Surprise, We’re the FAA!
Having a pilot’s certificate is a privilege that takes a lot of hard work to earn. There are big responsibilities that come along with your pilot certification. One of these responsibilities is flying within legal boundaries. Everything we do as pilots should be done in accordance with the FARs (Federal Aviation Regulations). You never know… Read more »
The Pilot in Command and Aircraft Airworthiness
Throughout the course of private pilot training, every student learns the privileges and responsibilities of the Pilot in Command (PIC). One of the most overlooked responsibilities is requirement 91.7, which is the determination of aircraft airworthiness by the PIC. There are several components to aircraft airworthiness, such as required documents, inspections, and equipment. The document… Read more »
Elevator Trim
There are several different ways elevator trim can be installed. Inside the cabin, control for the trim is either an electric switch on the elevator control, a manual trim wheel, or a combination of the two. Most aircraft have an external trim tab on the right elevator, while our DA20s have an electric motor to… Read more »
Challenge Your Instrument Skills
The ability to go flying is a dream come true for every pilot. To climb in an airplane on a rainy day, takeoff and climb up into the clouds quickly followed by bursting out into the clear blue sky above is absolutely awesome! As the pilot in command, we can enjoy this spectacular experience only… Read more »
Blue Skies and Blue Gas: A Pilot’s Favorite Scenario
A pilot is enticed to fly by clear, blue skies. What else about the color blue is important to a pilot? Before each flight, pilots check to ensure their aircraft contains the correct type as well as quality of fuel. To make it easy, the aircraft has a placard placed at each fueling port that… Read more »
Collision Avoidance
Unlike in cars, we rarely have close calls with other aircraft. Since the sky is so big and airplanes are so small, we commonly have cross-country flights where we see no one. However, it is important to take as many precautions as possible to avoid each other, especially when approaching busier environments such as Smith… Read more »
Exercising Safety at a Controlled Airport
Controlled airports are busy. Whether or nor we often fly into controlled airports, we tend to rely on the controller to provide step-by-step directions. While it is important to listen to the controller, it is also important to know your airport environment and to verify the controller’s instructions. Let’s look at a few ways we… Read more »
Night Flying
Flying on a clear summer night is awesome. No turbulence, not a whole lot of traffic. Night flying is as good as it gets. I’m sure most of us have great memories of flying at night. I know I do. However, flying at night also presents its unique challenges, primarily because we can’t see stuff.… Read more »
Missing the Forest for the Trees
With my takeoff checklist complete, I lined up on runway 14 at Dove Airstrip (MO81) in Christian Wings for the World‘s C150 with my instructor, Lionel Smith. I applied the brakes while pushing the throttle full forward, then released the brakes and began accelerating down the narrow, short, and tree-lined airstrip. As the little airplane… Read more »
Leaning Procedures
Leaning the engine during flight can be intimidating for those pursuing their private certificate. During most training flights, our altitude is low enough that leaning is not recommended. However, we do lean during cross-countries, but often there is so much going on that we never quite understand why we are leaning the mixture. I will… Read more »