PILOTDISCOVERY GUIDE
Keep learning after the certificate with practical guidance on recurrent training, decision-making, safety, and staying sharp.
PILOT PROFICIENCY
Flying an airplane is often portrayed as a technical skill. You learn how lift works, how to read instruments, how to calculate weight and balance, and how to navigate from one airport to another. These skills are essential, and pilots spend countless hours studying them. But experienced instructors know something interesting: most accidents are not […]
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As a pilot, ensuring the safety of your flights is of paramount importance. In emergency situations, quick decision-making can make all the difference between a successful flight and becoming another entry in the NTSB’s Aviation Accident Database. That’s why every pilot needs to equip themselves with the DECIDE model as a critical tool in their safety arsenal. […]
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Regardless of whether you are a professional pilot or whether you fly as a hobby, safety is the common denominator that serves as the guiding principle for all of your decision making. Sound decision making is critical to every phase of flight, not just from takeoff to landing, but even before you head to the […]
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The biennial flight review can be a veritable cause of trepidation for many pilots. This is particularly the case for those pilots who haven’t flown in a while and who might be a tad bit rusty with respect to both their knowledge and with respect to their practical experience in the cockpit. If this describes […]
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The aviation community is divided into two camps on the issue of flight proficiency: There are those who favor the biennial flight review (BFR), and there are those who favor the WINGS Program. The promotion of the WINGS Program as an alternative to the traditional BFR is the subject of debate amongst aviation circles. The […]
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Touch-and-goes are one of the mainstays of every pilot’s education. It is one of the fundamental maneuvers that every pilot learns to perform during their flight training. It is a tool that helps pilots hone their proficiency with takeoffs and landings. The term “touch-and-go”, in aviation parlance, refers to the act of landing an airplane […]
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Flying the traffic pattern is one of the first skills student pilots learn—and one of the last they ever truly master. On the surface, it looks simple: take off, fly a rectangle, land. But in practice, the traffic pattern is where discipline, judgment, aircraft control, and situational awareness all collide in a relatively small piece […]
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VFR flight following can make the difference between a good VFR flight and a great VFR flight experience. While it is entirely optional, it can serve as a boon for pilots looking for increased safety and navigational guidance during VFR flight. VFR flight following is an opt-in service for VFR pilots, whereby Air Traffic Control […]
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Aviation has a curious relationship with preparation. A pilot may spend hours planning a flight that lasts only thirty minutes. That habit isn’t obsessive—it’s survival logic. Airplanes operate in an environment where there are no shoulders to pull over on and no roadside mechanics waiting for you. Once the engine starts and the wheels leave […]
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