Fog, just like clouds, is formed when invisible water vapor in the atmosphere condenses in the air into visible water droplets. You can best think of fog as simply a cloud that reaches the ground. As a pilot you are bound to encounter fog at some point, probably sooner than
…Category: Ground School
View All CategoriesThat little green book I’m sure you’ve seen lying around the FBO or on the briefing room table in the flight school actually packs a punch. As you learned in Monday’s post, it contains a wealth of crucial information that every pilot requires for pre-flight planning purposes. Just
…Last week, we released the 12th edition of one of our keystone textbooks: The Complete Private Pilot. This week we’ll be covering procedures, and today we’ll introduce the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD). Here’s what Bob Gardner has to say about it in the latest edition of …
The GPS can be a great aid for situational awareness in VFR operations. Today, we’ll introduce the basics of how the system works. We’ll go more in depth on using the GPS in future posts. Learn more about the GPS and more navigation systems and instruments in …
How should you react to the unexpected? How should you ask for help? Today we’re talking about emergency radio procedures. This post comes from our textbook The Pilot’s Manual Volume 1: Flight School (PM-1).
Request assistance whenever you have any serious doubt regarding the safety of a flight. Transmission should be slow and
…Today we’re pleased to feature a guest post from CFI and DPE Jason Blair. He writes his own blog at JasonBlair.net
Learning to fly in IFR conditions requires a great deal of study and skill development. Flying blind isn’t easy! But general instrument flight training typically focuses on low
…Today’s post is short and sweet but a very important detail in your private pilot training nonetheless! 14 CFR 61.109 Aeronautical Experience lists the required minimum experience needed to apply for a private pilot certificate. §61.109(a)(3) states the required instrument flying time:
3 hours of flight training
…For more information on the aerodynamics of flight, check out the Pilot’s Handbook of Aviation Knowledge.
The flight operating strength of an aircraft is presented on a graph whose vertical scale is based on load factor. The diagram is called a Vg diagram—velocity versus G loads
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