Today's post is inspired by conversations born out of Sporty's post The 7 deadly sins of radio communications. When I initially weighed in, I hadn't actually read the post, but I have now and I encourage you to do the same. What actually prompted me to weigh in were questions regarding the phrase "roger." In... Read more »

I just read an interesting post over on Sporty's blog called Getting to know your airplane. It's not a huge post, but it did remind me of my flight training. The post contains a few suggestions for ways you can get to know your aircraft. If you have a few minutes it is definitely worth... Read more »

Depending on the phase of flight, a stiff headwind can hurt or it can really help. In cruise, you're hoping and praying that the wind doesn't fight you too much. You get too much headwind and you might as well be flying backward (maybe you are). That same wind on final approach is a completely... Read more »

Today's post is more of a public service announcement than anything. It isn't flight instruction, especially since I'm not yet qualified, but I want every pilot to learn from it. While perusing YouTube recently, I saw the video above in the side bar. I was a bit put off by the title, but I watched... Read more »

The check-ride is an important milestone in aviation. I remember my private pilot check-ride pretty vividly. I also remember some of the things that really helped me pass. After a good amount of thinking, I realized that every tip I have to offer can be boiled down to five things: know yourself, know your aircraft, know where to find the answers, know the area, and know your examiner. These five things will absolutely help your check-ride.... Read more »