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I Can’t Believe I Did That

Learn from the mistakes of others

I Was There

Pilot stories from around the world

Technique

Improve your flying skills

History

Preserving aviation's legacy

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OUR MOST RECENT POSTS

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…

Garmin G5000 panel

The IFR conundrum: is it as it appears?

Dick's blog
Back in the good old days, there was a lot of scud running and not much real IFR. A lot of us thought that the best way to improve the general aviation safety picture would be to get more people into IFR flying. But one of life’s simplest pleasures comes in realizing that you were wrong about something and that is true here.
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36 Comments
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August 10, 2012
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/06180049/G5000.jpg 277 450 Richard Collins https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Richard Collins2012-08-10 09:18:172017-04-15 15:16:42The IFR conundrum: is it as it appears?
Classic Cessna 180

Designing the Cessna 180

History
Former Cessna engineer and test pilot Harry Clements shares his personal history of designing the Cessna 180. As you might expect, not everything went smoothly during this bush plane's development.
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23 Comments
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August 8, 2012
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/06180105/Cessna-180.jpg 506 770 Harry Clements https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Harry Clements2012-08-08 10:12:132016-02-27 10:22:13Designing the Cessna 180
Cessna Skycatcher

The Great Debate: is the LSA rule a failure?

Debate
The Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) rule is coming up on its 8th birthday, and that seems as good a time as any to reflect on the successes and failures of LSAs and the Sport Pilot license. Has it worked? Share your opinion in our latest debate.
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114 Comments
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August 6, 2012
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/06180053/162.jpg 631 982 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2012-08-06 17:09:122016-02-27 10:22:06The Great Debate: is the LSA rule a failure?
Little John

Spelling relief

I was there
People complain about my lack of …endurance. Turns out, I’m not the only pilot with a bladder of clay. For as long as airplanes have been able to sustain vast distances, they’ve been flown by people who can’t.
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12 Comments
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August 3, 2012
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/06180118/littlejohn.jpg 400 400 Phil Scott https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Phil Scott2012-08-03 09:58:102017-02-27 16:04:59Spelling relief
Speed record track

Bittersweet victory: breaking Dad’s speed record

Speed Records
When Air Facts resurrected the speed records that it started in 1968, it brought back a flood of memories of my Dad’s participation in the program. So when a planned family trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, was on the calendar, I figured this was a good time to attempt to beat Dad’s record—well at least one of them.
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4 Comments
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August 1, 2012
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/06180115/497A-track.jpg 694 1160 Pete Bedell https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Pete Bedell2012-08-01 11:23:122016-02-27 10:21:50Bittersweet victory: breaking Dad’s speed record
Avgas

Washington report: the future of 100LL

Washington report
The future of avgas has been a hot topic for decades, with predictions of "the end of 100LL" coming every few years. But lately there has been a renewed urgency about the subject, especially as environmental groups and the EPA have turned up the heat.
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9 Comments
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July 27, 2012
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/06180120/avgas.jpg 467 700 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2012-07-27 04:12:022016-02-27 10:21:33Washington report: the future of 100LL
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John’s Blog

Pilot in airplane

How to improve your aviation decisions

John's blog
At some point in a pilot’s flying career, usually around 250 hours, the primary challenge shifts from a physical one to a mental one. When you finally master crosswind landings and learn how to use all the avionics in your airplane, what’s left is the never-ending task of making good decisions. How can we improve this skill?
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17 Comments
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July 5, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/06161030/BretCitationVegasApproachClouds1000.jpg 750 1000 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2022-07-05 08:03:232022-07-04 07:48:37How to improve your aviation decisions
Trevor Jacob jump

YouTube, Top Gun, and aviation culture

John's blog
Is YouTube good or bad for general aviation? That seems to be a popular hangar flying debate these days, especially since a number of high profile pilots have found themselves in hot water with the FAA over the last month. The answer may be more important for the future of GA than you think.
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22 Comments
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May 9, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/06135800/f6920-16506029019652-1920.jpg 1080 1920 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2022-05-09 09:57:172022-05-09 09:21:34YouTube, Top Gun, and aviation culture
Pilatus PC-12

What’s wrong with Pilatus PC-12 pilots?

