The Pre-Flight Briefing - Pilot Shop Blog

You might think you can wait until later to learn about turn coordinators and how to use them. After all, you just want to get up in the air, right? Not so fast. Patience young grasshopper.

You are planning a weekend getaway and want to fly a straight line to your destination but as you consult the sectional, you realize that there is a large patch of restricted airspace right in the middle of your proposed flight path. Going around it would add over an hour to your flight, but that is your only option, right?

What do you remember about how to communicate with ATC if you lose radio comms or need to fly an aircraft without a radio? We all learned about light gun signals as student pilots, but we seldom quiz ourselves to check our retention.

Would you trust your life to your communication skills? It may not be something you think about every day. Still, each time you get into the cockpit and put that headset on, you are doing just that. Safety and communication are directly related. A communication failure can quickly become catastrophic.

Back in the early days of aviation, men weren’t the only ones who were fascinated with taking to the skies. Even before women in America had earned the right to vote, they were already proving their aptitude as pilots. These original pioneers inspired the following generations of adventurous women who dared to dream of becoming a pilot.

As student pilots, CFIs, and flight schools weigh their options for trainer aircraft, they often consider time-honored classics like the Cessna 150, Cessna 152, and Piper Cub. However, there's another prime contender that's making waves in the aviation world, the Diamond DA20 Katana. This Austrian-designed tricycle gear plane not only checks all the boxes for the performance and handling characteristics pilots desire in a two-place trainer but also adds an attractive sporty style to the mix.

Let's learn more about this amazing aircraft!

A safe pilot is one who respects the importance of the aircraft’s weight and balance. In this guide we will review what weight and balance is as well as how to calculate it. We will also discuss some of the most common weight and balance mistakes that other pilots have made.

Let's start!

“Buy a plane” and “save money.” Never thought you’d see those two phrases put together, did you? Now, to be fair, we’re not saying that buying a plane is likely to save you money as opposed to not buying a plane. We all know that’s not the case. The point is that when you’re in the market to buy a plane, it pays to do your homework and know how to save money on the purchase.

You've made the switch to becoming an instrument-rated pilot, and now it's time to explore one of the most important tools for making a safe landing, the ILS (instrument landing system). For over half a century, this has been the cornerstone of flight safety for IFR pilots.

We want you to feel fully equipped to take on this challenging new journey, let us give you the full lowdown on the ILS! Ready to get started? Let's go!

Steeps turns require a lot of your attention and plenty of practice. During a steep turn, you must split your attention both inside and outside the aircraft while maintaining strict flight parameters.

In our world of increasingly digital cockpits, the iPad is a useful tool for both professional and general aviation pilots. Gone are the days of flipping through multiple paper sectionals on a long cross-country flight. Many pilots have embraced the Apple iPad, iPad mini, or another tablet device in lieu of paper charts for flight planning, in-flight navigation and more.

According to the Air Safety Institute, unintended stalls are among the leading causes of fatal accidents for pilots. Although pilots must study them, train for them and practice recovering from them, unintended stalls are still claiming too many lives.

Choosing a career is an important step and shifting careers later on involves major life change. With as much time as we spend at work, it is natural to want to pick a profession that will be fulfilling and rewarding both now and in the long term. Is a pilot that profession for you? Here are twelve reasons why you may want to say yes to becoming a pilot.

As a student pilot, you are focused on flight school, pricing, and financing. You may assume that insurance is taken care of, but oftentimes there is a large gap in coverage if you are involved in an accident while training. To protect yourself and others, it makes sense to learn about student pilot insurance to ensure proper coverage.

Don't navigate this complex topic alone - let’s get started by addressing the first burning question new pilots have when it comes to insurance.

VFR flight following, everyone tells you how useful it can be and what a great resource it is, but you just don’t use it. You aren’t even entirely sure how it works. You don’t know what to say to set it up and don’t want to sound like a newbie on the radio if you make a mistake. You wish you had a better understanding of what it is plus when and how to use it.

If you’re just starting to toy with the idea of getting a pilot’s license, you may be wondering, “How hard is it to fly a plane?” You’re probably looking for a realistic idea of whether you have what it takes to make it through the training and to master the skills you need to take to the air.