Training & Safety

Training & Safety News

Scholarship winner earns private certificate

"It was probably the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It made me realize many things are possible, and opportunities are available if you seek them out." That's the sentiment from Zachary Alcantar, one of four winners of $5,000 flight training scholarships last fall.

Featured Resources

IFR fix

“IFR fix” archive

Take a look at the IFR experience from a new perspective, and answer a provocative piloting poll question on that subject to and see what fellow instrument pilots—newly rated and IFR veterans alike—would do under similar circumstances. See the archives >>

Fly like a fighter

“Fly like a fighter” archive

Fighter pilots aren’t all that different from the rest of us in the general aviation world. They love flying, follow checklists, and even make a few mistakes—and they learn from those mistakes just like we do. Larry Brown of Colorado Springs, Colo., is a retired Air Force F-15 who is relating his experiences in military and GA flying. See the archives >>

Real Pilot Stories

Each Real Pilot Story is a true account of a good flight gone bad. Listen to pilots who really have “been there, done that” (and survived) tell their harrowing tales in hopes of helping the rest of us become better pilots. All presentations contain audio. In order to view the presentations, a Flash plug-in is required.

IFR Fix: Did you peek?

IFR Fix Whether the view-limiting device you use makes you look like a welder, a scuba diver, or a student in a college chem lab, remember that you are preparing for the time when you can't just peel off the gizmo and squint at splendid scenery.

'You just saved my life': ATC aids pilots in a pinch

Jim Lawson of Afton, Wyo., was descending through the clouds when the second tank ran dry. The instrument-rated--but not current--pilot had departed for Ellensburg, Wash., in beautiful weather, but ground fog moved in at his destination, he said. So he headed toward his alternate, where ceilings were broken and he heard pilots on the frequency taking off and landing. When he got there, the clouds had closed in: He was low on fuel and trapped above the cloud layer. He needed help.

Fly like a fighter: Where'd my maps go?

Fly like a fighter A negative-G guns jink sprays maps, charts, and approach plates onto the top of retired Air Force pilot Larry Brown's F-15 canopy, teaching him a valuable lesson he adheres to today in his Cessna P210--even though he won't be doing any negative-G pushovers.

NASA games designed to spark aviation interest

NASA has launched two free games aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers and aviators--an air traffic control game adapted for Apple iPhone and iPad devices, and a multi-player space and technology trivia game hosted on Facebook.

IFR Fix: ADF Required

ifr fix Pilots, don't throw away your automatic direction finders just yet. As many readers of the Jan. 20 "IFR Fix: Take a left, then a right" discovered, there was a typographical error in the notes to the Waterbury-Oxford ILS or LOC RWY 36 instrument approach procedure. Instead of "ADF Required," it says "AFD Required."