Sporty's PIREPs

Sporty’s is proud to announce the launch of its new line of Pilot License Plaques, designed to commemorate the significant milestones achieved by aviators worldwide. These beautifully crafted plaques are a symbol of commitment, skill, and passion for aviation, making them the perfect way to honor pilot achievements.

Having flown everything from aerobatic airplanes to airliners to seaplanes, Patrick Carter loves to apply the lessons from one part of aviation to another. In this episode, he takes us inside the world of Alaskan bush pilots to explain the skills they need to stay safe, how to evaluate off-airport landing sites, and how to manage changing weather. Patrick also talks about handling emergencies far from airports, as he learned first hand on a recent flight in a Super Cub. Patrick is an advocate for flying with video cameras, so he shares practical advice for mounting cameras externally and capturing audio. In the Ready to Copy segment, Patrick shares a helpful airline travel tip, his favorite aerobatic maneuver, and what he looks for on test flights after maintenance.

Clay Simmons, a 22-year old aircraft builder and pilot based in Knoxville, Tennessee, is the winner of the sixth annual Richard L. Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots. His article, “Blister Flight: Six Pilots and an Angel,” was selected as the entry that best answered this year’s writing prompt:  “My Most Memorable Flight.”  Simmons’s article describes a lifelong love of aviation, his desire to be the world’s youngest aircraft builder, and his emotional journey to his most memorable flight.

New aerospace businesses seem to be launching every month, including electric ultralights, eVTOL air taxis, drone delivery services, and private space flight. As a longtime pilot and venture capitalist, Ben Marcus is the perfect person to sort through the hype. He explains which business models will work first, why Walmart is finding success with drone delivery, and what benefits GA pilots might see as a result of this investment boom. Ben also founded JetAviva, a popular airplane broker, so he talks about the light jet boom of the last 25 years and what it takes to transition from a piston airplane to a single pilot turbine. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear about common charging standards for eVTOLs, the best light jet on the market, and Ben’s favorite backcountry strip in Arkansas.

The first big aviation event of the year is about to kick off, and Sporty's will be there in a big way. The annual Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo, which takes place in sunny Lakeland, Florida (LAL), runs from April 9 - April 14 this year. Stop by Sporty's big tent - just outside Hangar A on the main ramp - for new products, interactive demos, product experts, and much more.

We are big believers in video training at Sporty’s, which is why we offer over 30 courses in our Pilot Training app. But sometimes there’s nothing better than a book to reinforce key concepts or take your knowledge to the next level, so we’re proud to partner with PilotWorkshops to offer seven of their Pilot Friendly Manuals. Each one addresses an important aviation topic, and is much more than just a dry textbook. Here’s why we like them so much.

A spur-of-the-moment airplane purchase presented David Tulis with the adventure of a lifetime: flying a 1953 Tri-Pacer across the country. He tells the story of this fun and challenging trip in this episode, including what it was like to cross the Rockies with a 135-horsepower engine, the value of mentors, and the appeal of vintage airplanes. David is also a highly accomplished photographer, so he explains why photos still matter in a world of videos and offers some practical tips for taking better in-flight photos. In the Ready to Copy segment, David tells us his favorite photo of all time, his best best tip for podcasters, and his opinion about famous Atlanta drinks.

More and more pilots are flying with action cameras like GoPros to record their flights. While these tiny devices record stunning video, they are not the easiest products to use. To help you feel more confident shooting in-flight video, we asked Bret Koebbe, an active pilot and flight instructor who leads Sporty's video department, what he's learned after a decade of shooting with GoPros. This detailed article includes his suggestions for getting started, choosing camera settings, mounting a GoPro, and much more.

Home flight simulators offer a wealth of training situations to sharpen a pilot's skills, and instrument flying is one of the most valuable scenarios we can practice in a standard home simulator. Join Sporty's own Chris McGonegle as he covers flight sim hardware, the most popular flight sim programs, weather editing, and fruitful scenarios to practice. The second half of this webinar features Josh Harnagel from Redbird Flight Simulators, who covers FAA approved training devices, areas of focus for IFR proficiency, IFR proficiency training with a CFI, and best practices for training in a simulator.

The IFR category of flight can be intimidating to pilots of all experience. Weather minimums, required equipment, fuel reserves - it all changes when flying in the Instrument system. Sporty's Pilot Shop is taking on the task of demystifying the IFR category of aviation by answering these common instrument flying questions.