Flight Training

I knew we were too high and too fast coming into Atlanta, Idaho (55H), the type of backcountry airstrip that offers no go-around potential. I had blown it, but CFI Paul Leadabrand, in the right seat, had forced me to select an abort point and departure route before we started into the pattern. It was […]

With a looming pilot shortage and few dedicated single-engine trainers on the market, Cirrus has stepped up with a “purpose-built” version of the SR20 called TRAC. It includes features aimed at the training market including a “landing gear simulator.” Cirrus says the TRAC is “thoughtfully crafted with reliability, durability and economy in mind to meet […]

A student pilot on his first lesson in a Cessna 152 got some accelerated training in Australia on Saturday when his instructor collapsed in the right seat beside him. Max Sylvester and the unidentified instructor had taken off from Jandakot Airport in Perth in Western Australia when the instructor slumped into the student. “He’s leaning […]

Vulcanair and its U.S distributor Ameravia announced at AirVenture that they will be offering a new version of the Vulcanair P68R designed for use by flight schools as a multi-engine trainer. The P68R ECO is powered by twin Lycoming IO-360 engines and comes equipped with the Garmin G1000NXi and GFC700 autopilot. According to Ameravia, the […]

Redbird Flight Simulations introduced GIFT Instrument Rating, a companion training program for Redbird simulators that is uses AI-monitored lessons and feedback to teach instrument concepts, at AirVenture 2019. GIFT Instrument Rating is the next phase of the company’s Guided Independent Flight Training (GIFT) program, which debuted in 2017. Like its predecessor, GIFT Private Pilot, GIFT […]

The first airplane some new Air Force pilots will fly might be a Pipistrel Alpha trainer. The first cohort of 20 potential pilots, all of them either about to become USAF officers or freshly commissioned, completed a course that led to 17 them soloing the light sport aircraft. The new program, called the Aviation-Character-Education (ACE) […]

The International Civil Aviation Organization will hold meetings in Montreal next week to review pilot licensing requirements. ICAO officials said the meeting was organized to review whether current training standards are relevant for pilots of modern highly automated airliners. “Recently, with current events, people are discussing whether the minimum requirements or experience are still valid, […]

The FAA has given the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) the task of reviewing all policies and regulations related to designated pilot examiners (DPEs), according to a notice (PDF) issued by the agency last week. The action comes in response to Section 319 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which calls for a full […]

When the last human pilot exits the cockpit and the cockpit no longer even has a door for a human, we’ll still be arguing about the benefits of aircraft automation. For the time being, this much is true: There is general agreement that widespread automation is eroding pilot physical skills, if not judgment acuity along […]

American Airlines pilots have asked a second time for access to Boeing’s 737 MAX simulators after their first request, made through the airline, was rejected by Boeing. Dan Carey, the outgoing president of the Allied Pilots Association, appealed directly to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg earlier this week, calling the training an important aspect of the […]