Air Facts

JUNE 6, 2025

My next idea was something I had learned as a relatively new pilot: a firm bounce on the runway using the main gear. This wasn’t a big city airport, so no foamed runway. The first bit of luck was a nice, smooth grass runway next to the paved one. That way, the prop might clear the runway entirely and be spared.

Runway 52

Runway Torque Groundspeed Tail 52

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 27, 2025

From misjudging the flare to battling crosswinds, these mistakes can challenge pilots of all experience levels. 1) High Roundout Sometimes when the airplane appears to temporarily stop moving downward, the roundout has been made too rapidly and the airplane is flying level, too high above the runway.

Airplanes 89

Airplanes Runway Accelerated Stall Lift 89

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

TAKEOFF We’ve been cleared for takeoff, and now you’re lined up on the centerline of the runway. Correct rudder use here is evident, because if you don’t apply right rudder you’ll see how quickly your plane wants to travel left and off the runway. As you approach to land, your eyes look down the centerline to the end of the runway.

Rudder 52

Rudder Airplanes Pilot Stability 52

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

The complication with helicopters is that the main rotor is driven by an engine that applies a twisting force (torque) to spin it. This is called torque reaction, and if its left unchecked, the helicopter fuselage will spin in the opposite direction of the main rotor. These rotors create equal and opposite torques that cancel out.

Lift 52

Lift Torque Thrust Aileron 52