How to choose a place to train! We get a lot of questions about how to properly choose a CFI or a Flight School for training. Check out the videos above and below to get some tips about choosing a good place to train, as well as how to make the most of your flight… Continue reading Choosing a CFI / School Pr
Topic Category: Private Pilot
The Traffic Pattern Pr
Flying the Traffic Pattern: In this topic, we’ll cover the standard airport traffic pattern, how to stay in the airport traffic pattern without going out to the practice area, as well as how to re-enter the traffic pattern when returning from the practice area or coming back from another airport. First watch the video above,… Continue reading The Traffic Pattern Pr
Radio Calls at Non-Towered Airports Pr
How to Talk on the Radio: In this topic, we are going to cover primarily how to talk on the radio at a non-towered airport, although much of the basic phraseology is interchangeable between talking to ATC and simply “self-announcing”. Watch the video above for examples of calls to make in the traffic pattern at… Continue reading Radio Calls at Non-Towered Airports Pr
Slow Flight Pr
Flying Slow: During slow flight you will develop the skills to fly the airplane at slow speeds, similar to the speeds during the most critical phases of flight, takeoff, and landing. Pay particularly close attention to keeping the airplane “coordinated” or, in other words, keep it flying straight and compensate for the left turning tendencies… Continue reading Slow Flight Pr
Airport Markings and Signs Pr
Watch the video first, then read below to enhance your knowledge, feel free to re-watch the video as many times as you’d like. Because this is such a big topic, and essential for maintaining safe separation between aircraft on the surface and keeping you from taxiing into a place you don’t want to be, there… Continue reading Airport Markings and Signs Pr
Left Turning Tendencies Pr
Why the Plane Always Wants to Go Left: So there are a couple reasons why propeller driven aircraft always seem to want to turn left (and it pretty much is all totally due to the rotation of the propeller and the power from the engine). Specifically, there are four main left turning tendencies, and we’ll… Continue reading Left Turning Tendencies Pr
How to do a Normal Takeoff Pr
How to Takeoff: In the video above, we’ll walk you through the steps of a Normal Takeoff. This is the procedure for taking off when there is not much of a crosswind, and you are on a nice long, smooth, paved runway. Remember: Look outside over the nose all the way down the runway. Control… Continue reading How to do a Normal Takeoff Pr
What To Expect On Your First Flight Pr
What you can expect on your first flight lesson: Now for the exciting part. How do you actually fly the plane and what exactly are you going to be able to do the first time you hop in the airplane? Well, in all honesty, the farther you’ve made it through this course before hopping in… Continue reading What To Expect On Your First Flight Pr
How To Preflight The Plane Pr
How to Preflight Your Airplane: In this topic, we’ll cover how to do a proper preflight on a Piper Cherokee. You’ll find preflighting any airplane is almost the same, with just a few differences between each one depending on the specific systems installed on that particular plane. Luckily, each airplane has a manual with it… Continue reading How To Preflight The Plane Pr
The Parts of The Plane Pr
Let’s go ahead and name all the parts of the airplane. During this topic, feel free to download the image below and print it out to write down all the names of the parts as we walk around the aircraft and explain them to you. What’s that called? Knowing the proper names of the… Continue reading The Parts of The Plane Pr