Why is preflighting an aircraft crucial? Preflighting ensures the safety and airworthiness of the aircraft before taking off. By conducting a comprehensive preflight, potential issues can be identified and addressed on the ground before they turn serious in the air. During a preflight, the pilot inspects the aircraft thoroughly, checking for any issues or...Read More

  In recent years, the popularity of drones has skyrocketed, with more and more people turning to unmanned aircraft for both personal and professional purposes. However, many drone pilots may not be fully aware of the rules and regulations set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when it comes to flying drones recreationally. All...Read More

Over the New Year’s holiday, I flew to Key West, Florida, which is an awesome destination if you are looking for fun places to fly in south Florida. Warm weather in the 80s and warm water greeted us while the rest of the United States which was experiencing average temperatures around 30-40°F. After a weekend...Read More

On Sunday, daylight savings time ended, and the reality of less daylight is evident in the colder weather we are experiencing. October’s blog article discussed frost and polished frost. November brings cooler nights and a higher likelihood for much of the lower 48 of experiencing freezing rain or even snow. If your aircraft is parked...Read More

In this week’s 1-Minute Ground School, we will be discussing the elusive microburst. Don’t be fooled by the name – there is nothing small about a microburst. Being caught in a microburst exposes an aircraft to immense windshear and can be catastrophic. Due to its significant downdraft, you will find that a small aircraft may...Read More

Settling back into Gleim life this past week following a fantastic, though hectic Oshkosh, I noticed that one particular model airplane was getting a lot of flight time around our house: a wonderful old diecast DC-9 we found on a morning stroll through the Air Venture marketplace. This morning, I watched my oldest son zooming...Read More