[sc:Top-of-Post ] Getting an Instrument Rating: Perspective One of the guys asked about getting his instrument rating recently, so I provided some guidance that I thought I would share with the rest of you. This is not an all-encompassing treatise on getting your instrument ticket, but it does include some things to think about before…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Home Simulation: Part 2 IFR Student / IFR rated by Michael W. Wojcik Getting into the soup. Some of the most enjoyable experiences of using flight simulation at home is when I began working on earning my instrument rating. Most pilots agree this is the most difficult, hence most rewarding when completed. The flight…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Home Simulation, when you can’t fly as much as you would like (part 1). by Michael W. Wojcik Like most people, time and budget limit the amount of hours I can normally fly in any given year. For me it’s typically less than a couple dozen. So how can one help their proficiency…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Score one for innovation against the declining pilot population I have to say I am impressed by all the ideas being brought to bear on the “war against the declining pilot population.” Some of the ideas are brand new and some are recycled from the past. A couple of these are pretty clever….
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Pattern Work: Touch-and-goes for increased proficiency In my days as an instructor I spent a lot of time in the traffic pattern doing dozens of touch-and-goes. Today, I still feel like this is one of the best places to refine our craft and maintain proficiency – notice I didn’t say currency, but…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Should I train in a modern or vintage LSA aircraft? A friend of the blog, Dave L., emailed recently asking about completing his Light Sport (LSA) training in a legacy aircraft, in this case a post-war Aeronca Champ, versus a modern LSA trainer. He had taken some lesson in a Sport Cruiser and…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] The Instrument rating demystified The instrument rating is really a graduate level course that many undergrads quiver at the thought of undergoing. Lets examine it in detail and discover some common mistakes and misconceptions. What is an instrument rating? We should all understand the basic idea behind being instrument rated, but you might…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] How do I pay for flight training? It seems like lately there has been a plethora of articles and blog posts on the internet about the cost of flying and how our population is shrinking. I felt it was appropriate to provide some ideas on how to pay for, and defray, training costs as…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Checklist Discipline (Update) Fellow pilot and friend Mike Wojcik contributed to this piece. See his work below regarding a checklist he developed for the Tecnam. Ever thought about your checklist? I mean really thought about it? It is much more than a faded and tattered occupier of precious cockpit real estate. It is…
[sc:Top-of-Post ] Always learning: a pilot can never learn too much Learning is defined by Webster as: the process of acquiring modifications in existing knowledge, skills, habits, or tendencies through experience, practice, or exercise. As pilots we always have to strive to get better and never stop learning. It is impossible to know everything there is…