Gee that’s unusual!?!?!?!!! When you find yourself in a situation like the one above it’s not really a lot of fun. Although it seems impossible to get into this sort of situation, it is actually easier than you think. A common occurrence for this is an autopilot failure at cruise flight that goes undetected, or… Continue reading Unusual Attitudes
Lesson Category: Private Pilot
Lesson 8: Class A, B, and C Airspace: The Busier Side of the Sky
Class A, Class B, and Class C Airspace Class A, B and C airspace are all controlled airspace. Although it is designated as such because the sky is a little bit busier in those areas with air traffic, you shouldn’t be intimidated to fly and operate in this type of airspace. To give you an… Continue reading Lesson 8: Class A, B, and C Airspace: The Busier Side of the Sky
Lesson 7: The Less Busy Airspace: G, E, D
Class G, E, and D airspace: Luckily whether you have a GED or PHD, you can learn the layout of the different airspace that makes up the NAS (national airspace system). We’ll start off covering just a basic overview of class G airspace, class E airspace, and class D airspace, and leave the busier types,… Continue reading Lesson 7: The Less Busy Airspace: G, E, D
Lesson 5: Ground Reference, Maneuvers, and FARs
Why reference the ground? In this lesson, we’ll focus on Ground Reference Maneuvers, as well as a few other “air work” tools you can add to your toolbox to effectively control and fly your airplane. We’ll cover: S-Turns Turns about a point Forward Slips and Side Slips A few important regulations The purpose behind all… Continue reading Lesson 5: Ground Reference, Maneuvers, and FARs
Lesson 6: Building Good Landings
Building the Perfect Landing Good News! You don’t have to be Maverick from Topgun to land like a champ! While flying a several thousand pound machine at highway speeds down onto the pavement may seem daunting, you can relax, you’re in good hands! Learning how to land, like any other complex skill learned in life,… Continue reading Lesson 6: Building Good Landings
GFA, Graphic Forecast for Aviation
Graphic Forecast The GFA has replaced the FA for the lower 48 United States. Watch the video above on how to use the new tool and interpret the information from the Graphic Map. Below is a chart to decipher the symbols displayed on the map. Weather Symbols Symbol METAR Code Description Dust or sand FU… Continue reading GFA, Graphic Forecast for Aviation
FB – Winds Aloft
Check out the video above to learn how to decode a “FB” or winds aloft forecast. You’ll need to use this forecast to account for the different wind above the surface when you start flying longer distances (cross country planning) and at higher altitudes. This is also helpful to predict windshear and turbulence as calm… Continue reading FB – Winds Aloft
METARs and TAFs Advanced
Check out the video above and take notes on some of the more advanced codes and abbreviations used in METARs and TAFs. Below are all the codes you could ever hope to encounter. There is absolutley no need to ever memorize all of these. Just have a rough idea what they are, that they do… Continue reading METARs and TAFs Advanced
FAs
Area Forecasts cover the area between airports that TAFs do not cover. REMEMBER these facts about FAs: Issued every 8 hours, 3 times a day Now only covers the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Alaska, and Hawaii Old Textual FA has been replaced by the “GFA” or Graphical Forecast for Aviation For the lower 48 states,… Continue reading FAs
TAFs
Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts TAFs have similar coding to METARs. Some important facts to REMEMBER about TAFs: Cover an area with a 5nm radius from the center of the aerodrome (airport) Valid for 24 or 30 hours Issued 4 times daily (every 6 hours) Here is an example TAF in plain coded text and decoded text:… Continue reading TAFs