Heard of the ‘Troxler Effect?’—watch Rod Machado’s eye-opening video demonstration in ‘See and Avoid.’ Also, learn about teaching ‘Soft Skills’ that are crucial to flight safety, and take away lessons from an instructional accident. Whether you're an active flight instructor or getting back into the cockpit, access ASI’s free digital flight instructor newsletter articles and videos, anywhere, anytime.
A New Approach to Flight Reviews? Take a Look!Feature: Be the Best Pilot You Can Be—Fly the Focused Flight Review
"When the AOPA Air Safety Institute, in collaboration with industry leaders, flight instructors, pilot clubs, and government agencies, designed the focused flight review, I got super excited. Why? Because I’m a bit rusty.”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Single Point Failure | ASI Safety Notice: Density Altitude—The Triple H Effect | CFI Tips: CFIs Get Rusty Too | CFI Tools: The Passenger Briefing—5 Tips for Taking a Professional Approach | Chart Challenge: Enlightening Symbols | Chief’s Corner: The Devil’s in the Details | Safety Seminar: ASI Investigates—Weather Accidents | Safety Quiz: Hamburger Hop at Night | You Can Fly: Rusty Pilots Program
Commentary: ASI Message: Pilot in Command | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video: Accident Case Study: Single Point Failure | ASI Safety Notice: Density Altitude—The Triple H Effect | ASI Safety Tip: The Rudder—It Gets No Respect! | CFI News: FAA Runway Safety Wrong Surface Landings; NTSB Loss of Control Roundtable Highlights | CFI Tools: The Passenger Briefing | Feature: Focused Flight Review
Can I Fly?Feature: Can I Fly? MELs, KOLs, and the Regs
“It’s a common response I get from checkride applicants when I ask them if something is not working properly on their aircraft: Would they be allowed to fly themselves home without needing to fix it?”
Departments: CFI Tips: Training Plateaus | CFI Tools: What’s Up, Doc? | Chart Challenge: Dodging Bogeys | Chief’s Corner: The Flight Review in Focus | Real Pilot Story: Fire in the Cockpit | Safety Seminar: ASI Investigates—Weather Accidents | Safety Spotlight: Does ‘Trickier’ Mean Safer? | Safety Quiz: Aircraft Preflight | You Can Fly: Listening Tour
Commentary: ASI Message: Facing an 89 Ride | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? Traffic Pattern Tactics
Video: ASI Safety Tip: Greasing the Landing | CFI News: Taming the Twin; NTSB Safety Alert: Minding Weight, Maintaining Balance | CFI Tools: What’s Up, Doc? Guide to Understanding BasicMed | Real Pilot Story: Fire in the Cockpit
Know ThyselfFeature: Know Thyself—Why Being Honest with Ourselves is so Hard
“Every pilot has strong and weak points, good and bad days, and being able to assess those differences before, during, and after each flight is crucial to our ability to learn and improve.”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Everyone’s Problem | Chart Challenge: Give Rockets Some Space | CFI Tips: Two Steps Ahead | CFI Tools: Ask ATC | Chief’s Corner: Spring Cleaning | Safety Seminar: Collision Course—Avoiding Airborne Traffic | Safety Spotlight: Statistics in a Snap | Safety Quiz: Airport Lighting VFR | You Can Fly: Ticket to Flight Training
Commentary: ASI Message: See and Avoid | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? Air Safety Institute General Aviation Safety Award
Video: Accident Case Study: Everyone’s Problem | ASI Message: Collision Avoidance—See Sense Separate | ASI Safety Tip: Taxi Controls | CFI News: NTSB Safety Alert: Intersection Takeoffs | CFI Tools: Ask ATC
Hack the CheckrideFeature: Hack the Checkride
"The reality is that if you are counting on a trick to give you the upper edge on a test, you probably aren’t really ready. Don’t ‘game’ the test: Prepare for it, perform it well, and succeed!"
