Learn to Fly

Insider Series

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Landing Gear Struts — Don’t Get Overextended

The landing gear on our planes is really taken for granted -- even though it's often the only…

⏱ 3 min read
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Interactive Challenge 3 Answered

The iPilot readers that took Challenge #3 did very well and bounced back from a poorer performance on…

⏱ 6 min read
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Trivia Testers : Your Name Up In Lights

Where might one find one's name on an aeronautical chart?

⏱ 2 min read
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Trivia Testers : The One and Only

There are 5268 public-use airports in the US, according to AOPA's latest database. Only 526 of them have…

⏱ 1 min read
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Getting It Up

Takeoff and landing comprise about three percent of flight time, but account for roughly half of all accidents…

⏱ 6 min read
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Self-Inflicted Maintenance

Every once in a while, we do things that we regret...

⏱ 3 min read
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No Margin For Error

Faulty or imprecise navigation could put you in prohibited airspace, or controlled airspace without proper clearance; these days,…

⏱ 5 min read
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Night Visions

For flight, our most vital faculty is our vision, but when the lights go out, sometimes the things…

⏱ 6 min read
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Interactive Challenge 2 Review… And A New Challenge

Several weeks ago I issued the first airspace challenge question and 80% of the iPilot readers who took…

⏱ 6 min read
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ADI Excitement — How to Avoid It

Even some VFR pilots -- to keep the aircraft upright in marginal conditions (hazy days of summer included)…

⏱ 3 min read
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Airplane Ownership

“This is likely one of the most unusual calls you’ll ever receive,” said the voice on the telephone...

⏱ 6 min read
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Trivia Testers : And I Suppose You Didn’t Make This One Up Either, Huh?

A 'haboob' is...

⏱ 3 min read
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Trivia Testers : Hot and Short

Out of all the public use runways in the US, if you also factored in the density altitude,…

⏱ 4 min read
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Where’d Everybody Go?

Each year for the last several years, the NTSB has classified several dozen general aviation accidents as VFR-into-IMC.

⏱ 5 min read
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Resisting Temptation

Perhaps the ultimate unforgivable sin in aviation in aviation is fuel exhaustion, and while you may never do…

⏱ 8 min read
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The 13-Month Annual, It’s Money In The Bank

You wonder how he does it -- every year, a pilot on the field seems to get 13…

⏱ 4 min read
WEATHER

Lies My ATIS Told Me

When you get right down to it precise knowledge of local weather is the one critical determinant as…

⏱ 7 min read
WEATHER

Near Miss

I was in the right seat of a Beech Baron over Hutchinson, Kansas. KHUT is a sleepy little…

⏱ 4 min read
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Trivia Testers : The Windiest City

Which US city has the highest average annual wind speed?

⏱ 3 min read
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Hello, Goodbye: Going Around

Half of all general aviation accidents, and more than half of all transport category accidents (according to a…

⏱ 5 min read
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Those Hazy Crazy Windshields Of Summer

With the arrival of summer comes the need for many pilots to shake off the rust, and get…

⏱ 4 min read
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The Big Ground Theory And The ACA Defense

A Bonanza’s forward cabin door pops open as it takes off into blue skies, and in his rush…

⏱ 6 min read
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Have A Slice Of Airspace

Since the Airspace series began, many of you have written about your hometown airpace and its unique characteristics…

⏱ 3 min read
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Trivia Testers : Okay, You Made This Word Up, Right?

A 'prester' is another name for...

⏱ 2 min read
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Wind Shear: Air Torn Asunder

Flying that little J3 Cub to the 1840-foot long, 30-foot wide runway at Clearview Airpark in Westminster, Maryland,…

⏱ 7 min read
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The Eight Hour Rule — Not So Fast

I can still remember the day as clearly as when I was there. I was sitting with my…

⏱ 3 min read
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The Lindbergh Spirit

Seventy-five years earlier, nearly to the minute, the dirty silver monoplane touched down outside Paris, France, over 33…

⏱ 5 min read
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Interactive Challenge 2: Be Careful What You Ask For

Several weeks ago I issued an interactive challenge; the iPilot readers have met that challenge -- and then…

⏱ 5 min read
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Trivia Testers : You Mean We’re Not In Kansas Anymore?

During the month of March, in which of these states are you most likely to see a tornado?

⏱ 2 min read
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Trivia Testers : A Mighty Day

The greatest number of tornadoes to ever hit within a 24-hour period was...

⏱ 2 min read
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Kids and Airplanes

I’m taking my son and his cub scout den to an airshow this weekend. It’s one of the…

⏱ 4 min read
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At The End Of Your Rope

Every year, pilots continue to allow their aircraft to suffer at the nonexistent mercy of storms.

⏱ 6 min read
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Fuelish Judgement — Every Last Cent’s Worth

This trip took place back in the mid-1970’s: flying down along the western coast of Mexico and meandering…

⏱ 4 min read
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Airspace Overlap — Part 3: Chicago

There may be no better example of overlapping airspace than Chicago; the Chicago airspace has it all --…

⏱ 4 min read
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The Rotary-wing X/C, Part II: Weather and Other Concerns

While helicopters obey the same laws of physics as airplanes, there are pronounced differences when it comes to…

⏱ 7 min read
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Dick Strikes Again! — He Did WHAT?

Okay, okay, I admit this story isn’t about my friend Dick, who has amazed us with some impressive…

⏱ 5 min read
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Mixture Management II : Takeoff, Climb and Landing

The air temperature was about 80 degrees, which is hot for an airport 7700 feet above sea level…

⏱ 6 min read
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Airspace Overlap — Part 2

When airports and their associated airspace are in close proximity to each other, there can be congestion, confusion…

⏱ 4 min read
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Trivia Testers : When silver wings and feathers meet

The first reported bird strike was...

⏱ 2 min read
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Trivia Testers : That Famous Boom

In what airplane was the sound barrier first broken on October 14, 1947?

⏱ 2 min read
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The Heli Cross-Country, Part I: The Ground Below

I had my chart clipped to my left thigh, and as we passed over my first checkpoint (which…

⏱ 4 min read
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When The Spark Leaves Your Airplane

This is a weird one, but it happened just the same -- which means it could happen to…

⏱ 4 min read
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Mixture Management, Getting It Right: Cruise Flight

“Just pull the red knob until the engine runs rough, then push it in a bit” ... oh…

⏱ 6 min read
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Airspace Overlap

Often when airports are located close together, their overlying airspace can conflict, and the resultant airspace overlap can…

⏱ 4 min read
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Interactive Challenge: How High is the Ground?

The key to understanding what airspace boundaries look like is 'seeing' what the terrain looks like...

⏱ 5 min read
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Trivia Testers : When Something Snaps

Your best friend in the event of an elevator control failure is...

⏱ 2 min read
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Totally Bogus!

Every part on a certified airplane must at some point be approved, but that doesn't mean that the…

⏱ 3 min read
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When The Rules Don’t Apply

I’ve taught hundreds of pilots in airplanes and simulators and, to my horror, one of my students died…

⏱ 6 min read