Pilot Shop Blog — Training

Recurrent Training: All the Details You Need to Know

Being a pilot is not a “learn it and forget it” type of skill. Piloting skills that are not practiced atrophy and knowledge that is not accessed and refreshed is forgotten. A pilot whose skill and knowledge levels peak out on the day he or she passes the check ride is destined to be a dangerous pilot.

How to Become a Marine Corps Pilot (Everything You Need to Know)

Not only do you get to serve your country and earn the privileges of being a veteran, but when you choose the military pilot route, you also benefit from high-speed training in some amazing aircraft. If you are considering becoming a Marine Corps pilot, here is everything you need to know about the process along with the answers to a few of your most pressing questions.

How to Acquire a Helicopter License (Step by Step)

So, you want to earn a helicopter license but you’re not quite sure how to go about it? Maybe you have a fixed-wing license and want to branch out into rotor, or you are just starting out and are interested in eventually pursuing a career as a helicopter pilot. Either way, we’ve got you covered. Today we will walk you through the process and what to expect as you acquire a helicopter license.

Graveyard Spiral: What is it and How Can You Avoid It?

Graveyard spiral – even the name sounds deathly ominous. Clearly if you have the misfortune to enter this type of spin, your fate is already sealed and you are doomed, right? Not so fast. Is this scenario dangerous? Absolutely. Have many pilots including John F. Kennedy Jr. died after going into a graveyard spiral? Yes. Do you have to be one of them? Definitely not.

What’s a Cross-Control Stall? (Everything You Need to Know)

How to Become a Helicopter Pilot (Step-By-Step Guide)

Almost everyone looks up when they hear a helicopter flying overhead, right? There’s a certain mystique about helicopters and the people who pilot them. Helicopters are fast, they’re agile and they can get into places that a fixed wing aircraft couldn’t hope to. Helicopter pilots conduct search and rescue operations, they airlift wounded military members out of hot zones, they provide aerial reconnaissance, civilian medical transport and more.

Understanding the Slow Flight Technique

There has been a subtle but important shift in the definition of slow flight since 2018. Prior to 2018, the FAA considered slow flight to be an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack, increase in load factor or a reduction in power would result in an immediate stall.

Sport Pilot License: Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Sport Pilot

The sport pilot license, or certificate, is the FAA’s newest addition to the pilot certificate line-up. Developed in 2007, the purpose of the sport pilot certificate is to make flying more affordable and easily available to everyone. Now students who aren’t yet able to afford the time investment or cost of a private pilot license have a quick and inexpensive alternative.

Flight Instructor: How to Become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

Think about this for a moment: who taught the first pilots how to fly? “Ground school” for the Wright brothers may have consisted of studying available information from balloon pilots and other sources, then extrapolating their best theories on how that would apply to fixed wing flight. Their “flight training” was a self-taught process of testing theories and learning from failures.

Night Flying Illusions Explained (In Detail)

Our physical human senses are well-adapted to provide us with information about what is happening in the world around us. Usually this information is accurate, but don’t get complacent. Our senses are not fool proof and they can be tricked, especially during flight.

Obtain Your Recreational Pilot License (Step-By-Step Guide)

So, you want to learn how to fly an airplane? Wonderful! As you dip your toes into the world of aviation and decide to earn a pilot’s license, you may wonder which type of license – or certificate as it is generally referred to – is right for you. One of the entry-level choices that may be a good fit is a recreational pilot license.

11 Best Flight Schools in the USA (For 2020 and Beyond)

The moment has arrived – you’re ready to become a pilot and it’s time to choose where to get your training.  Picture your dream flight school. Where is it located? What type of aircraft do you get to fly? Are you earning a college degree alongside your flight certifications?