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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…

Friday photo: Middle Lake and Mount Susitna

Friday Photo
During one of my first flight lessons, my instructor flew over a heart shaped lake and I thought it was pretty amazing.  I made it a point to mentally mark its location, just west of Goose Bay which is across the Knik River from Anchorage, AK.
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September 8, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/23131546/heart-shaped-lake-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 Gavin O'Brien https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Gavin O'Brien2023-09-08 08:55:232023-08-25 09:25:49Friday photo: Middle Lake and Mount Susitna
Mooney

To abort the takeoff or fly

I was there
The M20 accelerated down the runway and I had been told to look for 60-70 kts. for a smooth takeoff and climb out.  The Mooney lifted off (virtually by itself) and I could feel the acceleration.  Glancing at the airspeed indicator (ASI), I was surprised to see only about 35 - 40 kts.  The M20 was good, but surely not that good.  We continued to accelerate and had become definitely airborne but the ASI still showed around 40 kts.
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4 Comments
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September 6, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/06173628/mooney-in-flight.jpg 1068 1600 Wes Madycki https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Wes Madycki2023-09-06 08:55:092023-09-07 09:27:08To abort the takeoff or fly

Making peace with a very bad day

My Adventure
Right at dusk, what I believed to be a tornado hit the airport and collapsed six hangars. My airplane was in one of them. What would officially be called a straight-line wind event ended up becoming the worst day of my life. All the dreams and all the hours of hard work gone in an instant. I cried like a baby.
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12 Comments
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September 4, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/23121237/cassault-2.jpg 770 1152 Michael Olah https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Michael Olah2023-09-04 08:55:072023-09-06 11:49:54Making peace with a very bad day

Flying the central coast of California

My Adventure
San Luis Obispo Airport (KSBP) is really a nice stop. There is usually parking by the Spirit restaurant. On final approach in small aircraft, there is sometimes a bit of a sink or ballooning on short final above the roadway just prior to the runway. Tower and Ground Control are sometimes the same person.
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2 Comments
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September 1, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/15105238/Oceano-scaled.jpg 1920 2560 Chuck Johnes https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Chuck Johnes2023-09-01 08:55:372023-09-02 13:31:08Flying the central coast of California

Never again – too much trust in the weather forecast

I Can't Believe I Did That
All of a sudden, a giant water tower appeared in front of me. I was now at 200 ft. AGL and quickly turned around the water tower to find my position. Woodville, Mississippi was written on the side of the water tower. Yes, at least now I knew where I was. I got out my VFR paper map and hunted for Woodville on that map, but I could not find it.
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24 Comments
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August 30, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/11094420/low-visibility.jpg 663 1008 Dan Stukas https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Dan Stukas2023-08-30 08:55:432023-08-31 11:36:18Never again – too much trust in the weather forecast

The Skipper, the eagle, and the really bad decision

I was there
At 65 knots I rotate the nose up and the eagle spreads his wings (at least a 7ft. wingspan) and takes off less than 100ft in front of me.  We are both airborne, centered on the runway, on a heading of 130 degrees, but I’m going about 55 knots faster than he is!  I must avoid hitting him with the propeller.
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7 Comments
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August 28, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/10112531/skipper-1-scaled.jpg 1920 2560 Don Stehler https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Don Stehler2023-08-28 08:55:492023-08-31 11:46:50The Skipper, the eagle, and the really bad decision
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John’s Blog

HRRR

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

John's blog
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.
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8 Comments
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September 18, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/11112637/HRRR-map-small.jpg 825 1200 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2023-09-18 08:55:392023-09-18 08:58:49TAFs are so last century—here are four new tools to try
VL-3 airplane

Five changes the new MOSAIC rule could bring to aviation

John's blog
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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11 Comments
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August 16, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/08135227/VL-3.jpg 789 1200 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2023-08-16 08:55:422023-08-16 09:25:00Five changes the new MOSAIC rule could bring to aviation
Microsoft copilot

