Flying Magazine

MAY 10, 2024

With a better understanding of the structure of the test, the material the exam covers, and some sample questions, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a commercial drone pilot. Courses like those offered by Altitude University , The Pilot Institute and ASA , for instance, include several graded practice exams and quizzes.

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Weight-Shift-Control Air Traffic Control Aeronautical Decision-Making Density Altitude 114

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Editor’s Note: The following scenario is from the IFR Procedures Manual from Pilot Workshops. However, contact approaches can be the perfect tool with the right weather and airport configuration. Request the Approach Initiating a contact approach is entirely up to the pilot. Understand what’s required. Pick your battles.

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Approach Pilot Clearance Descent 52

Flying Magazine

MAY 17, 2024

Flying drones can be enjoyed by recreational flyers seeking fun and commercial drone pilots looking to earn money. Commercial Drone Use In the eyes of the FAA, there are two types of drone pilots: recreational and commercial. Recreational pilots are flying just for the joy of flying, while commercial drone pilots are flying for profit.

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AGL Pilot Aeronautical Decision-Making Weather 52

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

About 90% of accidents could have been prevented by the pilot. Most can be avoided by diligent pre-flight preparations; by paying attention to what’s happening around us; by staying disciplined and flying within one’s margins; and by avoiding basic piloting mistakes through regular practice.

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Northstar VFR

JULY 28, 2023

Most people aren't pilots , though. Pilots know that weather has an intense impact on flying. Altitude (without sounding like Captain Obvious) might just be the most important thing to a pilot. An altimeter is standard in every aircraft, and its sole job is to inform the pilot of how high in the sky they are.

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Density Altitude Altimeter True Altitude Weather 52

Flight Training Central

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

An instrument rated pilot, who has not logged any instrument time in 1 year or more, cannot serve as pilot in command under IFR, unless the pilot passes an instrument proficiency check followed by 6 hours and six instrument approaches, 3 of those hours in the category of aircraft involved. The en route weather is IMC.

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Air Facts

APRIL 29, 2024

A pit stop at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (KCRE) was planned, and after a weather briefing, I filed an IFR flight plan. The Mooney is well-equipped for weather avoidance as it is equipped with a sophisticated spheric lighting detector. We were wheels up around 1:30pm.

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Descent Approach Weather Runway 71

Learn to Fly

MARCH 12, 2024

Some of the most important jargon you’ll learn as a pilot has to be how to read a METAR. These “aviation routine weather reports” provide pilots with an accurate depiction of current weather conditions at an airport. Let’s stick with aviation routine weather report and get straight into the decrypting.

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Flying Magazine

MAY 15, 2024

You’re not supposed to feel it like you do the aircraft, but this can make you a better pilot as you will develop instrument scan and interpretation skills. READ MORE: Our Pilots of the Future May Share Sim Stories Partial power loss scenarios—especially at low altitude—are very useful. Then the CFI slowly brings the weather down.

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Crosswind Airplanes VOR Runway 105

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

We reminisced about the days when we became private pilots. Forecasted weather was CAVU for the entire weekend. Despite the weather delay, it looked like we would arrive at KSUS in time for our ride on Doc. At 1,000’ AGL on mid-downwind, we could see Doc parked at the FBO. Everything about the flight was a joy.

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Northstar VFR

JANUARY 4, 2023

by Gustin Robinson, FAA CFI-I ASEL Flying under instrument meteorological conditions keeps even a good pilot on their toes. As a student pilot you were always taught “see and avoid”, keep your eyes outside, etc. Remember that weather conditions vary the further away you get. How Do I Choose an Alternate Airport?

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Ceiling Instrument Meteorological Conditions Approach Weather 52

Air Facts

AUGUST 2, 2024

My first and last flying road trip Air Facts Journal Pilots tend to be optimists and seem to lead a richer fantasy life than most. For example, how many pilots have at some point fantasized that one day they might be called to the cockpit in an emergency? As it happened, my pilot brother-in-law, Chaz, thought this was a fine idea too.

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General Aviation Weather Pilot Cockpit 80

Pilot Institute

APRIL 24, 2024

From entry and weather requirements to interacting with ATC, we have you covered. Pilots must meet equipment and certification requirements and have ATC clearance to enter. Pilot Requirements You’re allowed to enter Class B airspace only if: The PIC (Pilot in Command) holds at least a private pilot certificate.

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Clearance Ceiling Airspace Classes Transponder 52

Chess In the Air

JULY 4, 2022

There’s been a lot of interest in my recent accident analysis “ Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts.” Cold downdrafts created by virga displace warmer air near the surface creating updrafts glider pilots can, and should, use to avoid landing in downburst conditions. Absolutely!

