VFR Mastery

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VFR Mastery

Try a new VFR challenge each month. It’s a proven way to stay sharp and keep your head in the game!

Online Scenarios: Have Fun While You Learn

There’s no substitute for actual flying experience – pilots that train and fly regularly are typically confident and proficient. While we can’t put you in an airplane, we can do the next best thing by immersing you in the mental aspects of flying.

VFR Mastery is a continuing series of online, scenario-based workshops. Each month, we provide a challenging VFR scenario that tests your knowledge and hones your decision-making skills.

It’s more than reading another article or watching another video. VFR Mastery delivers a powerful way to keep your head in the game and gain valuable experience from the comfort of your computer.

The best part of VFR Mastery is you’ll get maximum return for the time you invest. Because you are actively engaged, you will learn and retain the lessons in far less time. And because it’s fun, you’ll want to do it more often.

Regular Exercise For Your Pilot Brain

Each month, VFR Mastery subscribers get a new online scenario. Our instructors follow a proven, step-by-step process that will test your knowledge and help you learn in a fun and effective way.

1. Watch

Start by watching a short briefing video that puts you in the pilot’s seat, and details the scenario you’ll be evaluating.

2. Think

Each scenario briefing ends with several options. Here you will review weather forecasts, aircraft data, airport information, sectional charts and more to help you choose.

3. Choose

Choose your favorite option, then compare your choice with other pilots on our live poll.

4. Learn

After making your selection, watch the instructor’s video and learn which option they chose. They provide step-by-step instruction and offer a detailed explanation of their thought process.

These segments are full of tips and techniques!

5. Listen

Our instructor roundtable discussion includes a panel of award-winning flight instructors who discuss and debate each scenario. They don’t always agree…and that’s the fun part, where a lot of learning happens.

6. Discuss

After going through the scenario, visit the members-only online discussion forum where great tips, techniques and stories are shared. Valuable hangar flying with our instructors and other pilots.

Meet The VFR Mastery Instructors

Learn from top professionals who share their tips, techniques and strategies. Instructors include:

Michael Goulian

Aerobatic Champion & Red Bull Air Racer

Michael Goulian is one of North America’s most decorated aerobatic pilots and recognized aviation professionals, starring in air shows throughout the country and having won multiple U.S. Aerobatic Championships and multiple Red Bull Air Races.

In addition to his air show and racing credentials, Michael is a Certified Flight Instructor. A firm believer in scenario based training, Goulian is a Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP), and regularly traverses the country in a Cirrus SR-22, delivering talks to aviation groups designed to increase the awareness of safety and proficiency amongst the general aviation pilot community. He owns and operates Mike Goulian Aviation in Plymouth and Bedford, MA, which serve as Authorized Cirrus Training Centers.

Wally Moran

DPE, NAFI Flight Instructor Hall of Fame

Wally Moran is a retired airline captain and spent much of his career as a training instructor and check airman on aircraft including the Boeing 747 and 767. He has held a flight instructor certificate for over 50 years. He is a Designated Pilot Examiner for gliders and has given over 4500 hours of flight instruction in single engine, multiengine, gliders and seaplanes. Wally has been awarded the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and is designated a Master CFI by the National Association of Flight Instructors. In 2017 Wally was elected to the NAFI Flight Instructor’s Hall of Fame.

Dave Hirschman

ATP/CFII, Aviation Writer, Aerobatics Instructor

Dave Hirschman is an ATP/CFII who specializes in aerobatic and tailwheel flight instruction. He has provided more than 2,000 hours of aerobatic dual instruction in airplanes including the Decathlon, Pitts S-2B, Extra 300L, Stearman, WACO, and T-6. He has flown piston singles in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the Bahamas and performed air-to-air photo missions in those places.

Dave is the author of “Hijacked: The Heroes of Flight 705,” and he has been on the editorial staff of AOPA Pilot magazine since 2008. He has logged more than 8,000 flight hours in single and multi-engine land and seaplanes. He has a masters degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.

Paul Bertorelli

ATP/CFII, Aviation Writer, Editor

Paul Bertorelli is an ATP-CFII and in addition to instructing, he has been a charter pilot and sometime skydiving aircraft pilot. He’s also an experienced skydiver with more than 3,000 jumps. He’s currently editor at large for www.avweb.com and has been the editorial director and editor of Belvoir Media Group publications including IFR, Aviation Consumer, Aviation Safety and IFR Refresher. He has produced numerous aviation videos. He lives near Sarasota, Florida.

