The first step in becoming a pilot is selecting an aircraft (whether it’s airplanes, gyroplanes, weight-shift, helicopters, powered parachutes, gliders, balloons, or even airships). The second step is obtaining a medical certificate and Student Pilot’s Certificate if the choice of aircraft is an airplane, helicopter, gyroplane, or airship. Today, with help from the Pilot’s Handbook […]
By ASA
|
Posted in Ground School, Regulations
|
Tagged AME, certificate, currentFeature, FAA, feature, flight training, flying, learn to fly, Medical Certificate, pilot in command, Private Pilot, solo, writen exam
|
However controversial, it is said that the magnetic compass first originated in China during the Qin Dynasty sometime between 212 and 206 B.C. as a Chinese fortune telling device. It wasn’t until the 13th Century that the magnetic compass began to be widely used as a directive aid during maritime and terrestrial navigation. But don’t […]
Today we’re taking another look at flight instruments, specifically the altimeter. Understanding the instrument and altitudes is critical in learning to fly. This post comes from on of our favorite textbooks, Bob Gardner‘s The Complete Private Pilot. Aircraft altimeters are aneroid (dry) barometers calibrated to read in feet above sea level. The altimeter gets its […]
The official start to summer is just right around the corner, an exciting time particularly up here in the Pacific Northwest. With summer upon us we tend to see an increase in temperatures and more VFR weather, resulting in an increase in air traffic at and around airports. Changing seasons means a changing environment and […]
By CFI
|
Posted in Aircraft Performance, CFI Briefing
|
Tagged engine, FAA, flight training, flying, learn to fly, pilot in command, Private Pilot, safety, takeoff, vapor lock, weather
|
In March we looked at the basics of how an internal combustion works. Your airplane’s engine is a four-cycle engine: on the intake stroke, a fuel/air mixture is drawn into the cylinder as the piston moves down; the mixture is then compressed on an upward piston stroke; a spark ignites the mixture driving the piston […]
By ASA
|
Posted in Aircraft Systems, Ground School
|
Tagged aircraft engines, carburetor, carburetor icing, engine, feature, flight training, flying, fuel, fuel induction systems, fuel injection, fuel system, how it works, icing, ignition, learn to fly, Private Pilot, safety
|
Let me quote §61.103(b), “Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language…”. This here is one of the eligibility requirements for Private Pilots and every other Pilot Certificate for that matter. Throughout training, however, it seems as if we are learning an entirely new language consisting of proper ATC phraseology and technique […]
This post on spins is derived from the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, available from ASA in print and in PDF format. A spin may be defined as an aggravated stall that results in what is termed “autorotation” wherein the airplane follows a downward corkscrew path. As the airplane rotates around a vertical axis, the rising […]
By ASA
|
Posted in Aerodynamics, Ground School
|
Tagged aerodynamics, feature, flight training, flying, learn to fly, maneuvers, pilot in command, Private Pilot, safety, spins
|
You may remember back in 2013 a UPS Airbus A300-600 crashed while on final approach to Birmingham International Airport, both pilots were fatally injured. The National Transportation Safety Board has just wrapped up a nearly two year investigation into the accident and on Monday released the first ever video companion to an accident report. The […]
Things can happen, and part of being a good aviator is competently handling adverse situations when they arise. It is possible that a pilot might experience a malfunction of the radio. This might cause the transmitter, receiver, or both to become inoperative. Here’s how to handle landing at a towered airport in this scenario, as […]
