Author: Alec


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Flight videos: transcripts

Those of you who have been having lessons with Ivan and me know that we record all our flights on video, including the airplane intercom and radio communications …




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Checklists

All recent student pilots will be familiar with the difficulties of the dreaded checklist – that innocuous spiral-bound booklet or laminated sheet of terse instructions and checks whose contents torture and haunt the start of every flight…




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Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash

Wind shear in the circuit

Flying circuits this Friday with a student at CYTZ, I noticed an interesting phenomenon – that our progress on the downwind leg seemed unusually slow. We had a lot of time to level off from the climb out, pick a distant landmark to help fly a straight leg, contact ATC and ask for a touch-and-go,… Read more »


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Photo by Blake Guidry on Unsplash

The six jobs of the private pilot

Some years ago, flight crews on at least the largest airplanes had five members, each one of whom would have a full-time rôle to fill during the flight and without each of whom being present some important things wouldn’t get done.


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Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash

Flight test notes: centre of gravity

My colleague Ivan was prepping a student for their PPL flight test and he asked me if I knew a good online resource to help explain what effects moving the centre of gravity of an airplane has on its flight characteristics.


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First solos: Craig and Ilinca

More milestones have been afoot for Ivan and my wonderful students Ilinca, and Craig – both of whom recently made their first solo flights in FLYO. We and they are all looking forward to them passing their PPL flight tests!