Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

Understanding the Basics of Flight Principles of Flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag Flying a plane for the first time requires a basic understanding of the forces that make flight possible. Lift is generated by the wings, counteracting the force of weight, which pulls the plane down. Ready to experience the skies with us?

Aileron 52

Aileron Drag Rudder Descent 52

Chess In the Air

DECEMBER 6, 2024

In thermals the V3M is even easier and more stable than the V2 (which requires more rudder to remain coordinated). A lifting aid is required to mount and remove the tail dolly which is a bit of a nuisance. While some of this may be due to continued pilot improvements, a more than 8% improvement is remarkable!

Density Altitude 98

Density Altitude Cockpit Tail Runway 98

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 27, 2025

It may be necessary to add a slight amount of power to keep the airspeed from decreasing excessively and to avoid losing lift too rapidly. As the airplane contacts the ground, the tail will be forced down very rapidly by the back-elevator pressure and by inertia acting downward on the tail.

Airplanes 89

Airplanes Runway Accelerated Stall Lift 89

Vintage Aviation News

JULY 19, 2024

Photo by Joel Edwards] When A&T commenced the recovery, divers placed inflatable lift bags at strategic points on the two sections to raise them to just below the surface, thus preventing damage during the twelve hours it took to tow the wreckage to the local marina. We had to do some welding on that. They were also in good shape.

Tail 119

Tail Firewall Approach Flight Deck 119

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Key Takeaways Ailerons control the aircrafts roll by adjusting lift on each wing. Adverse yaw is a side effect of aileron use, countered by rudder input. The aircrafts wing is able to generate lift due to its shape. Why does this increase the lift? If the flow on both sides is symmetrical, the wing wont produce any lift.

Aileron 90

Aileron Weight-Shift-Control Rudder Longitudinal Axis 90

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

The outer wing generates more lift than the inner wing since it’s temporarily moving faster. Extra lift makes the wing rise. Increased lift on the raised wing immediately creates more induced drag. Placing the center of gravity ahead of the aircraft’s center of lift improves longitudinal stability. What’s induced drag?

Stability 52

Stability Center of Gravity Aileron Rudder 52

Pilot's Life Blog

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Aerodynamic Differences Fixed-Wing Aircraft (Airplanes) Airplanes , or fixed-wing aircraft, generate lift through their stationary wings as they move forward. This pressure difference produces lift, allowing the aircraft to ascend. Each rotor blade acts as an airfoil, and as it rotates, it moves air over its surface, generating lift.

Torque 52

Torque Lift Airplanes Stability 52

Pilot's Life Blog

MARCH 15, 2024

Generate Lift With Airplane Wings One of the most valuable airplane parts that connect to the fuselage is the wings. The wings work with other sections of an aircraft to increase lift and adjust stalling speed. Of all the sections of an aircraft, the tail assembly is perhaps the most important for keeping an airplane in the air safely.

Horizontal Stabilizer 52

Horizontal Stabilizer Aileron Air Traffic Control Lift 52

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 18, 2024

Most of the time, I would turn the floatplane setting the tails of the floats onto the shore in order to make our departure a simple matter of climbing in, starting the engine, and with a burst of throttle, sliding into the deeper water and going about our day. In short order, we loaded our gear and beat a hasty retreat back to Ketchikan.

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Airplanes Torque Tail Pilot 86

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 18, 2024

Most of the time, I would turn the floatplane setting the tails of the floats onto the shore in order to make our departure a simple matter of climbing in, starting the engine, and with a burst of throttle, sliding into the deeper water and going about our day. In short order, we loaded our gear and beat a hasty retreat back to Ketchikan.

Airplanes 84

Airplanes Torque Tail Pilot 84

Vintage Aviation News

MARCH 18, 2025

Dean Coryell photo via Randy Malmstrom] After the lifting of the arms embargo in 1952, a Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-45 engine running a 4-blade propeller was introduced for the Buchn. The tail markings also indicate homage to the aircraft’s original Hispano markings as s/n 193.

Tail 59

Tail Rudder Stability Thrust 59

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

Your ailerons and rudder will be neutral once you’re in the crab position. We use the rudder to align the aircraft’s longitudinal axis with the centerline. Simultaneously, we apply ailerons opposite the rudder input. The pilot needs to hold aileron and rudder deflection the entire time.