Richard McSpadden

Executive Director of AOPA’s Air Safety Institute, Former USAF Thunderbird Leader

Richard McSpadden is the Executive Director of AOPA’s Air Safety Institute and an active flight instructor. He holds a Commercial certificate with CFII, MEI, SEL ratings and a single-pilot Citation jet type rating. Richard began his GA flying in college and later flew F-15s, F-16s and the Super King Air 300 for the USAF.

He culminated his USAF career as the Commander and Flight Leader of the USAF Thunderbirds.

A native of Panama City, Florida, McSpadden started flying as a teenager and has logged over 5,000 hours flying a variety of civilian and military aircraft. He taught his son to fly, instructed his daughter to solo in their Piper Super Cub, previously owned a 1950 Navion that was in his family for almost 40 years, and currently owns a 1993 Piper Super Cub.

Judy Phelps

National Flight Instructor of the Year 2011

Judy Phelps was the “National Flight Instructor of the year” in 2011 and the 2010 Western Pacific Region FAA Flight Instructor of the year. Judy’s career in aviation started in 1994 when she met and married Clay Phelps, the CP of CP Aviation, located in Santa Paula California. In 2003 she became a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and has logged over 10,000 hours. Judy Specializes in Tailwheel, Aerobatics and Emergency Maneuver Training.

Jeff Van West

Vice President, Product Design and Strategy, CFII

Jeff Van West is PilotWorkshops’ Creative Director with the primary responsibility for managing the development and creation of the company’s pilot proficiency training programs, including our flagship IFR and VFR Mastery programs.

For 19 years, Jeff ran many noteworthy aviation media projects with his own firm, Van West Communications, including magazines, books, videos and live seminars. Jeff previously served as editor-in-chief of IFR Magazine and co-editor of Aviation Consumer, and his work appears in AOPA Pilot, Flight Training Magazine, Plane and Pilot, and AVweb. He’s an experienced CFII/MEI with ratings for single- and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes, and gliders. Jeff was the creator of the first pilot transition program for new Cirrus aircraft.

Mike Hart

CFI, Professional backcountry pilot

Mike Hart is a professional backcountry pilot, aviation safety author, aviation advocate and tailwheel instructor. His work is regularly featured in Aviation Safety Magazine, AvWeb, and AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation publications. He currently flies a variety of single-, twin-piston and turbo-prop aircraft out of Salmon, Idaho delivering passengers and cargo to small towns and into backcountry airstrips of the largest Wilderness in the lower 48 states.

He first earned his pilot license at the age of 18 and flew his family’s 152 off of a pasture in Kansas. After two decades of not flying, he rediscovered aviation and began flying for business and pleasure and eventually chose it for a second career. He has more than 3,000 hours, most of it earned as a mountain pilot. He has served as a District Director of the Idaho Aviation Association, the coordinator of the Idaho Airstrip Network and Idaho Liaison to the Recreational Aviation Foundation.

Bruce Williams

CFII, FAASTeam Rep, Aviation Author

Bruce Williams is the owner of BruceAir, LLC, an aviation consulting, training, and pilot-services company based in Seattle, WA. He has been a pilot since the early 1970s, and he is a certified flight instructor and FAASTeam representative in the Seattle area. Today, he focuses on training in technically advanced aircraft (TAA), the Beechcraft Bonanza series, and stall/spin/upset recovery courses in an Extra 300L aerobatic aircraft. He also instructs at Galvin Flying Services at Boeing Field. During a 15-year career at Microsoft, he worked on six versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. In the 1980s, he edited the Western Flyer (now the General Aviation News). He is also the author of two books about using PC-based simulation to complement flight training, plus many features on a variety of topics for aviation-focused periodicals. Bruce publishes an aviation blog at BruceAir.

Ivy McIver

ATP with Seaplane, Tailwheel and Formation endorsements

Ivy McIver earned her Private Pilot License in 1998. She holds multiple airman ratings including ATP, ASEL, ASES, as well as Tailwheel and Formation endorsements. She is the owner of a 2001 American Champion Citabria 7GCBC and has accumulated over 4,500 hours of flight time.

Ivy is the Director, SR Product Line for Cirrus Aircraft, overseeing Cirrus’ piston product roadmap development and product marketing and is very active in the aviation community.

