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

JULY 11, 2025

As a pilot, will you be able to recognize an occluded front when one comes your way? Many student pilots feel lost when studying occluded fronts, and it’s easy to see why. Pilots should anticipate heavy rain, storms, icing, and turbulence with occluded fronts. All these and more create the perfect recipe for wind shear.

Pilot

Pilot Institute

MAY 26, 2025

Welcome to the world of Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). Lets take a closer look at clear air turbulence, so you can anticipate where they might show up, and learn how to manage the risks involved. Lets take a closer look at clear air turbulence, so you can anticipate where they might show up, and learn how to manage the risks involved.

Turbulence

Pilot Institute

JULY 4, 2025

Moisture, instability, lift, and wind shear are needed to form and sustain a squall line. Squall lines can bring strong turbulence, heavy rain, hail, lightning, and tornadoes. Wind Shear But on top of all of that, there’s another piece of the puzzle that can help sustain the squall line. What Is a Squall Line?

Weather

Flying Magazine

JUNE 24, 2025

Yes, controllers have many other ancillary roles that include helping circumnavigate adverse weather, but it’s not their priority to provide a pilot with weather guidance. Nevertheless, controllers do make an attempt to assist pilots around weather when workload permits. This engenders delays in the NAS.

Air Traffic Control

Flying Magazine

MAY 3, 2024

The NTSB released its final report into the fatal April 2022 accident that occurred when the pilot was on approach to Burley Municipal Airport (KBYI). Company flight records indicated the pilot had flown to KBYI at least 12 times before the accident. Pilots are taught that an approach gradient of more than 3.0

Pilot

Air Facts

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Turbulence Air Facts Journal Space is infinite in its complexity. And tampering our mental reserves with turbulent mischief. Turbulence is unpredictable. All three axis of an aircraft are subject to the vagaries of turbulence. Space is also infinite in its potential. And there in lurks the adventure.

Turbulence

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Blog

AUGUST 4, 2024

Holt Everything a pilot is expected to know when transitioning to turbine-powered aircraft. With precision and a sense of humor, authors Greg Brown and Mark Holt cover all the basics for turbine pilot operations, clearly explaining the differences between turbine aircraft and their piston engine counterparts. by Gregory N.

Wind Shear

Flying Magazine

APRIL 25, 2024

During these events, it’s quite common for a pilot to walk up and ask me about how I handled my most challenging flight as it relates to weather. I don’t have such a story since I am always diligent about minimizing my exposure to adverse weather when I am the pilot in command (PIC). READ MORE: Go or Stay?

Weather

iPad Pilot News

JUNE 5, 2024

Top 10 aviation weather apps for pilots iPad Pilot News Checking the weather before flight has always been one of the most popular uses for the iPad. So we’ll focus on apps that offer more for pilots, both free and paid. But which app to use? Get the app here 6. METARs Aviation Weather. Get the app here. SkewTLogPro.

Weather

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 17, 2024

For pilots and anyone involved in aviation, understanding AIRMETs and SIGMETs is invaluable. These weather alerts each have their own role: AIRMETs warn about moderate conditions like turbulence, icing, and limited visibility, which can affect smaller or less equipped aircraft. But do you know how to read them? What Is an AIRMET?

UTC

Air

MAY 21, 2025

Aviation Winds Types Explained A Pilots In-Depth Guide For pilots, from their first solo to their thousandth hour, a profound understanding of the different types of wind isn’t just beneficial it’s absolutely fundamental to safety, efficiency, and the art of flying itself. And it’s unique in Europe!

Crosswind

Learn to Fly

APRIL 11, 2024

Pilots must consider each of these factors, relative to both their capabilities as the pilot as well as the capabilities of the aircraft they’re flying: Visibility—VFR or IFR, both within the airport environment and at the altitude you’ll be flying en route.

Weather

Air Facts

APRIL 24, 2024

Dad, a seasoned VFR pilot, was at the controls. I, a 19 year old greenhorn with a brand new pilot’s license in my wallet, sat at his right. But, with a frontal system approaching, the conditions were expected to worsen over the hours subsequent to our passing through, including the chance for moderate to severe turbulence.

Turbulence

Professional Pilot

MAY 10, 2024

These charts show areas where thunderstorms, turbulence, and other weather hazards may occur on transatlantic routes. E nroute to LCY (Intl, London City, London, UK), the pilots had just finished an HF position check and were enjoying the smooth, crisp air and strong tailwind at FL330. Suddenly, their left engine began to surge.

Weather

Chess In the Air

JULY 4, 2022

There’s been a lot of interest in my recent accident analysis “ Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts.” Cold downdrafts created by virga displace warmer air near the surface creating updrafts glider pilots can, and should, use to avoid landing in downburst conditions. Absolutely!

Wind Shear

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Tornadoes, funnel clouds, volcanic ash, or dust storms are extremely dangerous to all pilots. Expect poor visibility, increased turbulence, and slippery runway surfaces. Thunderstorms can also bring wind shear and lightning. As a pilot, you should pay close attention to this section.

Altimeter

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings. Even if it’s possible to complete the training course in a reasonable time with these stipulations, the product of a bubble-wrapped curriculum is a half-trained pilot.

Wind Shear

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings. Even if it’s possible to complete the training course in a reasonable time with these stipulations, the product of a bubble-wrapped curriculum is a half-trained pilot.

Wind Shear

Photographic Logbook

APRIL 19, 2024

But they have become a grudgingly acknowledged facet of pilot life. It was eerie, but this is why ATC and instrument flight rules exist: to prevent instrument pilots from colliding with obstructions, terrain, and other airplanes. I usually don't talk about aviation or being a pilot at these meetings and John had just outed me.

Approach

Pilot Institute

MAY 1, 2024

For new instrument pilots, flying an approach to minimums is a big challenge. Key Takeaways Instrument approach briefings help pilots maintain situational awareness during the approach. As pilots, we must review and brief the approach in detail before attempting to fly it. Pilots use both types of charts extensively.

Approach

Flying Magazine

MAY 1, 2024

Some gust fronts can be completely harmless or may be a precursor for an encounter with severe turbulence and dangerous low-level convective wind shear. These gust fronts often contain severe or extreme turbulence, strong and gusty straight-line winds, and low-level convective wind shear.

Wind Shear

Ask Captain Lim

MAY 21, 2024

A SIA Boeing 777-300ER taking off at Zurich Photo Credit: Aero Icarus ( [link] ) The Boeing 777 severe encounter with turbulence On May 21, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport after encountering severe turbulence, leaving one dead and about 30 injured.

Turbulence

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Each poses unique challenges for pilots. Thunderstorms create turbulence, wind shear, and icing risks for aircraft. Pilots should use weather forecasts and SIGMETs for safe flight planning. Types of Thunderstorms As a pilot, it’s important to remember that not all thunderstorms are the same.

Wind Shear

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

About 90% of accidents could have been prevented by the pilot. Most can be avoided by diligent pre-flight preparations; by paying attention to what’s happening around us; by staying disciplined and flying within one’s margins; and by avoiding basic piloting mistakes through regular practice.

Pilot