AvFacts - Aviation knowledge without limits

Angle of attack is the single most important number in aeronautics. It literally means the difference between flying and... Read more

In this episode, I cover the details of how we start up aircraft, and in particular jet engine-powered aircraft.

The most important number in cross-country gliding is “speed to fly.” Speed to fly is a complex topic, that involves the... Read more

Aircraft that fly high and fast deal with a whole range of aerodynamic issues that lower and slower planes never see. Th... Read more

This is part 1 of a 6-part series on transoceanic flights. Transoceanic flights date back to Charles Lindbergh’s famous ... Read more

In aviation, airspeed is life. But it’s also not simple — there are lots of different kinds of airspeed, from indicated ... Read more

The US airspace system is undergoing massive changes in the wake of RNAV and GPS. Learn about the high-altitude redesign... Read more

The private pilot certificate is the first license that many pilots get. It’s a handy certificate that allows the pilot ... Read more

One of the symptoms of hypoxia is decreased judgment and decision-making ability — not good for pilots. It can sneak up ... Read more

Surprisingly, pilots actually care about a lot of different altitudes in aviation. There’s the obvious ones: altitude ab... Read more

Lead pursuit, pure pursuit, and lag pursuit make up part of the bread and butter of basic fighter maneuvers, or dogfight... Read more

Turn circles are a fundamental concept in basic fighter maneuvers, or BFM -- the skill of dogfighting. In this episode I... Read more

Close air support is one of the most challenging air-to-ground missions a pilot can perform. Unlike an in-and-out strike... Read more

Decalage is not often taught to student pilots, but it’s a critical component of what makes an aircraft fly. Decalage pr... Read more

This is the first of a series covering how pilots defend against incoming missiles. In this episode, I will discuss how ... Read more

Bombing has come a long way from its primitive origins. Today, computers help pilots put bombs exactly where they want t... Read more

Primitive forms of aerial refueling have been around since the 1920s; since then, it has matured into a complex but effe... Read more

Scotch whisky is an alcoholic drink made from malted barley, aged for at least three years, and produced in Scotland. Sc... Read more

There are many technologies pilots and ATC use to locate aircraft and avoid mid-air collisions. The most important is th... Read more

This is part 2 of a 6-part series on transoceanic flights. Transoceanic flights date back to Charles Lindbergh’s famous ... Read more