It was his first airplane trip at age seven that made Eric decide to become a pilot. "While boarding the airplane, a flight attendant noticed my interest in the flight deck and urged me to go talk to the pilot. I give a lot of credit to that pilot for my career choice." Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to an airline career. He learned to fly at Sporty’s as part of the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Program, an initiative he later directed. Eric now serves as General Manager of the PilotWorkshops brand and manages Sporty’s media network including FlightTrainingCentral.com. In addition, Eric serves as a Captain in a Cincinnati-based corporate flight department.
The 2027 edition of Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course builds on its flight and ground instruction with new 4K video lessons, expanded Flight Instructor Focus segments, updated FAA test preparation, and additional ways to practice for the checkride.
Join PilotWorkshops’ Ryan Koch for Beyond the Buttons: Mastering Your Modern Autopilot, a webinar exploring the habits pilots need to get more from today’s autopilots, stay ahead of changing modes, and recognize when the system isn’t doing what they intended.
Pilot’s Discretion features candid conversations with some of aviation’s most interesting people. From flight training and pilot decision-making to aerobatics, homebuilt airplanes, and professional flying, each episode offers a fresh perspective on the people and experiences that make aviation unique.
The FAA’s September 2026 update brings key changes for flight training: brand-new high-res chart graphics are coming to the Instrument Rating exam, and stricter prerequisite rules now apply to CFI Added Rating tests. Here is what student pilots, candidates, and flight instructors need to know.
Sporty’s recently added a new set of study questions to the FAA Test Prep section of its Instrument Rating Course, reflecting recent changes to the FAA knowledge test.
A good autopilot workflow doesn’t mean pressing a button and looking away. It means selecting the appropriate mode, verifying that the autopilot is doing what you expect, and continuing to monitor the airplane. It also means learning to anticipate the automation.
ATC will serve as another set of eyes in the sky to keep you apprised of other traffic targets that could be a threat. You also gain the benefit of safety alerts from ATC and perhaps even weather advisories.
Sporty’s continues to add new lessons, test-prep questions, and training features to its Learn to Fly Course. Here’s a look at what’s new in 2026—and why lifetime access means your course keeps getting better.
How would you prepare for a high-density-altitude takeoff when you know your engine tends to run hot? That’s the dilemma in this month’s VFR Mastery scenario from PilotWorkshops, Keeping Your Cool at Hot Springs, featuring A&P mechanic, IA, instructor, and pilot Colleen Sterling.
While complete engine failures are not common, the stakes are high which is why pilots train extensively for such occurrences and why they get evaluated as part of a checkride. If faced with an engine failure, or training for your next engine failure with your instructor, act quick and decisively by remembering what you learned in kindergarten – your ABCs.
