Pilot flying in clouds

What matters for IFR proficiency? The answer is quite simple.

Assuming you are busy and have to make hard choices about what to focus on, I think there’s a strong case to be made for spending your precious flying time on basic attitude instrument skills. Flying approaches to minimums or practicing emergencies may be more fun, but those procedures are not where pilots make the most fatal mistakes.
Cirrus CFI

Tips for retread pilots

In today’s digital world, autopilots are incredibly accurate, especially compared with the analog versions you may have used.  Plus, they interface with most navigators such that you will be surprised at how rapidly you become proficient. Also, they are surprisingly affordable and are no longer a rarity in a flight school’s fleet. Once you are comfortable with the navigator, add the autopilot to your repertoire.

Watch out for TFRs

Suddenly, my peripheral vision picked up something to my left and the serenity of the morning was shattered.  A Black Hawk helicopter was a few feet off my wing!  As I stared at it in disbelief, the door slid open and a soldier in fatigues held up a large 121.5 sign.  My shaking fingers stabbed at the radio 'emerg' button and I managed a feeble “hello?

Friday photo (video): Corsair startup and wing unfold

While waiting for the meeting to start, the CAF towed a Corsair out of their hangar and started it.  Of course, all the Daedalians came outside to watch (and to listen to) this beautiful aircraft start up. 
High Jackers

Best FBOs and my personal minimums

Speaking of food, KCBE, Greater Cumberland Regional Airport, in Maryland, has the Hummingbird Cafe.  While technically not an FBO, they get the “Best Call-Out To Mom” award.  You park right out front, and ideally chock your aircraft to keep it from rolling away and then you have to chase it and chock it anyway.  They have a great BLT at the Hummingbird Cafe, approximately 11 inches thick. (The BLT, I mean.)
Angle of attack graphic

Angle of attack for dummies

Angle of attack is really a measure of how hard the pilot is commanding the wing to work with the air flowing past. If the pilot is not asking the wing to work very hard (low angle of attack) the wing will generate some lift. If the pilot is asking the wing to work harder (higher angle of attack) the wing will generate more lift.
Richard L. Collins

Announcing the 2024 Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots

The Richard Collins family has once again partnered with Sporty’s to offer The Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots. To qualify, the writer must be a pilot (including student pilot) who is 24 years of age or younger. The article must be original, not previously published, and no longer than 1,500 words. The topic should be "my most memorable flight."

The Flagship Phantom

The backbone of ARN-101 was an integrated LORAN system. This was a big upgrade in navigation accuracy and also brought much better conventional weapons delivery capabilities. Not as good as what the F-16 had, but a big improvement over earlier Phantoms using Dive Toss.

Challenging runway flying the C-123 in Vietnam

As you get closer to the runway, you get a sinking feeling and, in order to keep your decent and approach speeds, you have to start adding power to overcome the downslope winds from the mountain.
dollywood

Friday photo: Dollywood Theme Park, Pigeon Forge, TN

Dollywood Theme Park, Pigeon Forge, TN while heading home after a $100 (well $200, actually) hamburger over Thanksgiving weekend and a beautiful fall day.

Instructional Inheritance; An Examination of the DNA of Your CFI

We are all a product of our upbringing, and aviation is no exception.  Your lens on learning is created by your CFI from the first time you sit in the airplane.  On that day, they set the tone for the transmission of information.
Cessna with snow

Air Facts video classic: operating in winter conditions

"Not everyone flies when there's snow or ice around, but some of us do." Enjoy these insights and tips on flight planning, preparation and execution in wineter weather conditions in this Air Facts video classic.

A soaring surprise for my birthday

While I searched for a thermal to gain some altitude or else I would be forced to land back at the field. All of a sudden, something white and black caught my eye going by underneath me and I immediately turned to follow it.  Could it be?  YES!  I spotted a large soaring bird turning in a circle just ahead of me now and I latched onto him and got very close.
Articles from Alex Sack

Flying Functional Check Flights (FCFs)

As the propeller slowed to one to two revolutions per second, I moved the condition lever to the ‘Feather’ position and #1 came to a full stop.  And that’s when it happened - the #2 engine started winding down as well!  I now saw the advantage to raising the guard on that start switch!

Pilot’s Discretion Podcast with John Zimmerman – top 10 episodes of 2023

Join Air Facts Editor-in-Chief, John Zimmerman, as he interviews some of aviation's most interesting people in the popular Pilot's Discretion Podcast. You'll recognize some of the guests as contributing authors at Air Facts. From honest discussions about flight training to fascinating stories from world famous airshow pilots, this podcast is for anyone who loves to fly.

Favorite Friday photos of 2023

Air Facts popular "Friday photo" features some spectacular views and amazing memories to share with the aviation community. Thank you for those photos and we're sure the best is yet to come. Have a photo to share? Send your photo and description to: [email protected]. 
Meigs airport

Air Facts top 10 articles of 2023

Sporty's Air Facts published more than 150 articles in 2023, written by more than 100 different writers. Many of these writers were first time contributors with a compelling story to tell or a lesson learned. Thank you for your many comments and spirited debate. Please enjoy these 10 most popular articles of 2023.

First Time in Real IMC; A Memorable Flight with Lessons Learned

I was then instructed to fly direct to WEVER intersection and join the DVALL 3 arrival. I was not expecting that!  At that moment, I realized that I should have called for clearance from the ramp, and then called back for release when we were number one for departure.  While I was startled for a moment, my training kicked in and I loaded the arrival procedure into the GPS.
Runway

GA Airports Suffer from Costly Mismanagement

Politicians ignore the highly technical needs of the airport and focus on other departments which attract more community interest, such as schools, roads, and parks. This degrades and undermines the ability of the airport to make significant contributions back to their community.

An accident in my Taylorcraft

I had instinctively lowered the nose to prevent a stall. That’s about the time the RPMs smoothly returned to full power. But I was already committed to being on the ground even before the RPMs dropped a second time. While lowering the nose, I made a slight left turn toward the field. My attempt to make some kind of a normal landing really didn’t work out because I never got the nose back up to a good landing attitude.