Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 18, 2025

Coordinate with the rudder to prevent adverse yaw and keep the turn balanced. Coordination Difficulties: Keeping the turn coordinated with proper rudder and aileron use can be tricky at first. As you learn to coordinate ailerons, rudder, and elevator effectively, your overall control and confidence improve.

Pilot

Air Facts

JULY 15, 2024

Subjective factors such as terrain, turbulence, and gust direction are as important as the numbers. I did a checkride in 30 knot winds in the flatlands of Kansas, almost straight down the runway. It felt like pushing it for that airplane, but checkrides are so hard to schedule I went. I live near Boulder, Colorado.

Crosswind

Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2024

Common mistakes include neglecting clearing turns, delaying stall recovery, and misusing the rudder. Additionally, both private and commercial pilot checkrides require the demonstration of slow flight. Higher altitudes are also less prone to turbulence and have fewer birds. Turbulent air will require a larger airspeed margin.

Lift

Pilot Institute

AUGUST 2, 2024

Environmental Factors Turbulence Severe turbulence can cause disruption to an aircraft’s flight. In some cases, the aircraft may lose control due to the severity of the turbulence. Use rudder to check balance. Commercial Pilot ACS Standards You will have to recover from an unusual attitude during your checkride.

Altimeter