Air Facts

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Christmas reading list: 24 books for pilots to read in 2024 Air Facts Journal Back in 2018, I shared a list of 18 good aviation books , in the hopes that Air Facts readers might find a Christmas gift for the pilot on their list (or for themselves). Lancaster is a private pilot, making him the perfect guide for this trip across the US.

Pilot 88

Pilot Weather Airplanes Approach 88

Northstar VFR

JULY 21, 2024

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. The yaw of the airplane rotates around its vertical axis. The pilot controls the throttle to create thrust. Stay coordinated!”

Rudder 52

Rudder Airplanes Pilot Stability 52

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. As a pilot, you will need time to master it. A pilot must consider several things before landing. If there is a crosswind at the airport, you should mention this in your brief.

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Descent Approach Runway 52

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Now that you’ve got your wings, you can enter the aviation world as a pilot and realize your dreams of flight—almost. Every pilot will need some essential items to be equipped for tasks in the air and to prepare for contingencies. Quick Look: Great Gear for New Pilots Headsets: Lightspeed Delta Zulu , David Clark H10-13.4

Pilot 74

Pilot Cockpit Crosswind Federal Aviation Regulations 74

Pilot Institute

JANUARY 3, 2025

Have you ever wondered how pilots determine wind direction and speed at a glance? A windsock is an essential aviation tool that helps pilots make safe decisions. Role in Aviation and Other Industries What makes windsocks so reliable for pilots? Regular inspection of windsocks makes sure you receive reliable wind information.

Knot 98

Knot Weather Weight-Shift-Control Wind Shear 98

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

Multiple Cessna 172RGs made me a better pilot Air Facts Journal Experience makes you a better and safer pilot. This is my early experience path to improvement as a pilot and it has made me safer and more confident. I chose runway 14 (the UGN crosswind runway) and the crash and resuce vehicles moved onto the adjacent taxiway.

Pilot 97

Pilot Descent Runway Crosswind 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. Approach switched me to Tower.

Aileron 94

Aileron Crosswind Knot Runway 94

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

Flight Training Central

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Sporty’s is much more than a pilot shop. Today, our successful flight school has hundreds of students and is solely responsible for University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Program. 2 Headset Airplanes are noisy. Many of these books can be found digitally as part of Sporty’s Pilot Training app.

Pilot 52

Pilot Flight Computer Crosswind Cockpit 52

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

The many analyses and videos on these topics have been done in what can best be described as laboratory conditions—carefully selected ideal conditions of pilot, airplane, and environment. None of these achieved enough altitude to have permitted a successful impossible turn, but there were pilots who tried, anyway.

Gross Weight 97

Gross Weight Runway Airplanes Pilot 97

Plane and Pilot

JULY 9, 2024

The unique H-tail reduces the left-turning tendencies during takeoff while also minimizing the weathervaning effect prevalent in crosswinds. While the original Ercoupes lacked a rudder and rudder pedals entirely, this example has had them installed as an aftermarket kit, making the airplane a bit more familiar for newcomers to fly.

Rudder 68

Rudder Airplanes Crosswind Tail 68

Photographic Logbook

SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

Post-Pandemic Pancakes Perhaps second only to hyperbolic "there I was" stories and debates over which type of aircraft wing placement is superior (low, obviously), fly-in pancake breakfasts are deeply ingrained in general aviation pilot culture. As we approached the airport, I counted only three airplanes parked on the crosswind runway.

Crosswind 64

Crosswind Runway Airplanes Descent 64

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.

Crosswind 52

Crosswind Aileron Runway Gross Weight 52

Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Flying at non-towered airports can feel like stepping into a space where youre both the pilot and air traffic controller. Lets explore the common mistakes pilots make at these airports and how you can avoid them. Its just you and other pilots doing your own communications. Does this sound intimidating? What does IPI stand for?

Pilot 52

Pilot Runway Air Traffic Control Approach 52

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 80

Tail Airplanes Crosswind Stability 80

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. How did any given airplane sell? However, the airplane must be completed in a way that it conforms exactly to the SLSA example, of which there must be one for an ELSA to exist.

Airplanes 88

Airplanes Knot Pitot Tube Gross Weight 88

Air Facts

MAY 15, 2024

But in reading some of the proposals above, I was struck by how becoming a pilot can provide many of the positive experiences these experts recommend. In the airplane there are no cheat codes. Good luck cheating on the crosswind landing portion of your Private checkride, much less a type rating checkride.

Checkride 98

Checkride Airplanes Pilot Crosswind 98

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

Or you can make an effort to have 500 distinctive hours, each building on the one before it, thereby assuring that you’re not the same pilot you were at 100 hours. How do you make every hour count toward growth as a pilot? It was one small initial step on his way to becoming an experienced pilot.

Weather 76

Weather Pilot Crosswind Approach 76

Flight Training Central

MARCH 29, 2024

The FAA continues to add new questions based on guidance from the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards. What is the most hazardous wind condition when taxiing a tricycle gear airplane? Quartering tailwind Quartering headwind Direct crosswind Correct! Read the complete March 2024 update here.

Aileron 52

Aileron Crosswind Ground Effect Stability 52

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 27, 2024

Back in the early days of jet airliners, pilots long experienced in more forgiving two- and four-engine, piston-powered prop planes found themselves running out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas on the final approach to landing. Some pilots soar like eagles to a smooth touchdown, and others settle to the runway like wounded turkeys.

