Northstar VFR

MAY 26, 2025

Novak, CFI As a student pilot, you've probably already heard your instructor talk about using flaps during takeoff, landing, and sometimes even during slow flight practice. When deployed, they increase the wings lift and drag, allowing the airplane to fly safely at slower speeds. By Jillian C. How Do Flaps Work?

Camber

Pilot Institute

JUNE 4, 2025

A tailless airplane is one where everything needed to fly, like lift, control, and stability, is built into the main wing. In level flight, the aircraft is adjusted so that the wingtips dont add lift. This setup makes the wing less efficient overall, but it can reduce drag, weight, and cost compared to using a separate tail.

Tail

Vintage Aviation News

DECEMBER 29, 2024

Davis, who had developed a new wing, whose airfoil had a lower drag co-efficiency than other wing designs of the time, and which had already been used on the company’s Model 31/XP4Y Corregidor flying boat. The Davis Wing allowed for higher speeds and added lift at relatively low angles of attack.

Tail

Flight Training Central

JUNE 30, 2025

I have heard from a couple of different pilot examiner friends that there are a number of basic aerodynamic concepts that are often misunderstood by pilot applicants. At the private pilot level, this is disappointing, but may be understandable. This lower pressure on the top of the wing is a part of the lift production.

Airfoil

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Whether you’re aiming for a private pilot license or seeking advanced certifications, Leopard Aviation provides personalized training programs to fit your schedule and goals. Understanding the Basics of Flight Aerodynamics 101 Flying a small plane revolves around understanding four key forces: lift, thrust, drag, and weight.

Weather

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 11, 2025

These stories shine a light on the aircraft and test pilots that pushed the limits of aeronautical knowledge, many of them flying out of the legendary Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Research pilot John McKay flew it once in this form on September 17, 1956.

Drag

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 16, 2024

Starting on your path to becoming a pilot might feel like stepping into the unknown. Let’s get you set up with what you need to begin your pilot journey. Key Takeaways Getting a pilot’s license requires a high school education or GED and passing a basic medical exam. What Are the Basic Requirements to Start Pilot Training?

Pilot

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 16, 2024

The faster an aircraft goes, the more lift it generates. Lift is the upward force that keeps you in the air. If airspeed is too slow, the aircraft could lose lift and stall. Meanwhile, lower altitudes demand that you be extra careful with airspeed to maintain lift and prevent stalls. miles per hour.

True Airspeed

Flying Magazine

MAY 7, 2025

First published 45 years ago, Carsons essay became a point of reference for the wonkier class of pilot, to whose vocabulary it contributed a couple of novel phrases: Carson Speed and the least wasteful way of wasting. Naval Academy, approached the problem by setting lift-drag ratio, L/D, as his metric of efficiency.

True Airspeed

Professional Pilot

JULY 7, 2025

A lighting the runway with under 1000 ft to go, the pilots breathed a sigh of relief. However, they underestimated their climb from the lift off point and, with the sluggish rate of climb, the saddle ridge across the departure path suddenly became a dangerous obstacle they might not clear. C per km (–3.6 °F/1000

Density Altitude

Air Facts

MAY 14, 2025

Throttle Mismanagement: A T-38 Lesson That Stuck Air Facts Journal An Air Force instructor teaches a powerful lesson on throttle finessein a jet that doesnt forgive overcorrections Have you ever been in a car or plane where the person driving or piloting is constantly adjusting the throttle? At least he didnt light the afterburners!

AGL

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Let us take you from first-time flyer to skilled pilot with personalized instruction designed for beginners like you. Understanding the Basics of Flight Principles of Flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag Flying a plane for the first time requires a basic understanding of the forces that make flight possible.

Aileron

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Have you ever wondered how pilots keep control at high speeds, during stalls, or even when systems fail? Key Takeaways Ailerons control the aircrafts roll by adjusting lift on each wing. The pilot is able to control the aircrafts roll by turning the control yoke or sidestick in the cockpit. Why does this increase the lift?

Aileron

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 2, 2024

This can cause you to lose lift. Remember Bernoulli’s Theorem and how lift is created. The loss of lift causes the aircraft to stall and lose altitude. When the aircraft is in a high-drag configuration, a stall at a low altitude can be quite dangerous. Without a quick reaction, it can lead to a dangerous situation.

Descent

Flying Magazine

JULY 3, 2025

I am an air ambulance pilot flying the venerable Lear 35 twinjet around the country, moving patients to critical and advanced care facilities. Then I pull out the pilot checklist (QRH). Full flaps are mostly about drag, not lift. We dropped a patient the previous evening in Sin City and were waiting for our next mission.

Knot

WayMan

MAY 25, 2025

For anyone training to become a pilot or aviation technician, understanding the anatomy of an aircraft is one of the first essential steps. Wings: The Source of Lift The wings are what make fixed-wing flight possible. Regardless of placement, the principle remains the same: wings generate the lift that makes flight possible.

Lift

Pilot Institute

APRIL 12, 2025

Lift is the force that aircraft use to counter gravity. Newton’s Third Law is one of the key laws of physics that explains lift. Lets see what Newtons Third Law is, and why we need it to understand lift. This principle is fundamental in generating lift, thrust, and maneuverability, allowing aircraft to fly.

Torque

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 5, 2025

One of the most reliable aircraft for training is the Piper Seminole, a twin-engine plane that offers hands-on experience for future pilots. Section 1: Getting to Know the Piper Seminole The Piper Seminole is a versatile twin-engine aircraft frequently used for flight training, particularly for pilots advancing to multi-engine ratings.