John's blog
A key reason for the PC-12’s popularity has been its stellar safety record, one of the best in all of general aviation. So any effort to answer the question, “what’s wrong with Pilatus PC-12 pilots?” has to begin with: not much. But accidents do happen, including a recent one off the coast of North Carolina. That means it’s worth our time to examine the safety record of a specific airplane type, even if you don’t fly that model.
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16 Comments
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March 30, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/06140132/Pilatus-PC-12-landing.jpg 1192 1800 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2022-03-30 08:41:022022-03-29 17:49:56What’s wrong with Pilatus PC-12 pilots?
View John’s Blog

I Can’t Believe I Did That

Cessna 182

Weight and balance “get-there-itis” traps

I Can't Believe I Did That
It was a beautiful spring day for an airplane ride, which I was asked to give to a very important and even famous client (and his two friends). As an instrument pilot having flown for years, I knew the importance of getting the exact weight of my client and his two adult friends, so I got the numbers over the phone. I never realized that a hidden trap was awaiting me until I first saw all three of them at the airport.
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15 Comments
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July 20, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/15142453/Cessna_182S_Skylane_%E2%80%98G-OBBO_30860356187.jpg 683 1024 Rick Spencer https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Rick Spencer2022-07-20 08:57:452022-07-15 14:26:17Weight and balance “get-there-itis” traps
Thermometer at 100 degrees

Low, hot, and humid

I Can't Believe I Did That
The subsequent takeoff began normally enough—I didn’t necessarily notice if we became airborne a little farther down the runway than normal or not. But once airborne, I slowly became aware that things weren’t going as expected. After liftoff, the climb rate of the 172 was downright anemic to say the least. It was clawing the air trying to climb, but without much success.
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6 Comments
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March 16, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/06173405/thermometer.jpg 360 640 Craig Bixby https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Craig Bixby2022-03-16 08:39:562022-03-08 16:08:06Low, hot, and humid
Savannah

Who’s pilot in command? A faulty assumption leads to an accident

I Can't Believe I Did That
There was much joking and laughing about operating the Savannah, a small aircraft, from an 8,000-ft runway that had been built for nuclear bombers. The weather was perfect, we were in high spirits, but there was no discussion about our respective licences and experience or check procedures. We were just a couple of pilot mates going for a fly—what could go wrong?
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4 Comments
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February 14, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/06140304/SavannahS.jpg 536 800 David Johns https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg David Johns2022-02-14 08:14:572022-02-11 15:49:17Who’s pilot in command? A faulty assumption leads to an accident
View ICBIDT

Opinion

Constellation cockpit

Where have all the pilots gone?

Opinion
I have noticed the aviation industry is once again experiencing another pilot shortage. So, let’s take a little trip back in time and see how we keep getting in to these so called “shortages.” A long time ago—when dinosaurs ruled the earth, beer was only a nickel, and I had no gray hair—the airlines were regulated and all was well upon the land. For a captain flying at night on an international flight, the salary was as much as God.
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11 Comments
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July 13, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/06174428/Connie-cockpit.jpg 450 500 Skip Stagg https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Skip Stagg2022-07-13 08:47:512022-07-01 17:53:02Where have all the pilots gone?
Autonomous ucar

Who is in charge of your safety?

Opinion
I have a GPS that will provide me navigation support and let me access almost anything I need to know to continue on a safe flight. All these things are nice and helpful, and I would not enjoy flying as much if I did not have them. But there are two essential elements I can’t do without, and if they are not working, I’m not flying: SA and ADM.
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4 Comments
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June 29, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/06135617/iStock-829197466-1024x683-1.jpg 683 1024 John Rousch https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Rousch2022-06-29 08:35:032022-06-21 17:20:32Who is in charge of your safety?
Facebook group

How the web and social media have encouraged aviators

Opinion
Ever since the earliest days of the internet, when Usenet newsgroups were the main source of shared information, aviation has had a presence. With the advent of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, it wasn't long before aviators and aviation enthusiasts built their first websites. When social media arrived in the 2000s, aviation once again established a firm foothold and has used the medium to its full extent.
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6 Comments
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June 10, 2022
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/06135658/FB-screenshot.jpg 1270 1200 Ben Lovegrove https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Ben Lovegrove2022-06-10 09:04:282022-06-02 17:53:07How the web and social media have encouraged aviators
View Opinion

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I Can’t Believe I Did That

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  • Herding cattle with a century-series fighter
  • Every pilot a tiger
  • A 12-minute flight and a serious in-flight fire
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  • When things went wrong in a good way

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