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Tag Archives: flight training
Looking Both Ways
In teaching student pilots, I have been amazed that a few will cross a runway or taxiway without looking. At airports with control towers and active ATC, the instances of this happening are more pronounced than at airports without ground control. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal
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Tagged a late Friday afternoon, airplanes, airports with control towers, Cessnas, clearance to our ramp, crossing a runway or taxiway without looking, discipline, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, look both ways, Looking Both Ways, making the approach to another airport, pilots, professional pilots, similar runway patterns, student pilots, teaching student pilots, the mighty PA-44 Seminole, using the radio
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2 Comments
Precession – Is It Really A Left Turning Tendency?
Flight instructors teach their students about the left-turning tendencies an airplane encounters on takeoff. Unfortunately, some flight instructors may not fully understand the dynamics of takeoff and might pass a misconception or two on to the next generation of new … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Back in the Old Days, Cessnas, conventional landing gear, flight controls, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, full throttle, high power settings, high-angle-of-attack-flight, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, left-turning tendencies, Newton’s third law, nosewheels, novice pilots, P-51 Mustang pilots, P-factor, pilots, precession, Precession - Is It Really A Left Turning Tendency?, professional pilots, propeller blade, right rudder, spiraling slipstream, student pilots, students, taildraggers, tailwheels, torque, training aircraft, World War II
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6 Comments
Off to School
Every two years flight instructors must renew their credentials in order to continue teaching. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides three ways to accomplish this task. The easiest way is by providing documentation of flight activity showing at least an … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Personal
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Tagged 80 percent success rate, Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Avon park bombing and gunnery, Cessna 150, Cessnas, CFI endorsements, discipline, documentation of flight activity, F-16 Falcons, FAA check ride, first solo, Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic (FIRC), Flight instructors, flight training, flying, friends, Guantanamo, gun sights, judgment, learning to fly, memories, Off to School, pilots, professional pilots, rolling in “hot”, student pilots, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), training aircraft
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1 Comment
Heat
Here in the southeast, the temperatures are unusually high. The same is true of other areas of the south and southwest. This past week, the forecasters predicted highs in the realm of 107 to 110. Of course, as aviators, we know the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a loss of consciousness episode, airplane performance, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, aviators, flight training, Florida, flying, forecasters predicted highs in the realm of 107 to 110, functioning as an aviator, Heat, high temperatures, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, mental and physical performance, Oklahoma City, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), The National Weather Service (NWS), The South, the southeast, the southwest
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2 Comments
Apples and Oranges
Remember all the times someone told you to keep the apples and oranges correctly separated? There is probably some math teacher somewhere in your past who said you have to keep the apples with the apples and the oranges with … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, an accurate estimate of the fuel weight, Apples and Oranges, Cessna 170, flight training, flying, judgment, learning to fly, student pilots, taildraggers, the advantage of using pounds over gallons, The Cessna 170, training aircraft, weight and balance problems
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More on G and the Envelope
Yesterday, in G-Loads and the Envelope, I explained the basics of the Vgn diagram and the limits of the operational categories. Today we’ll discuss more about what it means to operate within the envelope. First, its all about what the wing … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged accidently “falling” out of a maneuver, acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, g-meter limits, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, More on G and the Envelope, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, power available, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, the accelerated stall curve, trading altitude for energy, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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G-Loads and the Envelope
When I learned how to fly in 1971, I was a kid who really did not know much about anything, but thought I knew everything. When it came to airplanes and flying, I knew even less than I realized. When … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, student pilots, the accelerated stall curve, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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2 Comments
Learning How to Land
This one is for all the students trying to master the technique of bringing an airplane back to earth. This is from the notes I kept when I was trying to learn how to land. ———————– Now, how does one … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, discipline, first solo, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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Dreams of Waco UPF-7s
A very long time ago, my best friend, Paul, rather jinxed me. He introduced me to one of the airplanes I have always wanted to fly, rebuild, own, and showcase: the Waco UPF-7. (Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRT7fstFxs.) The UPF-7 is a … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged 220 horsepower Continental radial engine, a loop, a training airplane, a wingover, airplanes, barnstormers, barrel roll, Dreams of Waco UPF-7s, flight training, flying, flying in the cooler air, friends, little wind, memories, my best friend, no turbulence, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, PT-14, rebuilding a classic airplane, the barnstorming era, The best time to fly, the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), The Great Depression, The United States Army Air Corps, the Waco UPF-7, Waco Aircraft Company of Troy OH
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Takeoffs and Climbs
Yesterday I touched on the theory of the different kinds of climbs. I discussed the best-rate of climb (Vy) and the best-angle of climb (Vx). Today, let’s talk about how we use the appropriate climb speed for given situations. Most … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged adequate runways, airplanes, airspeed, all available excess horsepower, altitude, angle-of-attack, best-angle of climb (Vx), best-rate of climb (Vy), Cessnas, clearing an immediate obstacle at the airport, cruise climb, cruise level winds aloft, discipline, flight training, flying, grass runways, hard surface runways, Headwinds, judgment, learning to fly, mountainous terrain, mountains, normal takeoff, not being aggressive enough, over-rotating, overly aggressive pilots, proper cruising altitude, student pilots, taildraggers, tailwinds, Takeoffs and Climbs, the fastest climb to altitude, the short field takeoff, training aircraft, winds aloft are stronger at altitude
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2 Comments
