Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Understanding the Basics of Flight Principles of Flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag Flying a plane for the first time requires a basic understanding of the forces that make flight possible. Lift is generated by the wings, counteracting the force of weight, which pulls the plane down. Ready to experience the skies with us?

Aileron

Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 18, 2025

Stalls and Stall Recovery No list of essential maneuvers would be complete without stalls, as they teach you to recognize and recover from the aircraft losing lift, a situation every pilot must handle safely. Normal Takeoff and Landing: Students learn the standard procedures to smoothly lift off and touch down.

Pilot

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

Lift is the force that aircraft use to counter gravity. Newton’s Third Law is one of the key laws of physics that explains lift. Lets see what Newtons Third Law is, and why we need it to understand lift. This principle is fundamental in generating lift, thrust, and maneuverability, allowing aircraft to fly.

Torque

Plane and Pilot

JUNE 15, 2025

Witness statements and recorded video showed that during the takeoff roll from the 5,500-foot-long asphalt runway, the airplane accelerated slower than normal, used more runway than normal, and lifted off the runway in a nose-high attitude. The right aileron sustained substantial damage.

Instrument Meteorological Conditions

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

PARE: Power idle, Ailerons neutral, Rudder opposite, Elevator forward. In this situation, the wings aren’t producing enough lift, and the aircraft essentially falls out of the sky while spinning. A stall occurs when the angle of attack (the angle between the wings and the airflow) becomes too high, causing the wings to lose lift.

Center of Gravity

AV Web

APRIL 15, 2025

With lateral options dwindling, the Bell 47D went into a vertical lift. As he approached the herd, with the intention of driving the cattle into the corral, the bull departed and headed toward an area covered with heavy mesquite brush. After one full revolution, the helicopter lifted rapidly from the ground and climbed immediately.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

MAY 1, 2024

Otto Lilienthal did it by shifting his weight, but for the much larger Wright Flyer the solution was to make one wing produce more lift than the other by twisting them in opposite directions. Despite the early invention of the aileron, wing warping continued to be used, even on some fighters, as late as 1916.

Aileron

AV Web

OCTOBER 8, 2024

If it is not possible to evacuate the area as a major storm approaches and an aircraft is not normally stored in a hangar, the first suggestion is to arrange temporary hangar space as far in advance as possible. A lap belt secured to the control wheel can serve as a substitute for external aileron and elevator locks.

Pitot Tube

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Storo lifted the British fighter into the air for the first time on June 28, 2022, from Tillamook Municipal Airport near his home. Although it is sort of heavy on the ailerons,” Storo said. At that point, you’re simply looking down the runway, and then it lifts off. 19 Squadron.

Crosswind

Plane and Pilot

JUNE 2, 2025

Witness statements and recorded video showed that during the takeoff roll from the 5,500-foot-long asphalt runway, the airplane accelerated slower than normal, used more runway than normal, and lifted off the runway in a nose-high attitude. The right aileron sustained substantial damage.

Instrument Meteorological Conditions

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

The J-4, also known as a Cub Coupe, had been dropped off in Kennett for annual in 2008 by its then-owner and ended up becoming a permanent resident when Hurricane Ike stretched inland all the way to the Missouri Bootheel, lifting it from the ground and depositing it on top of the FBO’s maintenance hangar.

Runway

Pilot's Life Blog

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Aerodynamic Differences Fixed-Wing Aircraft (Airplanes) Airplanes , or fixed-wing aircraft, generate lift through their stationary wings as they move forward. This pressure difference produces lift, allowing the aircraft to ascend. Each rotor blade acts as an airfoil, and as it rotates, it moves air over its surface, generating lift.

Torque

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

As air flows over it, a force like lift results, and the tail is pulled in the opposite direction of the deflection. But instead of an upward force of lift on a wing, it’s a horizontal force pushing the tail of the plane causing the nose of the plane to move left and right. Why is this? This is called adverse yaw.

Rudder

Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2024

Lift : The aerodynamic force generated due to airflow over the wings. The aircraft’s deceleration reduces the airflow over the wings, which reduces lift. When the lift force is less than the force of gravity, the aircraft descends. So, how do we increase lift to maintain altitude? The gear adds lots of drag but zero lift.

Lift

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

It only takes a 10% increase in approach speed to increase the landing roll by 20%. These obstacles frequently affect the approach and missed approach paths. Plan your approach path carefully to eliminate large pitch and power changes. Full flaps are generally used since they lower approach speed and increase drag.

Weight-Shift-Control

Air

MAY 21, 2025

For landing, it means a shorter landing roll and a slower approach speed over the ground, offering enhanced control. For landing, it increases your groundspeed on approach and extends the landing distance. Can cause sudden losses or gains in indicated airspeed (IAS), directly affecting lift.

Crosswind

AeroSavvy

AUGUST 20, 2021

More air molecules in engine cylinders allow the engine to produce more power; more air molecules moving across the propellor blades and wings means more efficient thrust and lift. As altitude increases, air molecules spread out, resulting in less power and lift. The approach and taxi are time compressed; the landing is normal speed.

Density Altitude

Fear of Landing

OCTOBER 4, 2024

” The pilot taxied to the holding point, checked the skies for any approaching aircraft, and lined up on the runway. The pilot applied some aileron to compensate for the crosswind and then applied full power. The flaps had been extended for the take-off, in order to increase lift. “The more we have, the better.”

Runway

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

Learn to avoid common mistakes during approach, roundout, touchdown, and rollout. We have two main challenges when performing crosswind landings: Staying aligned with the extended centerline on the approach. Staying Aligned on the Approach Crosswinds try to “push” the aircraft off the approach course.

Crosswind

Flying Magazine

MAY 6, 2024

I’ve seen a single person lift a Tiger Moth by the tail to take it out of its hangar. Courtesy: Patrick Chovanec] The silver knobs on the left control throttle, fuel mixture, and aileron trim. He said it took some time getting used to how slow they approach and land. Notice that there is no artificial horizon.

Airplanes

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 6, 2025

This is not the same as a simple stall, which is recoverable by just lifting the nose. Other causes include: Uncoordinated turns : This happens when the rudder and aileron are not properly aligned during a turn. Training focuses on recognizing when aileron input can cause further instability.

Rudder

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 12, 2024

This creates boundary layer separation, resulting in a loss of lift. Poor Control Feel When the aircraft approaches a stall, the boundary layer separates from the wing. The lack of airflow over the ailerons results in a loss of control authority and mushy and ineffective controls. What Is a Power-on Stall? You’ve got this.

Stability

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

But it was apparent the smallest Grumman flying boat was too small and full of quirks—the cabin door won’t open if the flaps are down, for example—to justify something approaching a direct copy. The airfoil is a Harry Riblett shape, giving modernized flow separation on the leading edge for a soft stall yet with good lift and drag performance.

Airplanes

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

The ailerons feature a small flow-control trailing-edge flap to enhance roll control. Baron told us to lift the nose at 50 knots, which proved correct for a takeoff about 900 feet down the runway. Clearing the final approach path, we extended full flaps and stabilized at 70 knots. An electric stall warning vane is provided.

Knot