Departments: ASI Online: GA Security Course | Chart Challenge: Aerial Tramways and Ski Areas | CFI Tips: Make it Brief | CFI Tools: Safety To Go | Chief’s Corner: Count the Ways to Take a FIRC | Real Pilot Story: Ambushed by Ice | Safety Seminar: Collision Course—Avoiding Airborne Traffic | Safety Spotlight: Sixty Minutes and Counting | Safety Quiz: Cold Weather Ops
Commentary: ASI Message: Find One, Bring One—Help Reach the Unreachables | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? Runway Safety from Taxi to Tiedown
Video: ASI Safety Tip: Aiming Point | CFI News: NTSB Safety Alert | Fit to Fly | Flight Training Experience Award Winners | Real Pilot Story: Ambushed by Ice
Exercising the Command in PICFeature: Exercising the Command in PIC
"Sometimes in an emergency, your brain must instantly switch from 'compliance mode' to 'command mode.' One of my students got a firsthand look at such a situation recently during an emergency landing at Gillespie Field Airport (KSEE) in San Diego."
Departments: Accident Case Study: In Too Deep | ASI Online: There I Was... | Chart Challenge: Cranberries and Pilgrims | CFI Tips: A Healthy Dose of Apprehension | CFI Tools: ASI Safety Advisors | Chief's Corner: What's on Your Bookshelf? | Safety Seminar: Fly By Night | Safety Spotlight: Unable to Outrun the Weather | Safety Quiz: Transitioning to Complex Aircraft
Commentary: ASI Message: Stall & Spin Analysis | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? Duty Limitations
Video: Engine Out! From Trouble to Touchdown | Accident Case Study: In Too Deep | ASI Message: Margins of Safety: Avoiding Power-On Stalls | ASI Safety Tip: Four Ws of Communication
CFI to CFI: Yes…Maybe…No? to the Touch & GoFeature: Yes…Maybe…No? to the Touch & Go—CFIs tackle a Touchy Topic
“Put several pilots in a hangar and raise a flying topic for discussion. The debate will likely be lively and opinions will vary based on pilot experience, proficiency levels, and plain seat-of-the-pants flying knowledge.”
Departments: ASI Online: Fuel Management Made Easy | Chart Challenge: What’s the Objective of an Objectionable Airport? | CFI Tips: Weather to Fly…or Not | CFI Tools: Doing the Right Thing | Chief’s Corner: How Can I Help You?| Real Pilot Story: Bird Strike | Safety Seminar: Fly By Night | Safety Spotlight: The Hornets’ Nest | Safety Quiz: FAR Part 91
Commentary: ASI Message: Pilot Judgment & Passenger Trust | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? AOPA’s 2017 Flight Training Experience Survey
Video: ASI Online: Fuel Management Made Easy | ASI Safety Tip: Box the Controls | Real Pilot Story: Bird Strike
CFI to CFI: The Email DebriefingFeature: The Email Debriefing—How will it affect your clients?
“The debrief invariably begins as you’re putting away the airplane—but this gets the discussion going while you’re both partially distracted.”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Cross-Country Crisis | ASI Online: Know Before You Go | Chart Challenge: Checkpoints vs. Waypoints | CFI Tips: No Substitute for Experience | CFI Tools: Runway Safety Heads Up | Chief’s Corner: Weight and Balance| Safety Seminar: Nontowered Case Studies: What Went Wrong? | Safety Spotlight: Touch-and-Go…or No | Safety Quiz: Airport Signs and Markings
Commentary: ASI Message: Teaching Rusty Pilots | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? BasicMed: How will it affect your clients?
Video: Accident Case Study: Cross-Country Crisis | ASI Online: Know Before Your Go—Tips from NORAD | CFI Tools: Runway Safety: Quincy, IL | Pilot Safety Announcement: 178 Seconds
CFI to CFI: Entry-Level Flight InstructorsFeature: Entry-Level Flight Instructors—Challenges & Opportunities
“As a new instructor, recognize when you know your stuff. Know what you know—be honest if you don’t but stand your ground when you do.”
