The trick to being more stable than Charlie Sheen isn’t just abstaining from drugs and alcohol. Safe and STABLE approaches all start with how you handle the aircraft and how you interpret the signs the aircraft is giving you. What’s the Definition? Let’s go ahead and define what qualifies for a “stable” approach. To me,… Continue reading The Secret to Being Stable
Topic Category: Student Pilot
Flying in the Wind
By about lesson 3 in your training you probably will have had the opportunity to experience a few takeoffs and landings, and there’s a good chance there was some wind involved in at least a few of those. If you haven’t yet seen a nice crosswind blowing across the runway, you’re lucky, and this TOPIC… Continue reading Flying in the Wind
Taxiing in the Wind
You’ll often find that it is always windy at the airport whenever you want to fly, whether or not you live in Kansas. This means you’ll be needing to get very familiar with how to maneuver your new found friend (airplane) around in the wind. Gone with the wind Given that the airplanes we fly… Continue reading Taxiing in the Wind
Load Factor
How much can the wing carry? What we are looking at here is a graph of the load (G loading or G-forces) felt on the aircraft itself (and also felt by you, the pilot) when making LEVEL turns (level turns being holding a constant altitude and not climbing or descending, as we talk about being… Continue reading Load Factor
Steep Turns
How to turn the Airplane: While making turns in the airplane may seem simple, making coordinated, level turns and rolling out specifically where you want the aircraft to point does take some skill and practice. In this topic we’ll cover the fundamentals of being able to turn the airplane to a specific heading while also… Continue reading Steep Turns
The Traffic Pattern
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
The Power Curve
It’s all about the POWER: Of course big powerful airplanes are cool, but in reality most of the training aircraft we fly have relatively little power with max horsepower ratings somewhere between 100-180hp. Since this isn’t enough power to make the airplane climb vertically like a fighter jet, we need to think about how best… Continue reading The Power Curve
Radio Calls at Non-Towered Airports
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
Airport Markings and Signs
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
Slow Flight
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