Pilot Institute

JANUARY 8, 2025

Every pilot must master stall recognition and recovery techniques. This misunderstanding can lead to confusion and, in some cases, accidents, as some pilots concentrate on engine performance instead of addressing the actual problem, a loss of lift. How Do Pilots Recover From a Stall? Why Do Pilots Practice Stalls?

Lift 98

Lift Accelerated Stall Pilot AGL 98

Inflight Pilot Training

MARCH 13, 2025

Mistakes are a natural part of learning, but understanding common pitfalls ahead of time can help you progress more efficiently, build confidence, and become a safer pilot. In this comprehensive guide, well take a deep dive into the top 10 mistakes student pilots make, why they happen, and actionable strategies to avoid them.

Pilot 52

Pilot Crosswind Final Approach Cockpit 52

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

At first glance, ailerons look like ordinary hinged panels on the wings, but don’t be fooledthey’re important for keeping an aircraft both stable and maneuverable. But theres much more to ailerons than just rolling left or right. But theres much more to ailerons than just rolling left or right. What Is an Aileron?

Aileron 90

Aileron Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Longitudinal Axis 90

Vintage Aviation News

MARCH 5, 2025

That year, however, saw the airframe and a set of wings being donated to the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut so it could be transformed into a memorial honoring the pilots who flew Corsairs in combat. This was brainchild of World War II (WWII) Marine Corps Corsair pilot, and then the manager of Bridgeport Municipal Airport, Nick Mainiero.

Rudder 105

Rudder Cockpit Tail Lift 105

Pilot Institute

MARCH 24, 2025

How to Execute a Stall Turn To execute a stall turn, the pilot enters a vertical climb with full power, which will cause the airspeed to drop. Just prior to reaching a point where the aircraft stops all upward motion, the pilot applies full rudder input to yaw the aircraft and point the nose straight toward the ground.

Rudder 52

Rudder Lift Descent Pilot 52

Plane and Pilot

FEBRUARY 26, 2025

Flight controls mean ailerons, elevator, and rudder, of course, but on some airplanes, if the trim is mis-set, the plane might be difficult or impossible to control. Years ago, a very young pilot took her first passenger, her husband, on her first flight after getting a private certificate after 125 hours.

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Airplanes Cockpit Pilot Aileron 96

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

More right rudder!!” It’s a rite of passage for pilots-in-training to hear these words come from their flight instructor repeatedly. The airplane rudder is one of the most misunderstood of the primary flight controls. Yet the rudder is one of the most important and one of the most under-utilized. Where is the rudder?

Rudder 52

Rudder Airplanes Pilot Stability 52

Aerotime

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

At this point, the pilots will contact ATC for push and start clearance , allowing the plane to be pushed back from its parking position (if applicable, depending on the airport) and to start its engines in sequence. Once this message is conveyed to the pilots, they disengage the aircraft’s parking brake, hence the ‘ wobble ’.

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Cabin Crew Runway Clearance Knot 269

Vintage Aviation News

JANUARY 22, 2025

In October 1914, Albree and Timson drew up plans for a new monoplane, the Model G Scout, which was first flown by test pilot Clifford Webster on July 15, 1915, at Nahant Beach, just south of the Swampscott garage. It would not be until WWII some 20 years later that American pilots would fly American-built fighters into combat.

Tail 98

Tail Airplanes Stability Aileron 98

Inflight Pilot Training

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

Earning your wings is about more than just learning to flyits about developing the skills, confidence, and decision-making abilities that will shape you into a safe and competent pilot. If you plan to pursue a Private Pilot Certificate, you must be at least 17 years old to obtain it, though you can begin training earlier.

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Approach Aileron Visual Flight Rules Rudder 52

Plane and Pilot

MARCH 2, 2025

A former Marine and airline pilot with 30,000-plus hours, he has owned two of the 10 Robin R2160s imported to the U.S., I started with the father, and continued with his brother and daughter, who is now a corporate pilot, flying Embraer 145s. Lee Smith enjoys mentoring aspiring young pilots. My son Lee Jr.

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Rudder Pilot Airplanes Center of Gravity 81

Northstar VFR

MARCH 30, 2025

Turns Around a Point This is a classic maneuver that helps pilots learn how to maintain a constant radius around a point on the ground while compensating for the wind. Rectangular Course This maneuver essentially mimics a standard traffic pattern and helps pilots learn to compensate for wind when flying a set ground track.

