Articles | Gold Seal Online Ground School

FAA Part 141 Modernization: What’s Actually Happening (And What It Means for You)

April 7, 2026 by Paul Duty

Confused about FAA Part 141 changes? Here’s what’s actually happening, what it means for pilots, and why there’s no need to panic.

Instrument Pilot

FAA Part 141 Modernization: What’s Actually Happening (And What It Means for You)

April 7, 2026 by Paul Duty

Confused about FAA Part 141 changes? Here’s what’s actually happening, what it means for pilots, and why there’s no need to panic.

Commercial Pilot

FAA Part 141 Modernization: What’s Actually Happening (And What It Means for You)

April 7, 2026 by Paul Duty

Confused about FAA Part 141 changes? Here’s what’s actually happening, what it means for pilots, and why there’s no need to panic.

Rusty Pilot

Class Foxtrot Airspace - What the Heck is It?

July 7, 2025 by Russ Still

Is Class F airspace really a thing? Or is it just an urban legend, elusive as a unicorn?

Remote Pilot

Drone Flight Over People

April 12, 2021 by Russ Still

The new FAA rules allow it, but it's not as simple as you might think.

Sport Pilot

Sport Pilot Endorsements Made Easy

November 26, 2025 by Paul Duty

In aviation, regulations are a necessary evil for all pilots. And that includes Sport Pilots. Here's an easy way to understand them.

Private Pilot

Sport Pilot Endorsements Made Easy

November 26, 2025 by Paul Duty

In aviation, regulations are a necessary evil for all pilots. And that includes Sport Pilots. Here's an easy way to understand them.

Private Pilot

Side Slips vs. Forward Slips

September 4, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

It's easy to confuse a forward slip with a side slip. Here's an easy way to tell them apart.

Instrument Pilot

Class Foxtrot Airspace - What the Heck is It?

July 7, 2025 by Russ Still

Is Class F airspace really a thing? Or is it just an urban legend, elusive as a unicorn?

Instrument Pilot

De-Stressing the Test

May 13, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Why should you do your best on the Knowledge Test?

Commercial Pilot

Side Slips vs. Forward Slips

September 4, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

It's easy to confuse a forward slip with a side slip. Here's an easy way to tell them apart.

Commercial Pilot

Class E and G Airspace: No More Confusion

August 1, 2025 by Ryan Thomas

The two classes of airspace that cause students the most grief are E and G. Let's clear it up.

Remote Pilot

New Rule for the FAA Written Test

December 21, 2019 by Russ Still

Test-takers must obtain an FTN from the FAA before taking any airman Knowledge Test.

Remote Pilot

How to Insure Your Drone Pilot Operations

July 2, 2019 by Russ Still

What You Need To Know About Commercial Insurance For Part 107

From the Experts

Private Pilot

Class E and G Airspace: No More Confusion

The two classes of airspace that cause students the most grief are E and G. Let's clear it up.

August 1, 2025 by Ryan Thomas

Private Pilot

Class Foxtrot Airspace - What the Heck is It?

Is Class F airspace really a thing? Or is it just an urban legend, elusive as a unicorn?

July 7, 2025 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Airspeed vs. Ground Speed: Sailing on a River of Air

Ground speed, airspeed, heading and ground track are critical to preflight planning. Especially when terms are confused.

June 24, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Private Pilot

Radio Communications Are Established. Or are they?

What are the magic words a pilot needs to hear in order to enter certain controlled airspaces?

May 29, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Private Pilot

De-Stressing the Test

Why should you do your best on the Knowledge Test?

May 13, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Private Pilot

Time Building - Can You Split Time and Expenses?

Flying is expensive and that can create a challenge for pilots trying to build time as they advance in their careers.

April 15, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Private Pilot

BasicMed Has Changed and Now You're Wrong.

You learned the rules of BasicMed, but on November 18, 2024, they changed just a little bit. How will the knowledge tests be affected?

November 16, 2024 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

A Troubling FAA Question, and Its Curious Journey

The FAA goes to great lengths to ensure that Knowledge Test questions are accurate. When questions are found to wrong, they promptly get rid of them. Or so you might expect.

November 13, 2024 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

How to Safely Fly a Touch-and-Go

There is more to a touch-and-go than meets the eye. Here are a couple of safety tips that could save your day.

June 19, 2023 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Open-Book Checkrides – Are They Real?

You may have heard that the practical test is open-book. You better be careful.

