I Learned About Flying From That

In this episode of Flying Magazine's I learned about flying from that podcast, host Rob Reider speaks with Tom Bevard about a terrifying in-flight incident in his Cessna 140, which had been modified with Cessna 150 seats. Tom recounts how his adjustable pilot's seat, despite a pre-flight check, slid to the full aft position during takeoff just as he was about to rotate, causing the aircraft to shoot up at a high angle of attack and low speed, rapidly approaching a stall. Fortunately, his vernier throttle remained at full power. With the seat all the way back, Tom could no longer reach the rudder pedals, a critical issue, especially in a taildragger. Rather than attempting a ground loop with limited control due to a slight crosswind, he made the quick decision to continue the flight, get to a safe altitude, and then unbuckle, slide over, and re-buckle his seatbelt in the co-pilot's side. Being comfortable flying from the right seat, he was able to safely land the plane. This near-disastrous routine flight underscored the importance of a very good and thorough pre-flight inspection, particularly checking the seat by moving it front-to-back, side-to-side, and up-and-down to ensure the clips are properly over the rail's lip; conducting a solo local flight after any maintenance work before taking passengers or going cross-country; being proficient at flying from both seats (left, right, or tandem) as a crucial skill set in unexpected situations; and understanding Airworthiness Directives (ADs) related to seat rails, given the potential for catastrophic results if seats fail at critical phases of flight.

In this episode of I Learned About Flying From That, host Rob Reider speaks with Terry Fagg from Queensland, Australia, who shares a compelling story about a significant equipment failure during a solo glider flight in 1979. Terry was just 15 years old at the time, with about 30 total flying hours. He was flying an ASW15, a high-performance competition glider known for being state-of-the-art but also having some quirks that made it "not real easy to fly". While climbing to altitude in a strong thermal, Terry noticed the stick was progressively getting further forward until it became stuck full forward. This left him unable to push forward to descend and flying dangerously close to a stall speed at around 7,000 feet. Finding himself in "deep deep strife" with virtually no pitch control, Terry spent about two hours at altitude, floating in thermals and figuring out how to fly the glider in this precarious state. Standard stall recovery procedures were impossible with the stick stuck forward, and radio assistance was unavailable. He managed to return to his gliding club's field and executed a challenging "long low slow circuit," making a difficult landing by basically "flopping in" close to the ground. Initially criticized by the duty instructor for his landing, the severity of the emergency was revealed when, while examining the stick, the damaged elevator link strut – a metal control rod that had failed due to fatigue – finally snapped off completely, showing the elevator was no longer connected. Terry later learned that he was the only person known to have successfully landed an ASW15 with this specific failure; other instances had resulted in serious crashes. The incident profoundly taught him at a young age that flying, despite being enjoyable, is also a "dangerous business" where unexpected events can occur. He learned the critical importance of trusting his gut feeling when something feels wrong and adhering to aircraft manual procedures. This episode is brought to you by Avemco Insurance.

In this episode of Flying Magazine's "I learned about flying from that" podcast, host Rob Reider speaks with Tim Kurrek about a truly challenging incident that occurred over 20 years ago. Tim, a longtime instructor with extensive tailwheel and glider experience, was on what should have been a routine flight in IMC in his trusted Cessna 180 when the engine suddenly and unexpectedly quit. With no autopilot and the gyros spooling down, Tim was immediately thrust into a situation requiring proficient hand flying and quick thinking. After declaring the engine failure and contacting NorCal, he began troubleshooting while maintaining his best glide speed. However, battling heavy rain and downdrafts, Tim realized his descent rate was higher than expected, and he wouldn't make the initial airport NorCal vectored him towards, which was surrounded by suburbia. This critical realization forced a rapid decision and a change of course towards what he hoped would be more suitable terrain. Breaking out of the clouds at a low altitude, he faced the daunting task of selecting and landing on an unconventional off-airport site under challenging muddy and crosswind conditions. The landing, while successful in preserving life and aircraft integrity, presented its own immediate set of problems with the aircraft sinking into the mud. What followed involved navigating interactions with a gruff local farmer, law enforcement, and the FAA, all while trying to understand the mysterious engine failure. Ultimately, the cause of the engine issue was identified, and the challenging process of recovering the aircraft from the field, with the farmer's reluctant assistance, became another chapter in the story. Tim shares the powerful lessons learned about the importance of aircraft knowledge, maintaining pilot proficiency, critical situational awareness, and the absolute necessity of pre-planning flights, even IFR ones, with VFR charts to understand the ground below. His experience vividly illustrates astronaut Frank Borman's quote: "A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill".

What sounds inconsequential on the ground can turn deadly in the air. Join Rob Reider on this episode of "I Learned About Flying From That" as he speaks with Philip Harris. Philip recounts a seemingly ordinary taxi out in his Rans S6 with his father, where a familiar thump masked a potentially catastrophic propeller strike. Discover how a post-flight inspection revealed the terrifying truth: a severely damaged propeller that could have failed at any moment during their flight, or worse, while taxiing amongst crowds at an airshow. Philip shares the vital lessons learned that day about trusting your instincts and the importance of a thorough post-flight inspection. This is a chilling reminder that even experienced pilots can be fooled by the familiar, and that a moment of doubt warrants immediate investigation.

Organization is important in every facet of life, especially in aviation. It's why we have checklists, and breaking the flow of those procedures can be hazardous to your health. While preparing for a casual flight to play golf, Dr. Baron Hamman deviated from his preflight routine to call his brother, inadvertently skipping the step of securely latching the aircraft door. Hear what happened in this episode.