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Groundspeed AGL Crosswind Rudder 52

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Let us take you from first-time flyer to skilled pilot with personalized instruction designed for beginners like you. Aircraft Controls: Primary ControlsAilerons, Elevators, Rudder The three primary flight controls ailerons , elevators, and rudderare essential for piloting an aircraft.

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Aileron Drag Rudder Descent 52

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 1, 2025

The pilot also reported that the aircraft was sluggish and underpowered. It was controlled by a conventional rudder and full-span elevons that functioned as elevators and ailerons. feet long, had a 31.3-foot foot wingspan, and was 17.5 feet high at the tip of the vertical stabilizer.

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Airfoil Aileron Rudder Stability 52

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

Sometimes it’s emotional—the Beech Starship, what few of them are still in the wild, inevitably wow viewers of both the pilot and nonpilot persuasion. The canopy provides plenty of headroom for even taller pilots, while the view over the nose is equally generous. But successful? Not at all. How did any given airplane sell?

Airplanes 98

Airplanes Knot Pitot Tube Gross Weight 98

Vintage Aviation News

JANUARY 29, 2025

Among the observers on the ground were members of the National Aeronautical Association (NAA), a member of the world governing body of air sports, the Fdration Aronautique Internationale (FAI), while pilots Amelia Earhart and Paul Mantz flew above to ensure that Hughes did not exceed the set altitude restriction for his high-speed passes.

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Cockpit Firewall Aileron Rudder 116

Aerotime

JULY 19, 2024

The take-off and the en-route climb to the planned cruising altitude of 37,000ft (11,280m) was uneventful, with the first officer as the flying pilot. Haynes asked that Fitch assume control of the engine throttles, by kneeling between the two forward-facing pilot seats. The plane entered a descending right-hand turn.

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Runway Horizontal Stabilizer Airlines Airline 294

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 21, 2024

To help pilots avoid stalls, the FAA, in concert with all the king’s horses and men, rewrote the requirements for private pilot training, including stalls. Unless there are unusual gust conditions, stalls occur because the pilot pulls back too hard on the wheel or stick. The next stall would be performed with no rudder.

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Rudder Airplanes Pilot Aileron 89

Pilot Institute

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

That’s called “adverse yaw”, it’s a sneaky little quirk of flying that every pilot has to learn how to manage. The lift and drag imbalance between the left and right ailerons creates adverse yaw. A pilot can prevent adverse yaw by using rudder, and making sure that a turn is coordinated. Uh oh, what just happened?

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Aileron Drag Rudder Lift 52

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 30, 2024

1910 Hartman monoplane (Adam Estes) By 1910, the Hartman monoplane was completed, and on May 10, 1910, at 5:00am, its 21-year-old pilot took off for a short hop in the presence of five witnesses (Henry Boyle, William Rheinschmidt, Tom Green, Hamey Winkler, and Will Apligate) at the Burlington Golf Course. Dittmer at the controls.

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Airplanes Jet Pilot Weather 105

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

The pilot died instantly. Alongside a nearby highway, some recognizable bits of airplane, the vertical stabilizer and rudder, a horizontal stabilizer and elevator, fell separately to Earth. I think there are only about 150 hours on it,” he said when asked about the plane and pilot. The pilot learned to fly in the U.S.

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True Airspeed Indicated Airspeed Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron 93

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

The pilot died instantly. Alongside a nearby highway, some recognizable bits of airplane, the vertical stabilizer and rudder, a horizontal stabilizer and elevator, fell separately to Earth. I think there are only about 150 hours on it,” he said when asked about the plane and pilot. The pilot learned to fly in the U.S.

True Airspeed 93

True Airspeed Indicated Airspeed Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron 93

Air Facts

MAY 24, 2024

Pointing my thumb into the wind to get my ailerons around I counted one…two…three, and still, no upwind main touching down. My left hand follows which means instead of full deflection on the ailerons, I’m now aileron neutral. So, what did I learn from this experience that I can pass along to other pilots?

Aileron 98

Aileron Crosswind Knot Runway 98

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

Landing an airplane is not easy, even for experienced pilots. Why Crosswind Landings Aren’t Easy Ideally, pilots want the wind to hit the aircraft dead on the nose while landing. If the pilot makes no corrections, the aircraft gets blown off the runway centerline. Simultaneously, we apply ailerons opposite the rudder input.