June 8, 2023 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

The Real Cure for Air Sickness

Training make you sick? You're not alone, but there are some easy tricks you can use to conquer air sickness once and for all.

September 15, 2021 by Nate Tennant

Private Pilot

The Great Debate: Digital vs Paper

It's a long-standing debate, and one that is frequently misunderstood. Some important clues are found in the Private Pilot ACS.

May 28, 2021 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

The 8-Hour Solo Myth

Most student pilots won't solo in eight hours, and that's perfectly fine. Here's why you shouldn't let it bother you.

February 11, 2021 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Save Your Life in 90 Seconds

Brief It Every Time - Be Spring-Loaded for Safety

November 21, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Your Successful Private Pilot Checkride

June 20, 2020 by Greg Brown

Private Pilot

From High to Low, Look out Below!

Does your altimeter really tell you how high you are?

May 22, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

The Surprising Rectangular Course

It's often overlooked during training. Don't be startled if the examiner asks to see one during your checkride.

May 1, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Knowledge Test Prep - Why Memorization is a Bad Idea

These days you can't get away with just memorizing FAA test questions. Here's why.

April 9, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Top 5 Myths About the Impossible Turn

The Impossible Turn is Frequently Misunderstood

March 9, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

The Improbable Turn

It may be your best choice, or your worst... but it's always a bad idea if you don't know the difference.

March 6, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Choosing Your Flight Instructor

Learning to fly should be easy and fun. Careful selection of the perfect flight instructor is a key ingredient to your success.

January 11, 2020 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

METARs on the Knowledge Test

See the METARs on the Knowledge Test in advance. CLICK and EXPLORE this interactive METAR tool!

December 18, 2019 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

12 Myths About Spins

Spins are frequently feared, and even more often misunderstood. Rich Stowell demystifies the most common superstitions about this infamous flight maneuver.

December 14, 2019 by Rich Stowell

Private Pilot

How To Save Money On Your Flight Training

Flight training is expensive. But there is something you can do to keep your costs to a minimum.

November 28, 2019 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

VFR Radio Communications Made Simple

Talking on the radio doesn't need to be scary. In this article, we'll see how to avoid problems such as "Mic Fright."

November 19, 2019 by Russ Still

Private Pilot

Top Five Landing Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

The most common problems standing between pilots and good landings. Guarantee improved landings by fixing just one of these.

November 10, 2019 by Russ Still

Instrument Pilot

Time Building - Can You Split Time and Expenses?

Flying is expensive and that can create a challenge for pilots trying to build time as they advance in their careers.

April 15, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Instrument Pilot

BasicMed Has Changed and Now You're Wrong.

You learned the rules of BasicMed, but on November 18, 2024, they changed just a little bit. How will the knowledge tests be affected?

November 16, 2024 by Russ Still

Instrument Pilot

How To Fly an IFR Holding Pattern

Pilots focus on the three types of hold entries. But there is a lot more to it when the wind is considered.

November 10, 2023 by Russ Still

Instrument Pilot

IFR Tips - Loading GPS Approaches

A dilemma faced by most new instrument pilots - To Load or Not To Load

January 30, 2021 by Russ Still

Commercial Pilot

Class Foxtrot Airspace - What the Heck is It?

Is Class F airspace really a thing? Or is it just an urban legend, elusive as a unicorn?

July 7, 2025 by Russ Still

Commercial Pilot

Airspeed vs. Ground Speed: Sailing on a River of Air

Ground speed, airspeed, heading and ground track are critical to preflight planning. Especially when terms are confused.

June 24, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Commercial Pilot

De-Stressing the Test

Why should you do your best on the Knowledge Test?

May 13, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Commercial Pilot

Time Building - Can You Split Time and Expenses?

Flying is expensive and that can create a challenge for pilots trying to build time as they advance in their careers.

April 15, 2025 by Jamie Beckett

Remote Pilot

Your 2-Year Drone License Renewal

It's called the Recurrent Test and you have to take it every other year to remain current.

May 28, 2019 by Russ Still

Remote Pilot

Preparing for the Remote Pilot Exam

Flying your drone as a professional only requires one thing: You must pass an FAA written exam...

May 26, 2019 by Russ Still

About

Gold Seal was founded in 2003 by Russ Still and published the internet's first online ground school in 2006. Since then, it has remained the national leader in Knowledge Transfer for pilots. Our mission is to help you become a smarter and more confident pilot, and have some fun while you're doing it.