As Sporty’s lead aviation course and video producer, Bret is usually flying an interesting airplane, and often with a camera rolling. He oversees the development, production and distribution of over 30 aviation courses from Sporty's, including the Private Pilot Learn to Fly Course. He is a flight instructor and check airman at the Sporty's Academy flight school and a senior captain on a Cessna Citation.
The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) spell out the performance standards that you’ll need to meet during your private pilot test. It’s important that you take time during your flight training to familiarize yourself with this document and use it to help gauge your progress.
This week’s tip takes a closer look at a few examples of the specific knowledge, skills, risk management elements and performance metrics found in the Private Pilot ACS.
Airplane manufacturers go to great lengths to design the exterior surfaces to be as aerodynamically clean as possible to maximize performance. This week’s tip takes a look at the drag-reducing features found on two of the fastest airplanes in both the jet and piston aviation segments.
One of the first things you’ll learn as a student pilot is how to perform an aircraft preflight inspection. This week’s video tip looks at the step-by-step procedures for the exterior preflight of a Cessna 172.
Learning to effectively communicate with a control tower often presents a challenge to student pilots, since it requires additional multitasking during an already busy time of flight. One of the best ways to learn is to listen to other pilots on the radio, and this week’s tip follows a Cessna 172 pilot as he works with both ground control and the tower to taxi and takeoff from a Class D airport.
During your training, you’ll practice a variety of simulated emergencies so that you’re prepared in the event the real thing develops in flight. One of the common training scenarios is a simulated engine failure, which will teach you important memory items and how to use the emergency checklist. This week’s tip demonstrates best-practices for dealing with this rare situation to help you get safely back on the ground.
Airplane engines are more sensitive than your typical car engine and require extra attention. This week’s video tip looks at some tips for basic airplane engine operations to help you get years of trouble-free operation from them.
You’ve probably heard that “you can stall an airplane at any airspeed and any attitude.” It’s true, but it sure doesn’t make much sense. In our latest video tip of the week, we tackle angle of attack, a critically important but often misunderstood topic. You’ll learn what it really means, how to visualize it in flight and what the new generation of AoA gauges shows.
Stalls seem pretty straightforward for most pilots, but stalls during a turn can seem quite different. In our latest quick tip, we look at these accelerated stalls. You’ll learn why it’s called an accelerated stall, how to prevent one, and why load factor is so important.
The day you have been preparing for the past 3 months has finally come couldn’t have gone better; you passed your Private Pilot checkride and can now start taking advantage of the freedoms offered by your new pilot certificate. The learning doesn’t stop there though, and today there are more online resources available than ever […]
Watch our free 4-part video series on learning to fly. First, why you should learn to fly.
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