MATTHEW’S PICKS · FREE EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Favorite pilot-training videos

Start with a complete Private or Sport Pilot ground-school course, go deeper with Mike Busch’s aircraft-engine talks, and study real accident chains with Hoover from Pilot Debrief. Every selection links to the original creator; FAA and NTSB sources plus the practice tools here help you check what you learned.

YouTube thumbnail for YouTube's ONLY Complete Private Pilot Ground Course (Lesson 1) by Free Pilot Training

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NUMBERED GROUND-SCHOOL SERIES

Complete Private Pilot Ground Course

By Free Pilot Training · Entry video published November 16, 2023

A numbered lesson series that begins with the basic forces acting on an airplane and continues through the major knowledge areas a Private Pilot applicant studies.

Why it belongs here

Use it as a second explanation after reading an FAA source, or as a visual introduction before working practice questions. The short, topic-focused lessons make it easy to return to one weak area without restarting an entire course.

Topics to look for

Aerodynamics
Airspace and charts
Flight instruments
VOR and GPS navigation
Weather reports and hazards
Cross-country planning
Weight, balance, and performance
Regulations and aeromedical factors

Start the Private Pilot series Open the creator’s channel

Continue on Self-Taught Pilot Open the Private Pilot study guide →Take a randomized Private Pilot test →Search the HTML PHAK →

YouTube thumbnail for FREE Sport Pilot Ground Course (Complete Course) by Free Pilot Training

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DEDICATED SPORT PILOT COURSE

Free Sport Pilot Ground Course

By Free Pilot Training · Entry video published November 23, 2025

The same creator’s Sport Pilot-specific course begins here and is intended to build the knowledge foundation for the FAA Sport Pilot written exam and flight training.

Why it belongs here

This is the better starting point when Sport Pilot is the goal because it keeps that certificate in view instead of asking the learner to decide which parts of a Private Pilot course apply. Cross-check current privileges and limitations against the linked FAA material.

Topics to look for

Sport Pilot eligibility
Aerodynamics and aircraft systems
Airspace and airport operations
Aviation weather
Navigation and charts
Aircraft performance
Federal regulations
Risk management

Start the Sport Pilot series Open the creator’s channel

Continue on Self-Taught Pilot Open the Sport Pilot study guide →Take a randomized Sport Pilot test →Compare Sport and Private privileges →

MIKE BUSCH · SAVVY AVIATION · EAA WEBINARS

Five talks pilots keep coming back to

Mike Busch is an A&P/IA, CFI, aircraft owner, writer, and the founder of Savvy Aviation. These five EAA-produced webinars are the current five most-viewed long-form videos on Savvy Aviation’s official YouTube channel.

YouTube thumbnail for Leaning Basics by Mike Busch

#1 Watch on YouTube

178K views1 hr 31 minDecember 8, 2016

Leaning Basics

Mike Busch explains mixture control from the ground through cruise, including why full-rich can be too rich, how mixture affects power and temperature, and a practical minimum leaning checklist.

Best for: Pilots who were taught to leave the mixture full rich or who want a clear foundation before studying lean-of-peak operation.

Watch Leaning Basics

YouTube thumbnail for All About Magnetos by Mike Busch

#2 Watch on YouTube

101K views1 hr 22 minDecember 9, 2016

All About Magnetos

A system-level look at how aircraft magnetos and their major components work, how they fail, what maintenance they need, and what a pilot can learn from preflight and in-flight indications.

Best for: Understanding ignition-system fundamentals instead of treating the magneto check as a memorized cockpit ritual.

Watch All About Magnetos

YouTube thumbnail for Perils of Cylinder Work by Mike Busch

#3 Watch on YouTube

85K views1 hr 18 minNovember 22, 2016

Perils of Cylinder Work

Busch examines the risks created when cylinders are removed and reinstalled, with particular attention to critical fasteners, maintenance technique, and failures that may follow intrusive work.

Best for: Aircraft owners learning why unnecessary engine disassembly can create risk and why maintenance quality matters.

Watch Perils of Cylinder Work

YouTube thumbnail for Leaning: The Advanced Class by Mike Busch

#4 Watch on YouTube

80K views1 hr 29 minDecember 6, 2016

Leaning: The Advanced Class

The follow-up to Leaning Basics explores lean-of-peak operation, combustion timing, engine temperatures, and the “red box/red fin” model for avoiding stressful mixture and power combinations.

Best for: Pilots already comfortable with basic leaning who want a deeper model of mixture, power, and engine temperature.

Watch Leaning: The Advanced Class

YouTube thumbnail for Operating Oversquare by Mike Busch

#5 Watch on YouTube

72K views1 hr 26 minNovember 18, 2018

Operating Oversquare

This talk challenges the blanket rule against manifold pressure above RPM divided by 100 and explains how high manifold pressure and lower RPM can improve efficiency when the approved aircraft and engine data permit it.

