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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…

$100 Hamburger Reflections

Boredom creates the need for the $100 hamburger. Power pilots often have to invent ways to stay mentally engaged: mastering autopilot, interpreting en-route weather, practicing precision maneuvers, honing navigation skills, flying patterns and go-arounds, upset training, aerobatics, IFR practice, and so on. These exercises are about keeping the mind occupied and the skills sharp—they are less about “having fun.”

Five Aviation Books Every Pilot Should Read

Editor’s note: Contribuing author, Alex Sack, recently challenged pilots to expand their reading beyond aviation-specific titles (read that article here). That article sparked some thoughtful follow-up, including this response from Jason Blair,…

What Will Your Calling Be?

A young flight instructor asked me for a ride in my Bonanza, and what started as a simple flight turned into a lesson on responsibility, checklists, and discovering your true calling. Sometimes, one encounter can shape a career—and a life in aviation.

Bearcat to Beercat

A routine commute in a Grumman F8F Bearcat turns into an unforgettable dogfight—and an unexpected midair surprise. Flying alongside a Navy test pilot, airshow legend Corkey Fornof recounts a moment that perfectly captures the power, personality, and pure fun of warbird flying.

Unnecessary Comments on Short Final

En route, we contacted the alert facility for a weather update and learned that conditions had degraded significantly. The weather was barely above ILS minimums, and the snow- and ice-covered runway required us to engage an arresting cable on landing. Fortunately, Galena had three serviceable arresting cables at the approach end of the runway and a midfield cable located a little less than halfway down the preferred landing runway.

sunrise

Friday Photo: Sunrise Over the Atlantic

Several times per week I fly back and forth from my home in Ocean Reef (Key Largo) to my office in Fort Lauderdale in my 182. This particular morning at Sunrise was simply awe inspiring. Detached from the earth, the majesty of flight is a profound gift.

John’s Blog

Go-arounds don’t have to be hard

I was grumpy with my friend because I hate the obsession with instant analysis, and he made me participate in this ugly trend. I was grumpy because this accident hit a little close to home, killing a father who was flying his wife and daughter in a Cirrus SR22 (something I do often). But I was mostly grumpy because go-around accidents happen far too often—and they are eminently preventable. This is one problem we should be able to solve.

Guard frequency in the age of social media

Yes, this is an “old man yells at cloud” article. Yes, I can already hear the jokes about the “guard police.” I don’t care. It needs to be said: Guard frequency (121.5) has become a national embarrassment, a sign that our self-absorbed social media culture has spread to the once-boring world of aviation. We need to do better.

Why are spatial disorientation accidents on the rise?

Researchers from the FAA show that SD accidents have not declined since 2003—in fact, quite the opposite. You might assume the widespread adoption of tools like datalink weather, modern autopilots, reliable AHRS, and electronic flight bag apps would make VFR-into-IMC (the classic SD accident scenario) much less common. It’s a great theory, but the numbers don’t support it.

View John’s Blog

I Can’t Believe I Did That

Out of Options—Pinned in the Pass

I Can't Believe I Did That

Weather closing in. Terrain rising ahead. No room to turn back. In a narrow New Zealand valley, one pilot learns just how unforgiving a single wrong decision can be — and what it taught him about judgment and humility.

Spatial Disorientation: I Thought It Couldn’t Happen to Me

I Can't Believe I Did That

I began climbing to get between layers, intending to stabilize and then request IFR. But as I entered the clouds, what I thought could never happen did. I was in an unusual attitude: 45 degrees banked and nose down. For a moment, I considered pulling the CAPS parachute. I had often wondered if I’d have the presence of mind to use it in a real emergency. After this, I know the answer is yes. But I also realized I could recover.

I Made Every Flight Training Mistake Humanly Possible

I Can't Believe I Did That

Flight training is rarely a straight line, but for Nick Smith it turned into a winding, four–year journey full of delays, false starts, and unexpected costs. In this brutally honest account, he shares the mistakes he made—so future pilots don’t have to repeat them. His story is both a cautionary tale and a reminder that perseverance can still lead to the certificate.

Opinion

$100 Hamburger Reflections

Boredom creates the need for the $100 hamburger. Power pilots often have to invent ways to stay mentally engaged: mastering autopilot, interpreting en-route weather, practicing precision maneuvers, honing navigation skills, flying patterns and go-arounds, upset training, aerobatics, IFR practice, and so on. These exercises are about keeping the mind occupied and the skills sharp—they are less about “having fun.”

Five Aviation Books Every Pilot Should Read

Editor’s note: Contribuing author, Alex Sack, recently challenged pilots to expand their reading beyond aviation-specific titles (read that article here). That article sparked some thoughtful follow-up, including this response from Jason Blair,…

What Will Your Calling Be?

A young flight instructor asked me for a ride in my Bonanza, and what started as a simple flight turned into a lesson on responsibility, checklists, and discovering your true calling. Sometimes, one encounter can shape a career—and a life in aviation.

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