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By: Sam Tarrel, The Northwest Aeronaut

A show by aviators, for aviators. Join the discussion with real aviators as we explore the trials and tribulations of flight training from the student and flight instructor perspectives. Listen to stories from pilots in all different stages of their careers to hear the challenges they faced, and how they overcame those challenges.

The "5 Ts" of Instrument Flying
#48
Today at 1:00 PM

Staying ahead of the airplane during an instrument flight is not only one of the most critical things for a pilot to do, but can also be one of the hardest things - especially for new instrument pilots. Today we discuss a tool that can assist you with staying ahead of the plane and avoid missing critical events during an instrument flight. 

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Passenger Vs. Crew Safety Briefings - How to brief passengers on an airplane
#47
06/28/2025

Proper safety briefings before flight are not only required by the regulations, but imperative for the safety of everyone on board and the general flying public. Today we discuss how we should be differentiate between briefings for passengers vs. briefings for other pilots.

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Airworthiness for Commercial Pilots
#46
06/21/2025

Airworthiness can be a confusing and complex topic for any pilot, but it's especially important when you're the pilot in command of an aircraft for hire! Today we delve a little deeper into the intricacies of airworthiness and what you need to be familiar with to pass your commercial pilot check ride. 

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IFR Scenario Based Training
#45
05/31/2025

Scenario Based Training has been really pushed to the forefront of how we teach and evaluate pilots in the past decade. Today we are going over some IFR scenarios straight from the ASA Oral Exam Guide that were chosen by YOU. 


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Wet Vs. Dry Leases - Commercial pilot check ride
#44
05/24/2025

In today's episode, we delve into the world of aircraft leasing and explore the key differences between wet and dry leases, with a focus on how they pertain to commercial pilots. Whether you're preparing for your check ride, or already a working pilot, understanding these leasing options is crucial.

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Common Vs. Private Carriage
#43
05/17/2025

In this episode, we dive into the crucial differences between common carriage and private carriage as they pertain to commercial pilots. Understanding these distinctions is essential for your check ride preparation and overall flying career.

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Pass your Commercial Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 1 - Pilot Qualifications
#42
05/10/2025

We are continuing our ACS breakdown series and expanding it to your commercial oral exam! We start the commercial series today with Pilot Qualifications. 

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VDP vs. MAP
#41
04/26/2025

Today we are discussing exactly what a Visual Descent Point is and how it is different from the missed approach point. 


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5 Tips for STUDENT Pilots
#40
04/19/2025



Today we are discussing 5 tips that will make your initial pilot training more efficient, effective and will set you up for a long successful career!

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5 Tips for Instrument Students
#39
04/12/2025

Today we are discussing 5 tips to make you a better instrument pilot and to make your instrument training easier and more effective! 

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Bad Regulations!
#38
03/15/2025

It's no secret that sometimes the FAA just gets things WRONG. Sometimes they just make things confusing. Either way, these errors and ambiguities lead to many pilots mis-interpreting certain rules and requiring lawyers to clarify the FAA's position and intentions through letters of interpretation. Today we discuss two such issues with some very prominent regulations. 

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Everything you wanted to know about HOLDS! (And more that you didn't.)
#37
03/01/2025

Holds can often be the most frustrating parts to students in instrument training. They have a certain complexity that tends to confuse and complicate when combined with all the other skills and items you need to learn in instrument training. However, the reality is they are much easier than most people initially realize, so today we are going to break down holds and holding entries from the technical side all the way to the practical side of things. 

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The Approaches Your CFI-I Never Taught You
#36
02/15/2025

Even though it's the most widely used approach in the professional flying world, the visual approach is largely overlooked in instrument training. In addition, the contact approach is so seldomly used at all, that most instructors fail to even mention it throughout a students' training. We talk about BOTH today!

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How to fly on Instruments!
#35
02/08/2025

With everything there is to learn in instrument flight training, one of the most difficult things can be learning how to simply control the aircraft! Today we discuss instrument attitude flying and the techniques and methods such as control performance and primary and support that can be utilized to help make control of the aircraft in the instrument environment just as easy as it is in the visual environment!

