Matthew Johnston 
Welcome to your private pilot’s certificate. Many people say they’d like to learn to fly, but aren’t prepared for the sacrifice and diligence completing the course of study requires. Earning your private pilot certificate takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and time, so it’s a tremendous accomplishment. If you’ve passed your check ride as …
The Cessna 172, called the Skyhawk, is by far the most common training aircraft at flight schools in the US. A well-balanced airplane with qualities that translate well to other aircraft, it’s a solid choice for student pilots. Several factors have contributed to the popularity of this stable and reliable flying machine. The Skyhawk: …
READ MORE What Makes the Cessna a Quintessential Training Aircraft?
In the early days of corporate and mainline aviation, pilots tended to transition from the military. A professional pilot with a college degree was not always the rule unless the pilots decided to make use of the GI Bill and earn a four-year Bachelor’s of Science. Others earned a degree before entering the military through …
READ MORE What Kind Of Careers Can You Pursue With An Aviation Business Degree?
The pilot shortage is real, and it’s affecting every aspect of aviation. For pilots, it means a welcome upswing in opportunities after over a decade of struggle post-9/11 and in a slow economy. It can be overwhelming to know which course is best for a student pilot or a newly licensed one who is building …
READ MORE Transitioning Your Small Airplane Education to Commercial Aviation
There are many paths to having a career in aviation. When most people think of becoming a professional pilot, they usually picture airline or military pilots. However, flight instructors, transport pilots, general aviation pilots, and charter flight pilots are a vital part of the nation’s aviation system. Flight schools and universities offer programs which can …
Part of being a safe pilot is making sure that any runway you plan to use has enough distance to safely operate for both takeoff and landing. A strong student pilot program will address this issue. Since working with runway distance is a matter which stretches far beyond simple memorization, it’s an important part of …
To fully understand how an aircraft works, student pilots must become familiar with its form of propulsion. Comprehending how your airplane’s engine works helps you to become a safe and efficient pilot. It can also help you to diagnose potential mechanical problems and take action to mitigate any damage. Even the earliest aviation pioneers knew …
Learning to fly in any geographic area holds its own benefits and challenges. Choosing the place to take your flight training means learning to turn these challenges to your advantage as a student pilot. San Diego is an ideal place to learn to fly because not only does it present many advantages, any challenges it …
Air traffic control (ATC) is complex work which requires fast thinking, ability to judge spatial relationships, situational awareness, and attention to detail. They are essential to keeping the world’s airways safe. Often mistaken for air marshals, airport employees who wave aircraft into place at terminals, air traffic controllers are responsible for much more. Good air traffic …
The airline industry offers many exciting career opportunities which range throughout the salary scale. If the goal is to simply work around airplanes, the current economic climate and shifting expectations regarding student loans means that many paths are open. As long as certifications, logged hours, and background checks are in order, a career in the …
READ MORE Airline Industry Hiring Opportunities: Then and Now
In the first part of this series, we discussed the importance of the Wright Flyer, maintaining control over the surfaces of an aircraft, the use of airplanes as a weapon, the rise of monoplanes, and finally the technological leap of the first instrument flight in 1929. This brings us to the brink of the Second …
READ MORE The Biggest Breakthroughs in Aviation History, Part II
Air travel and transport are so interwoven in our everyday existence that it’s difficult to imagine life without it. But at one time, aviation was considered an impossibility, then a dangerous stunt, then a luxury. It’s since transformed the human experience and connected the planet in ways not thought possible. The history of man and …
READ MORE The Biggest Breakthroughs in Aviation History, Part I
Since aircraft operate in a three-dimensional environment, sailing in the ocean of air called the atmosphere, it is critical for pilots to understand how the weather affects flying through that ocean. From the very beginning of training, pilots learn how to read meteorological reports, interpret weather depiction charts, and analyze forecast discussions to create a …
Being a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) is a tremendous responsibility. Before becoming a CFI, one must ask oneself if he or she really wants to teach, or if the CFI certificate is simply as a means to build flight time and experience towards the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate and/or another job requiring more hours …
In the airline and air charter world, a flight crew is not alone in accomplishing their work. Besides the flight attendants caring for the passengers, the mechanics making sure the aircraft is in good working condition, the ground crew loading the baggage and cargo, and air traffic controllers guiding the flight through the air, there …
Since flying is such a complex operation, the reality of maintenance on any aircraft type can seem daunting. However, by paying close attention to the aircraft’s operation and keeping track of flight hours, pilots can keep their airplanes flying for years. Military aircraft follow maintenance procedures and intervals which are similar to the civilian world. …
READ MORE Essential FAA Aircraft Inspections: Ensure Safety & Longevity Through Compliance
Becoming accountable for yourself in a cockpit, not to mention your passengers, is a serious responsibility. Before you leave the ground on your own, it helps to familiarize yourself with several concepts and realities of pilot life. For example, learning to fly involves a lot of math and science. However, being a pilot doesn’t require …
READ MORE The Prep Work for Learning to Fly: What Do You Need to Learn Before Ever Flying a Plane?
Although commercial aviation is a relatively young industry, it has changed a great deal since its beginnings in the last century. Let’s have a look at commercial crew roles and how they evolved into their modern components. Meet The Crew In the early days of transport-category airplanes, it took a crew of many different …
Knowing how the Federal Aviation Administration divides airspace is key to developing awareness and safe operation as a pilot. From the planning phase of a flight to requesting a landing clearance, paying attention to these divisions help ensure positive interactions with controllers and other pilots. The classification of airspace is not always static. It might …
Most people take it for granted that pilots must communicate over the radio with ATC (air traffic control). After all, how else can airplanes know what to do and when to do it? The fact is, for private pilots, there are lots of situations where no communication with ATC is required or even possible. (For …
READ MORE Don’t Pilots Have to Talk with Air Traffic Control?