The Pre-Flight Briefing - Pilot Shop Blog

If you're a fan of heart-stopping aerial combat or stories of courage and adventure high above the clouds, this list is sure to remind you of some classics while introducing you to a few hidden gems.

Grab the popcorn and your remote as you settle in for your next pilot movie marathon. Did your favorite film make the cut? There’s only one way to find out.

Listen: We get it – none of us enjoy looking in the mirror and analyzing our potential shortcomings, but with the FAA estimating that 75% of all aviation accidents are caused by human factors, it’s time to rip off the bandage and get honest. Let’s face the music, and find out what hazardous – and potentially deadly – attitudes we too may be unwittingly bringing to the cockpit.

Get ready to cozy up with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and embrace the warmth of the holiday season! Finding the perfect Christmas gift for the aviation enthusiasts and pilots in your life can sometimes feel like navigating through turbulent skies.

But fear not, because we're here to make your gift-giving journey a smooth and delightful one. With our carefully curated list of 20 must-have Christmas gifts for pilots, you'll find options that fit every budget and are guaranteed to light up your favorite pilot's face with joy.

What in the world is “scud running?” If you are asking this question you are not alone. It may sound like something a Tusken Raider would do in a Star Wars landspeeder, but human pilots have been known to engage in scud running their rotary and fixed wing aircraft with mixed results.

What was unique about the Starship’s design? What caused the Starship to fail so spectacularly from a sales perspective, and what could Beechcraft have done differently? Where are the remaining Starships now and how many are still flying? What are the take-aways from its story?

Today we’ll explore the answers to these questions and more.

For cars, the answer lies in the speedometer, but for planes, the information comes from the airspeed indicator. In this article, we will look at the fundamentals behind this device and why it plays such a crucial role in flight planning. Ready? Let's get started!

When we gaze up at the sky and see birds or planes gracefully gliding across it, we never take a moment to appreciate just how intricate science makes this possible.

A key factor in getting these machines airborne is the aerodynamic shape of their wings: airfoils. In this article, we will delve into the world of airfoil camber, exploring its effect on aerodynamics and how it works to produce lift and power flight.

Imagine you have designed an excellent aircraft. It’s reliable, economical and requires minimal maintenance. Customers love it. There’s just one problem – your plane is a two-place design, and your company doesn’t yet have the strong four-place offering that customers are looking for. What do you do? Simply stretch the design, add two seats, and make a couple of tweaks for weight and balance, right?

New private pilots are used to flying into smaller airfields and in uncontrolled airspace, but when your flight plans take you to a major city with a large, busy airport, you will need to know how to navigate the crowded skies and runways. That’s right, it’s time to brush up on your Class B airspace knowledge.

Unlike the other five classes of airspace, Class G airspace is uncontrolled. It simply exists anywhere that is not designated as Class A, B, C, D, or E. Class G airspace will be found bordering Class E airspace which is another type of airspace that often needs a bit of explanation.  While IFR traffic is controlled in Class E airspace, once you enter Class G, both VFR and IFR traffic are uncontrolled.

You dream of a life of adventure, of getting paid to travel the world accumulating stamps in your passport and photos for your Instagram page. So how are you going to make that dream a reality? It’s the question you secretly dread. After all, you aren’t an Instagram influencer, a well-known travel writer, or the recipient of a generous trust fund. Working on a cruise ship is out because just taking a water taxi ride is enough to make you nauseous.  You don’t have a pilot’s license and you have no experience as a flight attendant. What’s left?

When we visualize our landings, we usually picture ourselves aligned with the runway centerline as we fly the final approach. Most of the time, that is exactly what the reality looks like, but what happens when we are flying an instrument approach and that approach is not aligned with the runway we wish to land on or conditions do not permit us to land on the aligned runway? Now what can we do? The solution is to execute a circling approach.

Learning from the fatal mistakes of others is unfortunately a reality in the aviation world. The more we study and review what went wrong on other flights, the better prepared we will be to manage or avoid similar dangers on our own flights.

An aviation headset is one of the first pieces of equipment proud new student pilots will purchase. Not only does a headset serve as a communications device, but it also provides noise reduction and noise canceling features. These functions reduce background noise and cabin noise as well as decrease the risk of hearing loss over time.