Air Facts

MAY 5, 2025

It is intended to be a flying lesson , but only for those pilots who read it with learning as a mindset. Take into consideration that weather reporting, and the dissemination of these reports to pilots, was not as accurate then as it is now. Also, Trial by Ice is not just another flying story.

VOR

AV Web

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Of course, one pilots partial power failure is anothers partial failure. The last thing you want to do is make a normal descent and landing. From that perch, you can eyeball the airport and then execute a circling descent to both lose altitude and set up for the approach and landing. Regardless, we were done flying that day.

Runway

Flying Magazine

JULY 16, 2025

By that point pilots were presumed to have mastered the art of landing, so who needed any more instruction on that? (Or, Your approach speed is an essential precursor to a good landing, even—or, perhaps, especially—for an instrument pilot. not often easy in a descent. Or, so the argument goes.). This isn’t new behavior.

Approach

AV Web

APRIL 15, 2025

Student pilots get a free pass, because theyre adorable skittering off runways in Loss of Directional Control (LODC) events that vex the best among us. But assumptions spiraled for this private pilot in a 1953 Bell 47D helicopter (think M.A.S.H) No mention if the Cessna pilot noticed. at Marana, Arizona, on 2021s first day.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

JULY 2, 2025

Perhaps to calm the impatience of his children, the father, who was the pilot, broke the 540 nm trip into three segments. Subscribe Now The pilot checked in with John C. The Lance’s track was aligned with the runway, but rather than begin a descent it remained at 2,000 agl. They were bound for Nashville, Tennessee.

Approach

Aerotime

MARCH 21, 2025

While the report draws no conclusions as to the cause of the crash, investigators set out a detailed timeline which focuses heavily on the Mitsubishi CRJ900s descent. The pilot flyingpulled back the thrust levers, and as a result, over the following 5seconds, N1 decreased from 64% to approximately 43%, where it remained until touchdown.

Indicated Airspeed

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 10, 2025

Descent planning is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of managing your flight. And if not planned properly, a poorly executed descent can present challenges and unnecessary risks when transitioning to an approach or the traffic pattern. Finally, you can enable messages to alert you as to when to begin the descent.

Descent

iPad Pilot News

DECEMBER 17, 2024

ForeFlight vs. Garmin Pilot: 3 key differences to help you decide iPad Pilot News There are a handful of full-featured aviation Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) apps available today for pilots, both free and paid, which provide just about every preflight and in-flight resource you’ll need for both VFR and IFR operations.

Pilot

Air Facts

MAY 10, 2024

A circling approach is one that, by dwindling numbers and its inherent design, forces the pilot(s) into a seldom used and high-risk evolution–often migrating us to an unexpected and seldom visited zip code of the threat/error management neighborhood. When was the last time either pilot (single pilot) performed this exact approach?

Approach

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

As a relatively new pilot , I had failed to see the bigger picture. FAA weather charts can help for higher altitudes but when just a few thousand feet agl, they may be less useful. As a mountain-bred pilot, I’ve always enjoyed observing the ridges and valleys from on high and low. That day was different. We didn’t test it.

Turbulence

Fear of Landing

APRIL 19, 2024

The pilot held instructor ratings for helicopter and instrument helicopter, with 872 hours flight time, of which 29 were on type. Five minutes later, about two miles south of Teterboro, the pilot said “What is going on here?” The controller asked if the pilot needed assistance but the pilot said no.

Torque

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

Pilots are able to discontinue reporting compulsory points when informed by ATC that the aircraft is in “radar contact.” AIM 5-3-3 ) When unable to climb/descent at a rate of at least 500 feet per minute.( AIM 5-3-3 ) When unable to climb/descent at a rate of at least 500 feet per minute.(

Instrument Flight Rules

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 6, 2024

Maybe it’s the Georgia flying weather, or maybe it’s the ever-increasing emphasis on “old” pilot instead of “bold” pilot, but it seems that flight planning these days is a lot more about if and when than about route and altitude. But if I was going VFR over strange territory, I would want lots more than 1,000 feet agl.

