Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 18, 2025

At Leopard Aviation , we teach steep turns as a core part of pilot training because they build essential skills like coordination, control, and situational awareness. Fundamentals of Steep Turns Steep turns are a fundamental maneuver that every pilot must master to improve control, coordination, and overall flying precision.

Pilot

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

MARCH 5, 2025

The FG-1D Corsair is lifted into position back in 1971. That year, however, saw the airframe and a set of wings being donated to the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut so it could be transformed into a memorial honoring the pilots who flew Corsairs in combat. The newly painted rudder and horizontals now re-installed on 92460.

Rudder

Northstar VFR

MARCH 16, 2025

By Josh Page, CFI Ever heard your flight instructor say, More right rudder? If uncorrected, it can cause a yawing movement to the left, requiring the pilot to use right rudder to maintain coordinated control. By now you should be able to answer this quickly Applying right rudder! How do you correct this? The result?

Airplanes

Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 18, 2025

Slow Flight Slow flight is one of the key types of aircraft maneuvers every student pilot should learn because it teaches how the plane behaves near stall speeds and how to maintain control with reduced airflow over the wings. Normal Takeoff and Landing: Students learn the standard procedures to smoothly lift off and touch down.

Pilot

Pilot Institute

MARCH 24, 2025

Once the airplane has reached a point where it nearly stalls or loses lift, youll initiate a pivot or turn. How to Execute a Stall Turn To execute a stall turn, the pilot enters a vertical climb with full power, which will cause the airspeed to drop. The aircraft doesnt actually stall because it pivots before it loses too much lift.

Rudder

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). Rudder trim fixes the yaw issue, but surprisingly we do not have a single caution or warning light.

Knot

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

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. Adverse yaw is a side effect of aileron use, countered by rudder input. The aircrafts wing is able to generate lift due to its shape.

Aileron

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

Northstar VFR

JUNE 8, 2025

Unusual attitudes are so dangerous because it doesn’t take long for the pilot to become disoriented, making the problem worse, and getting the plane into one or more of these upset conditions. Icing : Ice can build up on the control surfaces, causing loss of smooth airflow and lift.

Turbulence

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. How to Perform a Power-off Stall The FAA’s Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (ACS) outline the procedure for performing a power-off stall.

Descent

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

Chess In the Air

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Pilot on this flight was U.S. While some of this may be due to continued pilot improvements, a more than 8% improvement is remarkable! In thermals the V3M is even easier and more stable than the V2 (which requires more rudder to remain coordinated). Schempp-Hirth dealer Garret Willat. My Decision Criteria XC Performance.

Density Altitude

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

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

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

Pilot Institute

JANUARY 8, 2025

Every pilot must master stall recognition and recovery techniques. Stalls Cause a Loss of Lift A stall is not related to engine failure. This misunderstanding can lead to confusion and, in some cases, accidents, as some pilots concentrate on engine performance instead of addressing the actual problem, a loss of lift.

Lift

Air Facts

JULY 7, 2025

Why I Returned to Stick and Rudder Air Facts Journal When I first read Stick and Rudder , I had just started flying lessons. Somewhere in a best-of list, I found Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying , by Wolfgang Langewiesche. The first thing that struck me about Stick and Rudder was its leisurely pace.

Rudder

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

CDT, a Beech Baron lifted off from Runway 35 at Lubbock Executive Airpark in Texas (F82). The 26-year-old pilot was the plane’s only occupant and was pronounced dead by first responders at 12:06 p.m. The pilot, a homebuilder with a young family, had landed at 11:11 a.m. on march 17, 2023, at 11:37 a.m. By 11:40 a.m.

Knot

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

A flat spin is a thrilling (and potentially dangerous) flight phenomenon that pilots must prepare for. In reality, flat spins can challenge even experienced pilots, making it important for you to understand what they are and how to handle them. Ready to become a safer pilot? Rudder: Full opposite input to the spin direction.

