One of the features of flying a small airplane that contributes to safety is this: most of the time, circumstances, and the airplane both give you lots of warning of an impending accident and plenty of opportunities to repent, change your ways, and prevent a bad outcome.
Every now and then, a student drops out of training. This happens at my Flight Training Unit, and at other Flight Training Units across the country. And every now and then, a student who has done some previous flight training and stopped taking lessons decides to come back and have lessons once again, and restart… Read more »
Something every student pilot should know is this…
After today’s flying lessons I came away with two thoughts of my own that might be of interest…
Every student pilot learns what to do if they discover a problem with an airplane they’ve flown or are about to fly – they write the defect in the journey log, and then – the airplane is grounded until an Aviation Maintenance Engineer fixes the defect and signs a release to say the aircraft is returned to service. Right? Well…
It has been a few months since I wrote about crosswind takeoffs and landings and the correct control inputs, so I guess it’s time for a reminder …
This is a short post about some thoughts from a flight yesterday. I was talking a new student – actually someone on their very first flight in a small airplane – through a descent to land…
Preparing a student for a flight test is one of the hardest parts of being an instructor. The early flying lessons are characterized by …
Another clickbait title, but, hey, it worked (again), because you’re reading this post. A few prospective students have asked me recently how much time it takes to get a Private Pilot Licence, so I did some sums and I’ve come up with an answer …
In this post I want to talk about the aircraft electrical system, and some basic knowledge that a pilot should have about it. A student pilot entrusted with responsibility for a single engine piston-powered training aircraft such as the Grob should know it has two sources of electrical power: the alternator, which is driven by… Read more »