Plane and Pilot

MARCH 7, 2025

To that he added wings and tail, and placed the pilot behind all this. The pilot moved from behind the hopper to the top of it. The PL-12 retained the high-mounted pilot seat and added seats for three passengers, one behind the pilot and two behind the large hopper. The tank formed the center fuselage. Photo: Warner Bros.

Tail 54

Tail Horizontal Stabilizer Gross Weight Rudder 54

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 15, 2024

For the last 100 years or so, pilots and engineers have argued about why aircraft actually fly. Legend has it that Custer observed how roofs were lifted off barns during windstorms and decided that he could recreate this effect. Thus, the propeller draws air through the channel, reducing pressure and producing lift.

Gross Weight 98

Gross Weight Lift Pilot Tail 98

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 26, 2024

This innovative aircraft was designed as a heavy-lift helicopter, powered by two turboshaft engines that drove a single, five-bladed rotor. Origins and Design Westland Aircraft embarked on the Westminster project as part of its efforts to develop a gas-turbine-powered heavy-lift helicopter, a groundbreaking concept for the era.

Gross Weight 95

Gross Weight Lift Cargo Approach 95

Air Facts

MAY 7, 2025

One of the companies that had acquired surplus Beech 18s had secured a long term contract to carry auto parts from Oshawa to Detroit for General Motors and almost every night around 9 pm, one of those flights would head west full of parts and usually with only the one pilot on board. Such it was in those days.

Weight-Shift-Control 52

Weight-Shift-Control VOR Runway Distance Measuring Equipment 52

Flying Magazine

MAY 10, 2024

With a better understanding of the structure of the test, the material the exam covers, and some sample questions, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a commercial drone pilot. Courses like those offered by Altitude University , The Pilot Institute and ASA , for instance, include several graded practice exams and quizzes.

Weight-Shift-Control 116

Weight-Shift-Control Air Traffic Control Density Altitude Aeronautical Decision-Making 116

Pilot Institute

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Steep turns should be one of the most fun maneuvers pilots learn. But for many pilots, flying coordinated turns while keeping altitude and speed steady is hard enough. In maintaining a properly coordinated steep turn, the pilot must use the opposite aileron to maintain bank. The vertical component increases to maintain altitude.

Lift 52

Lift Aileron Drag Pilot 52

Flight Training Central

MARCH 11, 2024

One undesirable flight characteristic a pilot might experience with this airplane would be difficulty in recovering from a stalled condition. An aircraft is loaded 120 pounds over maximum certificated gross weight. If fuel (avgas) is drained to bring the aircraft weight within limits, how much fuel should be drained?

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Gross Weight Lift Pilot 52

Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2024

Key Takeaways Slow flight trains pilots to handle the aircraft at speeds just above stalling. That’s why it’s crucial for pilots to learn aircraft control at low speeds. Additionally, both private and commercial pilot checkrides require the demonstration of slow flight. So, how do we increase lift to maintain altitude?

Lift 52

Lift Rudder Drag Checkride 52

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

Short field landings are a true test of a pilot’s skill. They are also one of the most feared maneuvers during the private pilot checkride. Whether you’re new to short field landings or a pilot needing a refresher, this essential guide is for you. The POH lists landing distances for specific gross weights.

Weight-Shift-Control 52

Weight-Shift-Control Runway Density Altitude Descent 52

Aerotime

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

The aircraft also has twin-boom vertical stabilizers to the rear and a monocoque cabin that can accommodate up to six passengers, plus the operating pilot. The fans are exposed by way of slidable surfaces that retract into the wing structure when commanded by the operating pilot. However, the Cavorite X7 uses a different approach.

Lift 278

Lift Thrust Weather Payload 278

Fear of Landing

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

The Pilot Flying gently applies back pressure on the control column, pitching the aircraft nose up to transition from rolling on the ground to flying in the air. This transition of lifting off is called rotation. On the flight deck, an instructor pilot sat in the right seat and was Pilot Flying for the first leg.

Tail 97

Tail V Speed Knot Runway 97

Flying Magazine

MAY 6, 2025

Adventurous aerobatic pilot Frank Christensen, owner of Christen Industries, which built the Pitts Special series and the Christen Eagle II aerobatic biplane kit, watched as biplane sales fell during the early 1980s. Its shortcoming was a meager useful load for its 1,800-pound gross weight. Sales grew.

Gross Weight 78

Gross Weight Horizontal Stabilizer Airplanes Rudder 78

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 15, 2024

The Boeing Company) First Flight and Early Performance On October 15, 1937, the XB-15 took to the skies for the first time, piloted by Edmund Turney “Eddie” Allen , Boeing’s chief test pilot, and Major John D. On July 30, 1939, it achieved a significant milestone by lifting a 31,205 lbs payload to an altitude of 8,200 feet.

Payload 98

Payload Gross Weight Lift Cargo 98

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

When spelled geoduck it represents a grotesque, oversized mollusk, or clam to we pilot simpletons. Much depends on the aircraft’s weight, pilot skill and, surprisingly, “how much abuse you want to experience. Checking the oil is the main attraction to the pilot. The airplane will handle more than you want to.”

Airplanes 79

Airplanes Rudder Knot Aileron 79

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Kilo Charlie was in need of a modern glass-panel trainer, adequate for a student and instructor, IFR capable, with low operating costs and, most importantly, capable of presenting well to this generation of prospective student pilots. Maximum Gross Weight: 1,587 lbs. Empty Weight, Standard: 959 lbs. Wing Area: 128.1

Knot 97

Knot Rudder Airplanes Gross Weight 97