Flight Training

If I were making a calculated guess about human behavior, I’d bet that most pilots reading this story have watched the iconic flying adventure movie, Top Gun. The action-packed 1986 film offers a deep-dive look inside the leadership and flight training education for the best of the best of US Navy pilots. If you haven’t, […]

The original Master Flight Instructor program began in 1997, thanks to instructors and retired school teachers Sandy and JoAnn Hill. The Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP), until recently managed as a stand-alone organization, is a family of accreditations available to qualified aviation educators based on a system of advanced professional standards and rigorous peer […]

The Hillsboro Aero Academy, an Oregon-based helicopter and airplane pilot training school, has launched a standalone CFI Completion Program that allows pilots who already hold a commercial pilot certificate to enroll in a CFI-Airplane, -Instrument or -Multiengine rating course. According to a Hillsboro news release, the academy launched the new program largely in response to […]

When Luc Zipkin soloed a Piper Cub on his 16th birthday back in January, he knew that it was only the beginning of his plans for 2021. The founder of Young Pilots USA believes strongly in setting an example for his peers to follow in aviation—and that keeping historic aircraft flying is a cause with […]

The Organization of Black Aviation Professionals (OBAP) is hosting the Dreams2Careers program all day on Saturday, February 20, for young people of all ages. The event includes a celebration of Black aviation and aerospace history, as those legends still living among us share their stories directly with participants. Those attending will also have a chance […]

The building was a hulking blue, metal-sided affair, pockmarked by a nondescript door and a window air conditioner—but no window. It might have been difficult to reconcile the uninspiring appearance with the promise held within if not for a sign that declared: “Airplane rides, you fly the plane. Air-conditioned lounge and gift shop.” So I […]

When new student pilots first begin training, one task that can cause trouble is speaking to air traffic control over the radio. It takes practice and experience to learn the specific phraseology used on aviation communication frequencies, and many students can experience “mic fright” when it comes time to answer ATC instructions or properly communicate […]

I remember flow states, during times of stress in the airplane, when time slows down just a bit—enough to help me manage a given situation deliberately and appropriately. There is no flow today. Flashing back to two days ago, I recall a comment that has lodged in my mind, and I work hard to apply […]

You can imagine our deep sense of grief when occasionally we’d return to a city on our ground-school circuit and someone would say, “Did you hear about Bill?” “No,” we’d say, “what happened to Bill?” They would then explain the aircraft crash that had killed Bill. It happened all too often. We began to realize […]

From the very beginning, my children were instructed to greet each landing with praise. As long as the crash didn’t dislodge any loose teeth—or, later on, their retainers—it was expected that they would utter an obligatory congratulation. Today, my grandchildren make a big point out of yelling, “Nice landing, Pop,” as I shut down. They […]