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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…

An altimeter tried to kill me

I was there

The only unusual aspect of the departure was that when the Dulles controller gave me the altimeter setting it was way off what I had dialed in before takeoff. I blamed the big change in altimeter setting I received from Dulles on myself for mistakenly setting the wrong field elevation before takeoff. It was my last and only chance to have prevented the near disaster that was ahead.

One in a million: a chance aerial encounter in Laos

I was there

In the heart of the Vietnam War, Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base was the home of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, “the Wolfpack.” The Wolfpack had around a hundred F-4D aircraft in four fighter squadrons; it was a 24-hour-a-day sorties machine,…

An astronaut, an AirCam, and some kids

I was there

It was a Saturday morning and former NASA astronaut Story Musgrave was leaning over drilling holes in his AirCam kit being built with my high school aviation class students. We connected with Story when was a speaker at one of our EAA Chapter 1240 fundraising dinners supporting our youth aviation efforts.

Full circle: two brothers and the joy of flying

I was there

We are all aviation people, but have arrived at that designation by varying paths. I’m sure that many of us can point to the influence of one particular person in that regard. In my case, it would certainly be my brother Scott. In 1973, Scott was 18 and I was an 11-year-old, totally smitten with anything related to airplanes. We had that in common.

Friday Photo: Oregon wildfires

Friday Photo

When seen from the air, wildfires can look like living creatures—and ruin in-flight visibility. That's the view in this week's Friday Photo, as a wildfire in Oregon spews smoke high into the sky. Chad Chase was flying his Cirrus SR22 from California to Portland when he found himself deviating around no less than three wildfires.

Open ocean, no instruments

I was there

Somewhere near the Rubicon, cabin lights flickered, then were gone. I looked at the instrument panel: a few needles held steady, the rest at nadir. The pilot turned to the navigator, “I guess it’s old school.” The navigator nodded, opened a compartment, took out a wooden box and lifted its lid.

John’s Blog

The datalink weather revolution: safer and less stressful flights

John's blog

I put the iPad down after a few minutes and said to the other pilot flying with me, “we’ll just keep going and see how that line develops when we get closer.” I suspect that’s a common phrase for many Air Facts readers who fly cross countries—and indeed, this was just another day at the office—but that doesn’t make it any less miraculous. Quite simply, datalink weather has changed how we fly.

It’s time to reform Obstacle Departure Procedures

John's blog

What’s the most overlooked and misunderstood part of IFR flying? I nominate the obstacle departure procedure (ODP). While almost any instrument pilot can recite trivia like holding pattern entries or VOR test requirements—important but relatively rare procedures—many are quite shaky on ODPs. That’s a shame, because ignorance of this procedure can be fatal.

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I Can’t Believe I Did That

Breaking news—and breaking the rules

I Can't Believe I Did That

The visibility forward decreased gradually, but you could still see the ground. We were able to see Granite Reef, a small diversion dam and the point where the Verde and Salt rivers merge, but continuing further east was becoming a problem. Yet my urge to get the on-air reporter to the news site was strong. After all, that’s what I was getting paid to do.

A spur of the moment decision, and a missed NOTAM

I Can't Believe I Did That

We entered the traffic pattern, and on left downwind to runway 29 we saw an area in the grass at the edge of the woods surrounded by yellow caution tape. Huh... wonder what that’s about. We landed and back-taxied, and could now see it was a wrecked plane that was cordoned off. No one around, just the plane. Curious.

Flying loaded: what could possibly go wrong?

I Can't Believe I Did That

I knew we were very heavy and would need much more runway than usual to take off, but was really surprised when the nose lifted off before we were even at 40 knots. We were gaining speed slowly, but it needed a lot more nose down trim, and finally at around 110 knots airspeed we lifted off the runway, at the exact moment I ran out of forward trim.

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Opinion

The only flight time that counts

Opinion

Local environments produce interesting flying hours, especially if other pilots are not likely to obtain the “correct” time a local pilot may enjoy. I was informed that I could never obtain true pilot-hood until I had logged the following.

The (unofficial) rules of flying

Opinion

The following are a collection of rules or sayings I have collected, borrowed, and forgot to return later—filing off the serial numbers or just stolen over the years. They come from different times, from a variety of situations, and from pilots I have known and flown with. Some of the rules you may already know.

The art of staying at home—a letter from a monk to pilots

Opinion

Flying at 500 feet off the shore or ruttering S-turns over the river is one of the most meditative things I’ve ever done. Thoreau, who as Pico Iyer reminds us was “one of the greatest explorers of this time,” wrote in his journal, “It matters not where or how far you travel—the farther commonly the worse—but how much alive you are.” Flying the Cub with the doors and windows open is the most alive I’ve ever felt.

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An altimeter tried to kill me

One in a million: a chance aerial encounter in Laos

An astronaut, an AirCam, and some kids

Full circle: two brothers and the joy of flying

Friday Photo: Oregon wildfires

Open ocean, no instruments

I Can’t Believe I Did That

I Was There

Technique

History

NEW ARTICLES

An altimeter tried to kill me

One in a million: a chance aerial encounter in Laos

An astronaut, an AirCam, and some kids

Full circle: two brothers and the joy of flying

Friday Photo: Oregon wildfires

Open ocean, no instruments

John’s Blog

Top 10 articles of 2021 on Air Facts

The datalink weather revolution: safer and less stressful flights

It’s time to reform Obstacle Departure Procedures

I Can’t Believe I Did That

Breaking news—and breaking the rules

A spur of the moment decision, and a missed NOTAM

Flying loaded: what could possibly go wrong?

Opinion

The only flight time that counts

The (unofficial) rules of flying

The art of staying at home—a letter from a monk to pilots

More Articles

I Can’t Believe I Did That

Technique

Go Or No Go

Young Pilots

Friday Photo

I Was There

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