Marty Sacks, Author at Air Facts Journal
About Marty Sacks| Air Facts Journal
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.| Air Facts Journal
During a recent long day of flying I had a chance to experience aviation’s version of completion bias—the drive to complete a flight—also known as get-home-itis. I learned a great deal from it and want to share the experience. First the set up and then we’ll unpack what I did right and wrong.| Air Facts Journal
Nick Smith holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and is a Private Pilot and FAA-certified Ground Instructor. His flight training journey inspired him to leave the corporate world and dedicate himself to helping others pursue their dream of becoming a pilot. Along the way, Nick recognized how common—and costly—training mistakes could be, often adding thousands of dollars to the process and discouraging many aspiring aviators. Motivated by his own experien...| Air Facts Journal
Spatial Disorientation: I Thought It Couldn’t Happen to Me| Air Facts Journal
Generally Affordable? The Truth About Flying Costs Air Facts Journal The economics of flying is not for the faint of heart. In fact, the average cost of just getting your “license to learn” is now hovering around the $20,000 mark. And if that number doesn’t faze you, then let me sprinkle in some rampant inflation, a tight insurance market, and just the high opportunity cost of staying current—let alone proficient—into the mix. The post Generally Affordable? The Truth About Flying Co...| Air Facts Journal
Friday Photo: Barnegat Light and Lighthouse Air Facts Journal An evening slow flight over Ocean County barrier island in New Jersey at 1,200 feet. Excellent weather, no winds, and CAVU environment with the Barnegat Inlet and summer boaters below in the Barnegat Bay. The post Friday Photo: Barnegat Light and Lighthouse appeared first on Air Facts Journal.| Air Facts Journal
When Special VFR Is the Right Call Air Facts Journal At 5:30 a.m., I awoke to light rain—the forecast had arrived sooner than expected. By midday the rain had tapered, but the ceiling stubbornly remained at 900 feet. Visibility was excellent, around 10 miles. A check of nearby METARs showed clear skies just a few miles north, with ceilings above 5,000 feet and improving. I realized this was a classic SVFR moment. I didn’t want to file IFR. Conditions were VFR just outside the Class D surf...| Air Facts Journal
Spatial Disorientation: I Thought It Couldn’t Happen to Me Air Facts Journal I began climbing to get between layers, intending to stabilize and then request IFR. But as I entered the clouds, what I thought could never happen did. I was in an unusual attitude: 45 degrees banked and nose down. For a moment, I considered pulling the CAPS parachute. I had often wondered if I’d have the presence of mind to use it in a real emergency. After this, I know the answer is yes. But I also realized I ...| Air Facts Journal
Hired and Fired Air Facts Journal My duties at Placo included making tea, polishing aircraft, vacuuming interiors, and blacking tires. Zingi mentioned I’d occasionally fly with the big boss, who feared a heart attack and wanted another pilot aboard in case he collapsed. I knew my meager skills would do little to delay our demise should Old Piet falter at the controls. The post Hired and Fired appeared first on Air Facts Journal.| Air Facts Journal
“Thirty Charlie” Air Facts Journal Eddie was in his 60s when I met him, sitting in his hangar office. I introduced myself, but he never used my name. To him, I was “Ace,” like all his students. Eddie was incredibly personable and sold me on flying with him from that first meeting. He flew a Piper Cherokee 180, N7630C, and his rate—aircraft, fuel, and instruction—was $40 an hour. I booked my first flight. The post “Thirty Charlie” appeared first on Air Facts Journal.| Air Facts Journal
Flight training is rarely a straight line, but for Nick Smith it turned into a winding, four–year journey full of delays, false starts, and unexpected costs. In this brutally honest account, he shares the mistakes he made—so future pilots don’t have to repeat them. His story is both a cautionary tale and a reminder that perseverance can still lead to the certificate.| Air Facts Journal
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” This Leonardo da Vinci quote is everywhere — aviation books, magazines, websites, Instagram posts, coffee mugs, tee shirts, several science textbooks and some Smithsonian publications. Yet Leonardo da Vinci never said it; and it’s nowhere close to 500 years old.| Air Facts Journal
Richard Collins’s 10 most popular articles on Air Facts| Air Facts Journal
