The Pre-Flight Briefing - Pilot Shop Blog

What is one of the likely culprits for decreased fuel efficiency? Drag, we are looking at you. Drag is a backwards horizontal force generated by resistance as the plane moves through the air. It is one of the four aerodynamic forces of flight and is opposed by thrust.

Imagine you arrive at the airport planning a quick hop to the rustic mountainside cabin you reserved for a weekend getaway. The only problem? The runway is socked in with fog as thick as pea soup, and it doesn’t look like it will be dissipating any time soon. Now what?

So, you’ve officially earned your pilot’s certificate. Congratulations – now what are you going to do with it? If you’re like many newly minted pilots, you may be wondering what pilot careers you can choose from. Of course, you’re looking for a job that you enjoy, but there’s more to it than that.

Talk of the air conditioning systems on aircraft can be enough to make a germaphobe squirm. With all the urban legends of getting sick after flying, and the thought of breathing stale air onboard commercial passenger jets, planes’ AC systems have developed a bad reputation in some circles. It can be hard to sort out the fact from the fiction, so today we will set the record straight and share all the details you need to know about aircraft air conditioning systems including how it works and how clean it really is.

You’ve seen the different aircraft configurations and you point out high wing vs low wing aircraft to your non-aviator friends. You may even have taken sides in the perennial high wing vs low wing debate, but how well-versed are you on their key differences? Have you had the privilege of flying both types? Do you ever wonder about the pros and cons of each plus what type of flights they are best suited for?

The story of the Piper Tomahawk an interesting one filled with unique handling and flight characteristics, accidents, investigations, divided opinions, and controversy. The adage “be careful what you wish for because you just might get it” also applies. But before we delve into the details of this interesting aircraft, we will step back and take a look at where the Piper Tomahawk got its start.

Timely communication is critical to safe flight, and one of the ways that the FAA communicates important information to pilots is by using a type of advisory called a NOTAM. There are 9 types of NOTAMs, with each filling a distinct role in the pilot notification system. As a pilot, it is very important to check for and understand the relevance of all applicable NOTAMs in your flight path.

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.

If you’re dreaming of becoming a pilot, but you don’t know how to pay for flight school, this post is for you. You don’t know how to find $70,000 for flight training, but here’s the thing: believe it or not, you have plenty of options.

Imagine you’re a freshly minted commercial pilot. Congratulations! One thing on the mind of many newly certified commercial pilots is, “How can I use this new certificate to earn some money?”

If your flight schedule involves an overnight, no matter how much you want to travel light, there’s just no way you’re cramming a change of clothes plus your toiletries inside your flight bag. (And really, do you actually want your dirty socks hanging out next to your headset case on the way home?)

“Make it strong. Make it simple. Make it fast.” These are Mooney Airplane Company’s words to live by as they design their legendary aircraft. The Mooney mentality has developed quite a following with Mooney aficionados - self-described as “Mooniacs.”

What kind of pilot would fly after a drink? Not you, right? Good. Same here, but if we are being honest, how many of us have experienced signs of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) while at the controls?

Fair warning – if you think you are fully confident in your understanding of maneuvering speed, the article you are about to read may rock your world. When you research this topic, it quickly becomes apparent that many pilots think they have a solid grasp on the concept, but when asked to explain it, the certainty breaks down in the details. Even an understanding based on FAA documentation can get convoluted and confusing.

For all the new pilots wondering how to read a TAF, you are not alone. Pull up a terminal aerodrome forecast, and you will quickly realize that the entire thing is written using codes or acronyms that must be deciphered and decoded. The good news is that TAFs and METARs use many of the same abbreviations, so once you learn one, the other will be much easier and quicker to grasp.