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    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

    Chris Schaich

    Articles by Chris Schaich

    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…

    Turning left

    Crosswinds and emergencies—lessons from the simulator

    I was there
    For me, this was a very long final. I pulled out carb heat, and the engine quit! Already rattled by the radio problem, I undid what I had just done. The engine roared back to life. I left carb heat alone after that and landed normally. Then I realized that I had pulled the mixture, and not carb heat.
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    4 Comments
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    June 15, 2022
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/06135651/Sim-turn.jpg 530 828 Sean Dwyer https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Sean Dwyer2022-06-15 08:46:142022-06-10 15:47:43Crosswinds and emergencies—lessons from the simulator
    172 landing approach

    On landing well: 9 steps for success

    Technique
    Because most of what I do is helping Civil Air Patrol pilots transition to our high wing Cessna airplanes, I tend to fly with a lot of different folks but in just a few airplane types. This has allowed me to observe aviators using a wide variety of techniques to fly “nearly the same” airplane, including in the traffic pattern. And because some folks I have recently flown with have struggled with landings I will share what I have done to help them overcome their landing issues.
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    34 Comments
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    June 13, 2022
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/06135653/172-landing-external.jpg 932 1438 Marty Sacks https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Marty Sacks2022-06-13 08:48:172022-06-08 17:52:41On landing well: 9 steps for success
    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://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/06135658/FB-screenshot.jpg 1270 1200 Ben Lovegrove https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Ben Lovegrove2022-06-10 09:04:282022-06-02 17:53:07How the web and social media have encouraged aviators
    UH-1H

    Flight test engineering at Edwards AFB in the 1960s

    I was there
    At Edwards, NASA and the Air Force were flying the fast movers such as the X-15, the XB-70, and the F-111. My new organization, the US Army Aviation Test Activity, had no fast movers but we did have a fully restored two-place P-51 Mustang to be used as a chase plane when our Navy T-28 wouldn’t hack it.
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    June 8, 2022
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/06135703/high-altitude-helicopter.jpg 664 1002 Dean Thomas https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Dean Thomas2022-06-08 08:39:152022-06-28 10:49:29Flight test engineering at Edwards AFB in the 1960s

    Birdwatching from above

    I was there
    In the space of less than 10 seconds I went from mentally fully focused on and committed to nailing a landing on a clear runway to climbing away after dodging what could have easily been a significant incident if not worse. Neither the plane nor the goose / geese would have come off well from the encounter, and I highly doubt any part of the Comanche was certified to handle multiple concurrent goose strikes.
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    4 Comments
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    June 6, 2022
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/06135713/Short-final-2.jpg 1080 1920 Edwina Sharp https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Edwina Sharp2022-06-06 08:51:222022-06-01 10:14:09Birdwatching from above
    C-47 view

    Friday Photo: C-47 wing view

    Friday Photo
    Tony Buttacavoli has flown a lot of airplanes in his long career, including the Boeing 747. But flying an old C-47, the military version of the legendary Douglas DC-3 airliner, is his favorite. This picture shows the distinctive radial engine and big prop hub, with the gorgeous colors of a Michigan autumn in the background.
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    4 Comments
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    June 3, 2022
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/06135730/C-47-small.jpg 800 600 Tony Buttacavoli https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Tony Buttacavoli2022-06-03 08:30:132022-05-26 15:12:55Friday Photo: C-47 wing view
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    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.”
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    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.
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    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. 
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    19 Comments
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    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
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    Opinion

    Mea Culpa: Confessions of a Joyful Pilot

    Opinion
    Over the last several months, I have committed several aviation sins. I once went on a flight without checking the weather. I recently departed without calculating my takeoff distance or obstacle clearance. On more than one occasion, I landed from a non–“stable approach,” being both below and above target approach speeds. I’ve flown non-standard traffic patterns. I’ve flown outside the glide range to the nearest airport. I’ve even flown without talking to ATC or filing a flight plan.
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    0 Comments
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    July 9, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/23135150/mea-culpa.png 1000 1250 Serrhel Adams https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Serrhel Adams2025-07-09 08:55:132025-06-23 13:52:53Mea Culpa: Confessions of a Joyful Pilot

    Why I Returned to Stick and Rudder

    Opinion
    When I first read Stick and Rudder, I had just started flying lessons. The lessons were going well, and my curiosity about aviation had turned into full-blown infatuation. I wanted to know everything, so I was consuming everything—magazines old and new, Reddit posts, YouTube videos. Somewhere in a best-of list, I found Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying, by Wolfgang Langewiesche.
    Read more
    0 Comments
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    July 7, 2025
    https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/23131114/returned-to-stick-and-rudder.png 1000 1250 Evan Schaeffer https://media.airfactsjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/03140241/AF_Logo_24.png Evan Schaeffer2025-07-07 08:55:062025-06-23 13:11:50Why I Returned to Stick and Rudder

    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?
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