Six flight schools and six flight instructors were chosen as the most excellent in their region in the 2024 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Flight Training Experience Survey.
Flight Training
Picture of the Day: Future Top Gun pilot
Bergenn Hedrick submitted this photo and note: “Lee Hedrick, 4, landed a Cessna 172 in a Redbird FMX by himself with only his mother on the rudder pedals. He spotted the airport and lined up on the runway on his own. The future Top Gun pilot takes lessons every Wednesday in the simulator.”
Share your thoughts on the state of flight training
Now in its fourth year, Redbird Flight Simulation’s State of Flight Training Survey is open, with officials asking anyone involved in aviation — or who want to be — to fill out the survey.
Nominations open for 2024 Flight Instructor Hall of Fame
Nominations for the 2024 Flight Instructor Hall of Fame are open until April 30, 2024.
ASA updates Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide
The new edition aligns with the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), with new and expanded information on pilot regulations, airworthiness, weather, airplane systems, emergency procedures, performance and limitations, cross-country flight, human factors, flight maneuvers, and scenario-based training.
A December to Remember Aviation Log
When long-time pilot and General Aviation News writer Bill Walker decided to keep a log to document how aviation affects his life, he learned some very valuable lessons.
Real Pilot Story: Trouble Over Paradise
In “Real Pilot Story: Trouble Over Paradise,” Cessna Caravan pilot Ken Allen experiences piercing pain to the right side of his head during an otherwise routine flight. A quick-thinking passenger pulls Ken from the cockpit, stopping the ensuing nosedive, and radios ATC for help.
Finding the preflight “gotcha”
During his flight lessons, Rajeev Pandey’s CFI warned that one day he would “mess with something on the plane” and if he didn’t catch it, no flight lesson for that day. The day finally came when Rajeev discovered a “gotcha.”
Questions from the Cockpit: Weighty words
Noah, a student pilot in Arizona, writes: I’m trying to get my head around weight and balance, especially the terms: Moment, arm, station, datum… None of them seem particularly descriptive. Can you help me out?









