Air Facts

AUGUST 1, 2025

I was just shy of 13 flight hours toward earning my EASA Private Pilot License in Italy. I was 10 years old, and my grandfather, a former Air Force pilot, watched me play and gave me tips that actually worked. I checked the altimeter less and flew by feel, using the familiar trees and rooftops to judge altitude.

Runway

Plane and Pilot

JULY 1, 2025

The pilot said he refueled the airplane the day before the accident and checked the fuel level during his preflight inspection the following morning. The pilot made a forced landing in the ocean just offshore of the beach, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. Probable cause(s): A loss of power due to fuel exhaustion.

Density Altitude

Aerotime

DECEMBER 20, 2024

In the previous installment of this two-part article , AeroTime took you through the initial stages of a routine commercial flight, from the pre-departure checks carried out by the pilots and cabin crew, to what is happening outside the aircraft, and from engine startup to taxi and take-off.

Cabin Crew

Flying Magazine

MAY 30, 2025

The altimeter started slipping. He lost 200 feet before even noticing the descent. For VFR pilots beginning instrument training, the cockpit gets crowded fast. They organize and prioritize information in ways that match the pilots workload. In an instant, the world outside vanished into a milky blur. His heading wandered.

Pilot

Northstar VFR

JUNE 30, 2024

Leslie Caubble, CFI/IGI Two of the most important pieces of information that every pilot needs to know while flying is how high you are and how fast you’re going. Pilots rely on the airspeed indicator and altimeter instruments to measure and display this vital information. How does the pitot-static system operate the altimeter?

Pitot Tube

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

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

But is that something a pilot would actually think about in flight? Does this concept allow the pilot to fly more precisely or more safely? Chapter 4 of the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook is the poster child for this kind of pilot-abusing declamation. How does a pilot trade off a thousand feet of altitude for more speed?

Airplanes

Fear of Landing

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Mooneys are amazing and Mooney pilots are maybe just a little bit crazy, is what Im saying. I want to start by apologising to all Mooney pilots for that, because their comparison to the pilot in this case was most unfair. The pilot that day was just a little bit crazy in completely his own way.

Approach

Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 12, 2024

If you’re on a non-precision or precision approach, understanding MDA (Minimum Descent Altitude) and DA (Decision Altitude) is incredibly important. Key Takeaways MDA applies to non-precision approaches, requiring pilots to level off at a minimum altitude. These paths guide the airplane safely during its descent.

Altimeter

iPad Pilot News

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Top Apple Watch features and apps for pilots iPad Pilot News The Apple Watch has come a long way since the first version was released over seven years ago. Get the watch app here. Altimeter+ Display an altimeter flight instrument on your watch. Get the watch app here.

Pilot

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

As the complete instrument pilot, you should be able to maintain heading, altitude, and airspeed at speeds ranging from cruise to approach. First, the airplane is more stable in pitch than bank and, if you are a typical VFR pilot, you refer to the altimeter more than to the heading indicator. Now let’s look at descents.

Descent

WayMan

DECEMBER 12, 2024

When stepping into the cockpit, one of the most important instruments that a pilot relies on is the airspeed indicator. Whether you’re just starting your journey to become a pilot or refining your skills as a student pilot, mastering IAS is essential. Ready to begin your journey?

Indicated Airspeed

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Landing an airplane can be one of the most nerve-wracking tasks for a student pilot. As a pilot, you will need time to master it. A pilot must consider several things before landing. Descent Point Nominate a descent point that will give you a constant 3° profile to the threshold. Getting an airplane to fly is easy.

Airplanes

Airspeed Junkie

AUGUST 2, 2024

Pilots and flight schools favor this aircraft for its ease of use and dependable performance. First introduced in 2005, this all-glass cockpit revolutionized the flying experience for pilots by providing a comprehensive and intuitive interface. This article explores the Cessna Skyhawk C172’s features, evolution, and lasting appeal.

Knot

iPad Pilot News

MARCH 27, 2025

Pilot’s aviation app directory 2025 Edition iPad Pilot News iPad Pilot News has helped pilots discoverover 100 quality aviation appssince the invention of the iPad in 2010.Here AOPA Magazine Delivers AOPA’s monthly magazines to AOPA members, including AOPA Pilot and AOPA Flight Training.

Weather

Air Facts

DECEMBER 30, 2024

This was the actual conversation that started the journey for this green commercial pilot. The year was 2017, and I was two months into my first pilot job flying skydivers in the C182 at a small Canadian drop zone, when my boss approached me with this question. “What? My approach into St.

Weather

Photographic Logbook

MAY 19, 2025

He is a high energy, enthusiastic aviator who flies for NetJets to put food on the table and provides aerobatic and upset recovery training under the Tango Whiskey umbrella while instructing aspiring rotary wing pilots with BAC Helicopters owned by my mechanic Ray. OK, recover," Don prompted from the backseat. How much altitude did you lose?"

Rudder

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. Feeling overwhelmed by this challenging maneuver?

Weight-Shift-Control

iPad Pilot News

JUNE 3, 2025

Garmin SmartCharts: a pilots guide to interactive instrument charts iPad Pilot News For all the cutting edge features found in modern EFB apps, nothing is more important than charts. and any adjustments to be made (runway lighting out of service, remote altimeter setting, etc.). That changed last week. These buttons are the key.

NOTAMs

Pilot Institute

MAY 1, 2024

For new instrument pilots, flying an approach to minimums is a big challenge. Key Takeaways Instrument approach briefings help pilots maintain situational awareness during the approach. As pilots, we must review and brief the approach in detail before attempting to fly it. Pilots use both types of charts extensively.

Approach

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

AUGUST 2, 2024

Being disoriented causes the pilot to make incorrect control corrections. High Workload During a period of high workload, a pilot can become overloaded. Startle affects a pilot’s mental processing. Pilots can protect themselves from startle through scenario-based training. An increasing rate of descent.

Altimeter

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 8, 2024

If there was one thing that shook my nerves every time as a beginning pilot, it was talking to ATC. Thankfully, as many pilots are quick to discover, radio comms are not really as intimidating as they seem. Even so, no pilot should ever hesitate to ask for clarification if something does not make sense.

Aeronautical Information Manual

Fear of Landing

OCTOBER 18, 2024

A pilot who goes by Coyote Stan commented : “Everyone should get an opportunity to land and take off from this runway. That day, the Piper Arrow was carrying two flight instructors and a student pilot from Proteus Aero, a flight school based in Santa Monica. On a good day clear skies it’s an adventure.” CC-BY-SA 3.0

Runway

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

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 8, 2024

If there was one thing that shook my nerves every time as a beginning pilot, it was talking to ATC. Thankfully, as many pilots are quick to discover, radio comms are not really as intimidating as they seem. Even so, no pilot should ever hesitate to ask for clarification if something does not make sense.

Aeronautical Information Manual

Air Facts

AUGUST 14, 2024

Cruise, not so much—you’re being handed off from one sector to the next, plugging in a new altimeter along the way (hopefully). Ok, maybe it doesn’t exactly work that way, but I do know if you mind your engine temps during climbs and descents and learn how to use that red knob effectively in cruise, your engine will definitely be happier.

Altimeter