Training

Every time you train for a new pilot rating you’re faced with a check ride — an event that can cause the blood pressure to rise even in the best of pilots. After being grilled for hours about your knowledge pertaining to the rating you’re attempting to achieve, you’re expected to perform precision maneuvers under […]

How can students recover and learn from lessons that don’t go well? **Dorothy Schick **is the owner of TakeWing, a Cessna Pilot Center located at Creswell Airport (77S) in Oregon. A CFI with 2,800 hours of flight instruction given, she is a member of SAFE (Society of Aviation and Flight Educators) and a FAASTeam representative. […]

I’ve always been intrigued by accelerated flight training courses that promise to add on the next rating or certificate in a fixed number of days for a set price. Maybe it’s because the concept is so far removed from how I learned to fly back in the 1980s. At the local grass strip where I […]

Jeppesen recently announced what the company calls “blended learning” — a complete training solution, offering students, instructors and flight schools flight training programs designed to work together to make the process of learning to fly more efficient. The solution combines courses that have been in existence for years with recently released offerings. Jeppesen offers its […]

What can students do between lessons to make the most of their training? Ken Wittekiend is the president and founder of ProMark Aviation Services (promarkaviation.net). He is a Master CFI and designated pilot examiner and was the 2009 FAA Southwest Region CFI of the Year. Ken also teaches for the Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program. Ken […]

Somewhat surprisingly, many of the challenges of learning to be a proficient IFR pilot are the same as those one encounters when just getting started as a student pilot. One of the toughest skills for brand-new pilots to master — talking on the radio — is equally challenging for pilots getting their instrument ticket or […]

Business at the Redbird Skyport, which opened its doors in San Marcos, Texas, last November, is booming, prompting the company to expand its flight-training program. At the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In and Expo this week, Piper president and CEO Simon Caldecott handed over the keys to a Redbird-branded Piper PA-44 Seminole to Redbird’s founder, Jerry […]

Spring is just around the corner, and college acceptance letters are beginning to sprout like crocuses in high school seniors’ mailboxes. If you have a student in your household who’s been accepted to an aviation college or university, congratulations. If you have a high school junior with birdmanlike aspirations, you might already be scouting for […]

What questions should you ask to assess the compatibility of a flight instructor, and how can you switch instructors gracefully if yours isn’t a good fit? Max Trescott was selected as the 2008 National Flight Instructor of the Year. Based in Palo Alto, California, he publishes aviation books and software, including Max Trescott’s GPS and […]

All American Helicopters recently received approval from the FAA and the Veteran’s Administration for the school’s Part 141 helicopter ATP course, clearing the way for veterans to use their GI bill to complete their rating at the school. With the new clearance, veterans covered by the bill can now receive 25 hours of flight time […]