Crosswind 52

Crosswind Longitudinal Axis Aileron Rudder 52

Air

MARCH 10, 2025

The leading wing experiences increased lift , causing a roll in the opposite direction. The Dihedral Angle and Its Role in Aircraft Stability The dihedral angle , a crucial element in aircraft stability, is the upward or downward angle of an aircraft’s wings (or tail empennage ) relative to the fuselage’s longitudinal axis.

Longitudinal Axis 52

Longitudinal Axis Stability Lift Pilot 52

Fear of Landing

OCTOBER 18, 2024

My feet danced on the rudder pedals as I fought to keep the plane going straight down the runway. As my speed increased I lifted the nose of the plane slightly prior to takeoff, but when I did that the nose blocked the few centerline stripes that were my only visual cues to keep going straight. “The But I had it.

Runway 52

Runway Altimeter Pilot Lift 52

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

The Rifle ASOS recorded a gust of 43 mph from the south: a 100-degree shift in direction, putting it right on his tail. There were some patches of moderate lift and sink as would be expected on a normal summer soaring day. Sometimes you fly through virga and you can even find yourself in lift.

Pilot 52

Pilot AGL Wind Shear Runway 52

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 3, 2024

True, a slightly higher aspect ratio wing was desired, which in turn required a larger vertical tail and thus a little extra mass, but the size, approximately 20% larger than a Widgeon, was set. The airfoil is a Harry Riblett shape, giving modernized flow separation on the leading edge for a soft stall yet with good lift and drag performance.

Airplanes 80

Airplanes Rudder Knot Aileron 80

Vintage Aviation News

JULY 5, 2024

Local forklift hire was kindly arranged by AEM Lifting from Tuxford, Notts. The tailfin was modified with additional area forward of tail plane, with a Meteor NF Mk.12-type During a subsequent two-day time period the MBCC staff reassembled the Prone Meteor, before moving into Hangar 2 on NAM’s Southfield Site.

Cockpit 119

Cockpit Rudder Stability Pilot 119

Cranky Flier

APRIL 8, 2024

Oh and that one rudder issue on the MAX? Opening a new station is not a heavy lift for United, and it is highly unlikely that this will somehow refocus the company. While I haven’t seen it confirmed, I’ve seen it suggested this could have happened from a bird strike on takeoff.

Rudder 130

Rudder Lift Tail Runway 130

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 16, 2024

The tail turret evolved into a powered version, incorporating four Browning machine guns. Sunderland Mark II, showing ASV Mark II “stickleback” antennas in front of the tail. It carried four Browning machine guns in a powered tail turret and additional guns in manually operated positions on either side of the fuselage.

Center of Gravity 52

Center of Gravity Tail Lift Aileron 52

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 10, 2023

More refined than its 1909 Military Flyer predecessor, it was the first Wright design to feature an elevator on the tail rather than a canard, it added wheels to eliminate the need to launch from a rail, and it had a more powerful engine. A rotor on the tail controlled pitch. A replica 1910 Wright Model B aircraft.

Airplanes 52

Airplanes Tail Cockpit Rudder 52

Airspeed Junkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

The two broad wings will then create lift. However, rear fins stabilize the aircraft, and rudders allow the jet to turn. It is a single-seat aircraft. Some distinguishing features include oval air intake (O-shaped) under its wings. Under the Hood Hornets perform and operate like other jet planes.

Jet 52

Jet Stability Thrust Cockpit 52

Photographic Logbook

JANUARY 25, 2025

As Warrior 481 lifted us to a cruise altitude of 7,500 feet, the first hint of the sunrise came in the form of a massive fireball turned vermillion by miles of low haze between us and the horizon. More vintage cred: a V-tailed Beechcraft Bonanza! The Globe Swift taxied for departure while flashing us its distinctively toothy grin.

Runway 68

Runway Airplanes Threshold Approach 68

Vintage Aviation News

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Storo lifted the British fighter into the air for the first time on June 28, 2022, from Tillamook Municipal Airport near his home. What you do is you sit up high for takeoff and as you add power and the tail comes up almost immediately, very quickly. At that point, you’re simply looking down the runway, and then it lifts off.

Airplanes 124

Airplanes Crosswind Tail Cockpit 124