Archives: VFR Mastery Scenarios

Most Popular

28. Gliding in the Dark

Instructors
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.  

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

27. Spot Landing in Tacoma

Instructors
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.  

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

26. Powerless in the Bravo

Instructors
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 […]

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

25. By Land or By Sea?

Instructors
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.  

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

24. Undercast at Bean

Instructors
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 […]

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

23. Misrigged Out of Maintenance

Instructors
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.

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

22. The Siren Song of University Park

Instructors
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?

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

21. Truly Short Trip

Instructors
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 […]

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

20. Is There Anybody Out There?

Instructors
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 […]

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

19. Jumpers Away

Instructors
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 […]

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

18. Runway Roulette at Hobby

Instructors
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?

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in

17. Crippled Climb Out of Charleston

Instructors
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?

Scenarios in the library are only available to Mastery members.
Start your VFR Mastery Membership now to get full access. Already a member? log in
Show All