Pilot Proficiency

Relevant Discussion: AIM 5-4-5, 7-1-11, 7-2-1 through 7-2-5, P/C Glossary, FAA-H-8083-16, AC 00-45, AC 91-70, AC 120-28D, Order 7110.65T Q codes are basic three-letter tele­communications codes designated in the early 1930s, back when Morse code was still the most popular form of long-distance information exchange, to facilitate the transmission and reception of common questions and […]

The C35 Bonanza, N5946C, was cruising at 6,500 feet when there was a sudden loud bang from the engine compartment, followed by a smell of oil.

Most ILS approaches are constructed pretty much the same way. The environment in which a pilot might fly them can vary widely, however, and is important to consider. At an airport like New York’s La Guardia, which sees 375,000 annual takeoffs and landings, the ILS Runway 13 at the airport is used often. These traffic […]

There’s a decent chance that as you’re reading this you are also waiting for your brand new iPhone 8 to be shipped. Or the more patient among us are practicing Zen-like restraint in holding out for the iPhone X. (Of course, you could also be an Android user, or simply someone who fails to see […]

Short final was normal. Winds were manageable, we were cleared to land and the airplane touched down straight and on the centerline. In no particular hurry, we slowed and exited on the taxiway abeam our hangar line when my student said to me, “Why is my 430 dark?” Face palm. I knew instantly why the […]

On Saturday, September 23, organizations and pilots around the world will celebrate Girls in Aviation Day to promote “the passion, exploration, learning, and excitement of aviation and aerospace.” The timing is obviously perfect, as Miss Vermont Erica Connor stole the spotlight at Miss America by flying her own airplane to Atlantic City, and Shaesta Waiz […]

If you’re unfamiliar with the YouTube aviation star known as Flight Chops, you have a lot of homework to do. Fortunately, we’re such big fans of pilot Steve Thorne’s work (and chops) that we’re proud to be sharing some of his greatest hits on our website, so you won’t have to go far to catch […]

In our new online series, The Finer Points, CFII Jason Miller gives you the information and tools you’ll need to become not just a better pilot, but a truly exceptional aviator. On August 27, 2006, a regional airliner taxied onto the wrong runway in the semi dark of morning and attempted a takeoff on a […]

Text-based area forecasts (FA) have for decades confounded both student and experienced pilots, at least until they completed the training to decode them. Before takeoff, an aviator might have come face-to-face with these expected weather conditions in eastern Pennsylvania: PA NJ NERN PA … SKC or SCT 060. 06Z SCT-BKN CI. OTLK … VFR, SE […]

One of my favorite jokes about the airline pilot profession involves a mother who brings her wide-eyed, grade-school-age son into the cockpit for a visit. After the awestruck boy is given his tour, the mother asks her son if he would like to be an airline pilot when he grows up. The captain interjects and […]