I Can’t Believe I Did That

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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…

Pilot’s Discretion Podcast with John Zimmerman – top 10 episodes of 2023

Join Air Facts Editor-in-Chief, John Zimmerman, as he interviews some of aviation's most interesting people in the popular Pilot's Discretion Podcast. You'll recognize some of the guests as contributing authors at Air Facts. From honest discussions about flight training to fascinating stories from world famous airshow pilots, this podcast is for anyone who loves to fly.

Favorite Friday photos of 2023

Air Facts popular "Friday photo" features some spectacular views and amazing memories to share with the aviation community. Thank you for those photos and we're sure the best is yet to come. Have a photo to share? Send your photo and description to: [email protected].

Meigs airport

Air Facts top 10 articles of 2023

Sporty's Air Facts published more than 150 articles in 2023, written by more than 100 different writers. Many of these writers were first time contributors with a compelling story to tell or a lesson learned. Thank you for your many comments and spirited debate. Please enjoy these 10 most popular articles of 2023.

First Time in Real IMC; A Memorable Flight with Lessons Learned

I was then instructed to fly direct to WEVER intersection and join the DVALL 3 arrival. I was not expecting that! At that moment, I realized that I should have called for clearance from the ramp, and then called back for release when we were number one for departure. While I was startled for a moment, my training kicked in and I loaded the arrival procedure into the GPS.

Runway

GA Airports Suffer from Costly Mismanagement

Politicians ignore the highly technical needs of the airport and focus on other departments which attract more community interest, such as schools, roads, and parks. This degrades and undermines the ability of the airport to make significant contributions back to their community.

An accident in my Taylorcraft

I had instinctively lowered the nose to prevent a stall. That’s about the time the RPMs smoothly returned to full power. But I was already committed to being on the ground even before the RPMs dropped a second time. While lowering the nose, I made a slight left turn toward the field. My attempt to make some kind of a normal landing really didn’t work out because I never got the nose back up to a good landing attitude.

John’s Blog

Low approach

Pilots need to be generalists, not specialists

American education has been obsessed with STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) for at least a decade, and the aviation industry has eagerly jumped on the bandwagon. The FAA is leading the charge to fit our square peg into this round hole, declaring aviation to be the ultimate STEM career path. I’m in favor of anything that attracts a new generation of pilots, but this framing is a radical oversimplification—and it sets up some pilots for failure.

HRRR

TAFs are so last century—here are four new tools to try

If your preflight weather briefing habits don’t change every few years, you probably aren’t curious enough. Occasionally there are major shifts, like the one from Flight Service phone calls to iPad app self-briefings, but more often we slowly integrate new weather resources and let others fade away. That’s exactly what I’ve done with the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF), the gold standard of aviation forecasts. I still read them, but it plays a much less central role in my decision-making process than it did five years ago.

VL-3 airplane

Five changes the new MOSAIC rule could bring to aviation

The word mosaic can be a noun, meaning a beautiful arrangement of glass, or an adjective, as in the tablets that Charlton Heston brought down from the mountain. Whether you view the FAA’s recently released Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) proposal as a work of art or a restrictive set of commandments from on high, this 300-page document will definitely change general aviation.

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I Can’t Believe I Did That

Two in a row – a chain of mistakes and lessons

I Can't Believe I Did That

With less than 30 minutes to go before arriving, the battery couldn't hold a charge anymore. A warning message popped up on the PFD, and it only took five minutes for the electrical system to shut down. Thankfully, the PFD has a backup battery, so I knew I had around 30 minutes before it would go dark. I also had a Sporty's backup radio in my flight bag.

airplanes converging

My self-taught Immelmann for collision avoidance

I Can't Believe I Did That

The speck eventually sprouted a fuselage, twin-engine nacelles and a T-tail. By the time the wing panels outboard of the engines became big enough to see, along with the turbine exhaust pipe exiting the near side nacelle, I was measuring four G’s on my panel accelerometer and depressing my control stick microphone switch.

Mooney M20E

Unfamiliarity and distractions nearly result in a gear up

I Can't Believe I Did That

About that time, another beeping noise could be heard over the buzzing in my headset. “What’s that?” I asked. “I’m not sure,” was the reply. Now we were about a mile and a half from the runway. Thankfully Philip did his GUMP check. Gas, undercarriage. Then we both noticed where that other beeping noise was coming from.

Opinion

Pilot’s Discretion Podcast with John Zimmerman – top 10 episodes of 2023

Join Air Facts Editor-in-Chief, John Zimmerman, as he interviews some of aviation's most interesting people in the popular Pilot's Discretion Podcast. You'll recognize some of the guests as contributing authors at Air Facts. From honest discussions about flight training to fascinating stories from world famous airshow pilots, this podcast is for anyone who loves to fly.

Runway

GA Airports Suffer from Costly Mismanagement

Politicians ignore the highly technical needs of the airport and focus on other departments which attract more community interest, such as schools, roads, and parks. This degrades and undermines the ability of the airport to make significant contributions back to their community.

Always a student—some advice for aspiring professional pilots

As I manuevered toward the field, I realized we were too high. As I glanced at the moving map - a luxury I did not have during my Private training - the G1000 revealed a grass strip right underneath us. In no time, I positioned myself for a landing and completed the simulated emergency successfully. Now it was time for pattern work.

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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