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Game On!

Plane and Pilot

The Texas winds were gusting anywhere from 15-25 knots, and like other aerobatic airplanes, the canopy can be easily blown off. After a few seconds, Ill lift the tail and then add full power. As soon as the tail was up, I added full power and accelerated to 80 knots and rotated with the tiniest bit of back pressure. Sounds good.

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Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

Pilot Institute

This is called lift. Wingtip vortices are a byproduct of lift. Once the wing stops producing lift, the vortices dissipate instantly. Wing spoilers drastically reduce the lift generated by the wing. Its important because the lift is always produced perpendicular to the relative wind. Why is this important?

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Mach Number Explained: What It Is and Why Pilots Use It

Pilot Institute

Since it’s a ratio, it doesn’t matter if you measure speed in knots, miles per hour, or meters per second. At sea level on a standard day (15 °C or 59 °F), sound travels about 661 knots (approximately 761 mph or 1,225 km/h). Here, Mach 1 is roughly 573 knots (about 659 mph). The Mach value stays the same.

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Everything You Need To Know About Ailerons

Pilot Institute

At first glance, ailerons look like ordinary hinged panels on the wings, but don’t be fooledthey’re important for keeping an aircraft both stable and maneuverable. But theres much more to ailerons than just rolling left or right. Or how do modern airplanes reduce dangerous effects like aileron flutter or adverse yaw?

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Going Up and Going Down

Plane and Pilot

When discussing climb technique, it’s easy to confuse high power setting with increasing lift. It’s the wing that generates lift, not the engine. If speed is too low, meaning angle of attack is too high, induced drag builds up, as the wing is working extra hard to make lift. The resulting drag increase slows climb rate.

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Practicing Steep Turns: Techniques to Improve Pilot Control and Precision

Pilot's Life Blog

This increases the load on the wings, requiring more lift to maintain altitude. Set your power and speed for the maneuver, maintaining a steady airspeed typically 10-20 knots above stall speed to allow for a margin of safety. Initiating the Turn: Smoothly apply aileron input to roll into a 45-50 degree bank angle.

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Accident Briefs—June 2025

Plane and Pilot

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.