Northstar VFR

JULY 6, 2025

Imagine planning to land at a rural airport, only to find out via NOTAM that the runway lights are out of service at night. How to check: Use flight planning tools like ForeFlight, 1800WXBRIEF, or the FAA NOTAM search. For VFR pilots, visibility and cloud clearance are key. You don’t want to find that out in the air.

NOTAMs

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Soft” IFR is what you plan for, and “hard” IFR is what you might get. The glass cockpit overshadows the cooperative, complacent RV-9A’s character. The next leg, and the two after it, followed my standard cross-country plan. The next leg, and the two after it, followed my standard cross-country plan.

Weather

Air Facts

JUNE 4, 2025

I filed my flight plan and headed out. With takeoff clearance from the tower, I pushed the throttle forward. Post-Flight: Lessons Learned I checked in with Bohol Approach, received vectors for the field, and joined the pattern in VMC. Winds aloft were light and variableideal for a smooth cruise.

Altimeter

Air Facts

APRIL 11, 2025

Consequently, its absolutely imperative that before you jump into the cockpit with your trusty mount, fully set up your EFB. For example, when I planned my first solo cross-country as a primary student, did I fill in the weight and balance numbers for the exact Skyhawk I was flying? Doesnt matter. Same goes with traffic and terrain.

Cockpit

Flying Magazine

JULY 25, 2025

Thankfully, the cockpit is not the only place where pilots can practice. They need to not only understand things like airspace boundaries, cloud clearance requirements, and surface visibility minimums, but must also be able to coordinate their turns, manage their altitudes and headings, and work the radios while putting that knowledge to use.

Cockpit

Fear of Landing

JULY 4, 2025

The Robinson R44 was a sixteen-year-old single-engine light utility helicopter with a total of 4,142 flight hours. There was no cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder installed. CCTV footage showed the cockpit lights turn on and then the strobe lights started to flash. The strobes were never turned back on.

Cockpit

Air Facts

JULY 9, 2025

I recently departed without calculating my takeoff distance or obstacle clearance. I’ve even flown without talking to ATC or filing a flight plan. But viewing every flight as a math problem tends to keep your head inside the cockpit—and it drains some of the fun. I’ve flown non-standard traffic patterns.

Pilot

Photographic Logbook

JUNE 29, 2025

Buttonology as a Key to Instrument Proficiency Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 29 Jun 2025 N21481 SDC (Sodus, NY) - GED (Georgetown, DE) - MD1 (Massey, MD) - EVY (Middletown, DE) - N57 (Toughkenamon, PA) - SDC 6.6 At the end of our otherwise perfunctory exchange, Rochester signed off with, "Have a great flight, Chris!"

Runway

Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 23, 2025

Entry Requirements & Selection Process Military Pilot Training Becoming a military pilot in the US is a selective process that starts long before you step into a cockpit. Security clearances — Many roles require top secret or higher clearance, adding another layer of vetting. No security clearance required.

Pilot

Aerotime

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

Yakobchuk Viacheslav / Shutterstock With the doors set and everyone in their seats, ground staff disembarked, and doors all secured, your flight is finally ready to depart. The red flag is actually a strip of thick plastic material on which the words ‘ REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT ‘ are printed, usually in white.

Cabin Crew

Air Facts

DECEMBER 18, 2024

In 2017, I got hired to be the personal pilot for a family in Pennsylvania flying their high-tech, all glass cockpit $5m, Pilatus PC-12NG single engine turboprop. I got hired to be the personal pilot on an all glass cockpit $5m, Pilatus PC-12NG. In fact, I have been their Chief Pilot for nearly eight years. Now fast forward to 2024.

Clearance

Flying Magazine

MAY 30, 2025

For VFR pilots beginning instrument training, the cockpit gets crowded fast. One of the most essential tools for staying ahead of the airplane is the electronic flight bag (EFB). Every phase of flight has a checklist, clearance, frequency change, routing amendment, weather check, or procedure review.

Pilot

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. It’s only two hours by RV-9A, but there are gotchas lurking in the flight planning.

Airplanes

iPad Pilot News

MAY 14, 2024

Electronic flight bag legal briefing for pilots—2024 edition iPad Pilot News The best reading is in some Advisory Circulars from the FAA. Each year we publish a plain-language review of the FARs and Advisory Circulars pertaining to the use of iPads and electronic flight bags in the cockpit.

Pilot

Professional Pilot

JULY 16, 2024

The InSight Display System brings a glass cockpit experience and advanced navigation to modernize Hawker 800 series aircraft. of payload, enables LPV and RNP approaches down to 0.3nm to expand the range of airports where precision approaches can be performed, and saves 15 minutes or more on a typical flight with CPDLC Departure Clearances.

Payload

Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 6, 2024

CRAFT is a simple way pilots remember their IFR clearance. Key Takeaways Use the acronym CRAFT as a helpful guide to break down your IFR clearance. Avoid the common mistakes in receiving your clearance by staying prepared and organized. Develop your own techniques alongside CRAFT and keep practicing to master IFR clearances.

