Talking to Yourself

A veteran CFI, Tom Slavonik, reflects on the power of self-talk in aviation training—and why speaking your thoughts aloud is a critical skill for student pilots, instructors, and experienced aviators alike.

A Lesson on Being the Pilot In Command

Joel Turpin, a former airline captain, recounts a simulator emergency that reinforces a critical truth about being Pilot in Command: in an emergency, the PIC has both the authority and responsibility to act decisively, even when it means deviating from standard procedures.

The Hard Yards

Even the Blue Angels make it look easy—but only because they’ve mastered the hard parts. Matt Johnson's routine IFR practice flight turns into a reminder that the real work happens in the moments that challenge you.

Are We Still Learning…?

From a child’s innocent question aboard an airliner to real-world lessons about checklist discipline, Dr. Parvez Dara reflects on the humility, patience, and continual learning required to fly safely.

Aviation Mentors: My Journey as a Pilot

A pilot reflects on the flight instructors and mentors who shaped his aviation journey—from a crusty former airline captain to tailwheel training in an Aeronca Champ—and the lessons that continue to guide him in the cockpit.

What Hal Shevers Taught Me About Aviation—and People

By now, many pilots likely have read the official announcement regarding the passing of Sporty’s founder Hal Shevers—a fitting summary of a remarkable aviation career that spanned more than six decades. But like many larger-than-life figures in aviation, Hal’s public accomplishments tell only part of the story.

Thirty Minutes

You can pack a lot into a 30–45 minute flight. I can do a full stall series, slow flight, and twenty or more aerobatic maneuvers. I’ll also have time to repeat a few maneuvers I wasn’t happy with. Sometimes I’ll add an extra maneuver or two just for fun. Snap roll or tail slide, anyone? The point is that a lot of practice and work toward precision can take place in a relatively short amount of Hobbs time.

Flying for Life

What starts as a quiet morning quickly turns into a mission with real consequences. In this firsthand account, a volunteer pilot answers the call to deliver lifesaving blood across Arizona—proving that general aviation can make a difference when every minute counts.

Whose Freedom To Fly Is It Anyway?

If you have been reading the news of late, AOPA has been getting a lot of negative press these days from what appears to be a perceived disconnect between its current Board and the GA community at large. Be that as it may, I think this presents a golden opportunity for all of us to step back and ask what does the word “general” in GA even mean and how should it be represented?

I’m an Air Racer?!

In terms of piloting skills, you need three things: currency, proficiency, and a willingness to learn the rules to make a safe cross-country “race.” In fact, a newly minted private pilot, within weeks of receiving their initial ticket, has successfully completed the AVC. Again, the AVC is not a close-formation, closed-course race around pylons. It is a cross-country race over the beautiful Wisconsin countryside.

Flying For a Living

Most of us learned to fly because we love learning new concepts and improving skills. And there’s a lot to learn— aerodynamics, engineering, rules and regulations. That stuff is like catnip to a certain kind of person. And then there’s the payoff. There is so much you can do with an airplane. It truly is magical.

Sharing Safety Guidance on Stabilized Approaches

Runway excursions remain one of aviation’s most stubborn accident categories, despite years of emphasis on stabilized approaches, defined gates, and widespread encouragement of go-arounds. Most pilots understand the criteria. Far fewer consistently act on them. That gap—between knowing what to do and actually doing it—is the focus of this guidance document from WYVERN.

My Most Dangerous Flight

“What’s the most dangerous flight you’ve made?” Non-pilots often expect tales of death-defying aerobatics or wild weather—but for me, danger can be surprisingly subtle. In this story, I share a flight in my Cub over the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex at just 1,000 feet AGL, constantly scanning for safe landing spots and dodging traffic alerts. It wasn’t reckless—it was sightseeing low and slow, where the beauty of the country comes with small, inherent risks. A tale of vigilance, preparation, and the quiet thrills of general aviation.

$100 Hamburger Reflections

Boredom creates the need for the $100 hamburger. Power pilots often have to invent ways to stay mentally engaged: mastering autopilot, interpreting en-route weather, practicing precision maneuvers, honing navigation skills, flying patterns and go-arounds, upset training, aerobatics, IFR practice, and so on. These exercises are about keeping the mind occupied and the skills sharp—they are less about “having fun.”

Five Aviation Books Every Pilot Should Read

Editor’s note: Contribuing author, Alex Sack, recently challenged pilots to expand their reading beyond aviation-specific titles (read that article here). That article sparked some thoughtful follow-up, including this response from Jason Blair,…

What Will Your Calling Be?

A young flight instructor asked me for a ride in my Bonanza, and what started as a simple flight turned into a lesson on responsibility, checklists, and discovering your true calling. Sometimes, one encounter can shape a career—and a life in aviation.

Breaking the Chain: Recognizing the Links Before Disaster

The first link in the chain began when I was still at home. For reasons that escape my memory, I was over an hour late leaving for the airport. The second link in the chain occurred when I pulled the Scout out of its T-hangar and discovered that I had forgotten to refuel it after my last flight. That meant finding someone to give me a hand-prop while I held the brakes.

Five Books Every Pilot Should Read (That Have Nothing To Do With Flying)

When it comes to reading lists for pilots, you typically see the same half-dozen classical books on them. Yet there can be plenty of wisdom for pilots found in some non-traditional aviation texts as well. Here are five books all pilots should read that have absolutely nothing to do with flying.

The Truth About Tailwheel Flying: Humility, Fun, and Warm FBO Cookies

Tailwheel flying has a way of humbling even the most confident pilot—and that’s exactly why it’s worth pursuing. In this humorous and insightful piece, Serrhel Adams reflects on the lessons, surprises, and pure joy that come with conventional-gear flying. From Cub mornings to GameBird departures, he makes the case for earning your tailwheel endorsement and rediscovering the simple fun of stick-and-rudder flying.

Is GA Getting Safer?

The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) recently released their 35th annual accident report. And the good news is that GA has never been safer. However, even though most of the press coverage has been mainly focused on the report’s positive high-level trends, the devil is as they say, in the details.