Flight Instructor Blog

Hello friends and  users of AskACFI.  We at Dauntless Aviation are the sponsors of AskACFI.  We hope you like it and are especially grateful to those of you who share your expertise with the aviation community.  As you might be aware, we make some great aviation products – including the best FAA Knowledge Test Prep, […]

Hello Folks,
At Dauntless Aviation (dauntless-soft.com), we’re a small company with a real passion for making aviation software and apps that make great pilots. For example, we take particular pride in that our GroundSchool series of FAA knowledge test prep titles don’t just provide a polished and efficient user experience that helps people pass their tests, […]

A pilot who has lost his medical asked if I could fly for hire with him. Are there any rules about giving instruction to someone who has last his/her medical and for that matter someone who has lost his/her certificate? Could we both log the time as dual given/received?
Otherwise if it was considered flying for […]

We all know the standard currency rules here in the US: 61.57. (a) and (b). In order to take passengers, you need 3 takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days. And in order to take passengers at night you need 3 night takeoffs and 3 night landings in the previous 90 days. Oh and […]

Ever wondered what the NOTAM contraction “WIP” stands for? For instance, I was flight planning tonight and came across this NOTAM:
CMH  CMH 01/039 CMH TWY B WIP
CMH  CMH 03/002 CMH TWY J WIP RESURFACING
WIP stands for “Work in Progress” from this source: AIM section 5-1-3. Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) System
Update: The link below has been discontinued […]

This review has been a long time coming. I’ve been using ForeFlight Mobile since version 2, and raving about it on Twitter the entire time. At this point, ForeFlight has been around long enough that you know their flagship product: an electronic flight bag, in your pocket, on anything that runs iOS.
On the iPhone, ForeFlight […]

One of my favorite things about running this website is experiencing the power and value of the community. Just as pilots learn valuable lessons from sitting at the airport and “hangar flying”, pilots here too learn from each other’s successes, failures and experiences. Although the site’s title is “Ask a CFI”, it could […]

Even Santa has to get checked out before flight.  I bet he nailed his short field takeoffs and landings!
 

Found this tonight while doing some preflight:
MSN 08/051 MSN RWY 18/36 RCL NONSTD MARKING BTN TWY A4 AND TWY A5
MSN 08/052 MSN RWY 3/21 RCL NONSTD MARKING BTN TWY B1 AND TWY B2
And I’m not sure why, but RCL took me a few minutes to put together.
RCL = Runway Centerline
So, decoding the above NOTAM.  At […]

Just wanted to pass on some general website housekeeping notes about askacfi.com.
I received an email tonight from a registered user indicating that he was having trouble accessing his account at askacfi.com.   If you are having similar issues, here is the problem.  A couple of nights ago, I ran a script to help remove the […]

There is an interesting project at kickstarter.com that I thought was interesting and deserved attention at askacfi.com.
The project is “Wing over Wendys” and it is a book about a group of veteran combat war pilots and aircrew men and women from WW2, Korea, and Vietnam who meet every Monday morning at a Southern California Wendy’s restaurant […]

Hey everyone! I sent an email to Paul Tocknell (admin) about adding a Helicopter category to the list of question areas, and he was happy to put it up! I’m exited to talk to Helicopter instructors out there, and while not yet a CFI myself, I am an Instrument Helicopter Pilot (ASEL also) and LOVE the challenge […]

This article, which details the differences between certificates, ratings and endorsements, was graciously provided by Susan Parson of the FAA. This article originally appeared in the May / June 2008 issue of FAA Aviation News (now FAA Safety Briefing). You can download the current and previous FAA Safety Briefings on their website at: […]

The barometric (baro) altimeter, measures altitude based on a model of the atmosphere, in particular, how the pressure and temperature of the air changes with altitude, the higher the altitude, the lower the pressure and the lower the temperture. The standard pressure at sea level is 29.92 inches of mercury and the standard temperature is […]

I’m going through user registrations on askacfi.com right now and using a plugin to help me delete spammer registrations. If for some reason, I delete your account I do apologize. Please re-register.
Thanks for your patience, and if you have any other improvements you would like see made to the site, please let […]

Happy Holidays to All and to All a Safe Flight.

About a year ago I did a search for “Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators PDF” and was amazed when my search turned up zero relevant results.  Here is a text produced by the US Navy and referenced by several FAA training documents and completely unavailable unless you purchased a copy from a private publisher!  Well, after […]

I’ve been flying professionally for 11 years now and one of the most important things that I’ve learned is the importance of staying comfortable in the cockpit.   When I worked as an aerial survey pilot, it was not uncommon to have 7+ hour legs.  That’s right, 7 hours in the same seat, flying over […]

I’ve noticed that I (Paul) have consistently been at the top of the answerer leader board even though I am not always a top producer of answers!  Just because it is “my” site, I have no pride with being at the top.  In fact, that’s kind of how I know the site has really succedded […]

Bose A20 Aviation Headset
Best Headset Ever Made?
I have been using Bose headsets for many years.  My first use of the Bose A20 headset was in the cockpit of a Beechcraft Bonanza 3 years ago and I have found nothing better since then.  I continue to use Bose A20 as my only headset.  I have a […]

Overview: Scheyden sunglass, even though quite expensive, are stylish and functional.  (keep reading though to learn how Scheyden hooked up the readers of Ask a CFI.com with a  40%  coupon).
As a pilot there are a few accessories that are a must for flying. Then there are those accessories that are a must to look good […]

I just finished reading the “Take a Challenge” article in AOPA Flight Training magazine where they highlighted challenging airports various categories (weather, crosswind, terrain, altitude, etc).  After I got done reading this article, I thought of this procedure turn practice manuever my friend and fellow flight instructor Ed Quinlan shared with me.    Ed used […]

Forward: My friend Howard Nock has started and operated several flight schools over the years. I asked him to write this article providing the general steps on starting your own flight school business. His experience and insight into the flight school industry is helpful for people thinking about starting their own flight […]

I’d like to start a conversation with any CFI’s and Flight School owners about rethinking the business end of flight training –perhaps via a ning network.  I’d like to have some conversations  about:
+current pricing & rates
+marketing
+really investigating where our competition exists  (I maintain that it is other high-involvement recreation products like jet-skis and harleys.)
+How to retain […]

By Chris Findley, CFI, CFII
MyFlightCoach.com
One of the great things about being a pilot is the high “gadget-factor”. There are gadgets for just about everything. There are iPhone apps that help your preflight planning. There are system monitors that tell you everything you never knew you needed to know about your engine. […]