Training

Once again, a new flying bug has bit me. This time the bite came from a bug-like aircraft – a helicopter. I had a chance to fly a Eurocopter AS350B3, also known as an AStar, the same type of helicopter that landed on top of Mt. Everest a few years ago and set an unbeatable […]

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 Sporty’s Academy — the educational arm of Sporty’s Pilot Shop. He says: I’d recommend a recreational or sport […]

(December 2011) Hutchinson, Minnesota, had been covered in snow, ice and arctic temperatures all winter. A week earlier it had been 24 degrees F below zero. This week brought a 45 degrees F above zero temperature and melting snow. Since the temperature was warm, the moon was full and the stars were out, I decided […]

What can an instructor do to help ease the anxiety of a student pilot who is having trouble with talking on the radio? Tim Busch has been involved in aviation education for more than 20 years. He is a Master CFI and the president of Iowa Flight Training. A self-proclaimed aviation evangelist, Busch is also […]

Wow, what an eye opener! Last night I completed 1.4 hours of my 3-hour night flight-training requirement for the private certificate, single-engine rating, with First Landings Aviation CFI Chris Esposito. I shot 8 full-stop landings in the Remos GX, leaving the last two of the 10 required for my dual cross-country night flight. All I […]

(November 2011) Alaska is a state with a few hundred runways, about 13,000 roads and more than 3 million lakes. With so many options for landing sites, it is no wonder that Alaskan summer skies are filled with all kinds of aerial watercraft with pilots on their way to visit neighbors, load up on groceries, […]

What weather limits should an instructor set for a student to fly solo? Jeff Edwards has been a flight instructor since 1982 and is a former FAA-designated pilot examiner. He has been a six-time designated Master Certificated Flight Instructor. In 2003, Jeff was selected as the National Flight Instructor of the Year. Jeff has more […]

Does it make sense to do primary training in a tailwheel airplane? (September 2011) Rich Stowell has been instructing full time since 1987. He has logged 32,000 spins, 23,000 landings and 8,300 hours of tailwheel time. Stowell was the 2006 FAA National Flight Instructor of the Year and is a seven-time NAFI Master Flight Instructor […]

Are touch-and-goes a good idea during flight training? William F. Ball_ has been an active flight instructor for 30 years and a designated pilot examiner (DPE) for 21 years. He conducts testing and certification activities for all FAA certificates and ratings. He has given more than 8,000 hours of flight instruction and is currently an […]

If you spend a day at the airport in Mojave, California, chances are good that you’ll see some special airplanes and helicopters rolling out from the National Test Pilot School, located adjacent to the control tower. To provide a wide range of aircraft for its students while keeping the cost of aircraft acquisition reasonable, NTPS […]