Training

(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 Many test takers are failing the tests because the FAA has included a lot of new, previously unpublished questions that are […]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, […]

What can a student pilot do to reduce the number of hours needed to complete a private pilot’s license? Michael Goulian has been involved in aviation since the mid-1980s, since his parents started Executive Flyers Aviation in Massachusetts. He is a CFI-I and ATP with multiple jet-aircraft type ratings. He has spent the last 15-plus […]

For pilots making their way through the world of ratings independently, as opposed to through a highly structured training program, the instrument ticket generates more anxiety per flight hour than all the other ratings combined. It should come as no surprise that it does. To go from the world of VFR flight (which is how […]

Redbird Flight Simulations of Austin, Texas, has signed a lease at nearby San Marcos Municipal Airport (KHYI) for an innovative, multi-pronged aviation business that aims to do training differently. The facility will house a traditional FBO with fuel sales and a foodie-quality eatery, as well as a flight school that will incorporate Redbird’s popular flight […]

Last week, I flew to McClellan-Palomar Airport, just north of San Diego, California. It reminded me of my long solo cross-country flight as a student pilot. Being all alone in the airplane, far away from home took me way out of my comfort zone, but the experience was priceless. Completing that flight without a hitch […]

I climbed a few thousand feet and completed my tests. When it was time to land, I reduced the throttle to idle. “That’s when we experienced a huge explosion. I was jolted in my seat. I saw both of the bomb-bay doors blow away. We were completely engulfed in flames. I could see the flames […]

(April 2011) Dr. Michael Bliss holds an ATP certificate and a CFIA, CFI-I and CFMEI. He has been a pilot for more than 40 years and an active instructor for 30 years. He oversees curriculum standards and development for American Flyers and is the chairman of its safety board. He says: Whether it is better […]