I Can’t Believe I Did That

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Articles by Serrhel Adams

Articles by Serrhel Adams

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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…

Anticipation

There are many riddles to the human brain, and they are mostly borne from experience. It is more the Lamarckian trait rather than the Darwinian trait. Nothing is baked in except when it is through experience. We address life through the lens of our living. We catalogue our experiences inside the small molecules of proteins in our brain. Some from our childhood stick permanently, albeit with embellishments.

Checkrides gone wrong: rope-a-dope

One of Gene’s pet maneuvers was to demonstrate to the student pilot that his senses would lie to him while flying in the clouds on instruments, or at night. The ultimate lesson objective was to trust your flight instruments, and not your senses. He would have the student put the instrument flying hood on, then do a couple of routine flight maneuvers by reference to the flight instruments, then “the show” would begin.

Christmas reading list: 24 books for pilots to read in 2024

Six years after my last list, I still hate social media and I still love books, so I’m back with more recommendations—24 good aviation books for 2024. This is an eclectic mix, so I don’t expect readers to love every suggestion, but I believe there’s something for pilots to learn from almost any book, even if it doesn’t relate to aviation directly.

Checking off a bucket list item

Still wearing my flight suit as I walked about, I happened upon a large-scale model of a P-47 set in a WWII diorama. I instantly recognized it as Francis Stanley ‘Gabby’ Gabreski’s P-47 from when he commanded the 61st Fighter Squadron (the ‘Top Dawgs’). Gabby was the leading ace in the European Theater during WWII and is credited with destroying 34½ aircraft in aerial combat which made him one of only seven US combat pilots to become an ace in two wars.

Flying with the Old Breed—Max Karant’s Twin Comanche

Max Karant was a celebrity in general aviation circles. Starting as an editor for Flying magazine in the 1940s, Max went on to become one of the founders of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Early in his career, he had headed the FAA off at the pass when they tried to gobble up airspace and hamstring general aviation. He provided hours of congressional testimony in this effort, and it paid off with the freedoms we enjoy in GA today.

golden gate bridge

Friday Photo: Afternoon Stratus Enveloping the Golden Gate Bridge

My student had just passed her Private Pilot checkride in the airplane. Not surprisingly, she was wiped! So I got to fly us home to Palo Alto Airport. We got a wonderful view of Karl The Fog eating the Golden Gate Bridge.

John’s Blog

The aviation community is alive and well

Before the expletive could even leave my mouth, one of the FBO employees offered to lend me the crew car. I assumed the crew car option would be impossible, or at least impossibly bad manners, since the round trip would be nearly two hours and the FBO was closing soon. But he wouldn’t hear it: “take all the time you need and just drop the keys off with the night security guard. We appreciate your business.”

The Starlink era is here—will we regret it?

This promises to be a major advancement in cockpit technology, with benefits for pilots and passengers alike. But before diving headfirst into the Starlink pool, it would be wise to pause for just a moment and contemplate what we might lose. Don’t worry, I’m no Luddite and I’m not here to scare anyone away from an exciting new gadget. I am, however, an observer with enough experience to have seen technological breakthroughs bring unintended consequences. I fear that may happen here.

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.

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I Can’t Believe I Did That

A Quarter Tank and a Prayer

I Can't Believe I Did That

I was watching the fuel gauges drop before my eyes. I elected to continue to ECG rather than turn back. I was on a direct course. The Norfolk controller wished me luck—not the most reassuring sign—and handed me off to ECG Tower, who had already been briefed.

Trial by Ice

I Can't Believe I Did That, I was there

The most valuable lesson I learned from the “School of Hard Knocks” had nothing to do with weather or instrument flying. The “trial by ice” was a lesson in the awesome responsibility that comes from occupying the left seat of an airplane, regardless of its size. It also taught me to recognize those rare and unusual emergency situations when going by the book is not safe, and when deviating from standard operating procedures or the Federal Air Regulations is not only warranted, but imperative.

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.

Opinion

ADS-Fee?

Imagine flying out on a perfect CAVOK day to bathe in all that heavenly glory. Now imagine a few weeks later receiving a bill in the mail for a “landing” fee from an airport you, well, never landed at. Welcome to PLANEPASS!

A Different Kind of Pilot Decision—Choosing Not to Fly

I was there, Opinion

In my airplane, I am the source of reliability—or unreliability. The flight doesn’t leave without me. If I don’t like the weather, I don’t go. If I need to divert, I can. I choose my departure time. I build in margins. And most importantly, I have the authority—and practice—to say “no.”

What the Sky Taught Me

Small airports hold a peculiar magic—they exist in the present moment while preserving a vision from long ago. For decades, I watched small aircraft come and go from these little strips, until at 49, that pull became a question I couldn't ignore: what was I missing by staying on the ground? What relationships—what dialogue—awaited me in the sky?

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