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    • VIA The Poles: Journey Around the World’s Ultimate Flight Path

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    • This Is Why I Fly

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    I Can’t Believe I Did That

    Learn from the mistakes of others

    I Was There

    Pilot stories from around the world

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    Improve your flying skills

    Chris Schaich

    Articles by Chris Schaich

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    Air Facts was first published in 1938 by Leighton Collins, dedicated to “the development of private air transportation.” It’s a different world now, and it’s a different Air Facts. Relaunched in 2011 as an online journal, Air Facts still champions, educates, informs and entertains pilots worldwide with real-world flying experiences. More…

    VIA The Poles: Journey Around the World’s Ultimate Flight Path

    I was there, My Adventure
    I was part of a four-person crew that completed a Polar Circumnavigation Diploma flight in May 2025 in a 1976 Learjet 36A, S/N 022, N31GJ. If the application is accepted, it will be the fourth aircraft to meet the FAI Polar Circumnavigation Diploma requirements. The flight served as a fundraiser for the Classic Learjet Foundation, which is currently restoring Learjet 23 S/N 003, the first Learjet delivered to a customer in 1964. The now-vintage Learjet 36A completed the 26,291-mile flight without any issues or maintenance delays.
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    August 27, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/11112304/Journey-Around-the-Worlds-Ultimate-Flight-Path.png 1000 1250 John Bone https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png John Bone2025-08-27 08:55:352025-08-11 11:23:22VIA The Poles: Journey Around the World’s Ultimate Flight Path

    The Cycle of Flying Life

    Opinion
    Memories of first flights will include astonishing detail. That first transition—from wheels to wings—is a sensory overload, an oh-my-gosh experience. Most will remember where, when, and what type airplane. Sights, sounds, even smells. And, of course, special thoughts are reserved for the pilot who gave them their first flight.
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    August 25, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/01103920/The-Cycle-of-Flying-Life.png 1000 1250 Greg Anderson https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Greg Anderson2025-08-25 08:55:222025-08-01 10:39:44The Cycle of Flying Life
    reflections

    Friday Photo: Reflections

    Friday Photo
    I had been out of the Cub for a while, so I was itching to get up for a flight.  Sometimes, the sole purpose of the flight is to fly.  And, this was such an occasion.  Finally, the spring skies cleared, the cross winds faded, and I could get up in the cub.  There was no plan for Mother Nature to put on the show that she did, but calm winds, a calm lake, and a few clouds provided the scenery in which I was in desperate need.
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    August 22, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/28112841/reflections-scaled.jpg 1440 2560 Serrhel Adams https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Serrhel Adams2025-08-22 08:55:042025-07-28 11:29:55Friday Photo: Reflections

    The Strangest Instrument Approach I Have Ever Flown

    I was there
    As we taxied out for takeoff at Denver, we got the latest SFO weather from our dispatcher and found it had deteriorated even further to ceiling zero, visibility 1/16th of a mile in fog with an RVR of 800 feet. Incredibly, this was above our landing minimums, so we didn’t sweat it. And of course, RVR stands for Runway Visual Range, which is the horizontal visibility measured in feet by instruments located next to the runway.
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    August 20, 2025
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    Frank and Gerald’s Last Ride

    Veterans' Stories
    It turned out they were closer to shore than they’d reckoned—close enough that NVA soldiers were sniping at them. Gerald cut his life raft free and hunkered down in his water wings. Frank had scrambled into his raft, just like at Water Survival School, and was getting ready to contact the inbound Jolly when he started to take fire.
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    August 18, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/28104016/Frank-and-Geralds-Last-Ride.png 1000 1250 Steve Mosier https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Steve Mosier2025-08-18 08:55:242025-07-28 10:41:26Frank and Gerald’s Last Ride

    This Is Why I Fly

    My Adventure
    On very short notice, my wife and I were able to grab a bag, throw our things together without worrying about fluids, gels, etc., head to the airport, and depart. We had a wonderful weekend with our friends. Then we were able to leave on our own schedule for home. All without TSA, long lines, parking fees, and everything else. General aviation creates opportunities that other modes of transportation can’t provide.
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    August 15, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/02104059/Copy-of-The-Cycle-of-Flying-Life.png 1000 1250 Serrhel Adams https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Serrhel Adams2025-08-15 08:55:162025-08-02 10:41:15This Is Why I Fly
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    John’s Blog

