Recurrent Training/Simulators

When the idea to create a full-motion helicopter sim in which to train EMS personnel came to Joe Brown, CEO of Hartzell Propeller, he immediately thought of Jerry Gregoire, founder of Redbird Flight Simulations. Within a matter of months, the concept turned into a product, designed not to make money but to save lives. As […]

“What’s that?” you wonder, as your back straightens and your ears come to attention. The engine coughs and continues to cough, spitting and hesitating before, suddenly, it dies and all goes eerily quiet. You pitch for best glide, run through your flows, read the checklists, but the engine refuses to restart. It has just become […]

At Sun ‘n Fun Textron Aviation and an impressive list of university partners launched the Top Hawk program to pair up universities with quality flight training programs with new Skyhawks. Under Top Hawk, Textron will team with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Kansas State University, Liberty University and the University of North Dakota. Through the end of […]

If you are looking for a new aviation challenge and are considering an add-on rating, you can start out by watching one of Sporty’s new video programs to learn more about the transition process before spending a stack of Benjamin Franklins on actual flight training. The company’s online pilot shop has added four new video […]

Loss of control accounts for more than 40 percent of fixed-wing GA fatal accidents, a sobering statistic that has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to put this danger on its “Most Wanted” list of safety improvements. Now, a group of flight instructors in the Washington, D.C. area is tackling the problem as well through […]

Are you intimidated by crosswinds? Do you want to learn more about how to master them without having to pay an instructor? While we always advocate learning with the safety of an instructor in the right seat, you now have an opportunity to get some free tips and gain a better understanding of crosswind landing […]

As Honda Aircraft Company closes in on FAA certification for the much-anticipated HondaJet, the company has taken delivery of a simulator that will help train the operators of the light twinjet at the headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. The full motion, Level D simulator as well as a HondaJet-specific training program were developed by Honda […]

We’ve all seen B-roll video footage of robots busily building cars on an assembly line, spinning and whirling with impressive precision and nary a human in sight. But you’ve probably never seen anything like this. Researchers in Germany have connected a robotic arm to the cockpit section of an airplane to create perhaps the world’s […]

Maybe, someday, at the end of a flight I will be able to say, “My performance as a pilot was perfect on that flight. I didn’t make a single mistake.” So far I have never come close. My performance (and John’s) on a recent flight is a great example. It was time for us to […]

Remember when we made a big deal last month about the FAA permitting more training time in flight simulators to count toward the instrument rating? Well forget about it. The FAA formally withdrew that policy today, and then reinstated the mind-boggling requirement that instrument students wear Foggles or other view-limiting devices while flying on instruments […]