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Examining over 100 years of flight automation and the history of the autopilot

Aerotime

Largely gone are the days when pilots had to manually control their aircraft from engine start-up to shut down by keeping their hands rigidly fixed on the controls at all times. As a result, the first autopilot was developed to introduce an element of control on the trajectory of airplanes. What is an autopilot?

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How to Read a Windsock

Pilot Institute

Although modern airports utilize advanced weather monitoring systems, windsocks are still valuable because they provide immediate, visual feedback that you can rely on. As a private pilot, you may fly to or from airports that do not have advanced weather reporting systems. Let’s see how to figure out the wind direction.

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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

How does it turn or climb without the usual control surfaces? Despite their lack of horizontal control surfaces, tailless aircraft are designed to be stable. A tailless aircraft is a fixed-wing airplane without a horizontal stabilizing surface. Directional (yawing) stability from the vertical stabilizer.

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Experience in the Chair: Guiding a Twin Beech Home

Air Facts

Its maximum takeoff weight of 9,300 pounds and large cabin space made it suitable for cargo, passengers, or specialized equipment. The equipment was often not much modernized from the military days so the pilots likely hoped for good weather as they filed their flight plans. The Tower had no radar.

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Approachable Excellence

Plane and Pilot

Lets go back to that time in postwar GA when the sands shifted quickly. The Ercoupe was designed with only two controls, roll and pitch, so it couldnt be kicked out in a crosswindit had to withstand landing in a crab. Thorp joined the Piper design team during the Cherokees development; his own Sky Scooter used a stabilator.

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What Is a Flat Spin?

Pilot Institute

Key Takeaways A flat spin is a dangerous, level-flight spin with reduced control effectiveness. A flat spin happens when the center of gravity shifts too far aft (toward the tail), and the aircraft’s rotation becomes more horizontal. Ready to become a safer pilot? Let’s get started! An aft center of gravity increases flat spin risk.

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What Are Common Part 107 Test Questions?

Flying Magazine

Regulations: 15 to 25 percent Airspace and requirements: 15 to 25 percent Weather: 11 to 16 percent Loading and performance: 7 to 11 percent Operations: 35 to 45 percent FAA Part 107 Test Cost The cost of the Part 107 exam is $175, which you pay to the testing center when you schedule a date, time, and location for the exam.