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

Four Forces of Flight Pr

There are four fundamental forces involved and acting on the airplane at all times in flight. They are: THRUST AND DRAG (THRUST opposes DRAG) LIFT AND WEIGHT (LIFT opposes WEIGHT) Watch the video above for a more thorough explanation. Remember that: IN UNACCELERATED FLIGHT, ALL FORCES ARE IN BALANCE (or equal).  Even if the airplane… Continue reading Four Forces of Flight Pr

Basic Flight Controls Pr

All airplanes are controlled in 3 axis. To do this, we have 3 PRIMARY flight controls Ailerons (roll) Elevator (pitch) Rudder (yaw) Examples of Secondary Flight Controls: Flaps Trim Axis of Movement: The airplane moves about these three axis, and all of these axis meet at one central point which is the CENTER OF GRAVITY.… Continue reading Basic Flight Controls Pr

All Other Aircraft

For the other Airplanes… While the majority of aircraft arriving into Sun N Fun will use the LAKE PARKER ARRIVAL PROCEDURE, some fall into different categories.  Below are the other categories: Choppertown You guessed it, Choppertown is for helicopters.  For more information on this part of the NOTAM, click here. Paradise City Flying to Sun… Continue reading All Other Aircraft

VFR Holding

So what happens when too many airplanes show up at once? While the controllers at Sun N Fun do a pretty amazing job landing an enormous amount of traffic very quickly, it is potentially feasible that too many aircraft may arrive at one time for ATC to safely handle.  In this case, there are set… Continue reading VFR Holding

Arrival Time Windows

Planning Your Arrival Plan your arrival time accordingly so you do not have to land at a satellite airport waiting for KLAL to re-open.  The Airport is closed daily during airshows and at night according to the schedule below. Note: if you plan to land at Plant City airport (PCM) before proceeding to Sun N… Continue reading Arrival Time Windows

Choosing a CFI / School

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

Hobby Aftermath

Accident Chain: Unfamiliar Airport Long Flight (3hrs stuck in a small airplane) Get-there-itis (visiting sick father-in-law, and delivering her two passengers to the destination) Disregarded requirement for a Flight Review No spin recovery training Flustered by ATC Accepting clearances from ATC that put the airplane into undesired states Failed to be assertive with ATC to… Continue reading Hobby Aftermath

Hobby Flight

The Flight After being airborne for nearly 3 hours, N4252G approached the Class B airspace of Houston Hobby Airport.  Given the large speed difference between a SR20 and a Boeing 737 on approach, the approach controller had told 52G to maintain maximum forward speed if possible just before being handed off to tower.  Once on… Continue reading Hobby Flight

Hobby Accident Background

Flight Background On June 9th, 2016, Cirrus N4252G departed KOUN for KHOU about 350nm away.  On board was the pilot (Dana), her husband (Tony), and brother-in-law (Jerry).  The flight was to take them to the Houston area to see Tony and Jerry’s father, who was receiving cancer treatment at the Anderson Cancer Center.  Obviously, they… Continue reading Hobby Accident Background