Picking your VFR checkpoints and the landmarks that disappear at altitude
Learn how to pick VFR checkpoints that actually work from the air, not just on a sectional chart.
Patternflight training
The rough-running engine over the Appalachian ridgeline and the three questions you answer before you do anything else
A three-question decision framework for handling a rough-running engine over remote terrain, from diagnosis to diversion.
PatternThe short-field landing on the checkride and the airspeed you let creep up on final that costs you the numbers
Master the short-field landing checkride maneuver by fixing the real problem—airspeed control on final approach.
PatternPilot reports and the weather observation from someone who is actually up there right now
Learn how to read and file PIREPs, the most underused tool in your preflight weather briefing.
PatternThe crosswind landing on the checkride and the side-slip you abandon five feet above the runway
Learn why abandoning crosswind correction in the flare is the top checkride bust and how to hold the side-slip all the way to touchdown.
PatternThe engine runup you rush through and the magneto drop that is trying to tell you something
Learn what your magneto check RPM drops actually mean and why the differential matters as much as the individual limits.
PatternThe power-on stall on the checkride and the wing drop you fix with the wrong control
Avoid the most common power-on stall checkride failure by using rudder, not aileron, to correct a wing drop during recovery.
PatternTrimming for hands-off flight and the death grip on the yoke that is making everything harder
Stop fighting the yoke and learn to use trim properly so the airplane flies itself through every phase of flight.
PatternFAR sixty-one dot fifty-seven and the currency requirements that decide whether you can legally carry your family this weekend
FAR 61.57 requires three takeoffs and landings in 90 days to carry passengers, with stricter rules for night flight.
PatternThe forward slip to landing and the rudder input that saves you when you are too high on final
The forward slip to landing is your best tool for losing altitude on final without gaining airspeed—here's how to fly it correctly.
PatternThe NOTAM you scrolled past and the closed runway waiting at your destination
Learn how to efficiently read and interpret NOTAMs so you never arrive at a closed runway or miss critical flight safety information.
PatternThe Pipistrel Velis Electro and the first type-certified electric airplane that is already training pilots in Europe
The Pipistrel Velis Electro is the world's only type-certified electric airplane, already training pilots at flight schools across Europe.
VectorThe soft-field takeoff on the checkride and the ground effect ride you never actually practiced
Master the soft-field takeoff for your private pilot checkride with this step-by-step breakdown of ground effect flying.
PatternThe winds aloft forecast and the headwind hiding at your planned cruising altitude
Learn how to decode the winds aloft forecast and use it to pick the best cruising altitude for fuel efficiency and safety.
PatternFAR ninety-one dot one nineteen and the minimum safe altitude rules that keep you legal over every neighborhood, farm, and open field
FAR 91.119 sets minimum safe altitudes over congested and non-congested areas — here's how to apply the rule correctly.
PatternThe alternator failure light sixty miles from home and the thirty minutes of battery you have to make every decision count
How to manage an alternator failure in flight, from load shedding to diversion decisions, with a realistic sixty-mile scenario.
PatternThe power-off one eighty accuracy landing and the aiming point you fly right past because you forgot what the wind was doing
Master the power-off 180 accuracy landing with wind-adjusted techniques that prevent the most common checkride failures.
PatternAIRMETs and SIGMETs and the inflight advisories buried in your weather briefing that you need to stop skipping over
AIRMETs and SIGMETs fill the weather gaps between METARs and TAFs, covering hazards across your entire route that station reports miss.
PatternFAR ninety-one dot one nineteen and the minimum safe altitudes that change shape depending on what is underneath you
FAR 91.119 sets three minimum safe altitude standards every pilot must know for legal and safe flight operations.
PatternThe go-around you keep talking yourself out of and the three seconds that save the landing
The go-around is the most important skill a pilot can master, yet the one most resist using.
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