Eric Radtke

Sporty’s has introduced the Compact Pilot Gel Seat Cushion, a lightweight, foldable seat cushion designed to add comfort to airplane seats without taking up valuable space in a flight bag.  The cushion has a breathable honeycomb gel design that provides soft, supportive seating while promoting airflow.  Its compact size makes it well suited for long cross-country flights, training sessions, and older aircraft with well-used seats.

For many pilots, the first step is becoming a flight instructor. Instructing allows you to get paid to fly while building the experience needed to qualify for more advanced flying jobs. It's also a good way to develop skills that aren't always measured by your logbook, such as communication, decision-making, and crew resource management.

Sporty’s has announced its upcoming webinar schedule, featuring four free online presentations covering new avionics, modern autopilots, handheld radios, and iPad flight tools. All webinars begin at 3:00 p.m. Eastern and are open to pilots of all experience levels.

An unexpected bathroom break can turn into a flight-planning consideration, especially on longer legs. Pilots may find themselves considering a fuel stop, an unplanned diversion, or how an unexpected stop could affect the flight. Having a portable relief option onboard eliminates one more variable to manage and provides peace of mind when the nearest airport is still miles away. 

A microburst is a powerful, localized downdraft that spreads outward when it reaches the surface. The resulting wind can change rapidly from a strong headwind to a tailwind, producing a significant loss of airspeed and performance close to the ground.

Mnemonic acronyms are wonderful mechanisms for condensing complex terms, phrases or lists into something more manageable to commit to memory.  Aviation has its fair share of clever—and sometimes silly—recall devices, which stands to reason when there is critically important information that should be committed to memory.

Speaking of clever and silly, "ATOMATOFLAMES" is a mnemonic acronym used to help pilots remember the critical components required for aircraft airworthiness for daytime flight in visual (VFR) conditions. Each letter in ATOMATOFLAMES corresponds to a specific item that must be operational before takeoff.  This equipment list can be found in § 91.205.

Rather than simply repackaging information from the Garmin manual, this course uses a series of progressively complex flights to teach the foundational principles, best practices, and practical workflows needed to use the Garmin GFC autopilot effectively. Along the way, pilots will discover common misconceptions, subtle nuances, and potential traps that can catch even experienced pilots.

The Flight Gear Starlink Mini Backpack combines a custom protective compartment for Starlink Mini with dedicated storage for headsets, tablets, radios, cables, chargers, and other cockpit accessories. The result is a single bag designed to make transporting and using Starlink Mini safer and more convenient for pilots.

Many commercial pilot applicants don't open the Commercial Airman Certification Standards (ACS) until they're a few weeks away from the checkride. That's a mistake. The Commercial ACS isn't just a testing document—it's the roadmap your instructor should be using and the playbook your examiner will be using during your checkride.

Ethan Barker, of Sevierville, Tennessee, is the latest recipient of Sporty's $2,500 Pilot Training+ Scholarship, which he plans to use to help fund the flight time required for his Commercial Pilot Certificate.