Slow Flight, the Twenty Seventeen Rule Change, and Flying the Back Side of the Power Curve Without the Stall Horn in Your Ear
The 2017 ACS changed slow flight to keep the stall horn silent - here's how to fly it right and why it matters.
Patternflight training
The AIRMET, Sierra Tango and Zulu, the Three Standing Weather Warnings That Tell You Where the Mountains Vanish, the Air Turns to Chop, and the Wings Start Growing Ice
A pilot's guide to AIRMETs Sierra, Tango, and Zulu - what each weather warning means and exactly how to plan around it.
PatternThe Crosswind Landing, the Crab and the Wing-Low Slip, and the Aileron You Keep Rolling In All the Way to the Tiedown
Learn the crab and wing-low slip for crosswind landings, when to use each, and how to keep flying the airplane all the way to the tiedown.
PatternThe Impossible Turn, the Engine Failure After Takeoff, and the Two Hundred Foot Number That Decides Whether You Turn Back or Land Ahead
The 'impossible turn' back to the runway after engine failure kills pilots because instinct triggers a stall-spin - here's when to turn and when to land ahead.
PatternThe Pipistrel Velis Electro, the First Type-Certified Electric Airplane, and the Slovenian Trainer That Made Battery Flight Legal
The Pipistrel Velis Electro became the first type-certified electric airplane in June 2020, making battery-powered flight training legal.
VectorTurns Around a Point, the Egg That Should Have Been a Circle, and the Wind Correction Every Student Forgets on the Downwind Side
Master turns around a point by matching bank to groundspeed - steepest on downwind, shallowest on upwind - to fly a true circle, not an egg.
PatternBuilding a Better Preflight, How One Commercial Student Turned Ground Time Into a Smarter Walk-Around
A commercial student's frustration with ground time reveals a bigger lesson: reclaim wasted minutes, never the inspection itself.
TowerDecoding the METAR, Reading the Coded Observation Left to Right, and the Temperature-Dewpoint Spread That Tells You When the Airport Is About to Disappear
Learn to read a METAR left to right and use the temperature-dewpoint spread to predict fog before it forms.
PatternFederal Aviation Regulation Ninety-One Point One Fifty-Five, the VFR Cloud Clearances, and the Three Hundred Two Thousand Rule Nobody Can Recite Under Pressure
FAR 91.155 sets VFR cloud clearances and visibility minimums - learn the 3-1-5-2000 rule and why it keeps you alive.
PatternFederal Aviation Regulation Ninety-One Point One Fifty-One, the VFR Fuel Reserves, and the Thirty Minutes of Gas Nobody Plans For Until the Fuel Gauge Is Already Lying to Them
FAR 91.151 requires 30 minutes of day VFR fuel reserve and 45 at night - but here's why smart pilots plan for far more.
PatternSteep Turns, the Forty-Five Degree Bank, and the Hundred Feet of Altitude the Examiner Watches You Give Away Right at the Ninety
Master the 45-degree steep turn for your private checkride by flying the sight picture, managing load factor, and fixing altitude loss the right way.
PatternThe Five Hazardous Attitudes, Their Antidotes, and the Sucker Hole That Talks a Reasonable Pilot Into an Unreasonable Decision
Learn the FAA's five hazardous attitudes, their antidotes, and how to spot the 'sucker hole' pressuring you into a bad go decision.
PatternThe In-Flight Electrical Fire, Smoke in the Cockpit, and the Master Switch Decision Nobody Wants to Make
How to handle an in-flight electrical fire and smoke in the cockpit, including the master switch decision every pilot must be ready to make.
PatternThe PIREP, the One Piece of Your Weather Briefing That Came From a Pilot Who Was Actually Up There, and How to Decode It and File Your Own
Learn what a PIREP is, how to decode its coded fields, and how to file your own pilot report in plain English.
PatternThe Soft-Field Landing, Keeping the Nosewheel Flying, and the Touchdown That Isn't the End of the Maneuver
Learn the soft-field landing the way examiners actually grade it: keep the nosewheel flying and hold back pressure long after touchdown.
PatternTrim Off the Pressure, Not the Attitude, and Why Chasing the Altimeter With the Trim Wheel Is the Habit That Wears Students Out
Learn to trim off control pressure instead of chasing the altimeter, the habit that tires students out and hurts their landings.
PatternFederal Aviation Regulation Ninety-One Point One Hundred Seven, the Seat Belt and Shoulder Harness Rule, and the Thirty Seconds of Buckling In That Nobody Briefs Until It's Too Late
FAR 91.107 requires pilots to brief, notify, and ensure passengers wear seat belts and shoulder harnesses during taxi, takeoff, and landing.
PatternFederal Aviation Regulation Ninety-One Point Two Eleven, the Supplemental Oxygen Rule, and the Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Foot Line Where Your Brain Starts Lying to You
FAR 91.211 requires supplemental oxygen at 12,500, 14,000, and 15,000 feet - here's what each number means and why it matters.
PatternReading the TAF, the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, and the TEMPO and BECMG Groups That Tell You What the Weather Is About to Do
Learn to read a TAF line by line, including the FM, BECMG, TEMPO, and PROB groups that warn you what the weather is about to do.
PatternSlow Flight, the ACS Change That Moved You Above the Stall Horn, and What the Examiner Actually Wants to See at the Edge of the Envelope
Slow flight under the FAA ACS is flown just above the stall warning, not in it - here's what examiners want and how to nail it.
Pattern