Ever heard of an airport hot spot, or wondered what that is? No, it’s not a scorching hot section of an airport, it’s more along the lines of the cool hip place to be at an airport. A hot spot is defined as a location on an airport movement area with a history of potential […]
Today we’re featuring an excerpt from the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25B). At airports without an operating control tower, a segmented circle visual indicator system, if installed, is designed to provide traffic pattern information. Usually located in a position affording maximum visibility to pilots in the air and on the ground and providing a […]
Airport signage is an extremely important concept that all pilots will need to have a thorough understanding of prior to earning any pilot certificate, whether it’s Private Pilot, Sport Pilot, or even a Remote Pilot Certificate. Right of the bat you should take note that as an airport layout grows in complexity so will the […]
February 12, 2018 – 2:39 pm
Short-field approaches and landings require the use of procedures for approaches and landings at fields with a relatively short landing area or where an approach is made over obstacles that limit the available landing area. Short-field operations require the pilot fly the airplane at one of its crucial performance capabilities while close to the ground […]
February 6, 2018 – 8:08 am
The mechanical operation of an airplane at night is no different than operating the same airplane during the day. The pilot, however, is affected by various aspects of night operations and must take them into consideration during night flight operations. Some are actual physical limitations affecting all pilots while others, such as equipment requirements, procedures, […]
November 16, 2017 – 12:48 pm
Have you ever wondered how pilots are able to determine the location of an airport at night or in reduced visibility? Well the answer is actually very simple. At night, the location of an airport can be determined by the presence of an airport rotating beacon light like the one seen in the image below. […]
November 13, 2017 – 9:57 am
Today, we’re sharing an excerpt from The Pilot’s Manual Volume Three: Instrument Flying. This post is a follow-up to last month’s IFR: The Instrument Landing System (ILS). To assist pilots transitioning to a visual landing at the conclusion of a precision instrument approach, precision instrument runways have specific markings. A displaced threshold on an instrument […]
October 9, 2017 – 8:28 am
Today, we’re featuring an excerpt from The Pilot’s Manual Volume Three: Instrument Flying. In A Pilot’s Accident Review, author John Lowery recommends that “after about 100 hours of flying with a new private certificate it’s important to the new pilot’s safety and longevity to begin training for an instrument rating.” If you’re a private pilot […]
September 25, 2017 – 9:15 am
Eyes provide the brain with a visual image of the environment. Each eye acts as a natural and very sophisticated digital camera. Its basic function is to collect light rays reflected from an object, using the lens to focus these rays into an image on a screen (the retina), and then converting this image into […]
September 21, 2017 – 8:22 am
Yesterday, the FAA Safety Team distributed a newly published Fly Safe Fact Sheet, Avoiding Pilot Deviations (PDs). Now listen, if you’ve read this blog over the years you know we have discussed this topic before. However, it’s worth discussing on the regular since PDs can lead to serious consequences in the form of accidents or […]