Center of Gravity

Air Facts

AUGUST 1, 2025

I was just shy of 13 flight hours toward earning my EASA Private Pilot License in Italy. I was 10 years old, and my grandfather, a former Air Force pilot, watched me play and gave me tips that actually worked. The I-GITR lifted off and I was flying solo for the first time. I’d been stationed with the U.S. Throttle full open.

Runway

Air Facts

JULY 18, 2025

Soon, the wings gave up on lift—the right wing went AWOL, and the nose dropped sharply toward the ground. A pilot once asked if I could demonstrate the “falling leaf” maneuver. I kept my feet close to the rudder pedals, just in case. Without warning. He pitched the nose up about 15 degrees. My brain tugged at me: this is wrong.

AGL

Air Facts

JULY 14, 2025

Pilot error C. None of the above We pilots might ask ourselves, “What was so dangerous about Orville Wright’s first flight? do they move in the right directions when I move the stick and rudders? A non-flying story: Just the other day we were using a hydraulic scissor lift to do some work in a hangar near the ceiling.

Lift

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

Air Facts

APRIL 16, 2025

Every time I saw this stamp, I would feel myself plunging into a fantasy of flight where I pictured myself as the pilot of that aircraft. When it was my turn, the pilot, Captain Bloom, handed me a motion sickness bag and I didnt blame him. I felt a deep desire to become a pilot. In three months, I got my private pilot license.

Rudder

Flying Magazine

JULY 28, 2025

Pilots demand a lot from their shoes, including that they are lightweight, durable, and comfortable. They should also look good and—for professional pilots—be versatile enough to complement a range of uniforms worn by the airline, corporate, and cargo pilots.

Pilot

Photographic Logbook

JUNE 29, 2025

"Hi.I'm in Delaware." - Wayne Campbell, Wayne's World , 1992 Restless Pilot Syndrome Having resumed acting as pilot in command of my own airplane after a relatively brief setback, I was delighted beyond words to be back at it. When I was passed to Dover Approach, the controller was handing off another pilot in Grumman 716ER.

Runway

Plane and Pilot

JULY 16, 2025

We were airline pilots with screwdrivers, just hoping to be more help than hindrance. Paul Le Veque, an Albatross pilot, restorer, and mechanic joined us for engine day. The next day, we pulled the elevators, which were pretty straightforward, and then the rudder, which wasn’t.

Firewall

Fear of Landing

JULY 25, 2025

The key take-off speeds are V 1 , which is the speed at which a take-off should no longer be aborted, V R , the speed at which to rotate the aircraft, lifting the nose for take off, and V 2 , the speed at which the aircraft can still safely climb with one engine out. The CRJ 200 suffered an asymmetric stall as the right wing lost lift.

Ferry Flight

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

More right rudder!!” It’s a rite of passage for pilots-in-training to hear these words come from their flight instructor repeatedly. The airplane rudder is one of the most misunderstood of the primary flight controls. Yet the rudder is one of the most important and one of the most under-utilized. Where is the rudder?

Rudder

Fear of Landing

JUNE 28, 2024

A private pilot and passenger planned an outing in the Cabri G2 which was owned and operated by Swiss Helicopter AG. The pilot had trained for his private license with Swiss Helicopter in 2018. The pilot and his passenger arrived at the airport around 13:00 local time for the pleasure flight. The weather was clear.

Rudder

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 30, 2025

Of course, as those who begin the journey well know, becoming a pilot is about far more than just logging flight hours. There are lots of milestones worth celebrating in aviation, and it isnt as if there are not plenty of tools, equipment, and, lets face itluxuries pilots could use.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

MAY 2, 2024

The Cessna 180’s conventional landing gear and squared-off “straight” vertical fin and rudder give it a distinctive vintage silhouette that many pilots find attractive. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily. Today’s Top Pick is a 1955 Cessna 180 Skywagon.

Lift

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

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 7, 2024

The duct, as predicted by Stipa, had a profile similar to that of the airfoil, with a fairly small rudder and elevators mounted on the trailing edge of the duct. The Stipa-Caproni prototype proudly showcased its Italian origin in a blue-and-cream color used on racing aircraft of the day, with Italian flag colors painted on the rudder.

Airfoil