Tips and technique

Most of us will jump at any chance for some left seat time and another entry in the logbook. For better or for worse (mostly for worse I think), we judge pilot ability on total time. But not all your aviation experience shows up in the logbook, and not all your learning takes place in the left seat.

When I was in high school, I did a project which involved interviewing military veterans. There were four veterans I interviewed - two who...

There are many ways to calculate airplane weight & balance with an iPad, but the best method we've found yet is with the Aviation...

TAFs are a valuable pre-flight planning tool, and they are created by experts who carefully consider a variety of different models and weather reports. But don’t be seduced by the precision of these forecasts. As you conduct your pre-flight weather briefing, consider the TAF a single data point, and nothing more.

You’re in the third hour of a cross-county flight which will push your landing in to the night hours. Your destination is a first time visit and ATC instructions will require a non-standard pattern to the unfamiliar airport. Or perhaps, arriving at a pilot-controlled airport, the temptation to fly a non-standard arrival is too great due to the lack of activity at this late hour. Sound realistic or something that has happened to you ?

When stressed learning to fly approaches, it is very easy to get behind the airplane.  During my IFR training, it was not uncommon for...

I have often written about how to find the best flight school, or choose the right instructor, or how to handle personality conflicts in...

Takeoff performance calculations start with a chart from the airplane's POH but there may be more to the story. We'll take a look at one of these charts along with the conditions and notes on the chart that many pilots overlook. We'll also address what to do when the runway just doesn't fit the mold defined by the chart.

How much “actual instrument” flight time do you have? Chances are if you’re a VFR pilot, you do not have any unless it was...

Presidential TFRs will be popping up more and more throughout the year as we approach the 2012 election this fall. Find out how you can stay informed about them and not get caught off guard.