Training

I recently got the chance to spend a couple of weeks doing some training at SimCom‘s Lee Vista training center (one of two such SimCom facilities in Orlando alone), and I had a great time. The great time was no coincidence: it’s part of SimCom’s business plan. No lie. SimCom got started as a pure […]

(July 2011) I’ve met far too many people who dream about learning to fly, but don’t act out on their desire to be at the controls of an airplane. One of the greatest deterrents to flying is cost. And realistically, learning to fly can be expensive. But there are several ways to reduce that cost. […]

The lure of a jet is strong. Not only are they fast and high-flying but they’re undeniably cool. Who wouldn’t want to take that next step and lose the props? Truth is, a lot of pilots out there have the money to move up to the jet world but just don’t do it, and the […]

The examiner was cordial, but it was clear he was all business. Not a small man, his imposing frame and New York accent signaled a certain directness. Ten minutes later I was in tears. So was he. As Joe Puglia and I sniffed and wiped our eyes, we quickly sought to make it clear that […]

__You may be one of many people with a passion for flying who think that learning to fly is unachievable. But before you hang up your dream, you need to explore all your options. The number of ways to learn is limited, and for most people, it requires some financial resources. But there are other […]

How can busy flight schools make their students feel like they belong, that they’re one of the family? Eric Radtke is an airline transport pilot, Gold Seal flight instructor, advanced ground instructor and NAFI-accredited Master Flight Instructor. Eric has been involved in aviation education since 1998 and currently serves as president and chief instructor of […]

(June 2011) I recently asked FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt about the tough time that applicants have been having on FAA Knowledge Testing (the tests that many of us still refer to as the “writtens”). Many test takers are failing the tests because the FAA has included a lot of new, previously unpublished questions that are […]

(June 2011) A lot of pilots have heard the name American Flyers. After all, the company has been in business for more than 60 years. But not every pilot knows that the company has grown to the point that it today can provide just about every kind of flight training imaginable to just about every […]

(June 2011) The captain had completed an entry of the navigation log after passing the previous oceanic waypoint. The FMS, utilizing a series of inertial navigation systems along with two GPS receivers, was tracking the assigned course to an accuracy that was no wider than the cockpit of the 777. The digital display of the […]

“Flying the Cessna Skycatcher” is a new course from King Schools designed specifically for pilots transitioning to the Skycatcher or for those who would like to know what the airplane is like to fly. The Cessna Skycatcher is a light-sport airplane, powered by a Continental O-200D engine and equipped with a Garmin G300 avionics suite, […]