Departments: ASI Online: Margins of Safety: Avoiding Traffic Pattern Stalls | Chart Challenge: Saluting MTRs and SMARs | CFI Tips: Switching Fuel Tanks in the Pattern? Keep Checklists in Check | CFI Tools: Taming the Twin—Two Engines, Four Rules | Chief’s Corner: Getting and EDGE on Training | Real Pilot Story: Trapped on Top—Time to Reach for Help | Safety Seminar: Nontowered Case Studies: What Went Wrong? | Safety Spotlight: A Moment of Panic | Safety Quiz: Ice Flight
Commentary: ASI Message: Flying in the Red Zone—Beware of Low-Altitude Maneuvering | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News | Did You Know? 40-Year Anniversary ASI FIRC
Video: Accident Case Study: Communication Breakdown | Accident Case Study: Delayed Reaction | ASI Online: Margins of Safety: Avoiding Traffic Pattern Stalls | CFI Tools: Taming the Twin—Two Engines, Four Rules | Pilot Safety Announcement: Fly the Airplane, Not the Panel! | Real Pilot Story: Trapped on Top
CFI to CFI: The Lingering Flight ReviewFeature: The Lingering Flight Review—Explore Proficiency in a Way that Really Counts
“If we only see someone for an hour of ground and an hour of flight, what’s the most productive use of that time, and how can we simultaneously entice pilots to come back for additional training of their own volition?”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Unintended Consequences—Complacency’s Red Flags | ASI Online: Look Out! Don’t Get Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place | Chart Challenge: How Long is the Runway? |CFI Tips: The Next Two Things—Use the Finger Tap | CFI Tools: Bernoulli or Newton? Essential Aerodynamics: Stalls, Spins, and Safety | Chief’s Corner: Dancing With Drones | Safety Seminar: Trivia Night! | Safety Spotlight: You’re Not Teflon—Getting in Trouble When Not Teaching | Safety Quiz: A Tale of Two ILSs
Commentary: ASI Message: Knowledge & Experience | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video: Accident Case Study: Unintended Consequences—Complacency’s Red Flags | ASI Online: Look Out! Don’t Get Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place | CFI Tips: The Next Two Things—Use the Finger Tap | Pilot Safety Announcement: Greetings from the Flight Deck | Real Pilot Story: From Miscue to Rescue
CFI to CFI: Tiptoeing Through TFRs—Prepare WiselyFeature: Feature: Tiptoeing Through TFRs—Prepare Wisely “Remember that simply taking off to do pattern work at your home field does not keep you safe from a TFR violation.”
Departments:ASI Online: Engine Out?—Fly the Plane! | Chart Challenge: What, No Pilot in the Cockpit? |CFI Tips: Mnemonic Pyramid—Memorizing VFR Minimums | CFI Tools: Runway Signage and Markings | Chief’s Corner: Distractions, Distractions… | Real Pilot Story: Ditching in the Dark | Safety Seminar: Trivia Night! | Safety Spotlight: Emergency Procedures Training—A Delicate Situation | Safety Quiz: Spatial Disorientation
Commentary: ASI Message: Personal Minimums| Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video: Tiptoeing Through TFRs—Prepare Wisely | ASI Online: Engine Out?—Fly the Plane! | CFI Tips: Mnemonic Pyramid—Memorizing VFR Minimums | Pilot Safety Announcement: Vacation—Are You Ready? | Real Pilot Story: Ditching in the Dark
CFI to CFI: Checkride—Be There for Your StudentsFeature: Checkride—Be There for Your Students
“Practical test day is stressful for the student but it can be easier if a good flight instructor does his or her job well. Preparing the student for a practical test is a big part of a CFI’s job, but the finishing touches require that the instructor follows through right to the end.”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Final Approach | ASI Online: Collision Avoidance—See, Sense, Separate | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | CFI Tools: SkySpotter—Pireps Made Easy | Chief’s Corner: CFIs and the New Student Pilot Certification Process | Safety Seminar: Emergency! Getting It Right When Things Go Wrong | Safety Spotlight: Indistractible | Safety Quiz: The Almost ILS
Commentary: ASI Message: Preventing Misfueling| Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video: Accident Case Study: Final Approach | ASI Online: Collision Avoidance—See, Sense, Separate | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | Pilot Safety Announcement: Rundown Feeling
CFI to CFI: Flying—For the Love of itFeature: Flying—For the Love of it
“For those of us who have merely lost our focus for the briefest of moments, we have only to remember why we learned to fly.”
