Corrosion Where You Least Expect It Air Facts Journal Our aircraft have annual inspections. And during those inspections, areas are opened and examined for deficiencies, including corrosion. Areas that we use daily and those small hard to get to locations are examined as well. As it turns out, corrosion can show up where you least expect it. Specifically, in the guy sitting at the controls flying the aircraft through the sky. The post Corrosion Where You Least Expect It appeared first...| Air Facts Journal
Helping Nervous Flyers Conquer Their Fear Air Facts Journal I was recently asked by a fellow flying club member to take his wife—a fearful flyer—on a flight. Spoiler alert: the flight went well, and my friend’s wife got out of the airplane grinning from ear to ear. Here’s what I did before and during the flight, and what I learned. The post Helping Nervous Flyers Conquer Their Fear appeared first on Air Facts Journal.| Air Facts Journal
VIA The Poles: Journey Around the World’s Ultimate Flight Path Air Facts Journal I was part of a four-person crew that completed a Polar Circumnavigation Diploma flight in May 2025 in a 1976 Learjet 36A, S/N 022, N31GJ. If the application is accepted, it will be the fourth aircraft to meet the FAI Polar Circumnavigation Diploma requirements. The flight served as a fundraiser for the Classic Learjet Foundation, which is currently restoring Learjet 23 S/N 003, the first Learjet delivered to a...| Air Facts Journal
The Strangest Instrument Approach I Have Ever Flown Air Facts Journal As we taxied out for takeoff at Denver, we got the latest SFO weather from our dispatcher and found it had deteriorated even further to ceiling zero, visibility 1/16th of a mile in fog with an RVR of 800 feet. Incredibly, this was above our landing minimums, so we didn’t sweat it. And of course, RVR stands for Runway Visual Range, which is the horizontal visibility measured in feet by instruments located next to the runwa...| Air Facts Journal
I wriggled around my dad’s legs and tried to peer over the car hood as he wrote in his sailplane logbook. He picked me up and stood me on top of his sturdy brown shoes. With his ballpoint pen as a pointer, he helped me read: Thermals off second ridge, contacted weak wave over rock pile. Increased to 3–4 kts. Landed at sundown. But as a six-year-old, the meaning was as inscrutable as his organic chemistry quizzes.| Air Facts Journal
The Army gave me two useful sayings: “Trust in your equipment and your training,” and “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” I believed in the Tecnam and my training—but I really needed the second saying now. I took a breath and slowed everything down.| Air Facts Journal
When you operate and hangar an airplane over and near a body of salt water, you have to be concerned about the corrosion inherent to that environment. It| Air Facts Journal
One nearby aircraft reported tops around 7,000’. That changed the equation. I had built this aircraft with a turbocharged Rotax 915is—so I had power in reserve. I reasoned that a short climb might get me on top. I’d seen this level of ice before; performance was minimally affected.| Air Facts Journal
But this rainy afternoon, neither of us was contemplating our future with Skyway. We were scheduled to fly the afternoon shift in a Beech 18 over the eastern half of our route system, and it promised to be a long and difficult day. We would fly 11 legs—nearly eight hours of flying without the aid of an autopilot. What would really make it stressful was the weather.| Air Facts Journal
Kershner was the Ace of Ace Aerobatic School—and he had the bona fides to back it up. Bill had soloed at fifteen and, by nineteen, was teaching aerobatics. Before he turned twenty-five, he was flying an F4U Corsair off the USS Philippine Sea in the early 1950s. Later, he worked as a corporate pilot, a test pilot, and an author. He penned five flight manuals (one of which sold over a million copies).| Air Facts Journal
I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting them. My tailwheel lifted—I was about to tip onto my back. I released the brakes just long enough for the tail to drop, then had to brake again immediately. The tail came up a second time, but this time I held the brakes and prayed.| Air Facts Journal
On my third flight, my instructor had to abort, so I went up solo in a clean bird. I climbed to about 35,000 feet over Lake Mead with the ADF tuned to a Vegas music station—and they played The Sabre Dance. I went nuts in the airplane, doing crazy rolls, and with full power, dove straight down through the Mach. (We didn’t have TACAN in those days, just an old WWII-era ADF that tuned from 520 to 1600 kc.)| Air Facts Journal
Every year, for the past 13 years, Delta Airlines hosts their annual Veterans Appreciation event at their huge Technical Operations Center. I had alerted the Atlanta Air Traffic Control facilities that our slow flying airplanes were going to be coming to visit them so they were expecting us, but trying to sequence us into their operation must have caused a lot of clenched jaws and tense moments with Atlanta Approach Control and the Atlanta Hartsfield Tower.| Air Facts Journal
I taxied onto Runway 17 (no longer in use), advanced the throttles and asked Audrey to set the maximum takeoff power of 52 inches. At 60 knots, I glanced at the manifold pressure gauges and was shocked to see the right engine at 52, but the left one at only 43 inches!| Air Facts Journal
We were monitoring the tower frequency at Erie, and we could hear a disturbing dialogue. A pilot was lost in the dark, in and out of the clouds. His voice sounded on the verge of panic. The controller calmed him, vectoring him out of the clouds and on to a heading for the airport. Soon his anxiety changed to immense relief as he found himself rolling out on short final at his home airport.| Air Facts Journal
Every flight behind us was now diverting and the controller was busy shipping them off frequency towards their diversions. The FO and I quickly agreed that we would leave the flaps as they were and fly it onto the runway as it was. While I can’t recall the speed, it was well over the normal range (160 kts perhaps). I asked the FO how it was flying, as he had turned off the autopilot shortly after entering the freezing rain.| Air Facts Journal
One of Gene’s pet maneuvers was to demonstrate to the student pilot that his senses would lie to him while flying in the clouds on instruments, or at night. The ultimate lesson objective was to trust your flight instruments, and not your senses. He would have the student put the instrument flying hood on, then do a couple of routine flight maneuvers by reference to the flight instruments, then “the show” would begin.| Air Facts Journal
Max Karant was a celebrity in general aviation circles. Starting as an editor for Flying magazine in the 1940s, Max went on to become one of the founders of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Early in his career, he had headed the FAA off at the pass when they tried to gobble up airspace and hamstring general aviation. He provided hours of congressional testimony in this effort, and it paid off with the freedoms we enjoy in GA today.| Air Facts Journal
I entered the clouds at about 9,000 feet and immediately ice begin to build up on the wings. I didn't see the wing ice at first because I was busy looking for ice on the the windscreen. But there was none. Finally when I looked left, then right I saw ice on my wings from wing tip to wing root. Yikes! All white, the edges, and getting whiter.| Air Facts Journal
Turns out, it wasn't until turning base leg that we hit smoother air. With a 20+ knot headwind straight down the runway, my touchdown was slow and thankfully smooth. Had we made a fuel or bathroom stop, the guys may have ask directions to the nearest Greyhound station.| Air Facts Journal