensive feature set. One thing you may not realize though is that ForeFlight also includes a slick flight planning website that is included with your subscription. This allows you to view and interact with the same customizable map that you’re accustomed to using on your mobile device, but on your large desktop computer monitor. You can plan flights, view weather imagery, file flight plans, update your logbook and more right from this web service. Best of all, your data stays in sync, so all your planning will be available for viewing and editing on your mobile devices too.

Visit ForeFlight web here: https://plan.foreflight.com

 

Video: flying to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

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Oshkosh – one word means so much to pilots. It’s the world’s largest fly-in, but it’s also a trade show, air show, education week, and even part family reunion. But one of the best parts of EAA’s AirVenture show is getting there. Flying into KOSH requires pilots to fly a very specific procedure and often land on a runway with two other airplanes. It’s challenging and different, but also a lot of fun. In this video, fly along in a Citabria as it lands on runway 27 at Oshkosh, and listen to the rapid-fire controllers.

 

Flight maneuver spotlight: power-off stalls

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Flight Maneuver Spotlight series. Here we’ll highlight the various maneuvers you’ll practice during your flight training and be expected to demonstrate during your private pilot checkride. Each maneuver includes step-by-step instructions, performance standards and common errors. Study them while on the ground or print them for quick reference in the airplane.

 

These step-by-step instructions are from Sporty’s Complete Learn to Fly Course, which includes 15 hours of HD video that demonstrates how to fly each maneuver.

550x225 LTF course

Video: flying around the Bahamas in a Bonanza

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There’s a reason the islands of the Bahamas are on so many pilots’ wish lists: it’s an easy flight from the southeast US, the scenery is amazing, airports are everywhere, and the people are friendly. Fly with Matt Guthmiller in this video, as he takes his Beech Bonanza to a number of islands, including Bimini, Eleuthera, Norman’s Cay and more. This is fun flying at its very best.

Video from Matt Guthmiller

My first passenger flight experience

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Cessna 172After you earn your license, there’s a feeling of freedom. You’re officially allowed to soar the skies without the permission of your CFI.  With great power, comes great responsibility – so they say; and they’re right. So what happens after the point when you earn your pilot license?

Aside from the obvious, more training.  There’s a nagging issue at hand and by nagging, I mean friends and family. I’m sure all student pilots can relate to friends and family constantly seeking updates on your progress and asking “When can you take me flying?” After you have your license, even the “friends” you haven’t heard from in years come out of the woodwork. I’m sure you’ve already identified that first passenger.  It’s memorable so make sure you bring someone special.  From the perspective of a recently licensed pilot, here’s my advice on what to anticipate.

Planning

Plan the flight with the passenger in mind. Consider the places and landmarks that your passenger is going to recognize from the air.  The obvious first choice is his home and local city.  Some interesting options that you’ll want to consider are any nearby theme parks, recreational areas, and favorite shopping centers.  Know your intended route before you go and plan for the appropriate altitudes and airspace requirements.  The duration of the flight is up to you.  I flew for about an hour and that seemed like the right amount of time for the passenger.

Preflight and pictures

When you’re preflighting the airplane, it’s fun and interesting to describe the process.  It also helps keep you focused on the task.  Most of the basics we learned the first week of training are fascinating to your passenger.  This is also an opportunity to instill confidence with your sharp aeronautical knowledge. For example, explain the way air flows over the wing and how that creates lift courtesy of Bernoulli’s Principle.  Demonstrate how the yoke controls the ailerons and describe the purpose.  My favorite demonstration on the ground was taxiing. When you’re taxiing the airplane, start with your hand on the yoke and focus your passenger’s attention.  Casually mention that you’re actually steering with your feet and let go of the yoke. Expect some funny reactions.  Some levity may be beneficial this phase of the journey.

Take advantage of the great photo opportunities during preflight. Don’t forget the before and after shot. Selfies are highly recommended.  In today’s world, you probably won’t have to remind your passenger to take photos, but be sure to get some for yourself too.

Checklist for your first flight – Don’t forget the essentials!

  • Video Camera- record as much of the experience as you can.  I used the 360fly 4K camera for our flight.  I really like the ability to swipe to change vantage points and look outside and inside the airplane.  The 360fly app makes editing simple and you can even save still images from the video.
  • Extra Sunglasses- just in case they forget.  Not only does that give your passenger the cool look of an aviator, but also allows the eyes to relax and will make the experience more enjoyable.
  • Spare Headset- May seem like a no-brainer but most of us only carry one headset, so make plans to borrow from a fellow pilot.
  • Air sickness bags- Hopefully you won’t need them but if you do, you’ll be glad you stuck one in your flight bag. So will the sick passenger.
  • Chewing Gum- Chewing gum can help alleviate those inner-ear pressure issues. Bonus- you’ll both have minty fresh breath for the close quarters of the flight deck.

Conclusion

Before the flight, admittedly I was anxious to fly my first passenger.  After all, a perfect flight can be spoiled with a not so perfect landing in the eyes of a passenger.  Afterwards, I believe I enjoyed the experience as much or more as my passenger.  I’ll admit, I was nervous for how the flight would go and for the comfort of my passenger, but once you sit in that seat the “pilot brain” takes over. Follow your checklists, make sure to maintain your instrument scan and look for traffic.

Don’t delay that first passenger flying experience.  It could be your best flight and best memory yet.

 

Video: bush pilot picnic in Alaska

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When the weather is good, it’s hard to beat flying in Alaska. In this week’s fun flying video, ride along with Chris Palmer from Angle of Attack to see just how much fun you can have with a Cessna 170, a gravel runway and a group of pilots. They enjoy a “bush pilot picnic” before fly over some gorgeous glaciers on the way back. And all of this with just a Private Pilot license and a Cessna.

See more from Angle of Attack in Sporty’s Takeoff App