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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…
Air Facts video classic: mountain flying
Video TipRichard explains the importance of understanding density altitude as it relates to performace as well as the nuances of moutain waves and turbulence. Richard even provides some good rules of thumb for flying near or across mountains - whether in the East or West.
SoCal to Alaska – Flying beyond the Comfort Zone
My AdventureAs we approached the halfway/decision point, we checked in with Flight Service and sure enough, Bella Bella was now reporting marginal VFR and the clouds below us weren’t as dense as we were able to start seeing the rugged Canadian coast below. We continued with more confidence. After two and a half hours of flight, we made it to a blue skies and puffy cloud Bella Bella.
Aviate. Navigate. Simulate.
What I Know About...I loaded up the last leg of my trip into the sim and then proceeded to not only fly that leg but decided to survey the entire area, virtually, to familiarize myself with both the terrain and any notable landmarks as well.
A hard day’s flight
I was thereI was excited to make my first (and only) ‘Trans-Lant’ (trans-Atlantic) flight. Primarily because of the jet stream, we planned to fly home via a southern route stopping in Spain, the Azores, and Bermuda. Join me now on that flight.
Cheetah running across Canada
My AdventureOn this leg the visibility started rapidly dropping in the smoke haze and we were getting worried. The ceilings were lower than forecast too. We were basically out of flight following range and hoped we didn't meet a huge yellow CL-215 water bomber.
John’s Blog
Why learning to fly can be good for your mental health
John's blogAmericans seem to be especially gloomy right now, according to a popular book and a report from the US Surgeon General. There are no miracle cures, but becoming a pilot can provide many of the positive experiences these experts recommend. No, I’m not suggesting the federal government mandate flight training to make American teenagers happy, but consider the following.
What a difference a decade makes: the GA boom in statistics
John's blogGeneral aviation is growing. That simple statement would have been unremarkable to a pilot in the 1960s or 1970s, as surprising as saying the sun rose in the east that day. But for anyone who learned to fly after about 1990, and especially between 2008 and 2016, it’s a shocking thing to admit. Yet that is exactly what is happening right now, as data from a wide variety of sources show.
What matters for IFR proficiency? The answer is quite simple.
John's blogAssuming you are busy and have to make hard choices about what to focus on, I think there’s a strong case to be made for spending your precious flying time on basic attitude instrument skills. Flying approaches to minimums or practicing emergencies may be more fun, but those procedures are not where pilots make the most fatal mistakes.
I Can’t Believe I Did That
Quick land to Quicksand
I Can't Believe I Did ThatThe landing went smoothly. As I taxied the Cub toward where I wanted to park, we hit a patch of quicksand that I hadn’t spotted from the air. Within the blink of an eye, the bushwheels sank, bringing the plane to an abrupt stop and sending its propeller into the sand and tail into the air.
Lessons learned from a sloppy IFR/VFR approach
I Can't Believe I Did ThatLowering the Mooney’s nose for descent enabled me to finally see the runway. However, when my bird’s nose is lowered, she is so slippery I accelerate quickly at the very time I need to be slowing. I intercepted the approach course and then flew through it.
Watch out for TFRs
I Can't Believe I Did ThatSuddenly, my peripheral vision picked up something to my left and the serenity of the morning was shattered. A Black Hawk helicopter was a few feet off my wing! As I stared at it in disbelief, the door slid open and a soldier in fatigues held up a large 121.5 sign. My shaking fingers stabbed at the radio 'emerg' button and I managed a feeble “hello?
Opinion
The “C” in PIC
OpinionWhen I first started my primary training, my CFI was mainly focused on developing my “P-Skills”–learning to actually fly the airplane. But once I got the physical act of flying down, my training slowly transitioned into developing my “C” ones. These skills included recognizing and dealing with emergencies, how to communicate on the radio effectively, and probably the most important one of all, how to see and avoid.
Rubber bands – the reason I quit
OpinionMy landings were getting worse and worse. Probably depth perception changes, but extremely frustrating. I was mentoring two young people who were vitally interested in flying by letting them fly from the right seat. How embarrassing that I couldn’t score a 9 or 10 on each landing. As we know, landing is a combination of hand/eye coordination and muscle memory. One of those was slipping away.
The Zen of IFR
OpinionHow can an average GA pilot like me who flies around a hundred hours a year stay proficient? The answer is quite simple (well, maybe): I incorporate some aspect of IFR flying into every single flight. Every single one. That means hand flying to within or better ACS standards.
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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.