Video tip: Pilot’s Guide to BasicMed

If you’ve held a valid medical certificate at any point after July 14, 2006, you may never have to see an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) again under the BasicMed rule. This week's video takes a look at how the BasicMed program works, its limitations and the steps you need to take to keep your BasicMed status current.

Video tip: get a “big picture” weather briefing

Checking the weather is one of the few constants in aviation. All pilots do it, whether it’s a trip around the pattern in a Cub or a trip across the Atlantic in a Gulfstream. But merely getting a weather briefing isn’t enough; it has to be a good weather briefing to make the flight safer. So what exactly does a “good briefing” involve?

Video tip: Flying airplanes with retractable landing gear

Many high-performance airplanes feature retractable landing gear that allows them to fly at higher speeds thanks to the reduced drag (and they look cool too). There are new operational considerations to learn when transitioning to this type of airplane, including the best time to raise the gear after takeoff and lower the gear before landing. 

Video tip: Flying internationally (FARs, flight planning, eAPIS and US Customs)

One of the most rewarding trips you can take after earning your pilot certificate is leaving the U.S. and heading to new destinations in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. This week's video tip takes a look at what it takes to fly internationally, including flight planning, extra equipment requirements and how to file the required paperwork with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Video Tip: How to land a Piper J-3 Cub tailwheel airplane on grass

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The rugged design of a tailwheel airplane and its extra prop clearance opens up the opportunity to land at a wide variety of off-airport locations with soft surfaces, like sand, gravel bars, grass and even mud. A modified soft-field approach and landing technique should be used when operating in these conditions, which allows the wheels to touchdown at the slowest possible airspeed with the wings supporting the weight of the airplane as long as possible.

Video tip: how to calculate takeoff and landing distances

Just about every airplane includes performance data in the Pilot's Operating Handbook to calculate the runway length required for takeoff and landing under various conditions. The FARs require you to determine these distances as part of your preflight responsibilities, but fortunately the charts published for today's modern airplanes make this task a breeze. This week's tip takes a look at how perform this calculation using the common "chase-around" style charts.

Aviation weather video tip: When flying IFR isn’t an option

Sometimes terrain, icing, lack of instrument rating or proper equipment can make flying on an Instrument Flight Plan (IFR) not an option. But that doesn't mean you need to cancel a flight just because there's weather along the route or it's not perfect VFR.

Video Tip: VFR communications

Talking on the radio can be intimidating for new pilots, but with a few tips in mind it doesn't have to be hard. In our latest video tip, we give you a few basics to remember so you can sound like a pro when you talk to tower or on the CTAF. If you know what to expect, you'll be a lot more confident.

Paula’s Discovery Flight – Private pilot training tips with Spencer Suderman (episode 4)

In this episode, Spencer takes Paula (a new student pilot) out for her first flight lesson in a Cessna 172. You will see what it's like to learn the basics of airplane control and how your CFI will coach you along the way to make each lesson a fun learning experience.

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.