All Rod's Posts

How to Get the Most Out of a Flight SimulatorBy Rod MachadoThe 1984 movie The Karate Kid revealed a rare pedagogical truth of immense value to flight instructors. The movie...

I managed to watch the recent NAFI-sponsored ACS webinar on replay (http://www.mentorlive.site/program/3.html). I’d like to offer a different opinion from those provided by the FAA and ACS committee members in...

Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt. That’s my new strategy for preventing runway incursions.  It’s a reasonable plan, given that these events have actually increased since the FAA began seriously collecting...

 By Rod Machado  You’ve heard this sad tale before: Forty hours of dual instruction, with over 200 logged landings—and Bobby still can’t land an airplane. Bobby is in such despair...

Isn't it ironic that the FAA wants all pilots to have better stick-and-rudder skills while, at the same time, it dumbs down the flying skills required to obtain a pilot certificate? In...

By Rod Machado Lucky me. Lucky, because at a recent aviation event, I met and chatted with Sally Melvill, wife of Mike Melvill (SpaceShipOne). She’s a delightful and insightful lady...

My friend, DPE and highly experienced pilot, Mr. Frank Phillips was kind enough to provide me with much of the following documentation in this blog piece. I am grateful that...

By Rod Machado NOTE: I post these articles, in particular this one, in hopes of receiving some well reasoned input. This article presents an hypothesis that needs testing. Nearly every response so...

A recent Polish immigrant visited his local flight surgeon to take a third-class medical exam. The doctor had him stand in a specific spot, then pulled down a chart showing...