Plane and Pilot Magazine
  • Sign-In
  • |
  • Register
  • Follow Us
  • Find Us on Facebook
  • Follow Us on Twitter
Sign Up for Plane & Pilot Newsletter
  • Sign-In
  • |
  • Register
  • Follow Us
  • Find Us on Facebook
  • Follow Us on Twitter
Newsletter Sign Up »
  • Aircraft
    • Specifications
    • Pilot Reports
    • Best Buys
    • LSA
    • Modifications
    • Maintenance
    • Aircraft Ownership
    • Photo Downloads
    • International Aircraft Directory
  • Proficiency
    • Pilot Skills
    • Aviation Weather Safety
  • Products
    • What’s New?
    • Accessories
    • Pilot Supplies
    • Books & Videos
  • Pilot Talk
    • Cross-Country Flying Stories
    • A Flight I’ll Never Forget
    • Grassroots
    • Let It Roll
    • After The Accident
    • Guest Speaker
    • More Pilot Talk
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
  • Travel
    • Journeys
  • Aviation Careers
    • Aviation Guide To Education & Training
    • General Aviation Careers
    • Flight Training
  • Contests
    • Your Flying World Photo Contest
  • News/Blog
    • News
    • Isabel Goyer
    • Patty Wagstaff
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe Now
    • Customer Service
    • eNewsletter

Pilot Skills

Hone your pilot skills with the articles and advice below. Our sport-pilot articles cover topics of interest to novice and advanced general aviation pilots. Trust our ongoing training articles to improve your piloting skills.

October 28, 2015

Formation Without Perspiration

Formation flying needn’t be terrifying or dangerous, provided you stay loose

The assignment was simple—fly over to Lubbock, Texas, spend three days with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) basic training squadron at Reese Air Force Base (AFB).

November 5, 2013

Pilots Versus Aviators

Do you pressure the controls or move them?

Everyone reading these words has flown with a lot of other pilots.

July 17, 2012

Over Water, Under Canopy!

Saved by the BRS parachute

Cylinder-head temp gauges are creeping noticeably toward the red lines. Not good. No, this isn’t looking good at all.

November 8, 2011

The Dangers Of Noise Fatigue

Noise fatigue may be an often-overlooked cause of aircraft accidents in general aviation

I was tired. No, beyond tired. I was fairly well-whipped. There are no legal limits imposed on flight hours associated with ferry flying, and stupidly.

September 6, 2011

When Airplanes Collide: Avoiding The Unexpected

With midair collisions showing no sign of decreasing, “See and Avoid” is more important than ever

It’s ironic that most general aviation pilots consider a possible engine failure as their greatest fear.

August 23, 2011

IFR Communications: Serious Business

What you say and what you hear on the radio are more than mere words

I listened carefully to the clearance on the first go-around, shook my head in exasperation, and wondered if the controller had been a trumpet player in a previous life.

August 9, 2011

Save On Avgas

American avgas is becoming almost as expensive as European petrol. Here’s how to use less of it.

It barely matters what you fly these days— avgas is starting to comprise a greater percentage of an airplane’s total operating cost.

August 9, 2011

Fear Of Dunking

The airplane doesn’t know if it’s flying over water or land. The pilot does.

From two miles up, big water looks pretty much the same all over the world.

November 2, 2010

Challenging Runways

How to handle tough landings

What makes some runways more challenging than others? The length? The wind? What you had for breakfast that morning? What?

September 7, 2010

Demystifying ATC

How to work better with “the voice” in your headset

It seems we all have a story, some event in our lives that brought us into the aviation trade.

March 9, 2010

Uphill/Downhill Landings

Making sense of tricky landings

What are the best conditions for landing uphill/downwind or downhill/upwind? It may seem dangerous to land into the wind but downslope on a snowy runway; yet landing upslope with a tailwind seems equally precarious.

February 9, 2010

From Tailwheel To Turbine

Total transition training, the Gauntlet way

Bill Stewart, until recently a lapsed pilot, sounds like something between a fighter jock and a kid in a candy store as he recounts his latest aerial exploits on the ramp at Chicago’s Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR).

