Professional Pilot

JULY 7, 2025

However, with no room to navigate up the steep glacial valley, the pilots finessed the airplane over the hurdle with no more than 200 ft of clearance. Every pilot knows that aircraft fly because the forces of lift and thrust balance or exceed the weight and drag countering them.

Density Altitude

Air Facts

MAY 5, 2025

This particular 172 normally cruised at 120 mph indicated airspeed, but with the ice it would barely do 90 mph and that required full throttle! I filed my IFR flight plan, received a clearance and took off into the gray winter sky. It was also destroying the propellers air foils causing a loss of thrust.

VOR

Air Facts

MAY 10, 2024

For example, some aircraft limit flaps and gear in icing until on approach or forbid the use of speed brakes or require a minimum thrust setting. Particular attention to true airspeed vs. turn radius. If you depart MDA on the downwind or base leg, you’re on your own as far as obstacle clearance. What speed on final approach?

Approach

Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2025

These include lift, propeller thrust, and engine combustion. For example, if we were to takeoff on an airfield at sea level at 0C (32F), it would take 1520ft to reach our obstacle clearance height of 50ft. Whereas for the same airfield on a different day, if it were 30C (86F), that same obstacle clearance height would take 1880ft.

Density Altitude