Piloting

Aviation is a world of acronyms. If you’re researching flight training, the term “CFI” is one of the first that you’ll hear. What is a CFI, a CFII, or an MEI? Today, let’s look at some of these flight training terms and talk about the people behind them. CFI stands for Certified Flight Instructor. The

Aerodynamics involves the study of airflow, and we often think of the air moving over the wing to make lift or the drag produced by air moving over the fuselage. But it also looks at the airflow around the whole airplane, and sometimes that changes during flight. Ground effect refers to the change in the

One of the most incredible advancements in aviation has been the introduction of satellite navigation. But GPS technology alone isn’t enough—the regular GPS signals aren’t accurate enough to guide a plane to a safe landing during bad weather. So the FAA created a system to make GPS better and more accurate, called WAAS. WAAS stands

Most aviation buffs know that if an airplane flies too slowly, it will stall. If there isn’t enough air flowing over the wings, the airplane cannot fly. A ‘high speed stall’ sounds contradictory. However, it’s very real… Contrary to popular belief, an airplane can stall at nearly any airspeed—including very fast ones. When the plane stalls

A few terms that might be unfamiliar to US pilots, CAVOK and CAVU, pop up in some international weather reports from time to time. So what do they mean? Both CAVOK and CAVU are abbreviations used in some local weather reports. They mean “Ceiling and Visibility OK” or “Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited.” Neither term is

Learning basic aerodynamics starts by studying the various forces acting on a plane. The four forces of flight are lift, thrust, drag, and weight. Each one of these items is complicated in its own right. Let’s take it one step further and explain the aerodynamic center and the center of pressure. Pilots think of lift

The language of aviation worldwide is officially English—it is what all international pilots and air traffic controllers must converse in. But any pilot will tell you that the real language of aviation is the acronym. The OBS is a selector knob on a navigational radio. It stands for the “Omni-Bearing Selector,” and it enables a

Everyone knows that pilots need a lot of training to learn to fly their airplanes, right? Well, not only do pilots have to go to school to learn how to fly, but they also get trained in each different type of plane they fly. Imagine having to go to school just because you bought a

Ask most people what counts as a “cross-country flight,” and chances are most will say you need to fly from coast to coast. A flight from LA to New York? Yeah, that’s about as “cross-country” as you can get! What is the Definition of a Cross Country Flight? (According to FAA) For pilots, the term

The National Airspace System is complex. Getting your first pilot’s license is sometimes called your “license to learn.” For all the technicalities involved in flying a plane, manipulation of the controls is the easy part. SIDs and STARs are one element in a much larger system of routes that airplanes fly. SIDs, or Standard Instrument