Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 2, 2024

Ground effect is a phenomenon that every pilot must master. As a pilot, you must have a good understanding of ground effect to maintain control and make the required adjustments during important flight stages. According to the FAA, a pilot’s aeronautical knowledge must include ground effect training.

Ground Effect

Northstar VFR

AUGUST 11, 2024

Pilots are known for liking speed, whether it’s in an aircraft, motorcycle, or boat. Let’s look at the basics of slow flight: what it is, why we practice it as pilots, and the fundamentals of performing slow flight. You can study more on the aerodynamics of slow flight in Chapter 5 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.

Checkride

Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2024

Key Takeaways Slow flight trains pilots to handle the aircraft at speeds just above stalling. That’s why it’s crucial for pilots to learn aircraft control at low speeds. Additionally, both private and commercial pilot checkrides require the demonstration of slow flight. Pilots use reference stalling speeds instead.

Lift

Pilot Institute

MAY 9, 2024

Lazy eights sound like the least challenging commercial checkride maneuver to learn. Despite the easygoing name, many pilots find lazy eights harder than they thought. There’s a reason why it’s been a commercial pilot practical test staple for decades. What standards does the commercial checkride require?

Rudder

Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2024

Going into a checkride (or a grass strip) without solid soft field skills is asking for trouble. A soft field landing is a technique pilots use when landing on unpaved surfaces. Why Do Pilots Perform Soft Field Landings? Crowd Source Information The next best resource for information about runway conditions is other pilots.

NOTAMs

Jetwhine

JANUARY 17, 2024

I’ve been flying jets for years as a corporate pilot, but not real jets to some … like fighter jets. When opportunity knocked with an offer to fly an Aero Vodochody L–39 Albatros (one “s” in the Czech spelling)—a single-engine bird still used as a basic trainer for some nation’s fighter pilots—I jumped at the chance.

Knot

Pilot Institute

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Steep turns should be one of the most fun maneuvers pilots learn. But for many pilots, flying coordinated turns while keeping altitude and speed steady is hard enough. In maintaining a properly coordinated steep turn, the pilot must use the opposite aileron to maintain bank.

Lift

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

Short field landings are a true test of a pilot’s skill. They are also one of the most feared maneuvers during the private pilot checkride. Whether you’re new to short field landings or a pilot needing a refresher, this essential guide is for you. x V SO (or POH recommendation) by around 500 feet AGL.

Weight-Shift-Control

Pilot Institute

JUNE 26, 2024

Go-arounds are among the easiest tasks a pilot can perform. Pilots avoid go-arounds because it is seen as an admission of guilt. Pilots perform the maneuver when a landing is unsafe or can result in an incident. Pilots perform the maneuver when a landing is unsafe or can result in an incident. What Is a Go-Around?

Wind Shear