Clearance

iPad Pilot News

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Pilots using a device like Sentry or Stratus in the cockpit, which requires Wi-Fi, can turn Wi-Fi back on after enabling Airplane Mode to connect to these accessories.

Airplanes

Fear of Landing

MAY 30, 2025

The controller cleared the aircraft to 23,000 feet cruising altitude and then, after the pilot read back the clearance, handed the pilot off to another controller at Atlanta Center. The controller cleared the flight to 29,000 feet and then to 34,000 feet. They could see someone in the left cockpit seat, slumped over to the right.

Cockpit

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

First, I planned to fly into midsize airports equipped with both approach radar and an operating tower. While the temptation to find cheaper gas at an uncontrolled field loomed large, the extra services provided by the approach control, clearance delivery, and a busier FBO seemed to make more sense. and we were off.

Weather

Flight Training Central

JUNE 3, 2024

This can include using previously assigned frequencies, emergency frequencies, NAVAIDs, personal or company contact information provided in the flight plan, etc. Easier said than done with the myriad of distractions that can be found on the flight deck. Monitor guard.

Flight Deck

Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Use the CRAFT acronym to note down departure clearances quickly. The Importance of Clear IFR Radio Communication If youre on an IFR flight, chances are youre dealing with clouds and low visibility. You may be asking for a clearance or reporting your position. Every flight has those. Why Why are you calling?

Approach

iPad Pilot News

MARCH 27, 2025

Air Navigation Pro This flight planning and GPS navigation app is designed for VFR pilots and offers international support, including charts for the US, Europe, South America and more. Embraer Aircraft Services A complete line of apps to assist operators of Embraer aircraft with support and services, performance and flight planning.

Weather

AV Web

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Of course, the answer is to always keep your eyes outside of the cockpit, but thats harder than it sounds since scanning the traffic page (wherever it may be) is probably your first instinct when the controller is suddenly barking at you about nearby traffic. Close Call So what happens when there is a separation issue? The AIM 4-4-16.b.3.

Clearance

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 10, 2023

New Adventures in Flight Planning and Filing I decided to test-drive my PIN and the whole FRZ process for the first time as my annual fall solo flight in October of 2023. Any flight into the FRZ requires a FRZ flight plan. For the most part, the process was quick and easy.

Transponder

Professional Pilot

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Garmin G1000 Garmin SVS has been an optional feature of the popular G1000 glass cockpit system since 2008. Guidelines in each corner of the pathway show the direction of the active flight plan leg to confirm that the plane is on its intended track. So is the Pilatus PC-24’s Advanced Cockpit Environment suite.

Flight Deck

Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Follow procedures when requesting an SVFR clearance or departing a non-towered airport. Losing situational awareness: Distractions in the cockpit or confusion about airport layout can lead to unintended incursions. You can contact Flight Service, but they cannot give you an SVFR clearance.

Pilot

Airspeed Junkie

AUGUST 1, 2024

Daily responsibilities include pre-flight checks, weather analysis, creating and filing flight plans, coordination with ground crews and air traffic controllers, and continuous in-flight monitoring and communication. They also create and file detailed flight plans that include the intended route, altitudes, and speeds.

Pilot

Pilot Institute

MAY 25, 2024

High-pressure conditions decrease altimeter accuracy, affecting terrain clearance and aircraft spacing. Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) EFBs have made flight planning easier and more convenient than ever. When you plan a flight using an EFB such as ForeFlight , the software will pull up any NOTAMs along your route.

NOTAMs

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Soft” IFR is what you plan for, and “hard” IFR is what you might get. The glass cockpit overshadows the cooperative, complacent RV-9A’s character. The next leg, and the two after it, followed my standard cross-country plan. The next leg, and the two after it, followed my standard cross-country plan.

Weather

Professional Pilot

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

“Twenty years ago, Garmin redefined the general aviation cockpit with the G1000, our first integrated flight deck. Ten years later, we introduced the G3000, bringing the first touch screens to the light turbine cockpit, and revolutionary technologies like the award-winning Garmin Autoland.

Flight Deck

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

This could be caused by landing without clearance, straying from an assigned altitude, or any number of other errors. Pre-flight planning reduces surprises and supports safer flight operations. Conditions change and sudden temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) can pop up. Pilot deviations are incredibly stressful.

Runway

Jetwhine

JULY 1, 2024

If the co-pilot was lucky, the captain might let them work the radios and help with a few navigational duties, but the phrase “Gear up and Shut up” was considered a normal cockpit environment. This finding highlighted the role of communication, decision-making, and leadership in cockpit behavior and the resulting accidents.

Flight Plan

Flying Magazine

MAY 27, 2025

I don’t think the check ride went very well because the CFI was raising a stink that lingered about the DPE’s insistence that the applicant know how to file and activate a flight plan and know the procedure for obtaining flight following. ” Filing, Activating, and Closing a Flight Plan PA.I.D.K5

Flight Plan