Pilot Stories

The latest deep dive by AOPA on light aviation’s accident record is worth a second look as we strive to minimize our personal risk smartly.

The world of aerial rescue is older and richer than you would ever imagine.

Barnstormer, CFI, ferry pilot and record-setter, she could have been the first U.S. female astronaut.

The mystery was twofold: What caused the crash, and how did she survive?

Flight tracking showed the Skyhawk doing 13 ever-tightening turns. Investigators found the cause in the wreckage.

After a year off, and conducted under still-trying circumstances, this year’s AirVenture was like none other, in ways both good and, let’s be honest, not so good. But nobody is complaining. We needed this.

In some cases, the pilot at the controls had no intention of being there. Sometimes, it works out better than anyone could have imagined.

It’s complicated, really complicated, but the short answer is’€¦

This Incredible Pilot’s story is all about freedom.

It took around 25 years for aircraft designers to embrace fully the bigger-is-better approach to next-gen planes, but once they did, the fun was only just beginning.