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Find a lesson plan →Trivia of the Day
Trivia rolls over daily at midnight, Mountain Standard Time.
Private Pilot Question of the Day
What radio communication procedures apply when departing an airport in Class D airspace?
Establish two-way communication with the tower before taxiing onto movement areas or taking off, receive and read back applicable clearances, and maintain communication until instructed to change frequency or clear of Class D.
Commercial Pilot Question of the Day
In a commercial helicopter operation, how should the pilot recognize environmental-system anomalies and apply aircraft-specific corrective, shutdown, ventilation, or landing procedures?
Recognize unusual odor, smoke, heat, noise, airflow, pressure, window fogging, carbon-monoxide indication, circuit or annunciator changes, and occupant symptoms. Use the checklist to isolate or shut down the system, ventilate or use oxygen as appropriate, preserve visibility, and land when the hazard remains.
Instrument Rating Question of the Day
What risk controls apply when performing and documenting a postflight inspection after instrument-helicopter operations?
Use the approved checklist, secure the helicopter, inspect relevant systems and components, identify servicing needs, and document discrepancies accurately and promptly. Do not normalize or conceal intermittent indications, exceedances, icing, unusual vibration, hard landings, navigation or display faults, or other anomalies; communicate them to maintenance and the next operator and prevent further flight until required corrective action or an airworthiness determination is completed.
Sport Pilot Question of the Day
What principal operating restrictions apply to VFR operation in Class E airspace?
No clearance or communication is normally required merely for VFR entry, but the pilot must comply with the applicable VFR weather minima, speed rules, equipment rules at specified altitudes, and surface-area restrictions such as basic-VFR ceiling requirements when applicable.
Flight Instructor Question of the Day
Why can right-of-way and sailing operations create special risk for a seaplane?
Wind and current can limit precise control while traffic may interpret intentions differently, so a late or ambiguous maneuver can produce collision, grounding, or loss-of-control risk.
Flight Instructor Instrument Question of the Day
What is automation management?
Automation management is the demonstrated ability to control and navigate an aircraft using installed automated systems while maintaining situational awareness, monitoring system performance, and remaining prepared to intervene or revert to a lower level of automation.
Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Question of the Day
How do the Part 107 rules for operating over people change when the operation occurs at night?
The applicable operations-over-people category restrictions do not change; the pilot must also satisfy the night-training and anti-collision-light requirements of § 107.29.
Advice of the Day
Maintain a consistent flight training schedule. Long breaks in any kind of training, but especially aviation, will cause a dramatic loss of progress.
System of the Day
Cabin Heating and Cooling Systems: Cabin Heating and cooling systems provide conditioned air for comfortable operations during various weather conditions
Maneuver of the Day
Procedure Turn And Hold In Lieu Of: A procedure turn is the maneuver prescribed when it is necessary to reverse direction to establish the aircraft inbound on an approach course.
Emergency of the Day
Engine Failure: The total loss of power requires immediate actions which depend upon speed (life) and altitude (life insurance)
Mishap of the Day
ERA14LA450: The NTSB determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in a takeoff with the airplane's center of gravity aft of its limit and led the airplane to exceed its critical angle of attack and experience an aerodynamic stall during the initial climb.
