Pilot Training

I never expected him to say yes, but he did, maybe because it was the one great thing he could give to me.

Many flight instructors don’t know how to prepare you for your FAA Practical Test; moreover, some don’t care. How to tell the difference.

In addition to being first through the sound barrier, Chuck Yeager was the originator of that low-key distinctive West Virginia drawl that generations of military pilots mimicked if they wanted to be guilty of having the “right stuff.” No matter how serious the emergency, pilots have taken his lead and sounded cool, calm and in […]

It was a beautiful VFR Thanksgiving Day, and I was en route from Russellville, Arkansas, to McAlester, Oklahoma, in my Cessna 150J. The little bird suits me just fine, partly because we were born in the same year, 1969. I had earned my private pilot certificate in August, and McAlester would be my furthest out-of-state […]

Just remember, Preflight Practice Prevents Poor Performance.

As the Cessna Amphibian I’m flying emerges from the ragged overcast into the fading light of a cool September evening, I can barely pick out the end of the runway through the rain-smeared windshield. A stiff left crosswind shoves me off centerline, requiring a boot-full of rudder to keep the nose straight. After touchdown at […]

Every flight begins with an engine start. Without running engines, airplanes are simply inert objects of beauty, filled with potential but unable to perform their intended purpose. Our success, or lack of it, when attempting to coerce an aircraft engine into life speaks volumes about our understanding of the processes involved. It follows, then, that […]

The way the pros often do it is to let the airplane do the organizing.

Filing the flight plan remains a simple process, despite the FAA’s latest best efforts to complicate it. If you dial 1-800-992-7433, a contracted flight service briefer will take your information and put it in the system for you. If you’re sitting at your PC, go to www.1800wxbrief.com, log in and click “briefing and flight plan.” […]

Even if you have all the bells and whistles, filing an old-fashioned flight plan still makes a lot of sense. Here’s why.