I Learned About Flying From That

John Jordan shares stories from early in his career flying out of California's wine country, in a Warrior and a 172, that illuminate why preflight planning is crucial.

Musician and pilot Christine Mortine was flying a mission for the Recreational Aviation Foundation when she had engine trouble and applied her backcountry training to the resulting off-airport landing.

Al Cerullo transformed his experience flying helicopters in the Vietnam combat zone into a career flying aerial photography for a long list of movies and TV shows in his Eurocopter AS355 Twin Star in New York.

Instructor Matt Keane found himself over the marine layer with a failed engine and an electrical system on the discovery flight he was conducting. Find out how he managed the emergency.

When pilot Jim Desmond thought he was ready to fly a two-thirds-scale homebuilt Mustang in which he had no experience, he set himself up for a serious lesson.

With an F-4 Phantom throttles stuck in full burner—what does a crew do? Pilot Brad Hood tells the story.

A flight taking a day-VFR-only airplane in the darkness led airshow pro Matt Younkin to re-evaluate how he got there, and consider next time to listen to his gut instincts.

Air boss, controller, and private pilot Wayne Boggs took the opportunity to ferry a Piper Arrow across the Caribbean, and ended up in an encounter with instrument conditions, without a rating.

With a career spanning the military, the airlines, and pilot training, Skyborne Airline Academy's Ed Davidson shares key lessons learned in two incidents from his flying experience, including an assist to a light twin ailing over the Caribbean.

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?