Friday Photo: Classics, Old and New Air Facts Journal Twelve days without flying is hard on the psyche. Finally, a break in the rains allowed me to hop up in the cub. My buddy, Brady, reached out, and we connected on the air to air frequency. He had to drag everything to slow to cub speeds for a brief interlude in the sky. An original classic with a new model based on a classic, made for a memorable encounter. The post Friday Photo: Classics, Old and New appeared first on Air Facts Journal.| Air Facts Journal
Captain’s Authority Air Facts Journal As a TWA B-747 Captain, I was scheduled to fly TWA 800 from JFK to Paris (CDG). When I reported for my flight at the hangar at JFK, I was greeted by a Check Pilot who told me he was going to give me an unannounced checkride to Paris and back. I told him that was not going to happen—I was not going to allow him into my flight deck. The post Captain’s Authority appeared first on Air Facts Journal.| Air Facts Journal
Deadstick in the Cassutt Air Facts Journal just ahead, I spotted an overpass with a parallel frontage road running downhill, lined with trees. Instinct took over. I pulled over the trees, lined up with the road, and held centerline while the branches whipped by on either side. Too fast, and it was my first Cassutt landing. I kicked rudder to skid and scrub off speed. Just as I was about to set down, I noticed a single power line crossing the road. Normally I’d slip under it, but the only ca...| Air Facts Journal
Crusing at 13,000 feet between layers and around columns, we were enjoying 200+ knots over the ground in smooth air with some gorgeous views.| Air Facts Journal
This was at the recent Power in the Pines 2025 Airshow where JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst opens its doors to the public for free (yes, tax dollars at work) and hosts a spectacular airshow. This year the headlining act were none other than the USAF Thunderbirds!| Air Facts Journal
Researchers from the FAA show that SD accidents have not declined since 2003—in fact, quite the opposite. You might assume the widespread adoption of tools like datalink weather, modern autopilots, reliable AHRS, and electronic flight bag apps would make VFR-into-IMC (the classic SD accident scenario) much less common. It’s a great theory, but the numbers don’t support it.| 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.| 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 customer in 1964. The now-vintage Learjet 36A completed the 26,291-mile flight wit...| Air Facts Journal
Memories of first flights will include astonishing detail. That first transition—from wheels to wings—is a sensory overload, an oh-my-gosh experience. Most will remember where, when, and what type airplane. Sights, sounds, even smells. And, of course, special thoughts are reserved for the pilot who gave them their first flight.| Air Facts Journal
If briefings are not performed in a logical and standard way, critical items could be overlooked or deferred inappropriately. It can be tempting to forego or short-shrift the brief if crews routinely fly together and perhaps over a familiar route. Assumptions, complacency, and unchecked biases (including outcome and confirmation) have resulted in many close-calls and serious incidents.| Air Facts Journal
Earning a pilot certificate is one of the most difficult things you can do as a hobby. While technology has made many activities easier these days, pilots still have to learn about magnetos and Morse code, bank angle and Bernoulli. For some aviation boosters, that’s a problem; for others, it’s an opportunity.| Air Facts Journal
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 imp...| 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 runway.| Air Facts Journal
On very short notice, my wife and I were able to grab a bag, throw our things together without worrying about fluids, gels, etc., head to the airport, and depart. We had a wonderful weekend with our friends. Then we were able to leave on our own schedule for home. All without TSA, long lines, parking fees, and everything else. General aviation creates opportunities that other modes of transportation can’t provide.| Air Facts Journal
Really flying IFR (not just earning the rating) is probably the most challenging activity you can do these days, unless you’re a heart surgeon or a Navy SEAL. Flying blind in the clouds, managing dynamic weather, and keeping up with air traffic control is like a mental treadmill that’s permanently set on 10—there is no stopping to take a break, and losing focus can lead to real pain. But that's exactly why it's so fun.| Air Facts Journal
I Am UNSAFE Checklist—Lessons Learned on a Fateful Night| Air Facts Journal
