Kevin LaRosa, aerial coordinator for "Devotion" and "Top Gun: Maverick," was flying an Airbus AS350 AStar, near Grants Pass, Oregon, and pressed on into deteriorating visibility. LaRosa came to the "commit point" with fuel and got into a tight spot.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Aimee Fieldler took a student up for a training mission just before their check ride—and got caught by rapidly changing weather upon landing back at Annapolis, Maryland.
Pilot Gary Figgins recalls a flight with a colleague flying in the left seat, when the engine in the Cessna 182 they were flying in experienced a total power failure over the hilly terrain of southeastern Missouri.
Pilot Chris McClure made fast work of a fire in a Cessna 150 towplane, including restrictions to visibility inside the airplane.
Pilot Jack Henion thought it was bad enough to have an electrical failure in a Cessna 210 over the mountains, until he learned what it would take to fix it.
What do you do when your emergency isn't covered by the checklist? Texas pilot Stephen Curran found out on two separate occasions about the "diffusion of responsibility."
Airshow performer, instructor, and corporate pilot Ashley Shelton relates two stories of distraction—in her Cub and hew RV-6—that taught her the importance of preflight checklists.
A confluence of conditions put pilot Jim Bonsey behind the power curve in the Piper Cherokee Six he was flying in Hawaii, and he almost put the Six into the Pacific Ocean as a result.
Episode: From Blue Angel to Top Gun Frank Weisser, a real Naval Aviator who worked on Top Gun: Maverick, goes behind-the-scenes for a look at the real flying of the F-18 Super Hornet in the movie, as well as his own lessons learned as a Blue Angels pilot.
An instructor tells his own tale of why pilots need to get some experience flying in actual IMC while pursuing an instrument rating.
Fixed-wing pilot Eliot Danner flies with a fellow helicopter pilot on a cross-country flight that turns bumpy—and low on avgas.
World-renowned cellist and pilot Peter Rejto entered an unexpected snowstorm in his Mooney--and was caught by a missed preflight item. He shares the story of the resulting power loss with us.
Pilot Wayne Pinger’s journey to become a pilot took him on a memorable Alaska cross-country—and a crime scene. Learn what lessons he did.
When pilot Paul Entrekin got the chance to fly Jim Bede's BD-5 microjet, he encountered an out-of-balance fuel situation that nearly ended in disaster.
As a young pilot, Andy Gelston ferried a Piper Cub from Virginia to the midwest, and he tried to evade the thunderstorms blocking his way. A grass strip offered a haven--with a few hazards of its own.
A change of audio cues and a busy ATC environment led pilot Bob Jacobs to land gear up in a Mooney. What other factors contributed to the unfortunate landing?
A relatively short runway, high temps, and a hefty passenger load lead to a tight POH situation for pilot Bruce Falstein in California.
An instructor and his commercial student avoid landing on a crowded California street following a loss of power on takeoff because they understood the procedures outlined in the Cessna Cardinal RG's POH. Would you do as well?
Jerry Gregoire, founder of Redbird Flight Simulations, shares a couple of stories from which he learned the value of CRM—one of them involving a close encounter with a bird (that was not red).
When John Hull prepared to make a wintertime departure after defrosting the airplane--a Cessna 421--he neglected to check for ice beyond the wings and horizontal stab, much to his chagrin.
As pilot Brian Lorenz approached 10 hours on a brand-new engine, he looked forward to making a few touch-and-goes. Instead, he lost engine power after takeoff--and survived to tell the tale.
When aerobatic pilot and Reno winner Vicky Benzing took off behind a C-130 Hercules at an air show in California, the heavy turboprop's wake turbulence caught her by surprise--and almost led to an accident very close to the ground.
A flight in a Piaggio Avanti takes a dramatic turn for pilot Martin Murat when the windshield in front of him starts to crack. Find out how he and the captain dealt with the impending emergency.
Airshow ace Rob Holland handles a lot of flight regimes that might cause most pilots to panic. What happens when he faces a catastrophic engine failure in his custom aerobatic airplane?
A glider pilot has a lot to consider that’s different from the decision-making involved in flying powered aircraft—but weather always presents a challenge, as pilot Paul Chafe found out.
Sporty's John Zimmerman has been flying airplanes since he was very young. Learning how to make decisions while flying cross-country in a helicopter stretched his way of thinking—and almost landed him in trouble with IFR weather.
Pilot Dan Bass fell prey to an insidious hazard: carbon monoxide poisoning. A series of flights in his Mooney ended in a disastrous manner.
Pilot and author Tucker Axum had not one, but two situations on night flights that highlighted the nearly instrument conditions found over featureless terrain.
Artist and pilot Barry Ross started flying early in life, and it has informed his work, including his illustrations in FLYING. One flight into Portland, Maine, following the lights in, will remain etched in his memory.
When highly experienced pilot Craig O’Mara signed on to help ferry a Bushmaster to New Mexico, he was careful to take advice from an expert—but when it came to actual operational skill, this “expert” came up short.