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Is Your CFI Failing You?
#34
01/04/2025

There are many ways I see subpar service and quality of training from CFIs, but today we are talking about the abuse I constantly see in one specific area of the experience requirements for the commercial pilot certificate. We will talk about the short-comings that are all too common with these training activities as well as the solutions I have personally developed for my own students. 

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M...


Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 6 - ATC Clearances
#33
12/28/2024

Talking with ATC as a student pilot is often one of the most challenging things people face in flight training. Unfortunately it tends to just get more complicated as you get into instrument training, but there are a few key things every pilot can do to make this task a lot easier. Join us today as we discuss ATC clearances and communications. 

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Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 5 - Systems PART 2
#32
12/14/2024

Today we are continuing with systems related to IFR flight. In today's episode we specifically discuss navigation systems, as well as airworthiness for IFR flight.

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Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 4 - Systems
#31
12/07/2024

Today we are diving into systems related to IFR flight. In today's episode we specifically discuss Anti-icing and De-icing systems, as well as Autopilot.

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Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 3 - Cross-Country Planning
#30
11/30/2024

I will start off by saying there is SO MUCH to go over in this portion of the Instrument ACS that I can't possibly fit it all into this one podcast episode. So if there is anything specific YOU want me to cover in a future podcast, please leave a comment and let me know what you want to hear more about! But until then, we continue with our overview of the ACS breakdown with IFR cross country flight planning!

Dmitry's Video: https://youtu.be/k8WY1WDudZE?si=lBSRGufeCeR1cxbK

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Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 2 - Weather
#29
11/23/2024

If there is one thing that really separates and instrument pilot from a VFR-only pilot, it's probably their ability to read and decipher the weather! It's often said that a pilot needs to be just as much a weatherman as they are a pilot and that is never truer than when flying IFR. Today we breakdown the things that DPEs will be looking for to gauge your understanding of and risk management in relation to WEATHER! 

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IMSAFE. . . and how to USE it!
#28
11/16/2024

IMSAFE is one of the first acronyms pilots are taught, but it often doesn't get the attention it really deserves! It's important to understand the real-life stressors and ailments we all deal with as individuals, rather than getting caught up in generalizations or hypotheticals. 

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Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. . . EDUCATE?
#27
11/09/2024

When it comes to the priorities in the cockpit, we often use the little mnemonic "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate", but as CFIs there is a forth one that gets added into the mix and that is EDUCATE. Today we talk about educating and where in the order of priorities it should fall.


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Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 1 - Pilot Qualifications
#26
11/02/2024

Back by popular demand and for the first time on YouTube. . . We are continuing our ACS breakdown series and expanding it to your IFR oral exam! We start the IFR series today with Pilot Qualifications. 


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Can you Go Around on a Check Ride?
#25
10/26/2024

So many pilots get it in their mind that go-arounds on a check ride are frowned upon, when in reality it's quite the opposite! The other oversight in training is that each specific approach and landing have their own techniques that need to be adhered to. We discuss all of this in this weeks episode!

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Narration Vs. Teaching
#24
10/19/2024

Today we talk about the differences between narration and actually teaching. Simply saying what you're doing doesn't convey all the information our learners need to know. We need to continue to incorporate the concepts of "what, why and how" into everything we do to help our learners fully embrace and understand the topics of flight training. 

Telling Is Not Teaching: The Flight Instructor's Handbook https://a.co/d/iHkAYZb


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The Normalization of Deviance
#23
10/12/2024

The Normalization of Deviance is inherent to human nature, but it is something that we has CFIs and pilots need to do our best to mitigate at all times!

FLYING Magazine Article: https://www.flyingmag.com/cfi-central/normalization-of-deviance-can-cause-problems-for-pilots/?MailingID=%25CAMPAIGNID%25&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=FLY-NL-Daily&oly_enc_id=8353B6929623A4S

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How to teach as a CFI - The "What, Why, How" Method.
#22
10/05/2024

The What, Why, How method is the basic structure I use for teaching almost anything! It's a great model that can be used both in the classroom and in the airplane. If you're an aspiring or current CFI, try this method out when teaching your students and let me know what you think!

