Webinar video: pilot hiring trends and tips

Aspiring career pilots of all ages, backgrounds, shapes and sizes will learn about the pathways to becoming a professional pilot.

6 professional development tips for aspiring pilots

The aviation job market has never been stronger. If you’re one of the many thousands who one day aims to make a career as a pilot, there is plenty of advice and helpful tips to be mindful of as you begin your career path that are sure to pay dividends in the future. Here are six tips I wish I would have learned much earlier in my journey.

Five Ways to Save Money During Training

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The most popular question I address with prospective pilots is how much and when? Of course the time and money variables go hand in hand. While difficult to arrive at an exact date and decimal point, pilots control much of their own destiny and we can provide ranges for time and money with reasonable accuracy based on past performance. 

Ground reference maneuvers with Spencer Suderman (episode 2)

In this episode, Spencer demonstrates how to fly several of the common ground reference maneuvers, including turns around a point and the rectangular course.

Always leave yourself an out

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We want to have a general understanding of obstructions, terrain, airports, landmarks and any type of airspace restrictions or potential weather hazards located within this band all the way from takeoff to landing.  One vital element of contingency planning relates to fuel.

What pilots need to know about charging plugs, batteries, and cables

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Portable electronic devices have become more and more common on the GA flight deck since the turn of the century. From early GPS navigators gaining popularity in flight bags to a company offering a mini computer with a touchscreen that could make phone calls in mid-2007, these devices have improved safety as well as convenience when we fly.
Aircraft Engine - carb heat

Reminder of the dangers associated with carb ice

An instructor and student received a powerful reminder of the dangers of carburetor ice. Carburetor ice occurs due to the effect of fuel vaporization and the decrease in air pressure which causes a sharp temperature drop.

Busy instrument arrival demands planning, precision and patience

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The secret is out…it is sunny and warm in south Florida. And…
collision avoidance quiz

What’s in an approach category?

Aircraft fall into one of five approach categories (A-E) based on the aircraft's target final approach speed, or reference speed (Vref). If this speed is not published for the aircraft, then a speed of 1.3 times the stall speed.

An actual instrument approach to minimums

During your instrument training, you routinely fly instrument approach procedures to “minimums” under simulated conditions. The more likely scenario when flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) is the option to complete the flight under visual flight rules (VFR), flying a visual approach procedure, or flying an instrument procedure in which you acquire the runway visually well above the charted “minimums.”