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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Articles by John Zimmerman

Articles by John Zimmerman

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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…

Share Your Spring Flying Adventures with Air Facts

At Air Facts Journal, our Travelogue series is built on real stories from pilots like you—stories that capture both the joy and the challenges of personal air transportation. Tell us about your route, the airports you stopped at, the weather you encountered, and those unexpected moments that made your trip unforgettable.

Flying and Maintaining Prewar Aeroncas: A Guide for Antique Aircraft Owners

What I Know About...

The Stick Chief refers to the aircraft controls that employ a stick as opposed to a yoke. And why would anyone do that, you ask? In the late 1930s, then President Rosevelt, put the country on a war footing and declared the US would need 25,000 pilots. He was informed by the Navy and Army Air Core that they had neither the aircraft, personnel nor facilities to undertake the effort. To that end, civilian flight schools were pressed into service with several military officers overseeing civilian flight instructors. This was the beginning of the cadet pilot program.

Buffalo Hunting With Airplanes

The most likely threat I would face was 23MM and 37MM Triple-A, which would be fired in streams of 25-50 rounds at a time. If the gunners were harassing you, they might fire only 25 rounds. If they were intent on you not destroying something of value (like themselves!), you could expect hundreds of rounds to be fired at you.

2025 Richard Collins Writing Prize Runner-Up: Tailstrikes and Tiedowns

I was there, Young Pilots

As I banked into my final approach, my heart sank. I had fully cut power and had flaps at twenty, but I was still far too high. Because I had let my airspeed get so low, I hadn’t lost enough altitude on downwind. I knew I should go-around, but panic gripped me. I did the worst thing possible and tried to lose altitude by steepening my approach.

2025 Richard Collins Writing Prize Winner: Cruising Through the Soaring Blues

My landings were respectable, and my decision-making occasionally less respectable. Even after flying at cross-country camps, learning soaring theory, having the best possible mentor and breaking the proverbial apron strings at home, flying in my first competition that week was the hardest thing I’ve done yet as a pilot, but also the most satisfying.

powered parachute

Friday Photo: Fusion Over Mystic Bluffs

Every year pilots are treated to a special fly-in opportunity near Ramah, New Mexico (population 391). Mystic Bluffs Airport (NM56) is a private dirt runway. The Timberlake Ranch Homeowners Association hosts the fly-in and provides breakfast for lucky pilots. The valley, at almost 7,000' MSL, is surrounded by mountains, mesas, canyons and the bluffs. Mystic Bluffs refers to the cliffs west of the valley that look like pink and white layer cake.

John’s Blog

Pilot’s Bucket List: 11 Must-Do Adventures After Earning Your License

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.

Who is the pilot in command of your aircraft?

FAR 91.3 is one of the simplest and best known federal aviation regulations, and it clearly defines the most essential job as a pilot: to be the boss for the entire flight. But as obvious as this sounds, it’s surprisingly hard to do in the real world. Little by little, your authority as PIC can be eroded until no one is actually in command.

The pros and the cons: Cirrus SR22

Cirrus had a controversial reputation early on, and to this day it’s the butt of some jokes. But it’s also the best selling piston airplane in the world for 20 years straight, a lone bright spot among small airplane companies who otherwise seem to be surviving on a few big flight school orders. And as I’ve repeatedly observed, the most vocal Cirrus critics are usually the ones who have never flown one.

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I Can’t Believe I Did That

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.

The Arrogant Pilot

I Can't Believe I Did That

On one early Monday morning, I took things for granted. I cut corners. I made certain assumptions about a departing fuel truck and an obscured fuel gauge—no substitute for pilot responsibility. Thirty minutes later, barely clearing the redwood ridge tops of the Santa Cruz mountains, I would dive for the first straight section of road I could find in the Silicon Valley.

How I failed my IFR Practical Test Twice

I Can't Believe I Did That

I decided after two attempts to not take the Instrument practical again. The examiner was gracious and realized that, being over 55, I did not have plans for commercial flying and certainly not airlines (ATP). He reminded me it is not easy to stay current with an Instrument Rating and flying IFR by yourself can be challenging even for the most proficient pilot, especially if you do not have an autopilot.

Opinion

In Defense of the Paper Nav Log

The typical mid-lifers are accomplished overachievers. The way they see it, they could easily learn the Rubik's cube of a paper nav log if they were made to do it. But why require them to spend hours mastering a process that in the real world of EFBs, they'll never have to use again? For a mid-life pilot, this seems like a criminal waste of time.

Why Crash Videos and Social Media Don’t Mix

I get that we all speculate in private on crashes since we have a natural tendency to try to understand tragedy after it unfolds. But when we speak publicly on social media or even to our friends and family at home, we become ambassadors for aviation. And as ambassadors, I firmly believe we need to steer these conversations toward supporting our fellow pilots who were involved in the incident as well as understanding how we can prevent it from happening again. And any online content that goes against these tenets should be strictly avoided or even better, unsubscribed.

Checking The Checklist Checks

Checklist usage shouldn’t feel like a chore, nor should it feel mandatory (and from a regulatory standpoint, it isn’t), but rather an act of habit. And the quality of checklists you use is directly responsible for how often you use them! Because once checklist usage feels natural instead of premediated, you don’t have to think about it anymore.

More Articles

I Can’t Believe I Did That

Learn from the mistakes of others

Technique

Improve your flying skills

Go Or No Go

Test your weather decision-making

Young Pilots

The next generation writes

Friday Photo

Unforgettable cockpit views

I Was There

Sharing pilot stories