What pilots can teach the world about AI

John's blog
In 2023, Covid has rapidly receded from the headlines, but now artificial intelligence (AI) is here to kill us. That’s according to many prominent voices in the computer science community, and more than a few traffic-chasing news outlets too. Once again, I believe pilots have relevant experience to share on this topic. In fact, how to manage technology has been the defining aviation debate of the last 50 years.
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6 Comments
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July 7, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/03114328/OMB_Hero-WholeNewWayToWork.jpg 1080 1920 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2023-07-07 08:55:352023-07-07 19:11:12What pilots can teach the world about AI
View John’s Blog

I Can’t Believe I Did That

Expectation bias and distractions lead to near disaster

I Can't Believe I Did That
what was causing our 400,000 lbs. abode to creep forward at an alarmingly increasing rate? What was earlier yards or even feet of separation now seemed like mere inches. Those vehicles, those people, they had no way to move, no way to extricate themselves from the approaching doom.
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13 Comments
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September 13, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/30102146/MD10-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Mario Jimenez https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Mario Jimenez2023-09-13 08:55:552023-09-13 10:08:53Expectation bias and distractions lead to near disaster

Never again – too much trust in the weather forecast

I Can't Believe I Did That
All of a sudden, a giant water tower appeared in front of me. I was now at 200 ft. AGL and quickly turned around the water tower to find my position. Woodville, Mississippi was written on the side of the water tower. Yes, at least now I knew where I was. I got out my VFR paper map and hunted for Woodville on that map, but I could not find it.
Read more
24 Comments
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August 30, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/11094420/low-visibility.jpg 663 1008 Dan Stukas https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Dan Stukas2023-08-30 08:55:432023-08-31 11:36:18Never again – too much trust in the weather forecast
Runway lights

A night flight I’ll never forget

I Can't Believe I Did That
My unfamiliarity with the airplane, its engine, and perhaps the fact that Goff was red-lining his airplane which had 30 more horsepower made the gap between us increase more and more until the dot I was following on my wind screen which I believed was Goff turned out to be an insect splatter. Suddenly, I was flying alone and in the dark.
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3 Comments
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August 2, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06170358/runway-lights-at-night.jpg 360 480 William Reyer https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg William Reyer2023-08-02 08:55:012023-08-07 17:52:37A night flight I’ll never forget
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Opinion

Swift

Is your airplane maintenance legal, safe, or neither?

Opinion
The airplane was rough at best - high time engine, old radios, needed paint.  The mechanic asked if the owner had the log books.  He produced them, and as the mechanic looked through them, he asked “Who does your annuals?”  The reply was “Oh, I do them myself and have (mechanic name) sign them off for me.”  Was the airplane legal?  The logs book said so, but in reality, it was neither legal or safe.
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13 Comments
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August 7, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/06143023/Swift-in-hangar.jpg 900 1200 Jay Wischkaemper https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Jay Wischkaemper2023-08-07 08:55:382023-08-09 14:06:39Is your airplane maintenance legal, safe, or neither?
Citation on ramp

Better ramp etiquette is needed

Opinion
The Beechcraft King Air pilots spend the next 15 minutes holding the adjacent aircraft captive before finally getting underway.  It is the longest fifteen minutes of the day for passengers on both airplanes.  Pilots and passengers still in the lobby must also wait until the coast is clear.
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20 Comments
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July 19, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/06145931/Citation-on-ramp-2.jpg 380 517 Ken Ambrose https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Ken Ambrose2023-07-19 08:55:022023-07-19 10:27:23Better ramp etiquette is needed
Cessna stall

How Not to Lose Control: What We Can Learn from Colgan 3407

Opinion
The captain of Colgan 3407, when faced with an impending stall while IFR at night and relatively close to the ground, pulled against the Stick Pusher, another safety system designed to help a pilot lower the nose in a stall. The stick pusher, in this case, activated three times, and at each successive activation the FDR indicates a stronger and stronger pull by the captain.
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49 Comments
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June 5, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/06145113/Cessna-stall-external.jpg 797 1200 Jeff Peterson https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Jeff Peterson2023-06-05 08:55:152023-06-05 09:24:32How Not to Lose Control: What We Can Learn from Colgan 3407
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