Left Turning Tendencies

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

How to do a Normal Takeoff

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

How To Preflight The Plane

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

The Parts of The Plane

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

Four Forces of Flight

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

Basic Flight Controls

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