Personal minimums (October 2021)

On this episode of “Never Again,” a Mooney pilot thinks he’s found a bargain on fuel—but the short grass runway, summer heat and trees ahead quickly turn a $20 savings into a terrifying takeoff. 

On this episode of “Never Again,” a routine IFR flight turns into a fight against worsening weather when a Cessna 210 pilot encounters heavy snow, a 30-knot crosswind, accumulating ice, and an engine problem on approach. With visibility down to less than a quarter mile and the ru ... Show More

On this episode of “Never Again,” a simple dinner date turns into an emergency when a Mooney pilot discovers his fuel gauges have been lying to him. With the engine quitting, an unexpected landing at a military base, and a less-than-pleased commanding officer waiting on the groun ... Show More

While flying in instrument conditions at night, Mooney pilot Bill Fredericks wrestles with a faulty autopilot. 

On a night flight to Grand Strand Airport in Myrtle Beach, SC, pilot Greg Duckworth experiences an engine failure in his Rutan Long-EZ. With a sea of city lights below, Greg must resort to quick thinking and help from ATC to find a place to land. 

Mel Rushton recounts a harrowing nighttime IFR flight when the propeller of his Piper Comanche separated mid-flight over Florida. 

Peter Danzig hears a disturbing banging sound while flying his Bonanza A36 near Paso Robles, CA, and decides to make a precautionary landing at a small private airport. After landing, he must contend with less than ideal conditions in which to depart again. 

While flying in his Piper Saratoga over the Mark Twain National Forest en route to Northeast Arkansas, Brent Reddick notices a subtle but disturbing drop in RPM, followed by a complete engine failure. 

Mark Sellers shares the story of a nighttime overwater flight in his Bellanca Viking where a landing gear issue arose during approach. 

While flying in his 1966 Cessna 150F over Arizona, Chris Smith and his father must resort to some creative thinking to breathe life into a sputtering engine. 

Climbing through 6,000 feet after departing Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, pilot and aircraft builder Steve Gross encounters severe icing in his RV-9. With his indicated airspeed falling to 60 knots and his climb rate dropping to zero, Steve must take quick action. 

CFI Bill Tomkovic takes a Cessna 172 flight for the purpose of breaking in a new engine. In an effort to complete the break-in faster, Bill opts to fly longer than he originally intended. Unfortunately, the airplane’s fuel consumption is higher than he expects. 

Dr. Stan Markus is an owner and lover of antique aircraft. And when the engine quit on his Stearman, away from his home airport, he only had a few seconds to find a suitable landing field that would not be a hazard to those on the ground, himself, or his airplane.