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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…

It sure is quiet at my airport

There may come a time when our joystick and keyboard kids can load up, type in a destination, and sit back to let advanced technology avionics do most of the work. Until then we are likely to remain a pretty select group, airplane pilots--not airplane drivers--and our airports are likely to remain...quiet.

Part of the team – what it means to be a pilot

It's one of the great pleasures of being a pilot--we get to play on the same field as the greats. Very few sandlot baseball players get to pitch at Fenway Park, but as brand new private pilots we can fly from Washington Dulles to New York LaGuardia in a 172. That's an honor we shouldn't take lightly.

Cow pasture pilot

I Can't Believe I Did That

Beaumont, Kansas, is known as home of the Beaumont Hotel and not much else. Those of us who have it listed in our logbooks remember the unique experience of landing in a grass field at the east edge of town, taxiing onto the road, stopping at the stop sign, and parking under the trees south of the old hotel.

Retractable singles: the good, the fad and the ugly

Over the years a number of airplanes impressed me as being “good” airplanes. I thought of many airplanes as “fads” because they burst on the scene and fizzled. A few were “ugly,” maybe because of their looks or maybe because of other things such as flight characteristics or poor performance. Rest assured that these are all opinions.

Profiling works in solving airplane problems–usually

Profiling is, in this discussion, a procedure to narrow down the possible causes of a problem based on its location in the airplane and timing in the order of events in a flight, and then with evaluation of the potential causes, select appropriate solutions to try. The case I'm going to describe occurred with the Cessna T-37 twin jet trainer.

Time to fly

The smell of fresh-cut grass on a warm spring evening. You walk around the little aeroplane, checking a bolt, kicking the tires, moving the surfaces, touching it. You climb into it, and inhale that special aeroplane smell.

John’s Blog

Go-arounds don’t have to be hard

I was grumpy with my friend because I hate the obsession with instant analysis, and he made me participate in this ugly trend. I was grumpy because this accident hit a little close to home, killing a father who was flying his wife and daughter in a Cirrus SR22 (something I do often). But I was mostly grumpy because go-around accidents happen far too often—and they are eminently preventable. This is one problem we should be able to solve.

Guard frequency in the age of social media

Yes, this is an “old man yells at cloud” article. Yes, I can already hear the jokes about the “guard police.” I don’t care. It needs to be said: Guard frequency (121.5) has become a national embarrassment, a sign that our self-absorbed social media culture has spread to the once-boring world of aviation. We need to do better.

Why are spatial disorientation accidents on the rise?

Researchers from the FAA show that SD accidents have not declined since 2003—in fact, quite the opposite. You might assume the widespread adoption of tools like datalink weather, modern autopilots, reliable AHRS, and electronic flight bag apps would make VFR-into-IMC (the classic SD accident scenario) much less common. It’s a great theory, but the numbers don’t support it.

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I Can’t Believe I Did That

Spatial Disorientation: I Thought It Couldn’t Happen to Me

I Can't Believe I Did That

I began climbing to get between layers, intending to stabilize and then request IFR. But as I entered the clouds, what I thought could never happen did. I was in an unusual attitude: 45 degrees banked and nose down. For a moment, I considered pulling the CAPS parachute. I had often wondered if I’d have the presence of mind to use it in a real emergency. After this, I know the answer is yes. But I also realized I could recover.

I Made Every Flight Training Mistake Humanly Possible

I Can't Believe I Did That

Flight training is rarely a straight line, but for Nick Smith it turned into a winding, four–year journey full of delays, false starts, and unexpected costs. In this brutally honest account, he shares the mistakes he made—so future pilots don’t have to repeat them. His story is both a cautionary tale and a reminder that perseverance can still lead to the certificate.

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.

Opinion

Is GA Getting Safer?

The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) recently released their 35th annual accident report. And the good news is that GA has never been safer. However, even though most of the press coverage has been mainly focused on the report’s positive high-level trends, the devil is as they say, in the details.

Me and IFR

During another smooth cloudy day, a relative—who shall remain unnamed—asked if I wanted to fly. Weather was marginal VFR; he had his IFR rating. At 3,000 feet, we entered clouds. I panicked briefly, deer-in-headlights style. Calmly, he asked me to hand him his foggles from the seat pocket. Did that give me confidence? Not really. But the flight remained calm and uneventful. He wore view limiters in clouds for comfort—something I couldn’t quite fathom at the time.

Yes, I Still Take Flying Lessons

I approach every flight with an instructor with a plan of my own. I don’t just show up because the calendar says it’s time. I bring specific goals, real-world questions, and skills I want to sharpen. My annual IPC isn’t about checking FAA boxes; it’s about tackling challenges I’ve faced over the year and flying approaches that have pushed me.

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