• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Write for us
  • Email Sign-up
Air Facts Journal
  • Articles
    • Air Facts Archives
    • Friday Photo
    • Go/No Go
    • History
    • I Can’t Believe I Did That
    • International
    • Interview
    • I was there
    • John’s blog
    • Opinion
    • Technique
    • Weather Geek
    • What I Know About…
    • Young Pilots
  • Most popular
  • Videos
  • Newsletter
  • Write for us
  • What is Air Facts?
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Friday photo: fishing from the wing of a Maule

  • My lake rescue in northern Ontario

  • Video: flying an instrument approach with synthetic vision on the iPad

  • From a rusty pilot: it’s not quite like riding a bicycle

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

  • A rusty pilot takes to the skies again

PreviousNext
123456

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

NEW ARTICLES

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…

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.
Read more
11 Comments
/
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

Friday photo: pyrocumulus cloud in Australia

Friday Photo
Capturing a farmer's field burn-off producing a cumulus cloud of its own on reaching the cloud base a thousand feet below me.
Read more
1 Comment
/
August 11, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/31092709/pyrocumulus-cloud-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 Neil Sidwell https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Neil Sidwell2023-08-11 08:55:222023-08-09 14:30:53Friday photo: pyrocumulus cloud in Australia
Route overview

Go or No Go: never judge a forecast by its radar image

Go or No Go
No matter how often your instrument instructor told you to look beyond the radar image, you still start every preflight planning session with a look at the green and yellow on ForeFlight's Maps page. Unfortunately, today's map looks quite colorful, with rain all over the eastern half of the US. That could be a problem, since you're trying to fly your Mooney 201 from your home in Richmond, VA (RIC), to Charleston, SC (JZI), for a family vacation. Read the forecast below and tell us if it's a go or a no go.
Read more
26 Comments
/
August 9, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/03173811/GNG-RIC-overview.jpg 820 1200 John Zimmerman https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg John Zimmerman2023-08-09 08:55:222023-08-09 09:08:38Go or No Go: never judge a forecast by its radar image
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.
Read more
13 Comments
/
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?
Cessna on final

Hard lessons learned

I was there
Suddenly, the engine started running very roughly. They always say flying is long hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. I put the carb heat on and things seemed to settle down. A few minutes later, the engine roughness and coughing started again with the engine almost dying and then surging back to life in cycles.
Read more
2 Comments
/
August 4, 2023
https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/06162153/Cessna-on-final-for-22-view-out-front.jpg 764 1200 Steve Rutherford https://airfactsjournal-images.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/06142440/Air-Facts-Logo340.jpg Steve Rutherford2023-08-04 08:55:042023-08-09 14:24:53Hard lessons learned
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.
Read more
3 Comments
/
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
Page 4 of 394«‹23456›»

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.
Read more
0 Comments
/
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.
Read more
11 Comments
/
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.
Read more
6 Comments
/
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.
Read more
1 Comment
/
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
/
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.
Read more
3 Comments
/
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
View ICBIDT

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.
Read more
13 Comments
/
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.
Read more
20 Comments
/
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.
Read more
49 Comments
/
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
View Opinion

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

Recent Posts

  • Friday photo: fishing from the wing of a Maule
  • My lake rescue in northern Ontario
  • Video: flying an instrument approach with synthetic vision on the iPad
  • From a rusty pilot: it’s not quite like riding a bicycle
  • TAFs are so last century—here are four new tools to try

Email newsletter

Sign up for our free email newsletter, packed with tips, tricks and news for pilots.

Sign Up

Write for us!

Did you know that most of the articles at Air Facts are written by readers like you? You do not have to be Richard Collins or Ernest Gann – simply a GA pilot with a story you’d share with friends sitting in the hangar.

Here’s how to contribute.

Terms of Use

©COPYRIGHT 2011-2023, SPORTSMAN'S MARKET, INC. All Rights Reserved. | site designed by WebTec
Scroll to top