Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 31, 2024

Have you ever thought about landing an airplane without using flaps? Think about these scenarios: maybe the flaps stop working, or youre flying an older airplane that doesnt even have them. Crosswind Landings : Learning no-flap crosswind landings can help improve aircraft control in high-wind conditions.

Pilot 52

Pilot Drag Descent Approach 52

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 7, 2025

All of which makes picking 10 airplanes for your fly-before-you-die list more than just a bit subjective. Meanwhile, Marc Cook, Plane & Pilot editor in chief, has 43 years in the left seat and had the good fortune to work a decade for AOPA and fly a bunch of interesting airplanes. T-6’s performat EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

Airplanes 98

Airplanes Tail Pilot Jet 98

Pilot Institute

MARCH 19, 2025

When flying an airplane, you become a part of the air around you. The wind is from the south at 8 knots. The KT indicates that the scale used is knots (an abbreviated term for nautical miles per hour ). Ideally, they try to land into a headwind, may tolerate crosswinds , and try to avoid significant tailwinds.

Weather 72

Weather Altimeter Runway NOTAMs 72

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

If you’ve arrived at a non-towered airport recently, especially one with a busy flight school, you may have heard another airplane announce something to the effect of “overhead for the teardrop entry.” ” What about the old fashioned midfield crosswind, which many of us grew up flying? So, what is safe and efficient?

Crosswind 98

Crosswind Airplanes Runway Approach 98

Flying Magazine

MAY 15, 2024

It can also be dangerous when the learner drops the airplane to fly the checklist or radio, so practice in the ATD is often a good way to learn procedures, as the ATD is a CFI-controlled environment. To get the most out of the scenario, the learner should use the same procedures in the airplane. It’s an ATD.

Crosswind 105

Crosswind Airplanes VOR Runway 105

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Fussing with the avionics to keep tabs on the weather gave many more knob touches than the airplane itself. Kentland has a 4,000-foot runway, east/west, with a crosswind straight out of the north. The FAA weather said a thunderstorm was forecast, gusts to 6 knots. The upper Midwest scenery can be spectacular.

Weather 80

Weather Runway Knot Rudder 80

AV Web

JANUARY 22, 2025

The airplane came to rest about 1600 feet from the Runway 31 threshold and about 250 feet right of the extended centerline. Winds were from 290 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The accident airplane was the last one among a group of five, and two landings had been performed without incident.

Final Approach 52

Final Approach Airplanes Drag Crosswind 52

Plane and Pilot

JANUARY 8, 2025

As we walked from the wharf to breakfast, I saw that peak wind gusts were tickling the 40-knot mark. Amy and I walked our gear out to the airplane, and she returned to the FBO while I did my ritual of loading everything up. Theres no maximum demonstrated crosswind component, much less an actual limitation.

Crosswind 97

Crosswind Wind Shear Knot Airplanes 97

Air Facts

MAY 24, 2024

As I went through the preflight inspection, my wife strapped my daughter into the car seat and climbed into the airplane herself. With a little forward pressure on the yoke, I was able to keep the airplane on the runway to continue picking up airspeed as we arrived at my target of 60 knots for takeoff.

Aileron 98

Aileron Crosswind Knot Runway 98

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Landing an airplane can be one of the most nerve-wracking tasks for a student pilot. Getting an airplane to fly is easy. If there is a crosswind at the airport, you should mention this in your brief. Discuss your nominated crosswind technique. For example, the crosswind is from left to right. Good question.

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Descent Approach Crosswind 52

Pilot Institute

MARCH 28, 2025

If youre flying an airplane with a short wingspan, you should do everything you can to avoid severe wake turbulence. This lateral movement takes place at a speed of about two or three knots. As at higher altitudes, the vortex movement near the ground is affected by crosswinds. Mass and inertia also matter.

Turbulence 97

Turbulence Lift Drag Runway 97

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 19, 2024

Then design an airplane and purchase one of the great names in aviation history to produce it. The story begins in 1947 when Anderson and Greenwood formed a company to design and produce inexpensive and innovative airplanes. Before we talk about how this story ends, let’s discuss this remarkable airplane.

Tail 98

Tail Airplanes Crosswind Knot 98

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 23, 2024

You had a crosswind , so the wind wasn’t helping you out, but that’s all right. A drone was used to locate the airplane and steer two airboats to the crash site. Around halfway, cruising at 3,000 feet at 180 knots, onboard avionics data indicates increasing temperature in one of the cylinder heads lasting about five minutes.

