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Tag Archives: flight training
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
Intro to Instrument Flying
When I was a very young and most inexperienced private pilot with all of about 100 hours, I had the opportunity to participate in an instrument flight flown by a fellow student from college. It was a most interesting and … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a fresh instrument rating, a most inexperienced private pilot, airplanes, blissful ignorance, breaking out, Cessnas, crawl before you walking, cumulonimbus, dark inside the cloud, discipline, flight training, Florida, flying, flying the airplane, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, Intro to Instrument Flying, judgment, keeping it under control, learning to fly, other career fields, pilots, probable thunderstorms, professional pilots, radar vectors, spring day in Florida, student pilots, the darkest moment, training aircraft, weak cold front
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1 Comment
The Bell 47
Back in the late fifties, maybe the early sixties, there was a great TV show I really enjoyed. The name of the show was The Whirlybirds. It was a show featuring the Bell 47. Today, is the 65th anniversary of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation History, Flying
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Tagged 200 horsepower Franklin engine, 260 horsepower Lycoming engine, 8055th, 8063rd, 8076th, 8209th, 8225th, 8228th, air shows, Bell 47G, Bell Model 30 prototype, empty weight, fabric cabins, field hospitals, flight training, helicopter, M*A*S*H, medevac procedures, metal cabins, military service, open cockpits, operating weight, retired from military service, The 4077th MASH Unit, the 8054th, The Bell 47, The Korean War, The Whirlybirds, training aircraft
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1 Comment
The Lost Promises
So, Reveille sounds at 0530 this morning as it always does for me. Only I know longer hear the bugler or the voice over the 1MC calling, “Reveille, Reveille, Reveille, all hands turn…” After years of hearing the calls, I … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A plane in every garage!, airplanes, all hands, and Piper, aviation news, Beech, Cessna, Cessnas, flight training, flying, increasing insurance premiums, learning to fly, little grass airstrips, LSA Dream, Mom and Pop flying schools, new LSA airplanes, pilots, product liability, Reveille, student pilots, taildraggers, the 1MC, the American Dream, The Lost Promises, training aircraft
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The Wife Conspiracies
I have started to believe there might be conspiracy among some wives. From my observations and personal experience, I have noticed many wives tend think their husbands are hard of hearing, while the corresponding husbands believe their wives mumble. Uhmmm… From personal experience, … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, flight training, flying, hearing, hearing loss, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, student pilots, talking to husbands while they are in the shower, talking to husbands while working on something that hums or grinds or beeps, talking to the back of the closet, talking to the back of the ’fridge, The Wife Conspiracies, training aircraft
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4 Comments
The Perfect Storm
We are facing a situation in the aviation industry, which many may very well describe as an approaching “Perfect Storm.” For years, we have heard people in and out of the industry say there will be a pilot shortage. Current … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged aviation industry, discipline, extreme dedication, flight instruction, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, Korean era pilots, learning to fly, perseverance, pilot shortage, pilots, professional pilots, remaining ready, student pilots, the little boy crying wolf, The Perfect Storm, too late, training aircraft, Vietnam vets, World War II pilots, world’s population, young pilots, “Perfect Storm”
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The Citabria
One of the finest airplanes produced is the Citabria, which, spelled backward, is “Airbatic.” That was one of the things this little two-place airplane specialized in—aerobatics—going upside down, turning loops, and flying Cuban Eights. Champion Aircraft originally designed the plane … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged 7ECA Citabria, 7GCAA Citabria, 7GCBC Citabria, 7KCAB, 8KCAB Decathlon, aerobatics, airplanes, basic acrobatic trainer, Champion Aircraft, Cuban Eights, flight training, flying, inverted fuel and oil systems, learning to fly, Lycoming O-235, Lycoming O-320, Lycoming O-360, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, the Champ, The Citabria, turning loops, upside down, “Airbatic”
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Is the End Near? I Hope So!
Well, it is almost mid-February, which means spring is right around the corner. For me, it cannot get here fast enough. I am really tired of the cold. I am over feeling as if I am cooped up inside because … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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1 Comment
First flights
Every time you introduce a student to flying for the very first time, you should do it very early in the morning or right at sunset. The reason for this is simple. Flying during the later morning periods or in … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged a short flight, a very gentle flight, be as smooth as possible, enthusiasm, FBOs, First flights, first flights should be simple and enjoyable, flight training, flight training schools, flying early in the morning, flying late in the afternoon, free marketing, free publicity, get to know your new student, hot bumpy days, introducing students to flying, rough rides, second lessons, sunrise, sunset, the perfect introductory flight, Vgn diagram, word-of-mouth advertising, “hook” the student
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