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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

    Articles by Serrhel Adams

    Articles by Serrhel Adams

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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…

    R22 autorotation

    So, there we were…

    I was there
    Autorotations are maneuvers that sound and look really scary to the non-pilot. Before I started my training, I had watched many YouTube videos on the subject. I was pretty nervous about my first one. After all, this is an emergency procedure. And an emergency in an aircraft is never a good thing.
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    4 Comments
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    May 5, 2014
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/06173428/r22-auto-2.jpg 1080 1920 Douglas Williams https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Douglas Williams2014-05-05 17:17:322014-05-05 17:17:32So, there we were…

    Debate: has the iPad made pilots safer?

    Debate
    The iPad, originally dismissed as a novelty, has now become an essential part of many pilots' flight bags, whether student pilot or airline pro. But have all these features actually made flying safer?
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    45 Comments
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    May 2, 2014
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/06173431/AFipadfeature.jpg 280 520 Air Facts Staff https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Air Facts Staff2014-05-02 15:28:562014-05-02 15:30:09Debate: has the iPad made pilots safer?

    Managing risk in flying: cognitive traps!

    Technique
    The most critical skill in aviation safety is making good decisions, both before flight when time is plentiful and in flight when circumstances change and we may be rushed. The ability to generate and decide between diverse options (often with incomplete information and in the crunch) is essential to mitigate risk and achieve a safe outcome.
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    20 Comments
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    May 1, 2014
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/06173434/afradarfeature.jpg 280 520 David St. George https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png David St. George2014-05-01 12:34:502016-11-09 14:30:23Managing risk in flying: cognitive traps!

    Just one of those days

    I was there
    I signed up for an early January Angel Flight mission in my Cessna P210 turboprop conversion. The morning of the flight, I stepped out at 0530 for my usual run and found mist and drizzle. Uh oh. This is not a good sign.
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    4 Comments
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    April 28, 2014
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/06173439/affogrunway.jpg 280 520 Bruce McGregor https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Bruce McGregor2014-04-28 13:40:522014-04-28 13:40:52Just one of those days

    Go or No Go: Texas storms

    Go or No Go
    After spending a nice Easter weekend at home, tonight you'll be flying from Wichita Falls, TX (CWC) to Wichita, KS (ICT) for a presentation at a big conference. The only question is (as usual), will the weather cooperate?
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    22 Comments
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    April 24, 2014
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/06173445/AFGNGTX.jpg 280 520 John Zimmerman https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png John Zimmerman2014-04-24 22:43:112014-04-28 18:25:09Go or No Go: Texas storms

    AvGeek is the worst buzzword ever and is damaging aviation

    Opinion
    If you’ve ever tweeted the hashtag #avgeek, I want to you to exit your World of Warcraft game, put on some pants, slowly climb those steep, dark stairs out of your mom’s basement and quickly make your way to the nearest video store and pick up a VHS copy of The Right Stuff.
    Read more
    88 Comments
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    April 22, 2014
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/06173441/afavgeekfeature.jpg 280 520 Chris Clarke https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Chris Clarke2014-04-22 21:17:382014-04-22 21:17:38AvGeek is the worst buzzword ever and is damaging aviation
    Page 373 of 438«‹371372373374375›»

    John’s Blog

    The aviation community is alive and well

    John's blog
    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.”
    Read more
    25 Comments
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    June 2, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/27151312/The-aviation-community-is-alive-and-well.png 1000 1250 John Zimmerman https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png John Zimmerman2025-06-02 08:54:432025-05-27 16:38:00The aviation community is alive and well

    The Starlink era is here—will we regret it?

    John's blog
    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.
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    27 Comments
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    April 9, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/17123837/Copy-of-The-Starlink-era-is-here%E2%80%94will-we-regret-it.png 1000 1300 John Zimmerman https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png John Zimmerman2025-04-09 08:55:152025-04-17 12:38:45The Starlink era is here—will we regret it?

    Pilot’s Bucket List: 11 Must-Do Adventures After Earning Your License

    John's blog
    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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    55 Comments
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    March 14, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20101002/11-things-to-do-with-your-license.png 1000 1250 John Zimmerman https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png John Zimmerman2025-03-14 08:55:252025-03-23 14:20:58Pilot’s Bucket List: 11 Must-Do Adventures After Earning Your License
    View John’s Blog

    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.
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    13 Comments
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    June 20, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20175441/QUARTER-TANK-AND-A-PRAYER.png 1000 1250 Jeff Minck https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Jeff Minck2025-06-20 08:55:212025-05-27 15:15:11A Quarter Tank and a Prayer

    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.
    Read more
    31 Comments
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    May 5, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/16113809/trial-by-ice.png 1000 1250 Joel Turpin https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Joel Turpin2025-05-05 08:10:022025-05-05 08:11:53Trial by Ice

    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. 
    Read more
    19 Comments
    /
    February 28, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/14102325/unsafe-checklist.png 1000 1250 Bob Hamilton https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Bob Hamilton2025-02-28 08:55:512025-02-14 10:24:30I Am UNSAFE Checklist—Lessons Learned on a Fateful Night
    View ICBIDT

    Opinion

    ADS-Fee?

    Opinion
    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!
    Read more
    20 Comments
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    June 16, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20091718/ADS-FEE.png 1000 1250 Alexander Sack https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Alexander Sack2025-06-16 08:55:252025-05-27 10:58:00ADS-Fee?

    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.”
    Read more
    14 Comments
    /
    May 28, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/12100549/A-Different-Kind-of-Pilot-Decision%E2%80%94Choosing-Not-to-Fly.png 1000 1250 Serrhel Adams https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Serrhel Adams2025-05-28 08:55:462025-05-27 15:18:53A Different Kind of Pilot Decision—Choosing Not to Fly

    What the Sky Taught Me

    Opinion
    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?
    Read more
    14 Comments
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    May 19, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05164511/What-the-Sky-Taught-Me.png 1000 1250 Brian Siskind https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Brian Siskind2025-05-19 08:55:402025-05-05 16:45:35What the Sky Taught Me
    View Opinion

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