By Jim Trusty © I can sometimes sense that a student doesn’t really want me to leave the cockpit so they can do some work by themselves. But I know they have to go out alone if they are ever going to become pilots. My method is to take another airplane and fly off their wing two or three miles behind them and up some, too, just in case they need a little help. It works, I’ve done it dozens of times over the years, and all those pilots are still flying. It isn’t unsafe and it isn’t cheating--it’s just that they need a little … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty © When you have mental lapses while in pursuit of your aviation dreams, do you quickly think of an excuse, like your age, to get you off the hook? If age is truly the problem, why didn’t you do something stupid yesterday? Why didn’t the FAA Doc catch it at exam time? What would make you become dumb and unsafe overnight? Have you known this was slipping up on you for some time and just refused to accept the fact that some of your senses are slowing down? Or have you been telling yourself that time will cure … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty © There has never been a market that has more information about the product available to the buyer for almost nothing than the aviation market. So why, you might ask, would anyone purchase an aircraft without going through all those steps that will most probably insure that you get exactly what you think you are buying? Well, sometimes, just like when we buy an automobile, house, or anything else that costs over ten bucks, that old ugly thing called “emotion” steps in and influences us in the final decision making … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty. Which is the most important, ground or flight instruction? Well, personally, I am biased on this opinion. I was an Advanced Ground Instructor Instruments (AGII) long before I became a Certificated Flight Instructor, Instruments (CFII). This has convinced me that ground instruction is by far the most important. You can’t truly fly an airplane until you understand what makes it fly, how it works, how it was built, the numbers, and a million other things readily available as information that is supposed to be digested long … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty. The first flight after the annual inspection of your airplane can either be totally uneventful or a very busy flight. I have known and trusted my mechanic for years, and he seldom misses anything. This is good because live, happy, and satisfied pilot/customers can recommend you to others and then return the next time to spend more money. Even so, you should always expect the worst and be prepared. Just think about this statement while I use my case as an example. Four strangers to my aircraft checked, filled, turned, … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty. I had the opportunity recently to be a speaker at a local high school “Career Day” and it was an eye opener for me. I graduated in 1952 and there have been quite a few changes, thank goodness, since then. About 40 professions were represented and all drew a crowd from the 2,000 plus student body. After an initial welcoming speech to the entire group, we went to the assigned rooms and, happily, I had drawn the attention of 40 young minds. Or was it aviation that did the trick? Either way, they were mine for a couple of … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty - 5/22/2004 Are we losing the “pure pilot”? As an instructor, I vote yes, and every old timer (which is the kindest name we are called) agrees with me. Airline jockeys, military pushers, air show performers, test pilots, and scores of others tell me quite frankly that they would not be where they are today if their training programs had looked like what we are selling now. The inspiration for this article was a discussion with an old Air Force Colonel who had some great comments about technology and its misuse after … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty - 2/21/2004 I think it is fair to say that most of us don’t do enough to stay current, proficient, and ahead of the airplane we fly. Is it possible that we, as pilots, don’t know everything we should about our chosen mode of transportation? Let’s take a short flight and use up about half of a mythical day in your life as a pilot. Let’s see just how ready you are to take this trip. Good night’s sleep? Medical up to date? Current in your aircraft? Weight and balance completed? Complete walk-around with a checklist? … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty - 2/21/2004 Who needs recurrency training? Just the pilots who plan on flying proficiently the next time they go up. And I hate to admit it, but this certainly includes you and me. There is nothing worse than a pilot on the ground telling stories about when they used to fly and how good they were when in reality they are just too lazy or too proud to fly with someone in order to become current again. Pilots are a funny bunch when it comes to someone rating or grading the way they perform in the air. I have people come from … [Read more...]

By Jim Trusty - 5/22/2004 Some insight into the theories we now teach and believe with explanations that come as close to being correct as anything else you may have been told. It has always amazed me, both as a pilot and a flight instructor, that we could, in this technological age, have so many theories or answers to a question that has gone unanswered since the legendary Daedalus and Icarus went flying many years ago, if they really did. First, let’s define the question we are really asking: “What makes an airplane fly?” or … [Read more...]