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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…

Game Theory in Flying

A challenging takeoff and deteriorating weather force a pilot to weigh experience against risk. Parvez Dara explores how game theory can help pilots make the decision to go—or walk away.

bonanza

Friday Photo: Sunset at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum

The sunset provided a beautiful backdrop to wrap up the day. With Hurricane Isaias approaching from the south, we headed back to Cincinnati later that night to keep the Bonanza out of the weather moving north.

What Might Have Been

My wife and I were fortunate enough to make our first trip to Alaska. Since returning, everyone asks the same question: “How was it?” I usually give two answers. The first is easy. It was amazing. Beautiful. More than I hoped it would be. The second takes a little more explanation.

Behind the B-17

A B-17 encounter made an unexpected detour memorable. But when a convective SIGMET appeared between a pilot and home, the toughest decision was whether to depart at all.

Finally Flying the F-5: A Bucket List Item

After decades of admiring the F-5 from the ground, Pat “PaddyO” O’Brien finally gets his chance to fly the supersonic fighter—and discovers the experience is even better than he imagined.

What I Did During the Vietnam War, Part III

Veterans' Stories

This is the final part of Randall Shumaker's story about his work as a young engineer testing Naval aviation systems during the Vietnam era. In Part 3, he describes one of the most memorable tests of his career—a full-scale aircraft crash test involving an RB-66 and experimental jet fuel.

John’s Blog

Learning to accept the no-go decision

I’ve obviously done something to upset Mother Nature this year. There’s no other explanation for what I can confidently say is my worst streak of canceled flights in 30 years as a pilot. Here are the four most noteworthy examples from a brutal five-month stretch.

Flying the Pilatus PC-12: does it live up to the hype?

Today we tackle a unique and well-regarded airplane: the Pilatus PC-12. Does it live up to the hype as the “turbine Suburban?” Is a single engine turboprop safe? Can it really take off from short and soft runways? My short answer is yes, yes, and yes, but please read on for a much longer answer.

Is your flight school training you for the wrong job?

To be blunt, some schools are training the next generation of pilots to be excellent systems managers in a multi-crew environment, but are failing the pilots who want to use an airplane as a tool for personal travel. A Bonanza isn't a miniature Boeing; it's a cross-country time machine that requires a completely different set of skills, most of which aren’t found in the ACS or an accelerated syllabus.

View John’s Blog

I Can’t Believe I Did That

New Captain, Dark Runway

I Can't Believe I Did That

It was almost midnight and raining heavily. My first officer and I followed the checklist and thought we had it completed. We were in ground contact and could see some lights on the ground, but NO RUNWAY IN SIGHT as we approached minimums. We were about to initiate a missed approach!

I Need a Donut

I Can't Believe I Did That

I strive to keep my inner Homer Simpson quiet, but sometimes he takes over in the cockpit. From tailwinds at KVBT to snow-filled wheel pants in Evansville, here are a few of my “D’oh!” moments—and what they taught me about staying sharp as a pilot.

Collins Writing Prize Second Place: Livin’ the Dream

I Can't Believe I Did That, Young Pilots

This article received second place in the 2026 Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots. Grace Eger, who also placed in the contest in 2023, shares a memorable winter lesson in humility—and a reminder of why flying is still the best job in the world.

Opinion

Game Theory in Flying

A challenging takeoff and deteriorating weather force a pilot to weigh experience against risk. Parvez Dara explores how game theory can help pilots make the decision to go—or walk away.

What Might Have Been

My wife and I were fortunate enough to make our first trip to Alaska. Since returning, everyone asks the same question: “How was it?” I usually give two answers. The first is easy. It was amazing. Beautiful. More than I hoped it would be. The second takes a little more explanation.

Reading About Aircraft Accidents and My Bag of Clues

So what motivates me to look up a particular accident? I want to learn something, some bit of knowledge, some clue for my clue bag.

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