Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Our passenger flight was getting a checkride from the FAA. I preached that you could not flunk a checkride if you go by the book. If the glide slope failed, the Policy Manual permitted crews to revert to the Localizer Approach minimus. The flight crew reviewed the ILS 14L approach. Well guess what?

Checkride 98

Checkride Approach Descent Cockpit 98

Pilot Institute

MAY 4, 2024

They are also one of the most feared maneuvers during the private pilot checkride. It only takes a 10% increase in approach speed to increase the landing roll by 20%. These obstacles frequently affect the approach and missed approach paths. Plan your approach path carefully to eliminate large pitch and power changes.

Weight-Shift-Control 52

Weight-Shift-Control Runway Approach Density Altitude 52

Air Facts

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Consisting of timed, coordinated climbs and descents, Patterns A and B required the pilot to be on altitude, on heading, and on time. Then, we’d meet in Signature’s lobby, IAD’s FBO, and go over the day’s lesson: destination, altitude, maneuvers, approaches, and completion standards. We even went up the day before the checkride.

NDB 52

NDB Checkride VOR Approach 52

Pilot Institute

MARCH 26, 2024

Going into a checkride (or a grass strip) without solid soft field skills is asking for trouble. As you approach the airport, monitor UNICOM for landing or departing traffic. Another performance factor is the approach speed. The slower the approach, the shorter the landing distance. Well, not exactly.

NOTAMs 52

NOTAMs Runway Approach Descent 52

Northstar VFR

AUGUST 11, 2024

You’ll experience the feel, visual cues, and “mushiness” of the controls as you takeoff and approach to land, so practicing slow flight will help you react quickly with the proper technique as you approach stall speeds in the traffic pattern. It’s much harder to maintain altitude and control in this configuration.

Checkride 52

Checkride Airplanes Pilot AGL 52

Northstar VFR

JANUARY 21, 2024

All the countless nights of studying, memorizing the FAR AIM (save time by using the NorthStar pre-tabbed FAR AIM ), chair flying your maneuvers and endless stress over checkrides has finally paid off. Equally, the approach and landing are fairly uneventful. After briefing the approach, we start our descent down.

Pilot 52

Pilot Cockpit Airlines Airline 52

Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2024

Additionally, both private and commercial pilot checkrides require the demonstration of slow flight. As the aircraft approaches the target airspeed, add power to ensure you don’t slow down past it. Climbs and Descents During Slow Flight It’s counterintuitive, but pitching up will not result in a climb during slow flight.

Lift 52

Lift Rudder Drag Checkride 52