Descent

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 15, 2025

The pilots fought to recover, but the wind shear was too strong. They are difficult to detect, making pilot awareness and training vital. Technological advancements aid in detection, but pilot vigilance remains essential. With nothing left to lift it, the core has nowhere else to go but down.

Wind Shear

CFI Academy

MAY 12, 2025

Slow flight is one of the most essential yet challenging maneuvers for new pilots to master — and for Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) to teach effectively. During slow flight, the aircraft requires a higher nose-up attitude to counteract reduced lift at slower speeds. What Is Slow Flight?

Drag

CFI Academy

MAY 12, 2025

Slow flight is one of the most essential yet challenging maneuvers for new pilots to master and for Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) to teach effectively. During slow flight, the aircraft requires a higher nose-up attitude to counteract reduced lift at slower speeds. What Is Slow Flight?

Drag

Aerotime

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

Winglets and Sharklets Both Airbus and Boeing operate aircraft with wingtip devices that are designed to increase aircraft efficiency by removing drag. The devices would prove to “reduce wingtip drag” and increase “fuel efficiency by 6-7%” but would need be positioned uniquely for each aircraft type.

Lift

Vintage Aviation News

MAY 2, 2025

Although the B-47A appeared structurally sound upon arrival, flight testing revealed notable shortcomingsparticularly buffeting issues that limited both its top speed and achievable lift. The drag chute was used on landings to help brake the airplane’s speed. The B-47A fuselage was 106 feet 11 inches in length. NASA Photo

Gross Weight

Plane and Pilot

JULY 22, 2025

As pilots, we have a certain luxury that many do not—to escape the confines of earth for fleeting moments of peace and disconnection. Consider yourself to be in the rarer class of today’s modern pilot. Originally built to train pilots for World War II, the company lost the official training contract to the Boeing PT-17 Stearman.

Runway

Plane and Pilot

APRIL 23, 2025

Feeling that gentle nudge of acceleration as you retract the gear during climb-out feels great, as does knowing youve got none of that drag slowing you down and increasing fuel burnin cruise. The post Bargain Buys on AircraftForSale: 1972 Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Transponder

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

Pilot Institute

JUNE 12, 2025

Key Takeaways Variable-sweep wings adjust in flight to balance lift and speed. Straight Wings and Swept Wings At low speeds, like when you’re taking off or landing, you can extend the wings straight out to produce more lift. This is because straight wings have a higher aspect ratio, which also increases the coefficient of lift.

Weight-Shift-Control

Fear of Landing

JULY 4, 2025

On the 12th of August in 2024, a pilot fatally crashed a Robinson R44 into the top of a hotel building in Cairns, Australia. Accident site and wreckage distribution The pilot held a commercial helicopter licence issued by the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority, including type ratings for the Robinson R44 helicopter. He had 157.8

Cockpit

Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 18, 2025

An aircraft go-around is when a pilot decides to abort a landing and climb back to a safe altitude for another approach. How a Go-Around Is Performed Performing an aircraft go-around is a critical skill every pilot must master. Landing gear is also retracted as the aircraft gains altitude to reduce drag and improve climb performance.

Air Traffic Control

Flying Magazine

JULY 17, 2025

With more drone pilots taking to the skies, it’s essential to understand the rules of the sky. It’s a personal decision that only you can make, but hopefully, FLYING’s tips can steer you in the right direction to choose a preferred UAV pilot school. For pilots, this means they are becoming highly valued.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

JULY 2, 2025

Curry, a former MV-22 Osprey pilot for the U.S. There’s a worldwide pilot shortage, and aerial firefighting pilots are an even more specialized group to try to hire,” Curry said, “so our goal is to scale their impact with technology.” Swiping up will initiate lift, bringing the helicopter to a hover 5 feet above the ground.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

MAY 30, 2025

When engines were weak and it was hard to get into the air at all, multiple wings were an obvious way to add lift without making the airplane much bigger. Early builders probably did not realize how great the drag of wires was. A notable later finding was that the drag of a round wire is equal to that of an airfoil 30 times as thick.

Drag

Flight Training Central

MAY 7, 2024

As much as it seems sometimes that airplanes fly by magic, it’s important for every pilot to understand at least the basic fundamentals of aerodynamics. Understanding these concepts will create a smoother and safer pilot. The horizontal component of lift. The vertical component of lift. Centrifugal force.

Longitudinal Axis

Aerotime

JULY 26, 2024

The UK has a rich and deep history in engineering, invention, and innovation, and in the 18 th century it was the epicenter of the Industrial Revolution which dragged the world into the new age of industrialization. Aerospace is undergoing its biggest revolution since the jet engine era.

Lift

Flight Training Central

MAY 6, 2024

Because birds were designed by God and he created them with high wings”- quote by the late John Frank, Cessna Pilots Association. You don’t have to hang around airports, airplanes or pilots very long until someone will crank up the high wing versus low wing debate. “Low wing airplanes were designed by the very devil himself.

Drag

Pilot Institute

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

That’s called “adverse yaw”, it’s a sneaky little quirk of flying that every pilot has to learn how to manage. The lift and drag imbalance between the left and right ailerons creates adverse yaw. A pilot can prevent adverse yaw by using rudder, and making sure that a turn is coordinated. Uh oh, what just happened?

Aileron

Simple Flying

JUNE 14, 2025

Hinged panels at the wing’s trailing and leading edges transform a sleek airfoil into a low-speed lift sail. Increasing camber, flaps propel an airliner to lift off at lower speeds, trading a little drag for a lot of lift. One of the most influential cockpit levers on a jet’s take-off is the flap handle.

Camber