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Crosswind Longitudinal Axis Aileron Rudder 52

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 23, 2025

My first flight as a student pilot several years back was unforgettable. It is a milestone for aspiring pilots. This is a great time to discuss your goals, whether youre pursuing a private pilots certificate for personal use or dreaming of an aviation career. This was by far the most intimidating factor for me as a new pilot.

Rudder 98

Rudder Descent Pilot Runway 98

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 6, 2025

Spin recovery flight training is crucial for every pilot. It teaches how to regain control when an aircraft enters a spinone of the most dangerous situations a pilot can face. Without the right training, a spin can be deadly, especially if the pilot doesnt know how to react.

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Rudder Aileron Pilot Turbulence 52

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

Large aircraft use yaw dampers while small aircraft rely on piloting techniques to counter Dutch roll. For example, if a statically stable aircraft gets blown off course by a gust of wind, it tries to return to its original heading without pilot input. That’s because spiral instability is easier for a pilot to detect and correct.

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Stability Center of Gravity Aileron Rudder 52

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

I watched the stick flutter to and fro in sync with the rudder pedals as Wilkins fought to maintain the centerline, all the while pushing in the throttle. Efforts like this freed male pilots for combat missions, and her dedication led to her appointment as commander of Reading Station. Images By Gary Figgins.

Runway 98

Runway Crosswind Rudder Pilot 98

Flight Training Central

MARCH 4, 2024

The bank angle should be reduced gradually with coordinated aileron and rudder input. The pilot should be prepared for the necessary crosswind correction and compensate by turning more than 90° angling toward the inside of the rectangular course.

Groundspeed 52

Groundspeed Crosswind Aileron Rudder 52

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

The 172 has a steerable nosewheel, much heavier than the rudders on my RV-9A with a castering nosewheel. It’s curious to me that we pilots shoot LPV approaches, but ATC doesn’t know what they are. I’m focusing on the old pilot part, not the bold pilot. Taxiing out, I experimented with the turn radius without using brakes.

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Pitot Tube Approach Aileron Instrument Landing System 86

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 26, 2024

At the controls was a 27-year-old former USAF fighter pilot determined to capture the spirit of the barnstormers and pioneer aviators, of the wind in the wires and the carefree “pick a field and land for the night” era. This latter work chronicled Bach’s adventure with friends touring the U.S.

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Airplanes Aileron Tail Hangar 105

Pilot Institute

MAY 9, 2024

Despite the easygoing name, many pilots find lazy eights harder than they thought. There’s a reason why it’s been a commercial pilot practical test staple for decades. If you’re about to begin your commercial pilot journey, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s get started.

Rudder 52

Rudder Lift Aileron Drag 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 4, 2024

With your fresh pilot certificate, what fun steps can you take to continually grow as an aviator? The question for the new private pilot is simple: Is that a doorway to go through or one that you never open, limiting your flying career? One is with other pilots. Ride with other pilots and learn from them.

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Crosswind Aileron Runway Gross Weight 52

Flying Magazine

MAY 15, 2024

Piper’s Cherokee Six appeals to pilots for some of the same reasons that other Cherokee models are popular, including stability, predictable handling, and reliability. Additional equipment includes electric pitch trim, rudder trim, Flightcom six-place intercom, cabin ventilation fan, auxiliary power receptacle, and aileron gap seals.

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Transponder Aileron Rudder Stability 52

Air Facts

OCTOBER 7, 2024

Navy primary flight training—the instructor had it coming Air Facts Journal Second Lieutenant Arnold Reiner Marine Corps recruitment brochures in the early ’60s described three pilot training pipelines: jets, transports and helicopters. We were grouped in sections of about 15 to 20 student pilots.

Cockpit 98

Cockpit Rudder Tail Indicated Airspeed 98

Pilot's Life Blog

MARCH 15, 2024

One of the first things an aspiring pilot learns in flight school is the various sections of an aircraft. If you’re wondering how to become a commercial pilot in Arizona , this in-depth guide to important aircraft parts will help in your pursuit. Contact our flight instructors today for more information about enrolling.

Horizontal Stabilizer 52

Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron Air Traffic Control Lift 52

Pilot Institute

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Steep turns should be one of the most fun maneuvers pilots learn. But for many pilots, flying coordinated turns while keeping altitude and speed steady is hard enough. In maintaining a properly coordinated steep turn, the pilot must use the opposite aileron to maintain bank.

Lift 52

Lift Aileron Drag Pilot 52