nearby traffic collision avoidance quiz

How to spot nearby traffic like a pro

During the early stages of flight training you'll learn that keeping an eye out the window looking for traffic is a big priority as you learn to fly the airplane. Here are 7 tips to boost your collision avoidance skills and make sure you don't mix aluminum with another airplane in the sky.
Pilot in airplane

8 times you should say no as a pilot

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As much as we like to press the push-to-talk button and calmly proclaim "wilco," sometimes you simply have to say no - even when it's uncomfortable. It's not being lazy or being a bad pilot, it's prioritizing safety over convenience.

Taming the crosswind

In recent weeks we experienced an uncommon and unwelcome pattern…
iPad Screenshot

What not to miss when flight planning on the iPad

As your logbook starts to fill up and you gain experience as…

Finding a smooth ride – 5 things to look for

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As a student pilot, my flight instructor spent a lot of time teaching me how to fly safely. But as I started flying cross-countries as a private pilot, I realized I had never really learned how to fly comfortably. Here are 5 things to look for as you seek out that smooth ride.

Flying IFR – I follow rivers, roads and rails

In 1998 my Christmas present from my wife Rose Ann was a Magellan…
two pilots in cockpit

The FAA wants you to fly more and 5 strategies to help

So the FAA wants us to fly more.  Finally, a government-sponsored…

Winter weather flying refresher

As the season transitions from fall to winter and the temperature is consistently below freezing, unique challenges are presented to pilots. Flight training doesn't need to stop in the winter though; in fact the colder months provide some great opportunities to expand your knowledge on weather and aircraft operations in less than ideal conditions.
172 landing

The one tip that finally helped me land better

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Making great landings consistently is easier said than done, and it's easy to fall for the latest "miracle cure." I won't offer any of those, because good landings result more from practice, discipline and hard work than quick fixes. But sometimes the right visualization is the key: if you can truly understand all the interrelated events that happen during landing, it's easier to make the correct control inputs.

Time to change the clocks

It’s that time of the year again; time to change the clock…