Stability 65

Stability Approach Runway Pilot 65

Air Facts

MAY 6, 2024

And she made a cloud of dust getting her airplane on the ground. SOSU has a flying program in its curriculum – a diploma mill for pilots. It was just after I heard the last airplane clear off the frequency that I first heard Karen, and she was in trouble. I would say she got it on the ground safely, but I’d be lying.

Runway 95

Runway Crosswind Airplanes Knot 95

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

Once there, he put us in a slight right turn toward our first fuel stop 60 miles ahead, continuously fighting the stick as the gusting left crosswind did its best to push us off course. Efforts like this freed male pilots for combat missions, and her dedication led to her appointment as commander of Reading Station.

Runway 86

Runway Crosswind Rudder Pilot 86

Flying Magazine

MAY 14, 2024

Learning to fly and obtaining a pilot certificate is not like learning to drive a forklift. If you are pursuing a certificate to fly an airplane, you will need to have it before you are allowed to solo. You will need an aviation headset and pilot logbook. We answer some of those frequently asked here.

Aeronautical Information Manual 81

Aeronautical Information Manual Flight Computer Pilot Federal Aviation Regulations 81

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 23, 2024

Fifteen hundred feet past the end of the runway, a pilot was trapped in the cockpit of an Extra NG. The tower frequency had been near silent, with only the occasional pilot checking in, curtly told, “Airport is closed, emergency in progress.” You had a crosswind , so the wind wasn’t helping you out, but that’s all right.

Knot 68

Knot Runway Pilot Air Traffic Control 68

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. How did any given airplane sell? However, the airplane must be completed in a way that it conforms exactly to the SLSA example, of which there must be one for an ELSA to exist.

Airplanes 80

Airplanes Knot Pitot Tube Gross Weight 80

Airspeed Junkie

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

A Comprehensive Guide to Pilot Certificates and Ratings Looking to understand pilot certificates and ratings? This guide covers the types of FAA pilot certifications, what they allow you to do, and the steps to achieve them. The certifications include the Student Pilot Certificate and the Sport Pilot Certificate.

Pilot 52

Pilot Instrument Flight Rules Weather Center of Gravity 52

iPad Pilot News

OCTOBER 22, 2024

The best flight simulator apps for iPad iPad Pilot News Mention “flight simulator” right now and most pilots will think of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 2024 that debuts towards the end of November. It builds on the popularity of Microsoft’s 2020 version with a few new features that favor pilots. Review video here.

Cockpit 52

Cockpit Airplanes Weather Air Traffic Control 52

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 1, 2024

Personally, I have made two resolutions: 1) I am not going to eat any olives (I hate olives and haven’t eaten one since I was a kid and figured out I hate olives) and 2) not to kill myself (or anyone else) with an airplane. Failures are rare, but when flying a retractable gear airplane, we should practice manually extending the gear.

Crosswind 52

Crosswind Approach Rudder Airplanes 52

Flight Training Central

DECEMBER 4, 2023

A pilot needs to control the airplane in a manner that the wings support the weight of the airplane as long as practical to minimize stresses imposed on the landing gear by a rough surface or to prevent sinking into a soft surface. Once committed to the landing, the pilot should gently lower the nose-wheel to the surface.

Approach 52

Approach Ground Effect Final Approach Airplanes 52

Pilot Institute

JULY 12, 2024

Even the best of pilots can mess up sometimes. But for new pilots, it can be tough to figure out where it all went wrong. A stabilized approach requires the pilot to establish and maintain a constant angle glidepath towards an aiming point. You can find them in the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) or the owner’s manual.

Descent 52

Descent Weight-Shift-Control Crosswind Runway 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. Bounced landings are something almost every pilot has experience with. Even experienced pilots must remain cautious to prevent bounced landing accidents. What do you do? The real challenge comes down to how you handle it.

Descent 52

Descent Runway Rudder Pilot 52

Flying Magazine

MAY 9, 2024

While your pilot certificate feels like the most valuable thing in your possession—you would be correct. You may have noticed that pilots carry specialized gear bags, referred to as “flight bags.” Hearing loss can be a common affliction among pilots, so protect what you have. Some pilots carry multiple flashlights.

Flight Computer 52

Flight Computer Pilot Airplanes VOR 52

Northstar VFR

JANUARY 15, 2023

By Gustin Robinson, CFI-I As a pilot you will, more likely than not, fly other aircraft besides the flight school’s rental Cessna 172. If your finances allow it, you might even want to purchase your own airplane, with personal access to the skies in your grasp. Crosswinds f. Or maybe a friend needs your help to get IFR current.

Descent 52

Descent V Speed Crosswind Airplanes 52

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

Flight Training Central

MAY 12, 2024

It was a beautiful day for flying and my instructor and I had been training for months now to sharpen my skills to one day be a Private pilot. 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. The airplane just kept turning over and never would catch.

Knot 52

Knot Airplanes Crosswind Runway 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. Even if it’s possible to complete the training course in a reasonable time with these stipulations, the product of a bubble-wrapped curriculum is a half-trained pilot. Who Has the Airplane?

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. Even if it’s possible to complete the training course in a reasonable time with these stipulations, the product of a bubble-wrapped curriculum is a half-trained pilot. Who Has the Airplane?

Runway 52

Runway Wind Shear Crosswind Ceiling 52