With a tip of the hat to Stephen Covey, just what are some of the habits and characteristics that define the highly effective pilot? We often call these folks professionals, or for short, “pros.” However, professionals don’t need stripes on their...
Now that you’ve got your wings, you can enter the aviation world as a pilot and realize your dreams of flight—almost. Every pilot will need some essential items to be equipped for tasks in the air and to prepare for contingencies....
Every now and again, the concept of “energy management” comes up. But is that something a pilot would actually think about in flight? Does this concept allow the pilot to fly more precisely or more safely? To make better decisions? Does...
Back in the early days of jet airliners, pilots long experienced in more forgiving two- and four-engine, piston-powered prop planes found themselves running out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas on the final approach to landing. The result was either an overshoot...
There’s always potential for miscommunication whenever low-time pilots are involved with air traffic control. That doesn’t mean they should avoid all such entanglements. Whenever student pilots interact with controllers rather than fellow apprentices in the break room, there’s going to be...