    The aviation community is alive and well

    John's blog
    Before the expletive could even leave my mouth, one of the FBO employees offered to lend me the crew car. I assumed the crew car option would be impossible, or at least impossibly bad manners, since the round trip would be nearly two hours and the FBO was closing soon. But he wouldn’t hear it: “take all the time you need and just drop the keys off with the night security guard. We appreciate your business.”
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    27 Comments
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    June 2, 2025
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    The Starlink era is here—will we regret it?

    John's blog
    This promises to be a major advancement in cockpit technology, with benefits for pilots and passengers alike. But before diving headfirst into the Starlink pool, it would be wise to pause for just a moment and contemplate what we might lose. Don’t worry, I’m no Luddite and I’m not here to scare anyone away from an exciting new gadget. I am, however, an observer with enough experience to have seen technological breakthroughs bring unintended consequences. I fear that may happen here.
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    April 9, 2025
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    Pilot’s Bucket List: 11 Must-Do Adventures After Earning Your License

    John's blog
    Everyone's dream list will vary, but let me suggest 11 things that every pilot should do with their license. Call it a bucket list if you want, but I consider it a flight plan for a fulfilling life in the cockpit.
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    March 14, 2025
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    I Can’t Believe I Did That

    A Quarter Tank and a Prayer

    I Can't Believe I Did That
    I was watching the fuel gauges drop before my eyes. I elected to continue to ECG rather than turn back. I was on a direct course. The Norfolk controller wished me luck—not the most reassuring sign—and handed me off to ECG Tower, who had already been briefed.
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    June 20, 2025
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    Trial by Ice

    I Can't Believe I Did That, I was there
    The most valuable lesson I learned from the “School of Hard Knocks” had nothing to do with weather or instrument flying. The “trial by ice” was a lesson in the awesome responsibility that comes from occupying the left seat of an airplane, regardless of its size. It also taught me to recognize those rare and unusual emergency situations when going by the book is not safe, and when deviating from standard operating procedures or the Federal Air Regulations is not only warranted, but imperative.
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    May 5, 2025
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    I Am UNSAFE Checklist—Lessons Learned on a Fateful Night

    I Can't Believe I Did That
    Very soon I was on the approach and thought I could still make 06C.  The ATIS called out the overcast at 800’ AGL, the minimum I needed (mistake #5—not mine, but it counted anyway.)  I held at 800’, assuming I’d see the runway lights below me and then I could continue to 06C.  As I crossed the runway threshold, it was solid IMC and I had to go missed.  I asked the Tower what the current ceiling was, and the response was that the ATIS was old and the ceiling was actually 400’ and you’ll have to go around. 
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    February 28, 2025
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    Opinion

    The Cycle of Flying Life

    Opinion
    Memories of first flights will include astonishing detail. That first transition—from wheels to wings—is a sensory overload, an oh-my-gosh experience. Most will remember where, when, and what type airplane. Sights, sounds, even smells. And, of course, special thoughts are reserved for the pilot who gave them their first flight.
    Read more
    0 Comments
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    August 25, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/01103920/The-Cycle-of-Flying-Life.png 1000 1250 Greg Anderson https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Greg Anderson2025-08-25 08:55:222025-08-01 10:39:44The Cycle of Flying Life

    Chain of Trust

    Opinion
    If there is one aspect of general aviation I’ve learned over my relatively short stint aloft, it’s that the safety of any flight is not just dependent solely on the decisions I make, but also on the ones others have made for me—without my knowledge or even consent. In fact, all of general aviation relies on an implicit chain of trust that, when broken, can and does result in dire consequences.
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    August 11, 2025
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    The Choice to Fly

    Opinion
    Now we were nose-down, spinning, and rapidly losing altitude. The earth swirled in the windshield, the tall pines below getting closer. I don’t remember how many turns we made, but somewhere between the second one and the top of those trees, he cut the power and stopped the rotation. We were still descending fast. Sweat poured down my face, driven by the sudden surge of fear, my novice brain gripped by self-preservation.
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    July 18, 2025
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