Amanda Skovgaard

Aviation Health & Mobility Writer

Amanda writes about physical wellness for pilots, focusing on mobility, posture, and fatigue prevention. Her work explores practical stretching routines and recovery strategies designed for long flights and irregular schedules.

Pilot reviewing certification modernization rule notes beside a transport aircraft model
Certification Modernization Rule Pilot Takeaways
Certification modernization rule comment window closed September 24, 2026. See what the FAA proposal means for pilot awareness….
October 16, 2026

Flying Taxis Enter U.S. Airspace Testing

Flying taxis have moved into a more concrete U.S. test phase, with regulators, aircraft developers, airports, and training organizations now proving how advanced air mobility can fit into controlled airspace. On July 14, 2026, the FAA conducted an eVTOL Integration … Read more

FAA Powered-Lift Training Notice for Providers

Confirmed: The FAA’s September 2, 2026, sources-sought notice for Powered-Lift Training gives pilot training organizations a clear look at what the agency is evaluating before any possible procurement. As of September 15, 2026, the notice remained a market survey, not … Read more

Sport Pilot Practical Tests: FAA Safety Update

The FAA changed sport pilot practical tests on September 14, 2026, by raising the minimum recovery altitude for slow flight and stall maneuvers from 1,000 feet above ground level to 1,500 feet AGL. The final rule, titled Sport Pilot Practical … Read more

FAA Pilot Certification paperwork beside a flight training syllabus

FAA Pilot Certification Notices For Schools

FAA Pilot Certification notices issued from late 2024 through early 2026 changed how aviation schools, university flight departments, and independent training providers plan instructor staffing, sport pilot programs, and compliance calendars. The most direct confirmed change came from the FAA … Read more

Adaptability in Pilot Training briefing with instructor and student reviewing airport traffic flow

Adaptability in Pilot Training After DCA

Adaptability in Pilot Training is not a soft skill or a motivational slogan. After the January 29, 2025, midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport, the safety discussion shifted toward how pilots, controllers, procedures, and technology respond when familiar routines … Read more

EMK modernization training briefing with airline crew reviewing emergency equipment

EMK Modernization: Pilot Training Effects

EMK modernization is now a live regulatory issue for airline training departments, check airmen, flight attendants, and pilots preparing for Part 121 operations. On August 5, 2026, the FAA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “Improving Emergency Medical Kit … Read more

BEYOND Program Expansion training session with drone crew planning a BVLOS mission

BEYOND Program Expansion And Drone Training

The BEYOND Program Expansion announced on August 27, 2026, changed the scale of the FAA’s drone integration work by opening Phase 2 to more government-led participants. For flight schools, UAS programs, public safety agencies, and commercial drone operators, the main … Read more

MOSAIC final rule training aircraft parked near a flight school ramp

MOSAIC final rule Standards for Sport Pilots

The MOSAIC final rule changed how light-sport flying is defined, taught, and maintained in the United States. For aspiring sport pilots, the key shift is not a single new privilege, but a new framework that moved parts of certification, aircraft … Read more

737 MAX-7 certification briefing with pilots reviewing aircraft systems in a training room

737 MAX-7 Certification: Pilot Training Impact

The 737 MAX-7 certification on August 3, 2026, marked a major regulatory step for Boeing and for operators preparing training programs around the smallest MAX variant. The FAA issued an amended type certificate and updated Production Limitation Record for the … Read more

Emergency Response Regulations training session in a flight simulator cockpit

Emergency Response Regulations in Pilot Training

Emergency Response Regulations are gaining fresh attention across flight training because regulators and safety investigators have focused on how pilots practice rare, high-stress events before they happen in the aircraft. Confirmed: on May 13, 2026, the National Transportation Safety Board … Read more

Pilot Decision-Making lesson with instructor reviewing a flight scenario

Pilot Decision-Making In Modern Training

Pilot Decision-Making is no longer a soft skill that can be left to experience alone. In modern flight training, judgment must be taught, practiced, reviewed, and tested with the same seriousness as aircraft control, radio work, and systems knowledge. The … Read more

MR pilot training session with student pilot using a headset in a supervised simulator bay

MR pilot training: Human Factors That Matter

MR pilot training can add useful realism to flight education, but its value depends on how well a program manages human factors. Mixed reality places real cockpit elements and virtual cues into the same training setting, which can support scenario … Read more

Instructor reviews pilot training safety data with a student in a simulator bay

Pilot Safety Training For Real-World Readiness

Pilot training safety is moving away from a narrow task-check model and toward training built around measured performance, realistic scenarios, and better use of simulation. Confirmed research from MITRE analyzed data from 30 million flights over five years and then … Read more

Student pilot reviewing modern pilot competencies with an instructor before a training flight

Modern Pilot Competencies For Safer Training

Modern pilot competencies are not limited to stick-and-rudder control. A safe pilot has to connect aeronautical knowledge, regulatory discipline, communication, medical readiness, aircraft systems awareness, and sound decision-making under pressure. That mix matters from the first student pilot application through … Read more

Airbus Pilot Training session in a simulator classroom with instructor and cadets

Airbus Pilot Training After CBTA Overhaul

Confirmed: Airbus Pilot Training has moved further toward competency-based instruction, with Airbus completing a full revision of its pilot training curriculum in February 2026 and aligning all Type Rating courses with the latest ICAO Competency-Based Training and Assessment standards, according … Read more

Student pilot using pilot training technology in a simulator briefing room

Pilot Training Technology Best Practices

Pilot training technology can strengthen learning outcomes only when schools treat it as a training method, not a novelty purchase. The research supports a disciplined approach: define measurable objectives, introduce tools in stages, prepare instructors, validate outputs against real performance, … Read more

Student and instructor review pilot training models in a simulator briefing

Pilot Training Models for Real Scenarios

Confirmed: pilot training models are shifting toward real-world scenarios because technical control of the aircraft is only one part of safe flying. A pilot also needs to recognize risk, manage workload, communicate clearly, and make sound decisions while conditions change. … Read more