Best for: Pilots moving into constant-speed-propeller airplanes or revisiting power-management rules learned by rote.

Watch Operating Oversquare

HOOVER · PILOT DEBRIEF · AVIATION SAFETY CASE STUDIES

Five debriefs watched by millions

“Hoover” is a retired F-15E pilot who also flew the F/A-18D and now flies for a major U.S. airline. Pilot Debrief uses accident records, radio calls, flight tracks, and other released evidence to reconstruct what happened and draw practical safety lessons.

YouTube thumbnail for Foreign Pilot Harasses US Boats - Instantly Regret It! by Pilot Debrief

#1 Watch on YouTube

9.4M views8 min 9 secJuly 16, 2023

Foreign Pilot Harasses US Boats - Instantly Regret It!

Hoover reviews a low-altitude Cessna flight over boats at a Colorado reservoir, the crash that followed, conflicting crew accounts, aircraft-inspection evidence, and the resulting legal questions.

Study focus: Studying how impulsive low-level maneuvering, weak risk assessment, and later explanations can be evaluated against physical evidence instead of first impressions.

Watch this debrief

YouTube thumbnail for YouTube Pilot's Deadly Mistake Was Worse Than We Thought! by Pilot Debrief

#2 Watch on YouTube

7.3M views22 minMarch 1, 2026

YouTube Pilot's Deadly Mistake Was Worse Than We Thought!

Using the released accident record, this debrief examines a Beechcraft Debonair loss of control and the proficiency, decision-making, medication, and external-pressure concerns surrounding the flight.

Study focus: Recognizing how skill gaps, personal minimums, outside pressure, and honest self-assessment can matter long before an aircraft reaches an unrecoverable state.

Watch this debrief

YouTube thumbnail for Pilot Dies! Passenger TRIES To Land Plane! by Pilot Debrief

#3 Watch on YouTube

6.5M views32 min 14 secJanuary 5, 2023

Pilot Dies! Passenger TRIES To Land Plane!

After a charter pilot becomes incapacitated, passenger and Private Pilot Doug White must control a King Air while controllers and another pilot help him stabilize, descend, configure, and land.

Study focus: Learning why calm radio communication, simple control priorities, autopilot knowledge, and coordinated help can transform an overwhelming emergency.

Watch this debrief

YouTube thumbnail for What No One Is Saying About This YouTube Pilot's Death! by Pilot Debrief

#4 Watch on YouTube

4.8M views11 min 31 secJanuary 15, 2024

What No One Is Saying About This YouTube Pilot's Death!

Hoover uses the then-available investigation record and public flying footage to examine proficiency, technology reliance, disorientation risk, and missed opportunities for a candid flight debrief.

Study focus: Pilots learning to separate confidence from proficiency, recognize recurring warning signs, and use post-flight review to change behavior before the next flight.

Watch this debrief

YouTube thumbnail for Pilot's Deadly Mistakes Get The Nelons Killed! by Pilot Debrief

#5 Watch on YouTube

4.4M views16 min 7 secSeptember 6, 2026

Pilot's Deadly Mistakes Get The Nelons Killed!

This PC-12 case study follows an autopilot disconnect in instrument conditions, the pilot’s attempt to regain control, spatial disorientation, an extreme descent, and in-flight breakup.

Study focus: Instrument pilots studying automation surprises, immediate hand-flying readiness, disciplined instrument scan, single-pilot workload, and loss-of-control prevention.

Watch this debrief

A SIMPLE STUDY LOOP

Turn watching into learning

Watch one topic.Pause when a term, diagram, rule, or calculation is unfamiliar.
Confirm it in the source.Use the searchable HTML PHAK, current FAR/AIM, aircraft documents, and your instructor.
Practice without notes.Use the matching randomized test or interactive activity.
Review the misses.Return to the exact lesson and source section instead of simply memorizing an answer.

ORIGINAL CREATOR LINKS

Credit and availability

The videos remain on YouTube and are controlled by their creators. Self-Taught Pilot does not copy or rehost them and has no financial relationship with Free Pilot Training, Mike Busch, Savvy Aviation, EAA, Hoover, or Pilot Debrief. Titles, availability, external offers, rankings, and course details may change.

Free Pilot Training on YouTube FreePilotTraining.net Savvy Aviation on YouTube Mike Busch webinar playlist Savvy Aviation resources EAA webinars Pilot Debrief on YouTube PilotDebrief.com About Pilot Debrief Search NTSB aviation investigations

Links and titles last checked October 26, 2026.