Dean Showalter

A&P / IA, CFI

Dean has been turning wrenches on piston-powered airplanes in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia for 25 years. He also seeks out inspiring aviation adventures whenever he can. Dean hosts the Airplane Owner Maintenance podcast, which he launched in 2015. He says it’s a great source for inspiration and motivation as he gets questions from aviators all around the country and beyond.

Katrina Linder

Air Traffic Controller, ATP, CFII-MEI

Katrina is an air traffic controller with 14 years of experience in tower, approach, and center on both the east and west coast. She started her career as a pilot and has logged over 5000 hours, including Part 121 and Part 135 flight experience. She returned to General Aviation when she became a controller and is an active flight instructor in a busy metropolitan area when not controlling airplanes from the scope.

Tom Turner

NAFI Flight Instructor Hall of Fame

Master CFI Tom Turner holds an ATP certificate with instructor, CFII and MEI ratings and has a Masters Degree in Aviation Safety. He was the 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year and the 2008 FAA Central Region CFI of the Year and has logged over 2,500 hours instructing. In 2015 Tom was inducted into the NAFI Flight Instructor’s Hall of Fame.

Tom was a Captain in the United States Air Force and has been Lead Instructor for the Bonanza pilot training program at the Beechcraft factory. He now directs the education and safety arm of a 9000-member pilots’ organization.

Catherine Cavagnaro

2020 FAA Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year, 2022 NAFI Flight Instructor Hall of Fame

Catherine Cavagnaro (CFI-I, MEI, ATP, DPE) offers spin and aerobatic instruction in addition to her position as Professor of Mathematics at Sewanee. She is a monthly contributor to AOPA Pilot Magazine and serves as a Designated Pilot Examiner for the Nashville FSDO. Catherine is the 2020 FAA Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year and the 2018 FAA Safety Representative of the Year. In 2018 she was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame.

JP Dice

ATP/CFII and MEI

JP Dice holds degrees in Meteorology from Mississippi State University and Broadcast News from the University of Florida. He was also one of the first AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologists in the country and was a television meteorologist for over 25 years. During that time, JP was also a pilot, airplane owner, and flight instructor. He left broadcasting to pursue aviation full-time and currently flies a Gulfstream IV as a corporate pilot as well as actively flight instructs in GA. He still owns and flies his Mooney M20J. The combination of flying and meteorology is a passion for JP. He is particularly interested in teaching pilots aviation meteorology and how to help them safely plan trips and make “go and no go” decisions by utilizing the vast amount of weather data available today.

Your VFR Mastery Subscription Includes:

New Monthly Scenarios

Receive unlimited, online access to all new scenarios every month. Includes scenario overview videos, resources and tools for additional analysis, live polling and detailed instructional videos. We email you when new scenarios are published.

Discussion Forum

Unlimited online access to the “Hangar” (members-only discussion forum) where pilots discuss and debate the scenarios. You can join these discussions any time, or ask our instructors a question. Some of the best learning occurs in the forums.

Roundtable Audios

We get the instructors together and open the microphones. They share personal experiences and additional, detailed observations on the scenarios. Listen online or download MP3 audios.

Monthly VFR Quizzes

Prepare to be challenged! These quizzes are short but will really test your knowledge. You will get feedback on all answers to reinforce your understanding of the topics. We email you when each new quiz is published.

WINGS Credit

Receive 3 WINGS credits for every completed VFR Mastery scenario. We’ve issued credit for tens of thousands of completed workshops! Add your email to the form on our website and we’ll do the rest to make sure your credit is issued by the FAA Safety Team.

Get Started With These Scenarios

The Impossible Go-Around?

Michael Goulian

You’ve got the whole family on board for a great weekend by the ocean. However, the landing attempt on a runway that’s short and obstructed didn’t go so well. Now you have only a second to decide if an attempted go-around will safely clear the trees—or result in a catastrophe.

Holiday in Montpelier

Hobie Tomlinson

A weekend reunion with family is only one short flight away. After a delayed start, things seem on track: You have the airport in sight from miles away, winds are right down the runway, all the airplane gauges are in the green. Yet something doesn’t seem right. What’s that little voice inside trying to tell you?

Foggy Catalina

Judy Phelps

It’s the perfect sunny day to take your new airplane and three friends for a day off the coast of California. The only catch is a bank of fog lingering just off your destination airport. The ASOS calls it IFR, but you see the runway in the clear. Will you still try and land?

