Wall map

The enlightenment: how flying has made it all my hometown

I realized flying has made it all my hometown. My neighborhood now stretches from sea to shining sea; I am a part of all of it. I thought of a trip from Chicago to Texas where a storm system left me options through Kansas or through Georgia. Either one would work. As easy as picking a bank branch on one of two corners, my choice for convenience now can cross a thousand miles.
John Glenn and Kent Ewing in Baron

I was John Glenn’s flight instructor

We had the honor and pleasure of Senator (Colonel) John Glenn’s attendance at eight Bonanza Professional Pilot Program (BPPP) clinics at Columbus, Ohio, from his age of 82 to his last clinic at age 90. Since I was his equivalent rank and a test pilot graduate, I was the lucky one to be assigned as his instructor pilot. Imagine that! I was John Glenn’s Instructor!

Friday Photo: sunrise over Kansas City

Sunrises always look best from the cockpit, and this week's Friday Photo proves why. The tip tank on Craig Cameron's F33A Bonanza is just visible in the foreground as the sun slowly rises off the wingtip. Craig was headed home, and this view over Kansas City as he climbed out offers a reminder to all pilots that the early bird gets more than just a worm.
Chakachamna lake

A white knuckle flight – even for an Alaska bush pilot

After having flown the Alaska bush country for more than 35 years, and racking up more than 18,000 hours of such foolishness, the mountains and almost consistently terrible weather had inured me to most flights that stateside pilots would find truly white knuckle experiences. Of my many, many bush flights over the years, this one was perhaps the most sobering.
Four course range map

They didn’t follow the magenta line in 1942

It wouldn’t be accurate to say that magenta lines are the only reason that airline flying is so much safer today than it was in the 1940s. Today’s airplanes are far superior in performance and reliability, and training and operational procedures are far better. However, in looking at the five DC-3 accidents during those war years, it is apparent that today’s high-tech stuff could have prevented most of them.

Video tip: understanding IFR clearances

In many ways, clearances define instrument flying - what is IFR flight if it's not about flying specific altitudes and routes? In this video tip, we cover some of the basics of IFR clearances, including what "cleared as filed" really means and how to handle void times. Then we'll dive into some of the finer points of ATC, including VFR-on-top and cruise clearances.
Airsick

Overcoming airsickness to earn my wings

I was doing an okay job but I was beginning to feel weak. My arms were tingling, like my nerves were on fire. The bumps in the air were exacting their toll. We finished the air work and headed for the city tour, but I decided my instructor didn't need any airsick heroes.

Friday Photo: Mt. Adams pokes through the clouds

Breaking out on top of a cloud deck on a gray day is an amazing feeling. Patrick McClure did that recently and found a companion off the left wing: the second tallest mountain in the lower 48. In a turbo 182 with G1000, there's plenty of performance and situational awareness to sit back and take in the view.
Upset prevention training

Searching for a miracle cure to loss of control accidents

Like a bad golfer who is convinced the latest driver will fix his persistent slice, the aviation community keeps chasing miracle cures for loss of control accidents. But just like that golfer, pilots are likely to find that more practice beats bold new ideas.
C-47 sunset

I have chosen my place well

Thinking about the position I’m in strikes me a little funny, and I imagine anybody who might see me would think it’s funny too: stretched out on the ramp with my head propped up on a tire of a C-47 reading a magazine. I must look like I just laid down and sprawled myself out! But actually, I planned it very carefully. I’m clear of the occasional drop of oil from the left engine but still in the shade.
Skyhawk panel

One heck of a checkride

Today was the big day! I had scheduled my 9:00 am instrument checkride with the local Designated Pilot Examiner in sunny LaPorte, Indiana (KPPO). Upon arrival in the FBO's briefing room, and much to my surprise, I shook two examiners' hands; both the DPE and an esteemed member of the FAA would be administering my test today.

Friday Photo: Scottsdale takeoff

Not every photo has to show a stunning sunset or a towering mountain to capture the fun and adventure of flying. This week's photo shows a Cessna 172 taking off from one of the US's busiest general aviation airports: Scottsdale. Braxton Norwood was chasing his shadow on a gorgeous day in Arizona.
Beach on Guadeloupe

Flying 400 miles to find a hotel room in the Caribbean

There was no hotel space for Christmas Eve at the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic hotel where we were staying. Rather than change hotels, we decided to fly to the French island of Guadeloupe instead. Weather was not a factor, the distance was only about 400 nautical miles, and we had fuel for 850 so it just seemed like the thing to do.

Video Tip: LPV approaches

In this month's tip, Jason Miller of The Finer Points of Flying explores the LPV approach, a type of WAAS approach that acts like a precision approach but technically is not. So how do you fly an LPV approach? How do you know when you can fly one? What indications should you look for on your GPS navigator? Watch this six minute video tip for some practical advice.
Route 2

My 100th Angel Flight: memorable for a lot of reasons

This was a big one. Number one hundred. I didn’t want a milk run. I wanted something memorable. I got my wish. Let’s start with the BIG numbers— my 100 flights add up to 33,003 NM and 400.9 hours in 11 years and a month. Number 100 was for Jane Hards.

Friday Photo: Seaplane in Australia

This week's Friday Photo raises the bar for $100 hamburger missions. Nic Fabert sent in this picture of a Cessna Caravan on floats, beached in a cove in Australia. His mission was simple: lunch on a beach. But it's enough to make any pilot dream of the ultimate getaway.
Ice on wing of turboprop

In-flight icing’s hidden threat: the landing flare

Following uncontrolled collisions with the ground, hard landings are the second most prevalent outcome attributable to structural icing. Unlike the uncontrolled collision data, hard landing events are generally well documented; almost no one is fatally injured, and the sequence of events and aircraft response is pretty easy to map out. This set of data may give us a window into an obscure and overlooked aspect of aerodynamic icing… drag rise as a function of angle of attack.
Medical

Grounded at 37,000 feet

Early December 1990, cruising at 37,000 feet on a glorious clear day overhead Cheyenne from Los Angeles to Toronto, I thought, “It just doesn’t get any better than this.” Suddenly the data link printer spat out a short message. Even before I read it, I had a feeling that my bubble of bliss was about to explode in my face.

Caption contest #3

Welcome to our latest monthly feature at Air Facts – our Caption Contest. Once a month, we post a photo and call on our very talented readers to provide a caption for that photo. Check out our most recent one below and if an amusing or clever caption comes to mind, just post it as a comment.
Bonanza 36

Crash history: Cessna 182 and Bonanza 36

In doing safety studies over the years I, a dedicated single-engine advocate, have always been encouraged by the almost complete lack of engine-failure related fatal accidents in singles. That appears to be changing, by at least a bit, and I fear that the trend will continue as the airplanes age and the price of overhaul or replacement goes up as the value of the airframe goes down.