Departments: Accident Case Study:Delayed Reaction | ASI Online: Avoiding Power-On Stalls | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | CFI Tools: IFR Insights—A Practical Approach | Safety Seminar: Emergency! Getting It Right When Things Go Wrong | Safety Spotlight: Things that Go Bump in the Night | Safety Quiz: Winter Escape
Commentary: ASI Message: Type Clubs—Follow their Lead!| Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video:Accident Case Study: Delayed Reaction | ASI Online: Avoiding Power-On Stalls | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | Pilot Safety Announcement: Flying Blind
CFI to CFI: Plunging into Unusual AttitudesFeature: Plunging into Unusual Attitudes—Dynamic Flight at the Edge of the Envelope
“Whether enrolling in unusual attitude training or upset prevention and recognition training, having had the experience could someday be a lifesaver when something unexpected jolts our otherwise serene flight...”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Communication Breakdown | ASI Online: Use AOA to Keep Stalls at Bay | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | CFI Tools: Transitioning to Other Airplanes | Safety Seminar: Cross Country Challenge | Safety Spotlight: The Devil You Know | Safety Quiz: Flight Review
Commentary: ASI Message: A 90-Percent Solution| Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video:Accident Case Study: Communication Breakdown | ASI Online: Use AOA to Keep Stalls at Bay | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | Pilot Safety Announcement: Hybrid Power | Safety Spotlight: The Devil You Know
CFI to CFI: Get SchooledFeature: Get Schooled—Applying Nuts and Bolt in Flight Training
“Developing a greater understanding of the aircraft systems—not just from reading about them but by talking to mechanics and helping to work on the systems—gives us a broader knowledge base to work from when troubleshooting a potential emergency situation.”
Departments: ASI Online: Communication is Everything | Chief's Corner: Invest in Yourself | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | CFI Tools: ADS-B Spelled Out | Real Pilot Story: From Miscue to Rescue | Safety Seminar: Cross Country Challenge | Safety Spotlight: Done it a Million Times | Safety Quiz: IFR Charts: Into a Black Hole
Commentary: ASI Message: Back to Basics | Collected Wisdom: Tricks of the Trade | Letters | News
Video: ASI Online: Communication is Everything | CFI Tips: Lockheed Martin Flight Service | Real Pilot Story: From Miscue to Rescue | Pilot Safety Announcement: Real Aviation Heroes
CFI to CFI: My Toughest StudentFeature: My Toughest Student—Flying with Mom
“She wanted to get started on her instrument rating, fly some approaches on our way home, and log as much time as possible under the hood. Already, this seemingly simple airplane checkout was getting complicated.”
Departments: Accident Case Study: Emergency Management |ASI Online: Could You Handle a Survival Situation? | Chief's Corner: Safe Strategies to Live By | CFI Tips: The Eastman Technique | CFI Tools: Get Ready to Taxi | Safety Seminar: After the Crash—Surviving an Aircraft Accident | Safety Spotlight: Blurred Lines | Safety Quiz: What You Can’t See, Can Hurt You
Commentary: True Confessions | Letters | News
Video: Accident Case Study: Emergency Management |ASI Online: Could You Handle a Survival Situation? | Pilot Safety Announcement: Living on the Edge | Safety Seminar: After the Crash—Mythbursters
CFI to CFI: Deciding to Go AroundFeature: Deciding to Go Around—Fundamentals of a Rejected Landing
“There are a number of links in this near-accident chain…most important, the student’s fundamental misunderstanding of what a go-around really is and when it should be used.”
Departments: ASI Online: Learn and Earn Safety Challenge | Chief's Corner: What’s On Your Mind? | CFI Tips: Who is Flying This Airplane? | CFI Tools: Help Your Students Learn | Real Pilot Story: Icing Encounter | Safety Seminar: After the Crash—Surviving an Aircraft Accident | Safety Spotlight: First Things First | Safety Quiz: Fly the Boardwalk Approach
Commentary:Controlled Flight Into Terrain | Letters | Touch and Goes—Have We Been Teaching it Wrong?
Video: Accident Case Study: CFI Tools: Help Your Students Learn—Ask ATC | Pilot Safety Announcement: It’s a Drag | Real Pilot Story: Icing Encounter | RPS Sidebar: Flying the Weather—Picking Up Ice
CFI to CFI: The Safest Course?Feature: The Safest Course? Examining Accidents During Advanced Instruction
“CFIIs, remember that your first obligation isn’t as instructor but safety pilot—and that means sacrificing training objectives if it’s necessary to assure separation.”
Departments:
Departments: Chief's corner: Letting Go | CFI Tips: Avoiding VFR into IMC—A strategy | CFI Tools: ASI Download Portal | Safety Spotlight: The Virtue of Adversity | Safety Quiz: Cross-Country Flight to Festus
Commentary: Flaps Lapse | Letters
Video: Accident Case Study: VFR into IMC—Equals Dead-End Proposition | ASI Message: Only Six Percent | ASI Online: Datalink Weather: from Concept to Cockpit | CFI Tips: Avoiding VFR into IMC—A strategy | Pilot Safety Announcement: 178 Seconds to Live
CFI to CFI: Arrival and Approach BriefingsFeature: Arrival and Approach Briefings—The Components of a Safe Arrival
“Single pilot operations in light aircraft can be safer if you teach pilots the value of thinking through what it’s going to take to get from en route to tie-down.”
