The Pre-Flight Briefing - Pilot Shop Blog

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.

One of the big debates when it comes to selecting an aircraft is the choice of turboprop vs jet engine. Light jets are more common in private aviation, but Forbes recently reported that charter activity for turboprops had increased by 8% year-over-year.

It’s the worst-case scenario that none of us want to think about. During a winter flight, we had to make an emergency landing in a remote location where there is no cell service. Our radio was damaged in the landing, and the battery in the portable radio is dead.  We were flying VFR and did not file a flight plan, so no one with the FAA will know we are overdue when we fail to arrive at our destination. Now what?

As a pilot flying out of a smaller airport just big enough to have a control tower, you will quickly become familiar with Class D airspace. This type of airspace is one that most general aviation pilots will encounter and need to be well-versed in.

Gliding or “soaring,” as it is often referred to, is one of the most graceful, exhilarating ways to experience flight. Pilots who enjoy soaring are often drawn to the intellectual challenge of reading the air currents like the birds do so they can stay aloft longer and sweep through the skies. No engine, no fuel – just you, your sailplane and the currents.

Piper Aircraft got its start in 1927 with the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Manufacturing Company out of Rochester, New York. The Taylor brothers – Clarence and Gordon – started the company to produce their Taylor Chummy, a two-place high-wing monoplane design.

We have been fooled by the atlas. Its two-dimensional presentation of Earth causes us to think about international travel from a west to east perspective. Hong Kong, for example, is east of New York.

It’s the day you’ve been preparing for and perhaps also dreading. You’re excited to officially become a private pilot, and there is just one more major hurdle you need to jump through in order to do it – you need to pass your checkride.

We won’t sugarcoat it: IFR training is challenging and demanding. Even after training is over and you have earned your IFR certification, you will still need to maintain instrument currency to be a truly safe IFR pilot.

Thinking about becoming a professional pilot? Congratulations! Life as a pilot can be exciting, rewarding, and memorable. It can also be challenging, stressful, and exhausting.

How’s your podcast list looking? Could it use a little refresher? An infusion of new content and fresh ideas? Maybe you are just starting to branch out and discover the world of aviation podcasts.