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Tag Archives: altitude
Teaching Straight and Level
One of the first things a student pilot needs to learn is the task of merely flying straight and level. Sounds simple enough, right? It is, to a degree. Still, there are elements of performing the maneuver (can straight and … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged a flight instructor, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, angle-of-attack (AoA), Cessnas, CFI, climbing or descending while flying straight ahead, climbs, descents, different visual aspect, flight training, flying, flying straight and level, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, sitting height, student pilots, Teaching Straight and Level, the four fundamentals, the simplest elements, training aircraft, turns, “sight picture”
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2 Comments
Dave, You’re Working Too Hard!
I read with interest the insights learned by an Australian friend, Dave, a middle-aged (as he refers to himself) young person as he is learning how to fly. For his insight #13, he wrote, “Watch the airspeed on late finals! I … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Australia, Cessnas, correct airspeed, Dave, discipline, falling out of the sky, fear of stalls, first solo, flight training, flying, flying close to the ground, flying the airplane, friends, glideslope, inexperienced pilots, insights, judgment, landing, learning how to fly, learning to fly, on late final, pilots, professional pilots, relax, runway threshold, slow flight, stall speed, student pilots, Trim the airplane, working too hard, You’re Working Too Hard!
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5 Comments
The Short Field Landing
Yesterday, I talked about the Miracle of Lift. Today, I will pass on some of the secrets of the short field landing. We’ll also discuss how the lift equation plays so importantly in “making the point.” One of the most … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged .002377 slugs per cubic foot, A Few Good Men, airspeed, altitude, Anyone Can Fly, arrive at the spot right at stall speed, coefficient of lift, Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, coordination of speed and AoA, Country airports, descent path, L=1/2 r V2 Cl S, landing short of the runway, lift equals speed times angle of attack (L = S x AoA), pitch, Power, rho, short field landings, short grass runways, the lift equation, The Mystery of Lift, the power curve, The Short Field Landing, the truth, velocity squared, where to aim, wing area, writer-editor Jules Bergman, “float”, “making the point”
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2 Comments
The Mystery of Lift
In science writer-editor Jules Bergman’s book, Anyone Can Fly, he talks about asking a little boy why airplanes fly. The child explains, in essence, that airplanes float on the air. I like that—because it is so simple—and almost true. When … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged .002377 slugs per cubic foot, A Few Good Men, airspeed, altitude, Anyone Can Fly, coefficient of lift, Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, L=1/2 r V2 Cl S, pitch, Power, rho, short field landings, The Mystery of Lift, the power curve, the truth, velocity squared, wing area, writer-editor Jules Bergman
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2 Comments
The 1940s
My friend, Mike, sent me an email featuring a PowerPoint presentation about the 1940s. Coincidentally, I spent time earlier in the day researching some of the great airplanes of the period. I came away thinking about the airplanes and the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged Air Force, airliners, airplanes, altitude, Chuck Yeager, discipline, Douglas DC-7, flying, humanitarian roles, judgment, Lockheed Constellation, Mach, military service, offensive and defensive weapons of war, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, Royal Air Force, The 1940s, the airline industry, the Korean conflict, The World's Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw, United States Air Force, World War II
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5 Comments
The Art of Climbing
Getting to altitude involves more than crawling into an airplane, starting the engine, and pointing the nose up. Pilots must consider many aspects factoring into the initial climb and the following ascent to cruise altitude. Some of these include the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Teaching
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Tagged airplanes, altitude, best angle of climb, best rate of climb, clear an obstacle, cruise altitude, cruise climb, failure to maintain flying speed, Flight instructors, flying, getting to altitude, headwind, initial climb, learning to fly, NTSB accident reports, other climb techniques, private pilot, short field take off, soft field take off, spins, stalls, student pilots, tailwind, The Art of Climbing, Vx, Vy
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Stretching It
Following on the heels of yesterday’s blog, I need to let you know how to “stretch it.” Now, let me explain: I am not talking about stretching a glide or your gas supply. What I am referring to is getting … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Teaching
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Tagged airplane flying more efficiently, altitude, college students, cross country planning, glide, headwind, L/Dmax, power settings, skill and intellect, smart pilots, Stretching It, tailwind, thin air, Top Gun, University of Florida, winds aloft, “I feel the need for speed.”
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Engine Failures
Last week I told the story of my first engine failure in Joe’s Luck. Looking back from the vantage point of 30 years, it’s pretty funny. At the time, however, it lacked any humor; it was not until I slept … Continue reading →
Joe’s Luck
I was at the airport when a man inquired about flying lessons. He asked all the usual questions and then pointed to his wife and two boys. “Can you teach my wife how to fly also? You know, in case … Continue reading →
Posted in Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged airplane lost power, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 150, cow pastures, emergency landing, engine problems, first solo, flying lessons, heart attacks, maintaining altitude, make the field, my first flying job, power available curve, power required curve, uneventful landing
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2 Comments
