A former ATP student on why a private flight instructor can be the better choice: ATP flight school cost, the pace, the withdrawal fine print and the 250 to 1,500 hour gap.

Piper Archer vs. Cessna 172 for flight training: how they compare on specs, visibility, flaps, fuel and landing feel, plus why we train in the 172.

How to fly turns around a point: how the wind changes your bank, picking a good point, a step-by-step guide, the FAA checkride standards and common mistakes.

How to fly S-turns across a road: why the wind changes your bank, how to set up and fly them step by step, the FAA checkride standards and common mistakes.

What slow flight is, why every student practices it, how to set it up and recover in a Cessna 172, the FAA checkride standards and the most common mistakes.

How to fly a steep turn: the FAA checkride standards, why 45 degrees of bank feels heavy, a step-by-step guide for the Cessna 172 and the most common mistakes.

What really happens on the day of your first solo: what you need beforehand, how the day goes, the rules that come with solo flight and what comes next.

What really happens between your first flight lesson and your pre-solo written test: the paperwork, the maneuvers, the pattern work and the endorsements you need before you solo.

Two sets of FAA rules, one identical certificate. Here's how Part 61 and Part 141 training differ, and which one fits a life with a job and a family.