Knot 93

Knot Runway Pilot Groundspeed 93

Air Facts

MAY 6, 2024

And she made a cloud of dust getting her airplane on the ground. It was just after I heard the last airplane clear off the frequency that I first heard Karen, and she was in trouble. We were cruising at about the same speed the Cessna could manage which was 105 knots. My First Officer, Brad D.,

Runway 98

Runway Crosswind Airplanes Knot 98

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

How did any given airplane sell? In order to be flown by a sport pilot, the resulting airplane must still meet the current regulations—1,320 pounds maximum gross weight, 120 knots max cruise speed, for example—but how it gets there is up to the builder. But successful? Not at all. Was it profitable for the company?

Airplanes 98

Airplanes Knot Pitot Tube Gross Weight 98

Flight Training Central

MARCH 4, 2024

The airplane will be flown at 1,000’ AGL parallel to and at an equal distance from the field boundaries – about ½ – ¾ miles from the boundary as you would fly a traffic pattern. As the airplane turns onto the following base leg, the tailwind will decrease and becomes a crosswind.

Groundspeed 52

Groundspeed Crosswind Aileron Rudder 52

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

When I had the endurance to drive 20 miles to an appointment, had good situational awareness of all the cars around me on the freeway, and when driving didn’t take 100 percent concentration, I had passed the first challenge before getting in the airplane. The newer 172 (46 years old) did and had a 3-G limit with flaps extended.

Pitot Tube 86

Pitot Tube Approach Aileron Instrument Landing System 86

Photographic Logbook

FEBRUARY 2, 2025

At the airport, there was ice and snow to remove from in front of the hangar door, fuel to add to the Warrior now resting on three fully inflated tires (the left main had a new tube), and then there was the moment when I slipped on ice while pulling the airplane from the hangar and landed flat on my back. 164 airplanes.)

Runway 89

Runway Knot Weather Turbulence 89

Pilot Institute

JULY 12, 2024

Flying at 60 knots? You’ll have to determine the correct point for your particular airplane, but once you do, you can set up your downwind leg perfectly for any runway. For example, it’s good practice to add a few knots to V-ref when landing in gusty conditions. 60 x 5 = 300 feet per minute is your recommended descent rate.

Descent 52

Descent Weight-Shift-Control Crosswind Runway 52

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

In the Cessna 172S Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), the landing distance decreases by 10% for every 9 knots of headwind. For the Cessna 172, landing distance increases by 10% for every 2 knots of tailwind. For the Cessna 172S, we fly a short-field approach with full flaps at 61 knots. Will you need a crosswind correction?

Weight-Shift-Control 52

Weight-Shift-Control Runway Approach Density Altitude 52

Flight Training Central

MAY 12, 2024

But my first mission was to solo the airplane. I jumped up from my desk and walked out to my airplane, the Cessna 172S Skyhawk. It’s time to start the airplane which I have done dozens of times by now, but every start up until this point had been a cold start. The airplane just kept turning over and never would catch.

Knot 52

Knot Airplanes Crosswind Runway 52

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

The weather briefing we had reviewed a half hour earlier promised a 20-knot headwind that would require two fuel stops on the 130-mile trip from our home airport in Kennett, Missouri (KTKX), to Little Rock Air Force Base (KLRF) in Arkansas. The windsock promised that getting the little yellow bird into the air would be a white-knuckle affair.

Runway 98

Runway Crosswind Rudder Pilot 98

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 23, 2024

You had a crosswind , so the wind wasn’t helping you out, but that’s all right. A drone was used to locate the airplane and steer two airboats to the crash site. Around halfway, cruising at 3,000 feet at 180 knots, onboard avionics data indicates increasing temperature in one of the cylinder heads lasting about five minutes.

Knot 52

Knot Runway Pilot Groundspeed 52

Pilot Institute

MAY 9, 2024

The higher speed creates extra lift, causing the airplane to bank further into the turn. The pilot’s job is to prevent the airplane from banking too quickly or too far. In our example, the right wing has more lift, and thus more drag, than the left wing as the airplane rolls. Let’s look at why this happens.