If there is one aspect of general aviation I’ve learned over my relatively short stint aloft, it’s that the safety of any flight is not just dependent solely on the decisions I make, but also on the ones others have made for me—without my knowledge or even consent. In fact, all of general aviation relies on an implicit chain of trust that, when broken, can and does result in dire consequences.| Air Facts Journal
While I searched for a thermal to gain some altitude or else I would be forced to land back at the field. All of a sudden, something white and black caught my eye going by underneath me and I immediately turned to follow it. Could it be? YES! I spotted a large soaring bird turning in a circle just ahead of me now and I latched onto him and got very close.| Air Facts Journal
Heaven knows how many passengers would run off the airplane if they knew that their pilot today had never flown the actual airplane they were on. You might be flying with a crew member who either had a thousand landings in the airplane or NONE, ZERO, ZILCH! You have no way of knowing. But fear not, the FAA and the airlines require that the new pilot be accompanied by a designated Line Check pilot, an experienced “old head,” for their early flights on the line.| Air Facts Journal
My family was invited to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (KWRI) for family day to get a preview of their annual Power in the Pine Airshow. Unbeknownst to us, Doc was on the ramp and they were prepping for the show. We walked over and the Doc team immediately asked my son, "Do you want a tour of the inside?" My 8-year old son enthusiastically exclaimed "Yes!"| 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
Gabe contacted the Flight Service Station regarding time and procedure for entering Class B airspace and landing at LAX. The answer was simple: no problem, be airborne at 7am and contact approach control on a given frequency; they will be expecting you. The next day found the Grumman on the taxiway at Long Beach Airport at 6:30am. At the appointed time, they departed and contacted approach control.| Air Facts Journal
Flying is expensive, but then again, it has always been expensive. Perhaps you too have had enough of the touch-and-goes, and the "$100 dollar hamburger" flights to your favorite non-towered field. The thought of cruising the beach once again does not exactly motivate you to race to the airport. But I do it because it’s fun!| Air Facts Journal
I turned toward my side and saw that the the left main was hanging but not locked in the forward position. Uh Oh! I immediate called the Tower and explained my situation and they sent us out over toward Lake Winnebago to manually pump the gear down. A C-172RG gear should pump down and lock in 35 strokes (just like in the movies). About pump 100, I knew this was not going to work. It was a hydraulic system failure.| Air Facts Journal
About our third trip, this time from Pontiac to Waukegan past South Bend and Gary, flying the shoreline, George told me that if he survived this experience, he’d love to learn to fly and maybe even make a living doing so. He had fallen in love with aviation and wanted to really be part of it. My response was, "Well, hey, no time like the present, are you ready?"| 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
I flew my first combat mission in Southeast Asia. I was in the back seat of an OV-10 Bronco on an orientation flight out of Nakhon Phanom (NKP) Air Base in Thailand, flying with an experienced Forward Air Controller (FAC) over Laos. It was an introduction to the combat environment, local procedures, and the terrain I’d soon be navigating on my own.| Air Facts Journal
Our Talon accelerated as it climbed toward pattern altitude—1,500 feet AGL. When I turned onto the outside downwind, about two miles west of the inside downwind, the jet slowed its acceleration but continued climbing. At pattern altitude, I leveled off, and our airspeed stabilized at 300 KIAS. During each turn, we lost about 10–15 knots, but once wings-level again, the jet quickly accelerated back to 300. After each turn, I asked the student to confirm the throttles hadn’t moved. Each t...| 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
Its hard to have a better time than exploring AirVenture with a camera on a beautiful summer day. The aircraft make the most beautiful subjects and the EAA grounds combined with the Wisconsin skies make for beautiful backgrounds.| 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
In this video classic, Richard breaks down the topic of turbulence—how to anticipate it, how to react when you encounter it, and how to fly smart in rough air. He discusses the role of airspeed, the significance of the v-g diagram, and offers practical tips to help pilots stay safe and comfortable when conditions get bumpy.| 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
Cleared Into the Thoma Bravo—ForeFlight Has New Owners| Air Facts Journal