Airplanes

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

An instrument rated pilot, who has not logged any instrument time in 1 year or more, cannot serve as pilot in command under IFR, unless the pilot passes an instrument proficiency check followed by 6 hours and six instrument approaches, 3 of those hours in the category of aircraft involved. The en route weather is IMC.

Instrument Flight Rules

Flying Magazine

MAY 15, 2024

You’re not supposed to feel it like you do the aircraft, but this can make you a better pilot as you will develop instrument scan and interpretation skills. READ MORE: Our Pilots of the Future May Share Sim Stories Partial power loss scenarios—especially at low altitude—are very useful. It’s an ATD. It’s just a few minutes, right?

Crosswind

Flight Training Central

DECEMBER 4, 2023

A pilot needs to control the airplane in a manner that the wings support the weight of the airplane as long as practical to minimize stresses imposed on the landing gear by a rough surface or to prevent sinking into a soft surface. Once committed to the landing, the pilot should gently lower the nose-wheel to the surface.

Approach

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

JANUARY 4, 2023

by Gustin Robinson, FAA CFI-I ASEL Flying under instrument meteorological conditions keeps even a good pilot on their toes. As a student pilot you were always taught “see and avoid”, keep your eyes outside, etc. Stay ahead of the airplane and be safe! Have any questions? Check out our FAQs page or contact us.

Instrument Meteorological Conditions

Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2024

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. Calculate your landing and takeoff distances using the pilot’s operating handbook (POH).

NOTAMs

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

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

MAY 9, 2024

It’s just S-turns with climbs and descents, right? 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. The pilot’s job is to prevent the airplane from banking too quickly or too far.

Rudder

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

Professional Pilot

AUGUST 8, 2024

The request to make a short approach or maintain a higher-than-normal speed to the final approach fix is the most common reason pilots don’t meet stable approach criteria. Aviation writers and safety pundits hate writing about this topic as much as pilots hate reading about it. Houston, we have a problem.

Approach

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

About 90% of accidents could have been prevented by the pilot. Most can be avoided by diligent pre-flight preparations; by paying attention to what’s happening around us; by staying disciplined and flying within one’s margins; and by avoiding basic piloting mistakes through regular practice.

Pilot

Air Facts

APRIL 29, 2024

I requested a descent from 6,000’ down to 4,000’ and was denied due to traffic. I was soon cleared to descend to 4,000’ and entered IMC during the descent while I located the approach chart to brief. I began a rapid descent from 3,000’ down to the 2,000’ for the IAF. The IAF was looming closer. Sometimes simpler is better.

Descent

Pilot Institute

APRIL 19, 2024

It is true that pilots have performed the maneuver and safely landed on the departure runway. These famous tales of success are why pilots continue to try their luck at it. The pilots who walked away from this maneuver had tons of experience, the right conditions, and heaps of luck. You completed the climb check at 300 ft AGL.

AGL

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

Be familiar with what an idling engine and slow gliding speed sound and feel like, what the clean descent rate is, how much altitude is lost during a 180- or 360-degree turn, and what minimum agl altitude you’ll want to have when you arrive abeam of your landing spot. Third, practice for an engine-out emergency on a regular basis.

Drag

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

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

With nothing to lose, at a little over 1,000 feet agl, I started a turn to the left, looking for a place to land. It looked like I was still on a descent to touch down at the threshold on Runway 15. The post Where There’s Smoke… appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine. I lined up and continued to descend.

Threshold

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Editor’s Note: The following scenario is from the IFR Procedures Manual from Pilot Workshops. You’re skimming the cloud tops at 3500 feet, which is 2900 feet AGL You ask Approach for lower, but the controller says you’re already at the MVA for the area so you can’t get lower. Understand what’s required. Pick your battles.

Approach