Get My Drift?
Posted: 11/14/2013
When landing, not only is it hard enough to flare at the right altitude to land on the main wheels (tricycle gear) or all 3 wheels (tailwheel aircraft), but we also have to cancel out that pesky drift as well. Yes, some aircraft have built in cross wind landing gears such as the B-52 bomber and the Cessna 195, but the aircraft you fly most likely does not have this luxury. So, you must stop the drift that results from crosswinds when you land!
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Posted in: Flight Training
Being In Control
Posted: 6/27/2013
Today, televised sports events include the use of the instant replay in which the action is replayed in slow motion. This gives the viewer time to see those actions that would otherwise be missed when seen at full speed. We sit in our easy chairs thinking that it's so easy to see all the mistakes and remarkable moves made by the players, but not so easy to do. Flying an aircraft under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) is no easy task either requiring max attention to keeping the aircraft upright, on the proper course, and in control
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Posted in: Flight Training
Use Your Senses to Improve Your Landings
Posted: 6/4/2013
I've read many articles that explain how to improve landings and I note that they tell us it is important to fly stabilized approaches, controlling the airspeed on final, flaring at the correct altitude, and landing on the man wheels in a tricycle aircraft. Although this is good advice, the articles leave out things that I think are difficult to convey which should improve our landings.
So, what is missing? Have any of the articles you’ve read discuss how approaches and landings feel, sound, look, and smell? OK, smelling a landing may not always be a good clue to a good landing, but in a few airplanes I have noted particular "smells" that helped me know that I'm landing at the proper speed.
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Posted in: Flight Training
All I Ever Needed to Know About Spins I Learned by Accident
Posted: 4/8/2013
Not entirely true, but I did have an experience that taught me that I must learn everything about an aircraft a maneuver or task before performing it alone.
It was a nice day in July of 1969 and I was home from college teaching at a local Massachusetts flight school. Our dispatcher told me to check myself out in a new student's Aeronca Chief which looks much like the venerable Piper Cub, high wing and fabric covered. The Chief’s cockpit is designed for the pilot and a single passenger to sit side-by-side instead of tandem as in the Champ and has a control wheel instead of a stick. The aircraft was recently purchased and was deemed airworthy.
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Posted in: Flight Training
Foreign Pilots Who Wish to Obtain a US Pilot Certificate
Posted: 3/19/2013
People who are not United States citizens are allowed to make 1 training flight in the US, but they must have completed the appropriate paperwork and received TSA approval prior to any subsequent flights. This article will help with some oversight into the process.
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Posted in: Flight Training
Emergency Descent
Posted: 2/11/2013
The new Private pilot Practical Test Standards dated June 1, 2012, Area of Operation X, Task A (IX Task A in the Commercial PTS dated June 1, 2012) requires applicants to demonstrate their ability to properly perform the Emergency Descent.
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Posted in: Flight Training
Dangers of Winter Flying
Posted: 1/14/2013
Flying in the winter has a number of dangers that need to be addressed. We are going to list with a brief description the major problems that one is likely to encounter during winter flight operations.
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Posted in: Flight Training
Ask the Designated Pilot Examiner
Posted: 9/18/2012
The team here at PilotPlanet has had the fortune of sitting down with Marc 'Nate' Nathanson (Ret. Lt. Col USAF, CFI, CFII, MEI, Designated Pilot Examiner) and had him answer some of the common questions he comes across as a DPE that beginning student pilots tend to ask about their flight training. Nate's insight and experience as a DPE is invaluable and we thought we'd share some of his knowledge and wisdom with each of you!
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Posted in: Flight Training
Summer Flying Hazards
Posted: 6/20/2012
With summertime here in the United States, the days are longer, the skies seem brighter, and the weather seems to be gentler. Who doesn’t want to go flying on a beautiful, sunny, summer day? Because of this summer has got to be the safest time of year to fly and complete your flight training, right? Well, there are few hazards that pilots need to be aware of that are associated with summer flying. These hazards need to be taken seriously and treated with the respect that they deserve. In this article I’m going to outline and explain some of the most common hazards associated with summer flying in the United States.
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Posted in: Flight Training