Flying and Maintaining Prewar Aeroncas: A Guide for Antique Aircraft Owners| Air Facts Journal
It is minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit in this foreign land north of Moscow. I am sitting in a single-seat, Russian Sukhoi 26 at the end of an ice-covered runway waiting to be cleared for takeoff. There is a lot going through my mind. First of all, I have never flown a single-seat Sukhoi 26.| Air Facts Journal
I am sitting in this brightly colored red, two seat, Pitts Special S2B stunt plane alone over the Atlantic Ocean at 9,500 feet. I have been flying out of sight from land for quite some time and occasionally the magnitude of the adventure I am undertaking sinks in and I have to mentally remind myself to take this trip one small step at a time.| 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
ForeFlight is still considered the EFB standard with a very loyal user base—it’s their market share to lose. However, I also don’t think their future is entirely CAVOK either: In the 25-plus years I’ve been in the software business, I have never met a private equity deal I liked. Mainly because private equity’s primary (only?) focus is maximizing ROI, usually at the expense of innovation, while with traditional corporate ownership it tends to be the other way around.| Air Facts Journal
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!| 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
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.”| Air Facts Journal
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.| Air Facts Journal
FAR 91.3 is one of the simplest and best known federal aviation regulations, and it clearly defines the most essential job as a pilot: to be the boss for the entire flight. But as obvious as this sounds, it’s surprisingly hard to do in the real world. Little by little, your authority as PIC can be eroded until no one is actually in command.| 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
The Stick Chief refers to the aircraft controls that employ a stick as opposed to a yoke. And why would anyone do that, you ask? In the late 1930s, then President Rosevelt, put the country on a war footing and declared the US would need 25,000 pilots. He was informed by the Navy and Army Air Core that they had neither the aircraft, personnel nor facilities to undertake the effort. To that end, civilian flight schools were pressed into service with several military officers overseeing civili...| Air Facts Journal
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...| Air Facts Journal
The B-17 is said to be one of the most recognizable warplanes of its era, known to people who can’t identify any other airplane by name. This one came with a bonus, a wartime B -17 pilot who was there promoting a book.| Air Facts Journal
If you look at pilots demographically, you’ll see a wide spread—different backgrounds, different ages, different aircraft. But psychologically, we often share a lot: high conscientiousness, high independence, strong internal motivation. (Yes, there’s actual research to back that up.)| Air Facts Journal
Your EFB is only as good as the data it uses. Consequently, it’s absolutely imperative that before you jump into the cockpit with your trusty mount, fully set up your EFB. And that’s more than just waiting for it to automatically download the latest weather and charts.| Air Facts Journal
Having solved the impossible turn and other manufactured crises, the aviation training industry (or at least some YouTubers and keyboard warriors) has now turned its attention to the teardrop pattern entry. This “innovation” is alternately described as wildly unsafe or the only legal option for entering the traffic pattern. In reality it’s neither, but the bigger problem is that most pilots don’t even know what it means.| Air Facts Journal
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.| Air Facts Journal
And what altitude did I fly the entire coast of Connecticut? That’s right, 1,500 feet. It gets better. Because for whatever reason, New York Approach wouldn’t negotiate with Bridgeport’s Tower (KBDR) for the transition, I was asked to avoid KBDR’s Class Delta airspace altogether. And I did. At, you guessed it, 1,500 feet. Over the water. Go me.| Air Facts Journal
When a high performance airplane crashes in IMC, the self-proclaimed experts on social media quickly spin elaborate theories about autopilot failure, in-flight icing, structural failure, carbon monoxide poisoning, or some other incredibly rare cause. It makes for good entertainment (“hit that subscribe button!”) but the reality is usually much less interesting and much more depressing.| Air Facts Journal
