Aviation is a cozy universe — half family reunion, half soap opera — so a twist of fate landed me in the captain’s seat, sharing the cockpit with a former student of mine. The man had traveled the full hero’s journey since we last tangled with traffic patterns: he had battled the sound barrier in…
One mantra I routinely use while teaching is: know where to put the airplane to get what you want out of it. If the goal is to maintain heading, don’t bank. If the goal is to maintain altitude, hold the pitch attitude that results in level flight for the conditions. For the airplane to behave…
We are in an era replete with “heads-down” devices. Automation and advanced cockpit technology lure pilots away from looking out the window. The windows are a pilot’s best tool for precise flying and avoiding mid-air collisions. From the beginning of training, students should be taught to fly by references outside the aircraft. The law of…
The preflight inspection is an important responsibility. Unfortunately, it is also one of themost mundane, causing many pilots to take it for granted and overlook potentialproblems. This has resulted in many preventable accidents. Pilots often rush thepreflight to get to the fun part — flying. A good preflight often eliminates the first link inan accident…
Through the years, I have flown with many pilots. I made fewer mistakes and was less stressed when flying with fun pilots. Think about your friends. Why do you prefer to spend more time with some rather than others? Fun people make you laugh and smile. The same is true when training with a flight…