Your interactive ground school — master aviation fundamentals, flight instruments, radio communication, and avionics from the ground up.
Essential aviation fundamentals every pilot must master — from aerodynamics to airspace classification.
Lift, drag, thrust, and weight — the four forces of flight. Understand how wings generate lift and how aircraft stay stable.
METAR/TAF decoding, pressure systems, cloud types, icing conditions, turbulence, and weather-related hazards.
VOR, NDB, GPS, and RNAV — pilotage, dead reckoning, and modern area navigation concepts.
Classes A through G, special use airspace, TFRs, and requirements for each — visibility, cloud clearance, and communication.
Part 91 essentials — currency requirements, fuel minimums, right-of-way rules, equipment requirements.
Weight and balance, density altitude, takeoff/landing distances, and aircraft performance charts.
The primary flight instruments every pilot scans. Click any instrument to learn more.
Master the language of aviation — proper phraseology keeps everyone safe.
Click any letter to hear it spoken. The NATO phonetic alphabet is standard worldwide.
Emergency — International distress frequency. Guard at all times. Use for MAYDAY and PAN-PAN calls.
UNICOM — Uncontrolled field advisory. Self-announce position and intentions at non-towered airports.
Flight Service — FSS en-route frequency for weather updates, PIREPs, flight plan operations.
Air-to-Air — Pilot-to-pilot communication for coordination during formation flight or search operations.
Flight Watch — En Route Flight Advisory Service (EFAS) for real-time weather along your route below FL180.
Military Emergency — UHF military guard frequency. Monitored by all military and many civilian facilities.
Guided walkthroughs for fundamental aviation procedures and concepts.
Contact 1-800-WX-BRIEF or use ForeFlight/1800wxbrief.com. Get a standard briefing covering: adverse conditions, synopsis, current/forecast weather, winds aloft, NOTAMs, and TFRs.
Calculate total weight and CG position. Verify within the aircraft's envelope. Overweight or out-of-CG aircraft have degraded performance and handling.
Using current conditions (temperature, pressure altitude, wind), compute takeoff distance, climb rate, and landing distance. Add safety margins.
VFR or IFR — file via ForeFlight, Leidos, or ATC. Include route, altitude, fuel endurance, and alternates. Activate once airborne.
Follow the POH checklist methodically. Check control surfaces, fuel quantity/quality (drain sumps), oil, tires, pitot tube, static ports, lights, and antennas.
The standard traffic pattern is a rectangular ground track flown at a specific altitude (typically 1,000 ft AGL). All turns are made to the left unless otherwise specified by the airport's traffic pattern indicators.
After takeoff, climb straight out along the runway heading to pattern altitude.
Turn 90° left. Begin when within 300 ft of TPA or at the departure end of runway.
Fly parallel to runway, opposite direction. Abeam the numbers: reduce power, begin descent.
Turn 90° left. Continue descent, configure flaps. Watch for traffic on final.
Turn to align with runway. Stabilized approach — on speed, on glidepath. Full flaps.
Below Vc: Land straight ahead. Do not turn back (the "impossible turn" kills pilots). Adjust heading for obstacles.
Above Vc and sufficient altitude: Consider return to field only if you have altitude, airspeed, and have practiced the maneuver.
Best glide speed immediately. Pitch for Vg (in POH). You have time. Restart checklist: fuel selector, mixture, mags, carb heat. Pick a field, set up pattern, SQUAWK 7700, declare on 121.5.
Master switch OFF, all avionics OFF, cabin heat OFF, vents OPEN. If fire extinguishes: selectively re-enable circuits to isolate the fault. Land at nearest suitable airport.
Attitude indicator and heading indicator will slowly tumble and become unreliable. Use turn coordinator + magnetic compass for attitude/heading. Timed turns: standard rate = 3°/sec.
Do not panic. Level the wings using turn coordinator. Maintain heading and altitude. Declare emergency on ATC frequency or 121.5. Request vectors. Trust your instruments, not your body.
7500 — Hijack. 7600 — Communication failure. 7700 — Emergency. Remember: 75 = taken alive, 76 = need a fix, 77 = going to heaven.
Practice questions covering all ground school areas. Track your score as you go.