Archive for category: Opinion

You are here: / Opinion

Author Search

To search authors from all categories, go here.

Transition Flights

“Please help us!” he cried as they plunged 10,000 feet per minute into a permanence of silence. It is a sad tale to behold. Sad indeed for the many lessons of what not to do. A sad tale worthy of relating to prevent such an unfortunate…

The Inspiration of Aviation Quotes

Over 50-plus years of flying, Rob Haynes has collected aviation quotes that capture the wisdom, risk, romance, and responsibility of flight. Here are some of the words that have stayed with him.

What a Logbook Does Not Track

A pilot’s logbook records hours, ratings, approaches, and currency. But it can’t capture the flights that become lasting memories—the surprise trip with parents, a Cub ride with a daughter, or a simple flight that becomes a treasured story for someone else.

How Did We Ever Get There?

Before GPS, glass cockpits, and ADS-B, pilots found their way with paper charts, VORs, radio ranges, and plenty of ingenuity. George Frost looks back at how far flying has come—and the remarkable pilots who got there with what they had.

Lions and Tigers and NOTAMs—Oh, METARs!

Just like there are certain people who can fluently read Egyptian heiroglyphics, there are certain people who can fluently read NOTAMs and METARs.  These are the same irritating people who can make a Rubics Cube all the same color on each side without smashing it and putting the pieces back together, which some people call “cheating.” 

Flying Club or Renting? Why I Chose Both

I'm a full-time professional, a musician, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. For me, flying four to six hours a month doesn't justify owning an airplane. That left two practical options: renting and joining a flying club.

Dreams Forgotten

,
If aviation has become more routine than wonder, maybe it's time to go looking for those dreams again. Find a quiet place at home, a park bench, or maybe the picnic table outside your local airport. Take yourself back to the time when you looked skyward and imagined soaring like a bird. Try to remember the day before your first flight. Somewhere, there's probably a dream—or a promise—you once made to yourself.

Why Do We Still Need Five Tools to Plan One Flight?

I spent nine years planning flights in executive aviation. Sitting at a desk with three monitors, four browser tabs, two phone lines, and a stack of permit documents while a Global Express or Gulfstream IV waited on the ramp for a briefing package. My job was simple in theory: get all the information a crew needs before they push back for a twelve-hour international leg.

Committed to Land: The Hidden Risks of Single-Engine Operations in Light Twins

In addition to teaching our students to respect the POH procedures and performance numbers, we should also teach them the operational realities of everyday flying, where the perfection represented in the POH is unattainable and blind faith in the published numbers can become a trap.

TFRs Suck!

If you aren’t familiar with the Bedminster TFR, it’s a Presidential one, well actually, not one but a set of them, well, a set of NOTAMs really, and those NOTAMs consist of several rings of restricted airspace, well actually, there are two rings, well, maybe more, but anyway, there’s one you can fly in and one you can play Top Gun in.

Celebrating the Frontier of Flight

As the 20th century dawned, America’s pioneering aviators discovered another frontier on the sands of Kitty Hawk—one above our heads and more endless than any ocean or continent. And many of us would follow. The frontier of air and space called forth our best.

It’s All Relative

Pick any airport in America. Draw circles with 110-, 220-, and 330-mile radii—one, two, and three hours in a Cessna 172. Within those rings are countless parks, beaches, small towns, and memories waiting to be made. For roughly $170, $340, or $510—and half that if you share costs—you can explore a world that's invisible from the ground.

The Deadly Gap Between Vmc and Blue Line

Before the next multi-engine takeoff, brief more than the speeds. Brief the gaps between them. Understanding how much margin exists above Vmc at liftoff and how far remains to blue line may provide a clearer picture of what your airplane is likely to demand from you during the most vulnerable moments of the flight.

Talking to Yourself

A veteran CFI, Tom Slavonik, reflects on the power of self-talk in aviation training—and why speaking your thoughts aloud is a critical skill for student pilots, instructors, and experienced aviators alike.

A Lesson on Being the Pilot In Command

Joel Turpin, a former airline captain, recounts a simulator emergency that reinforces a critical truth about being Pilot in Command: in an emergency, the PIC has both the authority and responsibility to act decisively, even when it means deviating from standard procedures.

The Hard Yards

Even the Blue Angels make it look easy—but only because they’ve mastered the hard parts. Matt Johnson's routine IFR practice flight turns into a reminder that the real work happens in the moments that challenge you.

Are We Still Learning…?

From a child’s innocent question aboard an airliner to real-world lessons about checklist discipline, Dr. Parvez Dara reflects on the humility, patience, and continual learning required to fly safely.

Aviation Mentors: My Journey as a Pilot

A pilot reflects on the flight instructors and mentors who shaped his aviation journey—from a crusty former airline captain to tailwheel training in an Aeronca Champ—and the lessons that continue to guide him in the cockpit.

What Hal Shevers Taught Me About Aviation—and People

By now, many pilots likely have read the official announcement regarding the passing of Sporty’s founder Hal Shevers—a fitting summary of a remarkable aviation career that spanned more than six decades. But like many larger-than-life figures in aviation, Hal’s public accomplishments tell only part of the story.

Thirty Minutes

You can pack a lot into a 30–45 minute flight. I can do a full stall series, slow flight, and twenty or more aerobatic maneuvers. I’ll also have time to repeat a few maneuvers I wasn’t happy with. Sometimes I’ll add an extra maneuver or two just for fun. Snap roll or tail slide, anyone? The point is that a lot of practice and work toward precision can take place in a relatively short amount of Hobbs time.
© Copyright 2026 - Air Facts Journal. All Rights Reserved.