Rich__Rafferty

Directions Website

Rich__Rafferty Here To Accelerate Your Training! My Goal is to improve and inspire the next generation of pilots.

10/25/2026

Airline flying runs on procedures, and the habits start in a small airplane.

An airline cockpit has two pilots who may have never flown together before. Standard procedures, checklists and spoken callouts mean each pilot knows exactly what the other is doing at every step. Airline training moves fast, and it's built around those procedures from day one. ✈️

The most common mistake is flying carefully with an instructor and loosely when you're alone. The habits you practice solo are the ones that show up under pressure.

Quick tip: use a written checklist and say your callouts out loud on every flight, even solo ✈️

10/24/2026

Most people hear "stall" and think the engine quit. In flying it means something else. A stall is when the wing stops producing enough lift to hold the airplane up, which on landing happens as the airplane gets very slow.

The stall horn warns you that you're getting close to that point. High in the air, that's a warning to take seriously. Inches above the runway, it's exactly what you want. ✈️

Think of easing a car to a stop right at the line instead of rolling up fast and braking hard. An airplane that's still fast when it reaches the runway keeps flying, floats along or even bounces back up. One that's slow enough to set off the horn settles down and stays there. 🛬

A common mistake is getting slow too early, while still well above the ground. Save the slowest speed for the last few inches. ✅

10/23/2026

You don't NEED a college degree to fly for an airline in the United States anymore, which surprises a lot of people.

What airlines care about most is experience, measured in hours of flight time. A pilot normally needs 1,500 hours to qualify. Graduates of certain college aviation programs can qualify at 1,000, because their structured training counts toward some of that experience. ✈️

So the real choice comes down to time and money. Four years of college is expensive, while many flight schools that aren't attached to a college can finish your training in under a year.

A degree is still worth considering. When airline hiring slows down, a degree makes you more competitive against other applicants, and a degree in a field other than aviation is a useful backup in case you ever lose your medical certificate.

Tip: decide whether speed or a backup plan matters more to you, then pick the path that fits. ✅

10/22/2026

A low high school GPA doesn't keep you out of an airline cockpit.

To fly for an airline in the United States, you need an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, which generally takes 1,500 hours of flight time. Airlines hire based on those certificates, your flight experience and your training record. Your high school transcript isn't part of that. ✈️

The most common mistake is thinking nothing on paper matters. Every checkride, the practical test you take to earn each pilot certificate, becomes part of your record, and airlines ask about any you didn't pass on the first try.

Quick tip: prepare for every checkride and written exam like it's going on your resume, because it is 💯

10/21/2026

If you've ever been in a small boat behind a bigger one, you've felt its wake. Airplanes leave one too, except you can't see it.

As a wing holds an airplane up, air spills off each wingtip and twists into a spinning tube, like a tornado lying on its side. The heavier the airplane, the stronger it is. For a small training airplane following a jet, that spinning air can roll the airplane sharply, and close to the ground there's little room to recover. 🌬️

That's why we stayed above the jet's path and landed beyond the spot where it touched down. The wake sinks behind the jet and stops forming once its wheels are on the runway. 🛬

A common mistake is following too closely. The air can look perfectly calm and still be dangerous.

Quick tip: when in doubt, give the jet more time. ✅

10/20/2026

Pilots don't make small talk during takeoff and landing, and there's a good reason for it.

Think about merging onto a busy highway in the rain. That's not the moment you want the passenger asking about your weekend. Takeoff and landing are the busiest minutes of any flight, so airline pilots follow what's called the sterile cockpit rule: below 10,000 feet, the only conversation is about flying the airplane. ✈️

In this video I was testing my student with a question about his weekend while we were turning toward the runway to land.

Most students are too polite to cut their instructor off. Build the habit anyway. Speaking up when something is distracting you is one of the most important skills a pilot can have. 💯

10/19/2026

You're probably not too old to become a pilot.

Airline pilots in the United States have to retire at 65. That rule comes from the Federal Aviation Administration, so starting at 40 can still leave you with a 25-year career as an Airline Pilot. For most people starting later, the real question is the medical exam: every Airline Pilot needs a First-Class Medical Certificate from a doctor approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. ✈️

The most common mistake is spending thousands on lessons before finding out whether you can hold that medical.

Quick tip: get your First-Class Medical exam done before you commit to training ✅

10/18/2026

Not every runway is long. Some small airports have runways only a few thousand feet long, with trees, buildings or power lines right at the end.

An airplane needs room to slow down after it touches the ground, a lot like a car needs room to brake. The faster it's going when it lands, the more runway it eats up. A short-field landing is how pilots get the airplane onto the ground as slowly and as close to the start of the runway as possible, so it can stop in the shortest distance. 🛬

We practice it so that if we ever have to land somewhere tight, it's second nature. ✈️

The most common mistake is coming in too fast. Even a little extra speed makes the airplane float above the runway instead of settling down, and that wastes the distance you were trying to save.

Quick tip: if the approach doesn't look right, go around and try again ✅

04/09/2023

Welcome Everyone! I started this page so that I could have more open communication with all of you that enjoy my videos. Please feel free to post and communicate with me about the type of content you would like to see in the future 😁👍🏻

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rich__Rafferty posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category