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PilotWorkshops Real World VFR Course
This fun and educational course will give you the confidence to fly cross-country flights in VFR conditions, whether your destination is a remote island runway or a busy Class B airline hub. Ride along with an experienced pilot and flight instructor as they fly ten end-to-end flights.
Now available in Sporty's Pilot Training app
This fun and educational course will give you the confidence to fly cross-country flights in VFR conditions, whether your destination is a remote island runway or a busy Class B airline hub. Ride along with an experienced pilot and flight instructor as they fly ten end-to-end flights, spanning a wide variety of airports and terrain that are challenging yet accessible to a proficient private pilot. It’s the perfect way to see what VFR flying is like in the real world.
Loaded with in-flight video
Each flight is recorded from multiple camera angles, including inside and outside the airplane, so you’ll feel like you’re in the airplane. As you fly, Keith (the pilot) talks you through each task and procedure as he completes it, and you’ll hear all of his ATC interactions so you know the proper phraseology to use. This is real, unscripted flying, complete with mistakes and lessons learned, but this course is much more than just YouTube videos. Throughout, Jeff (the instructor) adds valuable tips and tricks from the right seat, based on his decades of experience.
Brief - fly - debrief format
Keith and Jeff perform a thorough briefing before every flight, which is one of the most instructional aspects of the program. Hear how they evaluate their proposed trip and how they manage potential risks, then jump in the airplane and ride along for the flight, complete with cockpit and ATC audio. Afterwards, Keith and Jeff debrief every flight, where they grade Keith’s performance, discuss his choices, and distill the important lessons.
The pilots
Keith Smith is an experienced Lancair pilot, but not an instructor. He’s in the left seat of a Cessna 172 for these flights, joined by Jeff Van West in the right seat. Jeff is an experienced flight instructor and well-known aviation writer. Their mix of humor and real world tips is an ideal way to learn.
Included scenarios
Real World VFR includes nearly a dozen hours of video across ten flights, seven simulator sessions, and two bonus segments. Segments include:
- Find a small, remote island airport at night
- Land at Boston Logan Airport (Class B) VFR in a Cessna 172
- Fly the New York City Hudson River VFR Corridor, and then land at Teterboro, one of the busiest Class Delta airports in the world
- Depart at night in the mountains, using an IFR technique to avoid them
- Encounter VFR into IMC for real, at night
- Manage system failures, simulated emergencies, and other surprises
- Use the power of ForeFlight for VFR planning and in-flight situations
- Navigate cross-country, using only pilotage and dead reckoning
- Takeoff and land on short fields—some grass, some paved, some scary
- Get sucked into a “black hole approach,” but escape to avoid disaster
- Make an overwater crossing that is eerily similar to the JFK Jr. flight
Available on all your devices
This course is available on Sporty’s Pilot Training platform, so you can learn anywhere you have your phone, tablet, or laptop. Use our online learning platform for complete access anywhere you have an internet connection—no software to install. Or use our dedicated mobile apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, and Apple TV, which allow you to download videos for offline viewing. Progress automatically syncs between all formats, and your course access never expires.