The typical mid-lifers are accomplished overachievers. The way they see it, they could easily learn the Rubik's cube of a paper nav log if they were made to do it. But why require them to spend hours mastering a process that in the real world of EFBs, they'll never have to use again? For a mid-life pilot, this seems like a criminal waste of time.| Air Facts Journal
I get that we all speculate in private on crashes since we have a natural tendency to try to understand tragedy after it unfolds. But when we speak publicly on social media or even to our friends and family at home, we become ambassadors for aviation. And as ambassadors, I firmly believe we need to steer these conversations toward supporting our fellow pilots who were involved in the incident as well as understanding how we can prevent it from happening again. And any online content that goes...| Air Facts Journal
But transitioning from the airlines to a civilian pilot on long range flights in a turbine powered airplane was a shock! Now, instead of showing up in flight ops and finding my flight planning had all been done for me by my dispatcher, I was now the dispatcher. My learning curve was not steep, it was vertical!| Air Facts Journal
Checklist usage shouldn’t feel like a chore, nor should it feel mandatory (and from a regulatory standpoint, it isn’t), but rather an act of habit. And the quality of checklists you use is directly responsible for how often you use them! Because once checklist usage feels natural instead of premediated, you don’t have to think about it anymore.| 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
Visual Angle of Attack Indicators and Systems Engineering Theory| Air Facts Journal
The first landing and takeoff were uneventful. The second sequence was another matter. The Robin made a good landing, taxied forward a short distance, and accelerated to take off. A Fleet biplane, one of a highly regarded line of primary trainers powered by a Kinner radial engine, stood directly in my grandfather's path facing in the same direction.| Air Facts Journal
The pilot indicated with hand gestures that I should taxi out. I held the brakes while we ran a pre-takeoff checklist. Checklist completed, the pilot indicated that I should proceed with the takeoff. After checking for traffic I rolled out on the runway centerline and applied full power and soon we were airborne.| Air Facts Journal
To get a little better view approaching the threshold I leaned to my left and “stretched” up to maybe see a little more of the runway. In doing so my right hand had some upward impetus as well and the next thing I knew I had the stick in my hand but it was no longer connected to the aircraft!| 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
Joel Turpin began his flying career in 1966 by soloing in a Piper J-3 Cub as a 16 year old high school student. He subsequently obtained his Private Pilot license as a high school senior in 1967. Joel then earned his Commercial license and CFI in 1969 as a 19 year old college student, and has been a current and active pilot and flight instructor since then. | Air Facts Journal
Cruising along peacefully at 28,000 feet, and maybe 200 miles north of Los Angeles, I got a call on the interphone from the purser. She told me that some of the passengers on the right side of the first-class cabin were saying out loud that they thought the right engine was not running.| Air Facts Journal
I had been flying local ride flights from the FBO ramp with a Boeing 737 BBJ parked close by. During a break between rides, I was admiring the two aircraft from the same manufacturer. Their vast differences in design and function, yet commonality of mission and operation at a basic level.| Air Facts Journal
Cirrus had a controversial reputation early on, and to this day it’s the butt of some jokes. But it’s also the best selling piston airplane in the world for 20 years straight, a lone bright spot among small airplane companies who otherwise seem to be surviving on a few big flight school orders. And as I’ve repeatedly observed, the most vocal Cirrus critics are usually the ones who have never flown one.| 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
I was two months into my first pilot job flying skydivers in the C182 at a small Canadian drop zone, when my boss approached me about ferrying our Cessna 182 to Central America for the winter. I was eager and a bit nervous in anticipation of this daunting task. The final route flown took me 3,600 nautical miles from Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada across mountains, desert, ocean and coastal jungles to Belize City, Belize!| Air Facts Journal
Air Facts popular "Friday photo" features some spectacular views and amazing memories to share with the aviation community. Thank you for those photos and we're sure the best is yet to come. Enjoy these 10 most popular photos from 2024.| Air Facts Journal