Squeeze Play in Arkansas

Richard McSpadden

VFR into IMC might be the deadliest trap for non-instrument pilots. It’s easy to say you’d just turn around, but the reality of cross-country flying is that deteriorating weather lures even the most resolute souls when it occurs slowly, and with tempting options–that can vanish in moments if the conditions are right.

A Short-Field Barbecue

Tom Turner

A day of fair-weather flying, tailwinds, and an on-airport restaurant with the tastiest barbecue in the county: What could be better? The after-lunch departure, however, leaves you deciding between departing uphill and upwind, or downhill and downwind. Trees off one runway end complicate matters further. Don’t wait too long; this fair weather won’t last.

All the Way to Jackson

Dave Hirschman

Difficult situations can crop up on beautiful days and without anything actually going wrong. In fact, these might be the most insidious of traps because they lure you in. Watch how a series of reasonable decisions creates a tough conundrum. How would you handle a situation where every option leaves you feeling uncomfortable?

Crossed Up at Four Corners

Paul Bertorelli

Sport planes and a Sport Pilot Certificate can be tools for real travel by air, with a few limitations. There’s no night flight, usually no instrument flight, and light wing loading can make turbulence challenging. That means creativity might be required to complete the mission—or sometimes just to get back on the ground.

Aromatic Issues Over St. Louis

Tom Turner

Fire might be the most terrifying thing a pilot can face. Even the possibility of a fire is enough to warrant an immediate diversion. But what if the nearest place has no assurance of landing, and the surest one is practically your destination anyway? And what if it’s not fire but just the smell of fuel?

Pattern Problems in Astoria

Sarah Fritts

The winds are favoring one runway, but the other pilots are using a different runway and a crosswind one at that. Will you forgo the normal traffic pattern entry and fly a straight-in, attempt a normal traffic pattern entry, or go against the flow of traffic and land on the runway no one else is using?

Feet Wet or Dry?

Dave Hirschman

Bang: You have no engine and no hope of getting it back. In the next 30 seconds, you must decide where to put this airplane down with your daughter, your dog, and all your gear aboard. Ditch it in the lake or fly it into the trees? Think fast, you get lower with each passing second.

No Leg to Stand On

Paul Bertorelli

One risk of retractable-gear aircraft is that the wheels might not come down no matter what you do. Now you’re faced with picking the kind of gear-up landing you prefer: two wheels or none, grass or pavement? Don’t think this one is just for retract pilots. Gear issues happen in all airplanes.

Which Way to Yellowstone?

Katie Pribyl

It’s a perfect day for a flight to Yellowstone National Park, but the choice of route is anything but clear. Will you go high or low? Will you go direct or take one of the long ways around? How will you weigh the risks and benefits for a flight out and back in the high country?

Low Volts Over Eugene

Bruce Williams

After a great day at the beach, it’s only a 40-minute flight home. But the sun has long since set, and an uncooperative alternator makes even a short VFR flight complicated when you consider navigation, communication, and regulations. Even the simplest choice isn’t so simple when you look at the big picture, and the destination is so temptingly close.

Split Decision at Salt Lake

Mike Hart

You’re almost home, but a thunderstorm will make that last dash tricky. Can you make the run to your destination safely, or do you take one of the longer routes which present their own challenges? Or do you land at the airport nearly below you, but into the maw of a second storm rapidly heading that way?

Rough Running at Wauchula

Richard McSpadden

What looks like a perfect partnership in a Cessna Cardinal gets a bit rough over unforgiving swampland. How will you resolve an engine issue and personality conflict when it’s not your airplane—even though your backside will be in just as much trouble if the motor quits completely? The alligators below await your choice.

That Erie Feeling

Dave Hirschman

Lowering ceilings and patchy showers have you pushing the limits of VFR along the shore of Lake Erie. The weather is much better along the north shore, but that’s Canada, and you don’t have a passport or permission from Customs and Border protection. Will you press on, turn around, or cross the fence in clear—but foreign—airspace?

Crippled Climb Out of Charleston

Tom Turner

It’s just a short hop in a plane you’ve logged hundreds of hours flying. However, it’s not until rotation that you realize how poorly the airplane is performing. Now there’s not enough runway to put it back down, but barely enough climb to keep it in the air. Where will you go?

