P-factor, or asymmetric propeller loading, mainly occurs when the airplane is at large angles of attack. As the propeller disk tilts upward during a climb, the descending blade on the right side takes a larger bite of air than the ascending blade on the left. This causes greater thrust on the right side of the…
Every pilot has felt that mysterious nudge to the left when power is applied during takeoff. The nose yaws slightly, the runway centerline begins to drift right, and the instructor yells, “Right rudder!” But what exactly is pushing your nose left? Meet the mischievous culprit: the spiraling slipstream. When the propeller spins, it doesn’t simply push…
Pilots notice early in their training that single‑engine, propeller‑driven airplanes seem to“want” to turn left, especially during takeoff and climb. This isn’t sloppy flying or bad trimwork — it is physics at work. Four primary forces gang up on the airplane to createthese left‑turning tendencies: torque, slipstream, P‑factor, and gyroscopic precession. Inthis and the next…
There are only two speeds in flying: 1) slow and methodical, or 2) screw‑up. Aviation does not reward rushing. Checklists, briefings, and flows are really just formal ways of saying, “Take your time, your brain needs it.” When a pilot chooses the slower tempo, the mind has room to notice the quiet little gremlins that…
The wings bolted to an airplane are steady, obedient servants of physics. They lift when commanded and yield only to the laws governed by their design. They neither dream nor decide; they simply perform. Yet, working together with those aerodynamic wings is another kind — the ones worn over the heart, crafted from wisdom and…
Teaching the theory of lift can overwhelm students and stump even seasoned instructors. The challenge comes from the fact that the science behind lift can quickly get lost in a quagmire of equations. The key to making it teachable is to strip away the technical weeds and focus on what matters in the cockpit. I…
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…