Departments:
Departments: Chief's corner: Flying is as Safe as You Make It | CFI Tips: Density Altitude—An Experiment | CFI Tools: Passenger Safety Briefing | Safety Spotlight: Into the Unknown | Safety Quiz: Non-Precision Approach at CEC
Commentary: Talking to ATC | Landing Attitude
Video: CFI Tips: Density Altitude—An Experiment | CFI Tools: Passenger Safety Briefing | Pilot Safety Announcement: School Daze | Real Pilot Story: Fire in the Cockpit
CFI to CFI: It’s My AircraftFeature: It’s My Aircraft
“Are you and your students prepared for an in-flight emergency?”
Departments:
Departments: CFI Tools: Need a Second Opinion? | CFI Tips: See & Avoid | Safety Spotlight: Don’t Scare the Children | Chief's corner: Teaching Soft Skills | Safety Quiz: Teach Your Students About ODPs
Commentary: Logging On For Online Refresher Course | Help Me—I’m Stalling...
Video: CFI Commentary: Everyone’s Problem | Accident Case Study: Communication Breakdown | Pilot Safety Announcement: iPanel | CFI Tools: Need a Second Opinion? | CFI Tips: See & Avoid—The Troxler Effect | Safety Spotlight: Don’t Scare the Children
CFI to CFI: The Journey to Becoming a CFIFeature: The Journey to Becoming a CFI
“From the first moment in flight instructor training, you never quite see aviation the same way again.”
Departments:
CFI Tools: Flying the Weather | CFI Tips: Takeoffs & Landings | Safety Spotlight: Words to the Wise | Chief’s corner: What's the Weather Really Like? | Safety Quiz: Ice Flight
Commentary/Video: Something to Fear | Into the Ice
Video: ASI Note: eFIRC at Your Service | Accident Case Study: Delayed Reaction | Pilot Safety Announcement: It’s a Drag | CFI Tools: Flying the Weather | CFI Tips: Takeoffs & Landings
CFI to CFI: A Question of the MindFeature: A Question of the Mind
“He explained that he had wanted to fly all his life—he had dreamed of being a pilot since early childhood—but the night before, his dream had been destroyed: He had been scared half out of his wits and was going to discontinue training.”
Departments:
CFI Tools: Airspace “On the Go” with e-Flash Cards | CFI Tips: Stall Commandments | Safety Spotlight: Caveat Mentor | Chief’s corner: Focus on What’s Important | Safety Quiz: A Day in the Sun
Commentary/Video: To Your Health | It’s the Basics
Video: CFI Tips: Stall Recovery | ASI Note: eFIRC at Your Service | Accident Case Study: In Too Deep | Pilot Safety Announcement: V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N.
CFI to CFI: 5 Tips For Dynamite DemonstrationsFeature: 5 Tips For Dynamite Demonstrations
Maneuver demonstrations are key events for aviation students. Although flight instructors are generally excellent observers and critics, they sometimes provide demonstrations that are not as helpful as they should be.
Departments:
CFI Tools: Boost your business | CFI Tips: Measure with the right ruler | Safety Spotlight: See for yourself | Chief’s corner: eFIRC | Safety Quiz: Thunderstorm avoidance
Commentary/Video: Honing your craft | Stuff your CFII may not have told you
Video: Chief's corner: Accident case study featured in eFIRC | ASI Online: Accident Case Study—Time lapse | Real Pilot Story: Bird strike | Ask ATC: Practice approach
CFI to CFI: ProfessionalismFeature: Professionalism
A student taught by a flight instructor with a professional attitude will reflect that professional attitude, their competence as a pilot never in question.
Departments:
CFI Tools: ASI at your service | Safety Spotlight: Four’s a crowd | Chief’s corner: Save a life | Safety Quiz: Are you ready to fly rogue?
Commentary/Video: Flip your classroom | Airline of one: Déjà vu, again?
Video: CFI Tips: The power of questions | ASI Online: Heads up! Improving runway safety | Real Pilot Story: Underwater escape | Ask ATC: Flight following & airspace