Runway Roulette at Hobby

Wally Moran

What started as a favor for a friend has turned into a confusing mess of ATC instructions and attempts at landing. How much PIC authority will it take to straighten this out? And more importantly: Which choice gets you down and safe without causing a pilot deviation—or turning you into a 737 hood ornament?

Jumpers Away

Paul Bertorelli

You’re in the descent to your destination airport, where you have an appointment for your first ever tandem jump skydive. As you plan to cross the airport and enter the pattern, you hear a call of “Jumpers away”—probably from over your head. Do you need to change plans, or is an evasive action the worst choice?

Is There Anybody Out There?

Wally Moran

It’s a checkride, so you took a long time in the runup area making sure you didn’t miss a thing. Now, it’s time to depart but you can’t see the other end of the runway. The winds are calm. Is there a chance someone else is down there or is that less likely than winning the lottery?

Truly Short Trip

Ivy McIver

There are few emergencies in aviation that require immediate action without time to think. One of them is an engine failure at low altitude. What will you do when faced with four options, given your actual view out the window? Or, will you use the airplane’s parachute—even though you’re so low it might make things worse?

The Siren Song of University Park

Dave Hirschman

The LSA you’re flying isn’t equipped for legal flight in the clouds, but its autopilot doesn’t know that. That’s why you trained yourself to turn it on and do a 180, if you ever went IMC accidentally. But that’s not working out as planned, so what’s the best way to get back to visual conditions?

Misrigged Out of Maintenance

Richard McSpadden

Seconds after rotation, the airplane has a mind of its own: It climbs; it descends; the controls seem all wrong. You get a moment of stability and have to decide what’s worse: Turning away from airlines approaching O’Hare—and risking renewed loss of control—or busting through the final approach of one of the world’s busiest Bravos.

Undercast at Bean

Michael Goulian

Your destination airport is just on the other side of a broken cloud deck, and there’s at least one big hole right below you, right over a lake that’s obviously free of obstructions. Is there a safe way to get in from above? How about from the valley on either side? Or, is this just a trap for suckers?

By Land or By Sea?

Dave Hirschman

Flying a floatplane has inherent risks, one of which is your landing site might be impossible to use if the winds are wrong or the water is low. Amphibious gear gives you the best of both worlds—until it fails and leaves you searching for the least bad solution to a multi-headed problem.

Powerless in the Bravo

Richard McSpadden

It’s been a storybook flight home with your new airplane. You even got a clearance into Class Bravo airspace to see your favorite baseball team from above. Then an electrical issue forces you to turn off the master. How will you balance safety, compliance with the regulations, and following the last instructions you received from ATC?

Spot Landing in Tacoma

Michael Goulian

This power-off landing is just for bragging rights at a local spot landing contest. You could win it if you adjust for the headwinds, yet an early error makes the target seem just out of reach. But maybe there’s a way if you can make the right correction.

Gliding in the Dark

Paul Bertorelli

Things were going well: You flew your airplane to an airport few GA pilots will ever see, you rocked a two-day demo for an important work project, and you got a tailwind whisking you toward a steak dinner with family. Then your only engine failed, over unfamiliar territory and at night.

Holding Short of Jet Blast

Bob Nardiello

Everyone knows that wake turbulence can upset small airplanes. LSAs can get tossed around by even a turboprop taxiing past. But does the pilot of a 3800-pound airplane need to leave extra room just because a jet is taxiing by? What if he must ask the jet to stop and wait while he repositions?

Tiger on Fire

Dave Hirschman

It’s a beautiful day and a routine flight over the open fields of Kansas. A minor instrument glitch seems to have resolved itself, leaving you to contemplate the scenery. That’s until “fire in flight” changes from a POH procedure into an immediate reality. You must get much closer to that scenery right away … but how?

Lending a Hand

Paul Bertorelli

It’s a simple fact about aviation that what seems like a dangerous action to one pilot is a routine operation to another. Part of expanding your experience, and the tools in your kit, is learning new techniques from experts. Is hand propping a piston twin one of those situations or just excessively risky?

Rejected Takeoff Practice

John Krug

Practicing for emergencies is core to aviation training. Creating realistic preparation for a potentially deadly event sounds like a great idea. But is it worth it when the risk of the event may be lower than the risk of an insurance claim from the practice itself? Maybe sticking with more conventional training is better?

