All Rod's Posts

Here's quick video on how to lean the mixture during taxi to prevent plug fouling.  

Not sure where to look when flaring an airplane for landing? Let me help you find the correct spot to spy during the roundout and flare. It turns out that...

By Rod Machado Over the years, I’ve seen my grandfather do a number of strange things. One time, while watching football on TV, he sat there yelling at the players....

By  Rod Machado  Before you read article this please note that there are some folks who believe that the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! is a film about Biblical scholars who...

By Rod Machado Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale describes the confusion that James Bond initially felt as a new “Double-O” agent who’s licensed to kill. Bond’s troubles stemmed from his doubts...

Excerpted from Rod Machado's How to Fly an Airplane Handbook. Fanning? While flying? Yes, but it is not something you do after landing hot. Fanning is a technique used to...

By Rod MachadoAn FAA designated examiner once told me about the most anxious private pilot candidate he ever experienced on a checkride. Aside from sweating and mumbling during the oral...

By Rod Machado Audio Version Download (MP3)  There are many ways to activate the pleasure center of a pilot’s brain. Speak the words “Broken Hobbs meter” or “pilot supplies, 75% off,”...