GFA Clouds

Still More Out with the Old, In with the New

Over the last few years, I have written a couple of posts about…
Slow flight from cockpit

Pitch or power? The answer is both!

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"Pitch for airspeed; power for altitude." This is a oft-repeated phrase in initial training, but it confuses as many pilots as it helps. What does it really mean? Does it tell the whole story? Maybe not. The best pilots understand the complex relationship between pitch and power, and use both tools to fly smoothly and safely.

Thinking about a collegiate aviation program? Consider this…

Despite an industry that has been plagued by bankruptcies, mergers…

The first and last time I skipped the preflight checklist

"Lunken tower, this is Cessna Eight Eight Uniform, our windshield is covered with oil, we're returning for immediate landing." I'll never forget making that radio call 14 years ago, and today I can still visualize the oil-soaked windshield as vividly as the day it happened. Even more memorable is how one small, easily-preventable oversight led to this in-flight emergency.

Best-laid plans…

Things don’t always go as planned – a universal truth in…

3 non-aviation apps every pilot should have

While technology and the availability of flight planning and charting apps have replaced sectional charts and highlighters for most students, there is more information to be gained regarding your destination than what the NOTAMs and weather forecasts will provide.

6 tips for pilot proficiency and development

As you’re already aware, earning a pilot certificate is a…
Altimeter

7 little safety habits to consider

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Some aviation tips are in the "commandments" category: never run out of airspeed and ideas at the same time, never take off over gross weight, never fly below minimums on an instrument approach. Those are all true, but that doesn't mean there aren't other, smaller tips that can reduce risk. Here are five I try follow in the cockpit.

Rusty Pilots – getting back in the left seat is easier than you think

If you're feeling a little rusty, you might be like more than 500,000 other pilots (that's right, half a million), who have taken a little breather from flying. Whatever the case, things are different now. You're back in the game and would like to start flying again. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) wants to help.

Recurrent training from a pro pilot’s perspective

What I often find when talking to flight students is the common myth that once “you make it” in flying, most of your studying days are over. If you still hold this misbelief or hope, I am sorry to burst your bubble.