December 15, 2009

Be A Great Pilot!

Top tips for all aspects of flight

The sheer enormity of the subject is a little intimidating. You probably could name several thousand characteristics of a “good pilot.”

October 20, 2009

Staying Centered

If you’re a pilot, there’s more to staying centered than transcendental meditation

It was 1984, and I was ferrying one of the last of the Cessna 207s to South America. It was a midsummer afternoon in South Texas, and the mushroom cumuli were climbing high into the stratosphere all along the border and south toward the Gulf of Mexico.

September 22, 2009

Flying The Corridors

VFR flight corridors serve a useful purpose in congested and some not-so-congested airspace

V­FR corridors have served an important function in U.S. airspace since the creation of the old TCAs (Terminal Control Areas) and TRSAs (Terminal Radar Service Areas), now less telegraphically renamed Class B and Class C airspace, respectively.

July 28, 2009

Formation Flying! Part II

The cognitive challenges of flying lead

Formation flying is a dangerous and, for me, compellingly beautiful and engaging experience.

July 14, 2009

Lowest To Highest

From below sea level to a Colorado high in a light jet

I spent over a year making the transition from piloting a TBM 700 turboprop to becoming a jet pilot; a process that has taken me through an ATP rating, two type ratings, a lot of simulator time, a jet trip to Paris, a bit of mentoring, one or two scary moments, some frustration and piles of cash

July 14, 2009

You Spin Me Round!

Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety takes the unusual out of unusual attitudes

When I was a student pilot and my instructor would send me on solo flights to practice maneuvers, stalls were always last on my list.

Posts navigation

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next

Most Popular Articles

  • 10 Sexiest Airplanes
  • Choosing A Six-Seat Single
  • Top 20 Tips For Buying An Airplane
  • The Cessna Buyer's Guide
  • 10 Cheapest Birds In The Sky

Most Recent Articles

  • This Airplane Teeter-Totter Is The Perfect Gift For Kids
  • Garmin Gets Green Light For Piper Autopilot STCs
  • NBAA 2019: Avidyne Atlas FMS Hits A Suite Spot
  • Cool Products For Aviation Enthusiasts
  • Aviation Treasures… Found! (You Simply Won’t Believe Number 4!)
  • Insta360 ONE X Takes Air-to-Air Video Of Your Plane Without A Camera Plane
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Plane & Pilot Magazine
Find Us On Facebook!
Follow Us On Twitter!
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Submissions
  • Pilot Journal Past Issues
  • Manage Your Consent
Check out our other sites:
  • Digital Photo Magazine
  • Digital Photo Pro Magazine
  • Outdoor Photographer Magazine
  • HD Video Pro Magazine
  • Golf Tips
Plane & Pilot and Pilot Journal Magazines are published by Madavor Media
25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 404 Braintree, MA
Copyright ©2019 Madavor Media
ACCEPT RejectPrivacy Policy We use cookies on our site to personalize content and ads, provide social media features, and analyze our traffic.
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

PLANE & PILOT MENU
  • Aircraft
    ▼
    • Specifications
    • Pilot Reports
    • Best Buys
    • LSA
    • Modifications
    • Maintenance
    • Aircraft Ownership
    • Photo Downloads
    • International Aircraft Directory
  • Proficiency
    ▲
    • Pilot Skills
    • Aviation Weather Safety
  • Products
    ▼
    • What’s New?
    • Accessories
    • Pilot Supplies
    • Books & Videos
  • Pilot Talk
    ▼
    • Cross-Country Flying Stories
    • A Flight I’ll Never Forget
    • Grassroots
    • Let It Roll
    • After The Accident
    • Guest Speaker
    • More Pilot Talk
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
  • Travel
    ▼
    • Journeys
  • Aviation Careers
    ▼
    • Aviation Guide To Education & Training
    • General Aviation Careers
    • Flight Training
  • Contests
    ▼
    • Your Flying World Photo Contest
  • News/Blog
    ▼
    • News
    • Isabel Goyer
    • Patty Wagstaff
  • Subscribe
    ▼
    • Subscribe Now
    • Customer Service
    • eNewsletter