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Taking Ownership Over Your Flight Training
#21
09/28/2024

A great question was brought up by one of my viewers on Youtube about how much ownership should students be taking in their own flight training. Join us today as we discuss the answer to this question and the dynamics between a student and an instructor.

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The Intricacies of the LAZY 8
#20
09/21/2024

The Lazy 8 is not only one of my favorite commercial maneuvers, but is by far the HARDEST maneuver you will ever have to do on a check ride. Today we discuss the intricacies of this maneuver in an effort to help you understand and fly it better in the plane!

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The HARDEST Check Ride
#19
09/14/2024

So many people like to ask about what the HARDEST check ride is. . and there really isn't any one right answer to that question. In this episode I give you my take on what the hardest check ride is, and offer helpful tips for any upcoming check ride you may be taking.

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The Best Aviation Acronym! PAVE!
#18
06/06/2024

I have always said that the PAVE acronym is the acronym to rule all other acronyms! It doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves, so today I breakdown how I use the PAVE acronym and show you just how useful it can be!


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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 9 - Human Factors
#17
04/02/2024

In our final edition of our ACS breakdown for your private pilot oral exam, we are discussing task H, Human Factors. Human factors are one of the most overlooked subjects in training, yet there is a lot to know and consider when evaluating our own airworthiness and fitness to fly. Hopefully after listening to this episode, you'll have a much greater understanding of what we truly need to be attentive to when evaluating ourselves and how to more effectively flight plan to keep us and our passengers safe for each flight. 

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 8 - Operation of Systems
#16
03/26/2024

Today we're discussing aircraft SYSTEMS! This is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood subjects in pilot training, but with a little explanation, I think you'll find it's a lot simpler than you might have initially thought. 

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 7 - Performance and Limitations
#15
02/19/2024

Performance and limitations is one of the hardest things student pilots tend to struggle with in their initial training. Reading the charts themselves can be challenging enough, but today we are going to dive in to the details that all too often get overlooked completely in this portion of private pilot training. 

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 6 - National Airspace System
#14
01/18/2024

NOTE: I misspoke when I made mention of a “minimum elevation figure”. I meant to say “maximum elevation figure”. 

The National Airspace System (NAS) is one of the most complex systems a pilot needs to learn and be aware of. Both student pilots and seasoned pilots alike often find confusion when it comes to keeping track of all the different types of airspace and the limitations associated with those airspaces. Join us today as we go over all these details so you don't bust the bravo, and pass this portion of your oral exam with flying colors.

...


Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 5 - Cross-Country Flight Planning
#13
01/13/2024

This week we have  a little bit longer of an episode but that's simply because there is SO much to cover in VFR Cross country flight planning! Join me as we talk through the Private Pilot ACS Section 1, task D. Cross-Country Flight Planning. 

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 4 - Weather Part 2
#12
01/02/2024

Weather is by far the one subject that all pilots tend to be delinquent in with their knowledge and understanding. Everyone from Private pilots to ATPs have trouble truly grasping weather theory and application to your flight planning. While there is certainly a lot more to talk about, we will start here to today by breaking down the things you need to know for your private pilot check ride when it comes weather!

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 3 - Weather Part 1
#11
12/21/2023

Weather is by far the one subject that all pilots tend to be delinquent in with their knowledge and understanding. Everyone from Private pilots to ATPs have trouble truly grasping weather theory and application to your flight planning. While there is certainly a lot more to talk about, we will start here to today by breaking down the things you need to know for your private pilot check ride when it comes weather!

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 2 - Airworthiness
#10
10/24/2023

In this series we are going to go through the private pilot ACS with a fine-tooth comb. In each episode we will break down one section of the ACS in detail, so that when your check ride comes around, there won't be a single thing you don't know. 

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Pass Your Private Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 1 - Pilot Qualifications
#9
10/17/2023

In this series we are going to go through the private pilot ACS with a fine-tooth comb. In each episode we will break down one section of the ACS in detail, so that when your check ride comes around, there won't be a single thing you don't know. 


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