Rudder 52

Rudder Lift Aileron Drag 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

While instructors idly watch, airplanes go off the runway, landings become too harsh, structure gets overstressed, and tolerances are exceeded. No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings. 1 priority.

Runway 52

Runway Wind Shear Crosswind Ceiling 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

While instructors idly watch, airplanes go off the runway, landings become too harsh, structure gets overstressed, and tolerances are exceeded. No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings. 1 priority.

Runway 52

Runway Wind Shear Crosswind Ceiling 52

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 13, 2024

The wheels touch down too hard, and before you know it, the airplane is bouncing right back into the air. Common Aircraft Types Bounced landings can occur in different airplane models, including the popular Cessna 172. For example, The Cessna 172 has an approach speed of 65 knots with full flaps. What do you do?

Descent 52

Descent Runway Rudder Pilot 52

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 11, 2024

I was very fortunate this year to share my airplane with a varied cast of terrific friends both old and new. As I passed Kelley's Island, wind streaks in the water out of the southwest indicated a wind of six to eight knots, exactly as forecast. Except for a single airplane tied down on the ramp, the parking apron was empty.

Runway 82

Runway Approach Knot Drag 82

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Fussing with the avionics to keep tabs on the weather gave many more knob touches than the airplane itself. Kentland has a 4,000-foot runway, east/west, with a crosswind straight out of the north. The FAA weather said a thunderstorm was forecast, gusts to 6 knots. The upper Midwest scenery can be spectacular.

Weather 52

Weather Runway Knot Rudder 52

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

It is one of the main factors affecting lift, and airplanes need a constant source of lift to fly. Proper angle of attack management also maintains safety during slow flight, crosswind landings, and when encountering wake turbulence. Your instructor will teach you how to safely fly the airplane at low speeds and a high AOA.

Lift 52

Lift Turbulence Drag Pilot 52

Pilot Institute

AUGUST 9, 2024

For example, if you’re holding at 100 knots and have a 10-knot tailwind on the outbound leg, the outbound leg should be shorter than one minute because you’ll have a headwind on the inbound leg. If there is a left crosswind, your heading will be less than 174.

VOR 52

VOR Crosswind Pilot Approach 52

Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2024

A faster, reduced-flaps approach improves aircraft control during strong crosswinds or gusts. It’s okay if you’re pushed off the center by crosswinds as long as you recover. For a soft field landing, you must maintain the approach speed +10/-5 knots for PPL and +/-5 knots for CPL, plus any gust factor applied.

NOTAMs 52

NOTAMs Runway Approach Descent 52

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Or how do modern airplanes reduce dangerous effects like aileron flutter or adverse yaw? Unstable aircraft designs are better suited for high-maneuverability aircraft like aerobatic stunt airplanes or military fighters. Commercial airliners fly at speeds above 300 knots but also need to be controllable at speeds below 150 knots.

Aileron 90

Aileron Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Longitudinal Axis 90

Air Facts

AUGUST 26, 2024

Now it’s time to look at VFR pilots, and to spare you the suspense, the answer is similarly prosaic: loss of control on landing damages more airplanes than any other accident scenario. That means every day in the summer somewhere between two and five airplanes are damaged—just on landing! What can be done? First, some perspective.

Knot 98

Knot Runway Airplanes Pilot 98

Air Facts

JUNE 21, 2024

This school owned no airplanes—all the aircraft were “lease-backs,” by owners. On my one and only flight with the young flight school co-founder, he suddenly slammed the airplane into a 60-degree left bank and pulled aggressively, saying “What do you think of this ?’’ And a knot is 1.15 I thought he was studying, but nay.

Rudder 75

Rudder Crosswind Knot Airplanes 75

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Since then, the team has advanced the airplane into a kit, one made out of carbon fiber and incorporating more than 1400 hours of the prototype’s operation. But now they are, and as no other Experimental—or certified airplane for that matter—can do what the Gweduck can, it’s time to take a good look at the program.

Airplanes 80

Airplanes Rudder Knot Aileron 80

Photographic Logbook

JANUARY 25, 2025

Thaws, rain, snow, and strong crosswinds can temporarily close the airport. I urged all participants to be airborne by 7:00 am if we were to have any chance of securing limited airplane parking spots on the ice of Alton Bay. With as much as 25 knots of tailwind, we made the flight from Sodus to Alton Bay in only two hours.

Runway 68

Runway Airplanes Threshold Approach 68