In‌ ‌the‌ ‌Turn‌

Michael Goulian

You’re out practicing some maneuvers, and ATC gives you a heads-up about traffic. You roll out of the turn and what do you see? There’s an airplane with no relative motion heading straight for you—close enough that you have only seconds to react. What will you do to avoid the collision?

Angel Fire Departure

Richard McSpadden

It’s time to leave the New Mexico high country, but a flat tire means a delay while you wait on the repair. Meanwhile, the temperature on the ramp just keeps climbing. Will your turbocharger alone be enough to counteract the high-density altitude, or will you adjust your plan for a safe departure?

Unsafety Wire

Dean Showalter

What do you do when you discover a mechanical oversight that’s probably not a safety issue but leaves your airplane technically unairworthy and there’s no one around to fix it? Can you remedy the situation yourself? Or is it better to act as if you never noticed it in the first place?

Oshkosh from the East

Kevin Plante

You’ve been to Airventure at Oshkosh more than once and you never worried about crossing Lake Michigan. However, that was back when you owned a twin-engine airplane. Now that you’ve retired to an LSA, you’d rather not take the risk. But is it any riskier than the remaining options when the weather isn’t ideal?

Surprise in the San Juans

Katrina Linder

The plan was for a relaxing day and a bit of celebration. The reality was a melee of light airplanes, all converging on an island airport with less than 3000 feet of runway. Is there a safe way to join the fray and keep your schedule, or should you divert even though it means disappointing everyone?

A Diminishing Emergency

Dean Showalter

Sometimes it’s obvious you must land right away…like today when your turbo normalized engine rolls back to low power without any input from you. The less obvious choice comes when the problem seems to go away. Do you stick with your plan to divert, or do you press on tentatively, ready to land as needed?

Accept‌ ‌the‌ ‌Spacing?‌

Paul Bertorelli

You’re cleared to land following a stop-and-go training airplane. That airplane does its “stop” when you turn final, but appears unhurried about conducting the “go.” Now you’re on short final, and it seems you’re the only one concerned that there could soon be two airplanes on the same runway. Is this a problem you need to solve?

The Hills Are Out There

Wally Moran

Some pilots won’t fly VFR at night because there are just too many traps when you can’t see the terrain. You don’t have an Instrument Rating, but you know some of the procedures. Would it be wiser to use a “bit of IFR” to make a safe departure or rely on your VFR experience plus a moving map?

A Full-Throttle Approach

Dave Hirschman

Emergencies are equal-opportunity hunters: They’ll strike high-time pilots and newbies alike. Now you’re alone in an airplane with under 50 hours of total time—and an engine that’s out of control. What are the risks and tradeoffs given four different plans to get this airplane on the ground? Can you adjust the plan on the fly?

Rough Ride to Danville

Wally Moran

Your mission is ferrying the club airplane 350 miles to a paint shop. If it’s not there by tomorrow morning, your next chance to get in the queue for painting will be months from now. Is high wind and turbulence enough to scrub this flight, or is there a safe way to make it happen?

Middle Tennessee Emergency

Catherine Cavagnaro

You’re at an airport where joining a full pattern is just SOP. Then, a bird ends its days by punching an actual hole in your windscreen. However, the airplane is still flying, and the rest of the Lexan is holding. Will you make everyone get out of your way, or will you find a quieter place to land?

Your Own Risk into Montgomery

Mark Kolber

What should have been a routine flight gets an unexpected twist: Tower clears you to land on a runway you don’t feel is safe but won’t clear you to land on one that looks much better. Will you go with the clearance, insist on your preference, or make an impromptu change at night and in busy airspace?

Pitch Imperfect

Bob Nardiello

All you wanted was a day at the beach. Instead, you’re airborne in an airplane lacking a primary flight control. An air traffic controller helped you pick an airport for landing and has people standing by. Now you must configure the controls that remain and decide which technique gives you the greatest chance of walking away.

Getting Around NYC

Paul Bertorelli

Many times the decision isn’t “go/no-go” so much as “how to go?” Instead of risk versus reward, you’re weighing a safe but boring option against something more appealing yet less squarely in your comfort zone. How will you square the issues of traffic, airspace, weather, low-altitude flight, and potential anxiety in this trip through NYC?

A Calm Wind Conundrum

Elaine Kauh

You stayed clear of growing thunderstorms on the way home so far, but during a needed break for fuel and food, they’ve caught up. Now a cell threatens your departure. If you can get airborne quickly, you’ll get ahead of the weather and home. If you can’t, you might not fly out until tomorrow.