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Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2024

A soft field landing is a technique pilots use when landing on unpaved surfaces. Why Do Pilots Perform Soft Field Landings? Crowd Source Information The next best resource for information about runway conditions is other pilots. Calculate your landing and takeoff distances using the pilot’s operating handbook (POH).

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Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

I checked the weather by phone and was assured it would be great CAVU (ceiling and visibility unlimited) with 2-3-knot winds from 090 degrees. With nothing to lose, at a little over 1,000 feet agl, I started a turn to the left, looking for a place to land. The post Where There’s Smoke… appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

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Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

Short field landings are a true test of a pilot’s skill. They are also one of the most feared maneuvers during the private pilot checkride. Whether you’re new to short field landings or a pilot needing a refresher, this essential guide is for you. x V SO (or POH recommendation) by around 500 feet AGL.

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Weight-Shift-Control Runway Approach Descent 52

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

I cursed my decision to depart in developing low weather, but the only choice now was to press on through the crud, dodging cellular towers lining the highway. A call to home base for a land-supported retrieval provided ample opportunity for explanation in response to my peers’ interrogation: “What were you thinking, flying in this weather?”

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Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

I cursed my decision to depart in developing low weather, but the only choice now was to press on through the crud, dodging cellular towers lining the highway. A call to home base for a land-supported retrieval provided ample opportunity for explanation in response to my peers’ interrogation: “What were you thinking, flying in this weather?”

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Weather Ceiling Approach Clearance 52

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 6, 2024

Maybe it’s the Georgia flying weather, or maybe it’s the ever-increasing emphasis on “old” pilot instead of “bold” pilot, but it seems that flight planning these days is a lot more about if and when than about route and altitude. But if I was going VFR over strange territory, I would want lots more than 1,000 feet agl.

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Airplanes Weather Ceiling Turbulence 87

Flying Magazine

MAY 1, 2024

Answer: When looking at the surface analysis chart issued every three hours by meteorologists at the Weather Prediction Center (WPC), you may have seen a tan dashed line with a label “OUTFLOW BNDRY” nearby. Crescent-shaped convective outflow boundary as detected on NEXRAD Doppler weather radar.

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Wind Shear Weather Knot Turbulence 114

Air Facts

MAY 10, 2024

A circling approach is one that, by dwindling numbers and its inherent design, forces the pilot(s) into a seldom used and high-risk evolution–often migrating us to an unexpected and seldom visited zip code of the threat/error management neighborhood. We also benefit from the latest weather updates. Any NOTAMS applicable?

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Approach AGL Descent Runway 70

Pilot Institute

JUNE 26, 2024

Go-arounds are among the easiest tasks a pilot can perform. Pilots avoid go-arounds because it is seen as an admission of guilt. Pilots perform the maneuver when a landing is unsafe or can result in an incident. Pilots perform the maneuver when a landing is unsafe or can result in an incident. What Is a Go-Around?

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Wind Shear Runway Approach Aeronautical Decision-Making 52

Flying Magazine

APRIL 30, 2024

The complexity of the instrument panel has served either to intrigue or intimidate potential pilots. Subscribe Now Featured And for new pilots—and this pilot who flies Cirrus aircraft sporadically—as opposed to a seasoned owner or dedicated Cirrus instructor, the barrier to entry and re-entry has fallen significantly.

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Pilot Airplanes Approach Jet 111

Pilot Institute

MAY 25, 2024

Key Takeaways NOTAMs update pilots about changes in airspace, airports, and equipment that affect aircraft operations. NOTAMs alert pilots to issues that impact flight operations. A Real-Life Example Pilots who do not review NOTAMS before flight put themselves (and others) in danger. This tells pilots where the NOTAM applies.

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NOTAMs Runway UTC Federal Aviation Regulations 52

Photographic Logbook

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

Stir Crazy In aviation safety circles, a mental condition colloquially known as "get-there-itis" characterizes a pilot so mission focused, so determined to reach a destination, that they make unsafe decisions. Because of this, Upstate pilots become antsy as winter weeks pass without any "altitude therapy". I hope you're landing."

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Ceiling Approach Pilot Weather 52

Chess In the Air

DECEMBER 29, 2021

Most of us want to become better and safer glider pilots. The following video shows a flight over the desert in highly dynamic weather conditions during the 18m Nationals in Nephi, UT. pilots I still have a lot of room for improvement in all these areas. There’s a lot of ground to cover, literally and metaphorically.

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