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Featured Author: Bob Hamilton

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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…

What a Logbook Does Not Track

A pilot’s logbook records hours, ratings, approaches, and currency. But it can’t capture the flights that become lasting memories—the surprise trip with parents, a Cub ride with a daughter, or a simple flight that becomes a treasured story for someone else.

Make the CAPS Decision Before You Need It

What I Know About...

Whole-aircraft parachutes are installed in many light-sport and experimental aircraft, and certified retrofit systems are available for aircraft including the Cessna 172 and 182. BRS Aerospace says its systems have been developed for more than 450 aircraft models. Whatever the airplane, the important question isn't simply whether it has a parachute. Will the pilot use it while there is still time for it to work?

waco

Friday Photo: Best Spot at AirVenture

The wood and bronze trim inside these airplanes highlights the craftsmanship that defined aviation’s early years. The shaded trees and green grass of KOSH are also a welcome break from the asphalt taxiways and runways.

Cub Love Affair

He never became a pilot, but he’s spent nearly 70 years loving airplanes. Then, after years of searching, he finally got the chance to meet his aviation “movie star”: a Piper J-3 Cub.

How Did We Ever Get There?

Before GPS, glass cockpits, and ADS-B, pilots found their way with paper charts, VORs, radio ranges, and plenty of ingenuity. George Frost looks back at how far flying has come—and the remarkable pilots who got there with what they had.

What I Did During the Vietnam War, Part II

Veterans' Stories

As a young Naval engineer during the Vietnam era, Randall Shumaker was given some unusual assignments, including building a $1,000 speed-control system for a four-engine jetcar. He also found himself involved in ejection-seat tests and one particularly memorable full-scale aircraft crash test.

John’s Blog

Flying the Pilatus PC-12: does it live up to the hype?

Today we tackle a unique and well-regarded airplane: the Pilatus PC-12. Does it live up to the hype as the “turbine Suburban?” Is a single engine turboprop safe? Can it really take off from short and soft runways? My short answer is yes, yes, and yes, but please read on for a much longer answer.

Is your flight school training you for the wrong job?

To be blunt, some schools are training the next generation of pilots to be excellent systems managers in a multi-crew environment, but are failing the pilots who want to use an airplane as a tool for personal travel. A Bonanza isn't a miniature Boeing; it's a cross-country time machine that requires a completely different set of skills, most of which aren’t found in the ACS or an accelerated syllabus.

Use it or lose it: the instrument rating is not an insurance policy

One of the saddest things in aviation is a pilot with an instrument rating who’s afraid to use it. They look at a 1500-foot overcast and realize their $15,000 investment has become nothing more than a souvenir. Maybe they used to fly in the soup all the time and simply fell out of the habit; more likely, they can recite the holding pattern entries from the textbook but have never seen the inside of a cloud. Either way, it’s a waste of money and a missed opportunity.

View John’s Blog

I Can’t Believe I Did That

New Captain, Dark Runway

I Can't Believe I Did That

It was almost midnight and raining heavily. My first officer and I followed the checklist and thought we had it completed. We were in ground contact and could see some lights on the ground, but NO RUNWAY IN SIGHT as we approached minimums. We were about to initiate a missed approach!

I Need a Donut

I Can't Believe I Did That

I strive to keep my inner Homer Simpson quiet, but sometimes he takes over in the cockpit. From tailwinds at KVBT to snow-filled wheel pants in Evansville, here are a few of my “D’oh!” moments—and what they taught me about staying sharp as a pilot.

Collins Writing Prize Second Place: Livin’ the Dream

I Can't Believe I Did That, Young Pilots

This article received second place in the 2026 Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots. Grace Eger, who also placed in the contest in 2023, shares a memorable winter lesson in humility—and a reminder of why flying is still the best job in the world.

Opinion

What a Logbook Does Not Track

A pilot’s logbook records hours, ratings, approaches, and currency. But it can’t capture the flights that become lasting memories—the surprise trip with parents, a Cub ride with a daughter, or a simple flight that becomes a treasured story for someone else.

How Did We Ever Get There?

Before GPS, glass cockpits, and ADS-B, pilots found their way with paper charts, VORs, radio ranges, and plenty of ingenuity. George Frost looks back at how far flying has come—and the remarkable pilots who got there with what they had.

Lions and Tigers and NOTAMs—Oh, METARs!

Just like there are certain people who can fluently read Egyptian heiroglyphics, there are certain people who can fluently read NOTAMs and METARs. These are the same irritating people who can make a Rubics Cube all the same color on each side without smashing it and putting the pieces back together, which some people call “cheating.”

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