Learn to Fly

Insider Series

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My Latest Engine Failure

The engine failure didn’t happen suddenly.... I was flying a Mooney M20C in clear, cool air, 7500 feet…

⏱ 5 min read
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Flapping

Back in the early days of the last century, when most men wore hats and a great many…

⏱ 6 min read
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Trivia Teasers

1) How long have directions been expressed in degrees clockwise from North? 2) How fast would you need…

⏱ 6 min read
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Fear of Falling

I’d like you to think back a minute. The last time you practiced stalls, either with a flight…

⏱ 6 min read
AIRCRAFT REVIEW

Diamond DA40: Airline Pilot Trainer (Part II)

Much has been written about Diamond Aircraft’s spectacular DA40-180 Diamondstar. Almost all the recent press has surrounded the…

⏱ 8 min read
AIRCRAFT REVIEW

Diamond DA40: Airline Pilot Trainer (Part I)

Much has been written about Diamond Aircraft’s spectacular DA40-180 Diamondstar.Almost all the recent press has surrounded the Diamondstar…

⏱ 8 min read
CONTINUING EDUCATON

The Question Already Answered

Many times in your flying career, even if while on the wing, your most focused objective is comprised…

⏱ 8 min read
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Gliding Instrument Approach

Recently we looked at engine-failure case studies of aircraft that are close to identical in design and performance…

⏱ 4 min read
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The Poor Fliers Sub-Group

Watching pilots at work can be very informative, but sometimes you see things you didn’t want to see.…

⏱ 4 min read
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A Deeper Observation of Pilots

In my past several articles, I have been telling you about pilot observations I have made and categories…

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Emergency Exits

At various points during my instrument training, my redoubtable primary (and instrument) instructor took me on a number…

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Trivia Tester : High, Hot, and Humid

Accidents involving degraded performance due to density altitude continue to plague pilots. The precise effects of temperature upon…

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Trivia Tester : Power Play

Aside from ultralights or any “sport class” aircraft, under what circumstances is it possible for a pilot without…

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Trivia Tester : Thank You, Admiral Quesada… (thbbbtt!)

Airline pilots must retire at age 60. What is the mandatory retirement age that generally applies to air…

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Trivia Tester : Strangers In the Night

You’re in a descent, passing through 1000 feet, and approaching your destination airport in southern Arizona, at night.…

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Trivia Tester : Same Old, Same Old?

The FAA rules require that we fly with current charts.  Most of us have probably noticed that, overall,…

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Singles vs. Twins: A Case Study (Part 2)

In a single-engine airplane engine failure introduces relatively few decision steps. The airplane's tendency during the emergency is…

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Smooth Operator

How are your radio skills? I happen to subscribe to the notion of multiple intelligences when it comes…

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Trivia Tester : Questionable Goals

Which of the following have not, at least once, been flown through by an airplane?

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Bad Altitude — A Formula for Disaster

While talking once with avionics professionals at the Aircraft Electronics Association show I learned some problems they found…

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Singles vs. Twins: A Case Study

It’s hard to argue the 'single vs. twin' debate ... especially with someone who had just put a…

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The Non-Assertive Decision Makers

Some pilots have good habits. Others don't. After watching pilots for many years, I tried to understand what…

⏱ 7 min read
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Failing the Annual

Once a year, aircraft owners lay their airplane bare while an expert methodically checks and prods it for…

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Trivia Testers : Breaking the Sound Barrier

Airplane propellers generate most of the noise that is the source of complaints (at least those against piston…

⏱ 5 min read
EMERGENCIES

Trivia Testers: Down In Flames

According to a recent study, the elapsed time between the first indications of a hidden fire and the…

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Trivia Testers : Sunrise, Sunset

A prototype of the venerable Boeing 707 launched the honored lineage of the Boeing 7-7 series of airliners…

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WEATHER

The Nights Can Still Be Cold: The Avionics Warm-up

You've probably already read my call to watch your tires and preheat your engine when the temperature gets…

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Defining Pilots: The Lost in Space Category

I have performed simulator studies with large groups of pilots and found that among them there are sub-categories…

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The Snowball Effect Category

After observing pilots in action for several years I started seeing trends in how they handled stressful situations.…

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Trivia Testers : On Thin Ice

1) What is the meaning of those cryptic numbers used to identify engine oil? 2) A pilot of…

⏱ 7 min read
WEATHER

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I have a hard time trying to think of something good to say about stationary fronts. They not…

⏱ 6 min read
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Instrument Proficiency Check

There it is, in my logbook in May of 1990…0.5 hours in a Cessna 172 over central Missouri,…

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Trivia Testers : May Days

1. True or False: In the United States, there are actually more "mayday" calls in the month of…

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Lost Arts 4 – Using Radar When You Don’t Have It

It is becoming more and more possible to include Radar "overlay" information into everyday general aviation flying as…

⏱ 7 min read
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Slip-Sliding Away

Altitude is your friend, sure, but not when you're too high on final approach because you misjudged your…

⏱ 6 min read
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Trivia Testers : Pop Goes the Weasel

Regarding surplus military jet airplanes and ejection seats, which of the following statements is (are) true? ... You're…

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The Lost Art of Pilot Reporting

Two weeks ago in North Carolina I was flying en route to teach a flight instructor workshop. It…

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Trivia Testers : How Old Is the Attic?

When did the Smithsonian Institution first begin collecting flight-related articles? How many active air traffic controllers in the…

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Showtime

See and be seen; at night, lights are inexpensive protection. They indicate the relative position of other aircraft,…

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Trivia Testers : Tides

Why would any predictions of sunrise and sunset times for your local area, whether obtained from your new…

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Lost Arts 3 – The Moving Map

The more I use our airplane's new technology the more I appreciate what it gives us, but I…

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Night Moves

If you are a VFR-only pilot, you'll soon see that night flight is (or, in a heartbeat, can…

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Trivia Testers : The Letter E

Pilots rightfully have something of a vested interest in that benchmark of assessing their visual acuity: namely, the…

⏱ 7 min read
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Trivia Testers : Joe Cool

When you hear the word "flak" you may think of a famous female singer named Roberta, bulletproof outerwear…

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LAW

The Best of All Possible Worlds

Wouldn't it be nice to have the privileges of an instrument pilot but retain the VFR freedoms of…

⏱ 6 min read
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Things You Never Want to Hear From Your Flight Instructor

This is a true story. It concerns the confession of an old friend of mine named Bob. After…

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FITS and STARTs

Last time we talked about the avionics revolution, the introduction of Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multifunction Display…

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Did I Miss the Revolution?

Cirrus Design may have fired the first shot in the personal aviation revolution -- integrating airline-style, CRT flat-screen…

⏱ 6 min read