Saturday morning's most interesting reads, with five can't-miss posts every week. Exclusive articles, new videos, interactive quizzes, and special aviation events–it's your weekly connection to what's happening in general aviation. Sign up for the weekly Fast Five email here.
1. Panic, And How To Not
Reading the accident reports where pilots panic and make fatal mistakes is helpful. But—the most helpful thing to do—for me, anyway—to ward off panic and build flying confidence is train, train, train. Drill, baby, drill. Flashcards, chair-flying and flying are my friends.
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2. Sounds You NEVER Want To Hear
I declared an emergency with the MacDill tower. I also cleared the two students to break away and head straight to the base and get on the ground ASAP; I didn’t want to close the runway with them still in the air. I directed the IP in #3 to ‘chase’ me, which meant he would be alongside to observe that my gear ‘blew down’, to back me up on the checklist, and to make sure I didn’t get ‘behind the aircraft’ as I handled this emergency.
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3. ADS-B 101: What You Need To Know–2024 Edition
In an industry famous for its ridiculous acronyms, ADS-B stands out for being uniquely confusing. Lots of pilots use the term, but not everyone really knows what it means. And who can blame them - it’s incredibly complicated. So what is ADS-B? Why should you care about it? Can you just ignore it? No. While ADS-B may be confusing, it’s probably the most important technological change you will have to deal with as a pilot over the next two decades. So it's worth the effort to learn this new language.
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4. Pilot’s Discretion Podcast, Episode 89: The State Of The Homebuilt Market
Experimental airplanes make up a large share of the GA market, and Marc Cook knows that world better than anyone. He traces the history of homebuilts, from the radical plans of the 1980s to the refined kits of today. Also discussed is Van’s recent bankruptcy ordeal, and why Marc is very optimistic about the upcoming MOSAIC rule—but also why it won’t lead to $20,000 airplanes. Learn about the biggest mistake homebuilders make, the most underrated experimental airplane, and why riding motorcycles and flying airplanes requires the same approach to risk.
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5. The Best Flight Simulator Apps For iPad
There is still a thriving market for iPad-based flight simulators. Lots of these have flashy videos in the App Store, but most of them are aimed at casual gamers, not pilots. Here are our top picks for flight simulators that work on the iPad and won’t make pilots roll their eyes.
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