Picking a Pattern at Arlington

Wally Moran

Going with the flow has advantages, but an acceptable risk for one pilot can push the envelope for another. However, standing up for your needs might add risk for someone else. Do you try to fit in and see how it goes, simply do your own thing despite the crowd, or create a maneuver on the fly?

Back to Bar Harbor

Kevin Plante

There’s an astronomical event your family has been anticipating all year, and your Cirrus is the ride to the perfect viewing spot. The forecast for this evening couldn’t be more clear. That’s perfect for stargazing—but also perfect for fog settling in and complicating the trip back home. What’s your hedge against a late-night surprise?

Stress in South Florida

Elaine Kauh

It seemed like a good idea at the time: Expand your comfort zone with busy Class C airspace by meeting your friend at Fort Lauderdale International. Now you’re sandwiched between a stream of incoming jets thinking there’s wake turbulence you can’t see but must avoid. How will you avoid turning upside-down when you turn final?

After the Crash

Paul Bertorelli

The worst has actually happened and now your Cessna is twisted aluminum on the hillside. Everyone is OK for the moment, but daylight is waning and a storm is predicted for midnight. Given the altitude of the accident, that storm might bring snow. Is there any way you can get rescued sooner with minimal extra risk?

Made in Motor City

Richard McSpadden

What’s so hard about a little formation flying? Does it matter if there’s also air-to-air photography? A request that started simply has ever-growing implications for airspace complications and collision hazards. Is there a way to dial back the expectations or build up the required skill to make a flyable mission or is this simply too much?

A Cold and Rainy Surprise

Wally Moran

Airframe icing in the winter months strikes fear into the hearts of IFR pilots, but you thought VFR meant this was a non-issue. Now circumstance has proved that wrong. What’s your choice for the best destination airport and landing technique given you’ll be a bit of a test pilot before this flight is over?

Mississippi Mix Up

John Krug

You’re approaching an airport with a student and think the airplane ahead of you is confused—and has misled the tower—and may enter a busy traffic pattern against the flow. Will you speak up?

Close Quarters at Hayward

Dave Hirschman

You’ve read about stall/spin accidents where people try to cheat a turn. But aren’t you safe bending the rules a bit when you’re well above stall speed and descending? Especially in a spin-resistant airplane?

Adirondacks After Dark

Tom Turner

It’s a short flight to a familiar airport you’ve done many times before. But, all of those were in the daytime when the hills on both sides were easy to see. Now a moonless night adds a substantial level of uncertainty. Will technology tempt you to make this approach in the dark?

Frequently Asked Questions

If you like this view, VFR Mastery is probably for you.

How do I know if this is for me?
The mental challenge of thinking through these scenarios, and learning tips and techniques from these experts, is time well spent for any aviator. Over 15,000 pilots have joined PilotWorkshops’ Mastery programs, so you’ll be in good company, and you’ll see this reflected in the quality of the comments found in our private discussion forum. Having said all that — the best way to know if it’s for you is to try it. You can cancel any time and with this free trial there is no risk.

What if I don’t like VFR Mastery?
No problem — you can cancel any time; during the 30-day trial or afterwards. You can cancel by phone, email or on our website. We make it easy because we only want paying members who really want the training.

What if I forget I signed up?
You can cancel and get a refund; but it will be hard to forget. We’ll send you a reminder email 3 weeks into your trial. We also send out two emails per month when we publish new scenarios or quizzes.

VFR Mastery Free Trial

Your trial gets you free access to the entire VFR Mastery program and all scenarios for 30 days. Plenty of time to decide if you want to continue after the trial.
Starting month two, your subscription will automatically renew with new monthly scenarios until you cancel.
We’ll send a reminder email before you are charged for month two.
Cancel anytime online, by phone, or by email. No commitment required.
If you cancel before month two, your credit card will never be charged.

Price after trial: $14/month

90 Day Money-Back Guarantee!

If you aren’t completely satisfied we’ll give you a full refund. No questions asked! PilotWorkshops.com has been an A+ rated member of the Better Business Bureau since 2006.

WINGS Approved!

You can earn 3 WINGS credits for each monthly VFR Mastery scenario completed: 1 basic, 1 advanced and 1 master. An easy way to stay current within the WINGS program!

PilotWorkshops is proud to support AOPA and its membership in their mission of advancing the growth and safety of general aviation.