Max explores a tragic aviation accident involving the crash of a N8924Y, a Piper Twin Comanche shortly after its new owner purchased it. The pilot was flying the aircraft home when he encountered various challenges, including fatigue, pressure to return home quickly, and low experience in the specific aircraft model. The episode delves into the circumstances surrounding the crash, highlighting common factors seen in similar accidents. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the landing gear problem while hand-flying the aircraft in dark night conditions. Ultimately, the crash was attributed to the ..read more

Max discusses a tragic accident involved a 55-year-old physician who crashed his Beech A36 aircraft, N84R, at Tucker Guthrie Memorial Airport in Harlan, Kentucky, on November 3, 2022. The pilot departed from Knoxville at around 9:32 a.m. with the purpose of attending scheduled appointments at a medical office near the destination airport. Despite low instrument flight conditions at the time of arrival, the pilot did not file a flight plan, communicate with ATC, or receive a weather briefing before departure. Upon arrival in the airport area, he announced over the CTAF his intention to circle f ..read more

Max talks with Arizona Soaring President and Chief Flight Instructor Jason Stephens and eight time Nation glider aerobatic champion about what it takes to become a glider towplane pilot. Surprisingly, you can tow gliders with just a Private certificate, though most operators will probably want their prospective tow pilots to have a commercial rating. Most new tow pilots will  probably be required to have at least a couple hundred hours of total experience. And since most tow planes are taildraggers, they’ll also need a taildragger endorsement. If you're getting value from this show, pleas ..read more

Max talks about the accident of N51FM, a Cirrus SR22T at Paso Robles, CA, and emphasizes the importance of understanding approach procedures, particularly when starting an approach from an IF/IAF fix with a racetrack. The accident involved a pilot who failed to follow correct procedures, leading to a crash, though fortunately, all occupants survived. Max breaks down the mistakes made by the pilot and discusses the implications for instrument pilots. If you're getting value from this show, please support the show via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Patreon. Support the Show by buying a Lightspeed ..read more

Max talks with Rob Mark about thirteen different ways a pilot can build flight time. These jobs may be attractive to weekend pilots who are looking for a fun flying activity, or for pilots who are looking to reach the 1500 hours required for an ATP and an airline job. This is Part 2 of a two episode series. In Part 2, we discuss Part 91 and Corporate flying, Air tours, Banner towing, time building programs, glider towing, working as a CFI, and flying a personal airplane. We also discuss the illegal P-51time, which has nothing to do with warbirds. And I want to mention one other resource for pi ..read more

Max talks with Rob Mark about thirteen different ways a pilot can build flight time. These jobs may be attractive to weekend pilots who are looking for a fun flying activity, or for pilots who are looking to reach the 1500 hours required for an ATP and an airline job. This is Part 1 of a two episode series. In Part 1, we discuss Part 135 Charter flying, Part 135 Cargo flying, flying skydivers, Pipeline Patrol, working as a Ferry Pilot and working as an Aerial Survey Pilot. We also talked briefly about aerial photography. In Part 2, we discuss seven additional ways that pilots can build fl ..read more

Max talks about the details of the crash of a TBM 960, N960LP, at Truckee, California last weekend. He also talks in detail about his factory tour last week of Robinson Helicopter. Weather at the time the pilot flew the approach was ½ mile visibility and snow with clouds scattered at 300 feet and overcast at 700 feet. However the approach minimums were 1 mile visibility and the MDA is 582 feet AGL. The pilot flew the instrument approach more or less successfully, though he descended more than 200 feet below the minimums, and he started his turn for the missed approach 1.3 miles beyond the miss ..read more

Max talks about two critical factors, sleep inertia and false glide slopes, which played significant roles in an Air India Express accident. Despite being unrelated phenomena, they converged to contribute to the crash of Flight 812 in 2010. Air India Express, a low-cost airline operating in India, experienced its first fatal crash during this flight. The aircraft, a Boeing 737, was returning from Dubai to Mangalore, India. However, the cockpit voice recorder revealed that the captain had been asleep for a significant portion of the flight, awakening only shortly before the crash. Compounded by ..read more

There are three secrets to making great landings. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are. That’s an old joke but fortunately, there is a proven way to make better landings, and that’s by collecting data on your landings. Host Max Trescott talks with Chuck Cali about how you can collect data for your landings and compare it with other pilots. The techniques apply to anyone flying a modern glass cockpit, such as the G1000. Chuck has analyzed 40,000 Cirrus landings and concluded that pilots could be doing a better job, especially during the flare and touchdown. If you're getting value from thi ..read more

In this episode, Max discusses the crash of N1125A, a 1991 ASTRA/GULFSTREAM 1125 SP business jet at Ingalls Field Airport in Hot Springs, Virgina. It was the third fatal business jet crash in the U.S. in just five weeks. Five people on board were killed.  Several airline pilots send feedback about the United flight 2477 taxiway overrun at Houston. Max also reads listener emails related to the ten fuel-related accidents discussed last week. If you're getting value from this show, please support the show via PayPal, Venmo, the Cash app, Zelle or Patreon. Support the Show by buying a Lightsp ..read more