Lazy Eights: Commercial flight maneuver spotlight

The lazy eight is one of several maneuvers you'll learn to fly during your training towards the Commercial Pilot certificate. It is designed to develop the proper coordination of the flight controls across a wide range of airspeeds and attitudes and will give you a new appreciation for energy management and precise airplane control.
HD flight maneuver spotlight: steep turns

Steep Turns – Sporty’s HD Flight Maneuver Spotlight

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 is part of Sporty's 2023 Learn to Fly Course and includes a narrated video animation, along with step-by-step instructions.

Soft-Field Takeoff – Flight Maneuver Spotlight

The soft-field takeoff technique will be required when departing from runway surfaces made of grass or dirt and will allow you to keep as much weight off the nose wheel as possible during the takeoff roll.

Eights on Pylons: Sporty’s Commercial Flight Maneuver Spotlight

There are several new flight maneuvers to learn during Commercial Pilot Training. One of the new ground reference maneuvers is called Eights on Pylons, which involves flying a figure 8 pattern over the ground while varying the aircraft’s altitude in order to maintain a defined visual reference to preselected reference points, called pivot points, or pylons.

Emergency Approach and Landing – Flight Maneuver Spotlight

You need to react thoughtfully and quickly in the event the engine quits or you experience an unexpected loss of power. This week's tip covers a series of memory items to complete to try to restart the engine, and then what to do if a forced landing becomes necessary.

Normal Landings – HD Flight Maneuver Spotlight

All pilots look forward to learning how to master the approach and landing since it is one of the most dynamic moments of every flight. Follow along with our 3D flight maneuver video to see how it's done.

Soft Field Takeoff – HD Flight Maneuver Spotlight

The soft-field takeoff technique will be required when departing from runway surfaces made of grass or dirt and will allow you to keep as much weight off the nose wheel as possible during the takeoff roll.

Slow Flight – HD Flight Maneuver Spotlight

Flying an airplane just above the stall speed in the slow flight configuration will teach you a lot about the handling characteristics and controllability at low speeds, which is a critical step in the development of your flying skills during flight training.

Flying with Flight Simulator – Flight Maneuver Spotlight

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. This one is a little different—we're sharing a flight simulator maneuver that you can fly on your own.

Crosswind landings – HD flight maneuver spotlight

This crosswind landing technique requires you to modify your normal landing procedure by using a combination of rudder and aileron to keep the airplane aligned with the runway.