Pilot Proficiency

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 […]

(Image: AOPA) I spent much of last week on a short vacation. My wife, twin 7-year-old sons and I hiked from museum to museum under the veil of sterile airspace that hovers over our nation’s capital. It was a little depressing to visit my friend Mary Miller at Signature DCA only to compare the abandoned […]

It seems like one of the simplest flights possible. Grab your flight bag and head off to the airport to practice some touch-and-goes. There is obviously no need for flight planning. The weather is beautiful and forecast to stay that way, so there is no need to check the weather. You are not planning to […]

YouTube is chock full of videos featuring airplanes landing with landing gear retracted or partially extended. One reason is that there is often plenty of time for news crews to arrive by helicopter as the pilot of the stricken airplane kills time to burn off fuel. If you are unlucky enough to experience a ‘gear […]