Pilot Proficiency

Raise your hand if you haven’t performed a weight- and- balance check since your last certificate check ride, or checking out in a new airplane. I have, but I admit that’s mostly because older Beech Bonanzas (such as mine) are easily loaded with their center of gravity too far aft. And to boot, because even […]

With dark clouds, heavy rain and marginal visibility, the weather was lower than I like for flying over the Smokey Mountains. Hour after hour of updating radar did not yield the forecasted improvement. My friend Jim is also my insurance agent. Being concerned about any possible get-home-itis, he joined me in the FBO lobby, luring […]

Ah, landing. It’s what learning to fly is all about, isn’t it? It’s often what causes the most consternation as well. Secrets abound about how to grease the wheels (or floats) onto the surface. Although the flare through touchdown demands excellent hand-eye-foot coordination, the process hinges on our ability to quickly and accurately interpret what […]

Words have a lot of power. Certain words can immediately hurt someone’s feelings. Other words can reassure. Some of the most dangerous words provide a false reassurance, and should never be used by a pilot. In a recent FAASTeam Safety Tip (faasafety.gov), Max Trescott, the 2008 National CFI of the year, warned pilots about the […]

Each month, Flying answers questions about the new sport pilot/light sport aircraft rule with assistance from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the authority on the opportunities available within the category commonly known as “sport pilot”: Q: My partner and I own an E-LSA (experimental light sport aircraft). Can we both receive the training and be […]

One of my early childhood memories from growing up in Southern California is of my dad showing me a litho print of the A4-D Skyhawk in flight that he’d brought home from work at the Douglas Aircraft Company. As I looked at the image, I thought to myself, “How did they get that picture?” never […]

There is nothing in any aircraft manual on how to correct for humidity when calculating density altitude. The formulas all assume 0% humidity. We know that humidity is almost always much higher than that, and that it decreases the density of the air. And therefore, it increases density altitude — but by how much, and […]

I have been flying the backcountry airstrips of Montana and Idaho for 17 years, yet at the beginning of each season I practice my mountain flying skills. I recommend you do the same if you’re planning a visit to mountain country. Start by reviewing your aircraft performance charts, including the effects of density altitude. Write […]

My wife, Leslie, sometimes teases me for remembering where all the cheapest gas stations are around our home town. I catch myself saying, “You paid 12 cents more per gallon where you went! Why, for 11 gallons that’s…” That’s when I shut up. If I’m driving by anyway, I’m happy to save a buck or […]

One of the best things about recurrent training or a mandatory flight review is that you get the chance to have a critical set of eyeballs look over your flying habits. There are probably things you are doing wrong that you don’t even realize you’re doing at all. Margo Kay, one of the instructors at […]