377 Why Good Pilots Crash with Dr. Tony Kern + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Release Date: 03/29/2025
404 VFR into IMC: Why GA Pilots Crash in Weather and How to Stay VFR + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
In this episode of Aviation News Talk, we begin with the developing details Weather accidents in general aviation often happen to pilots who genuinely believe they’re cautious about flying in marginal conditions. But when you look closely at the chain of decisions that lead up to VFR-into-IMC crashes, a consistent pattern emerges—fatigue, long flights, pressure to complete a trip, weakening visibility, and the belief that “I can stay just under this.” In Episode 404 of Aviation News Talk, Max Trescott unpacks a tragic example of this pattern and shows how NTSB data helps explain why...
info_outline
403 UPS MD-11 Crash Analysis + Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro on How to Make Better Landings
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
In this episode of Aviation News Talk, we begin with the developing details surrounding the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F cargo aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky. The aircraft, tail number N259UP, was a 34-year-old MD-11F powered by three General Electric CF6-80 engines. Bystander video shows the left engine separated from the wing, with the wing engulfed in flames as the aircraft lifted off. ADS-B data indicates the aircraft climbed less than 100 feet before beginning a descending, left-turning roll from which it did not...
info_outline
402 Flying the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet Before the Type Rating: 5 Days with Ken Ansin
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Vision Jet owner Ken joins Max Trescott to recount an unforgettable five-day training adventure that bridged the gap between piston flying and turbine jet proficiency. As a longtime Cirrus SR22 pilot from the Boston area, Ken had spent nearly a decade flying for both business and family trips, rarely exceeding 300 nautical miles from home. When he decided to upgrade to a 2019 G2 Vision Jet, he wanted more than a checkout—he wanted a head start on mastering the airplane before tackling the Cirrus type rating course in Knoxville. In this episode, Ken explains how his “pre-SOE”...
info_outline
401 Cirrus Crash Lessons: CAPS Parachute Save vs. Deadly Go-Around + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with John Fiscus of The Flight Academy to break down two Cirrus SR22 accidents that highlight the extremes of safety outcomes in general aviation: one a dramatic survival story, the other a heartbreaking tragedy. Accident 1: CAPS Parachute Save over Lake Michigan The first accident involved a Cirrus SR22 (N121JB) that suffered engine failure shortly after reaching 7,500 feet on a flight across Lake Michigan. The pilot and passengers had life vests ready, immediately turned toward shore, declared a mayday, and deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The...
info_outline
400 Starlink Internet for Pilots: Safety, Costs, and Future Tech with Sporty’s Bret Koebbe
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Bret Koebbe, Vice President of Sporty’s Pilot Shop, about how Starlink internet access is entering general aviation cockpits and what that means for pilots today and in the future. For decades, cockpit connectivity was mostly reserved for the airlines. Systems like Gogo provided limited bandwidth, required expensive antennas, and were impractical for piston aircraft. GA pilots relied on , or Iridium text messaging to stay connected. That landscape has shifted with the Starlink Mini, a portable satellite dish small enough to fit in a 182 or Cirrus, delivering broadband internet...
info_outline
399 Crash Survival: How Pilots Can Be Found Faster with Cyriel Kronenberg + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Cyriel Kronenberg, Vice President of Airports and Air Traffic Management at uAvionix and a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol’s National Radar Analysis Team (NRAT), about one of aviation’s most overlooked safety questions: if you survive a crash, how quickly will you be found? How Long Searches TakeCyriel explains that while ADS-B has shortened search times, the reality is sobering. Without a flight plan, overdue aircraft may not even be reported missing for hours. Average search times have historically stretched from 18 hours with a VFR flight plan to more than 60...
info_outline
398 9/11 from the Air: NYPD Chief Pilot Ken Solosky Remembers + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max Trescott talks with Ken Solosky, the NYPD's Chief Pilot on 9/11, about his experiences managing helicopter operations on one of the most catastrophic days in American history. Though Ken wasn’t flying at the moment of the attacks, he was on the ground coordinating the NYPD’s aviation response. He recounts how what began as a seemingly routine aircraft accident quickly escalated into a full-blown national emergency. The aviation unit scrambled a standard rescue package—Bell 412s with divers and crew chiefs, and patrol helicopters—only to face total communication breakdowns. Cell...
info_outline
397 APR Key Explained: GPS Approach & Autopilot Errors to Avoid with DPE Jim Pitman
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with airline pilot and Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Jim Pitman to clear up a persistent avionics myth: that pressing the APR (Approach) key activates a GPS approach. In reality, APR is part of the automatic flight control system (AFCS)—not the GPS navigator. Its function is to arm the flight director’s lateral and vertical capture modes so the autopilot (if engaged) can follow the approach path. You can also view a . Just look on the page for August 15, 2025 video. And while you're on that page, please sign up to support the show. Jim’s “apples vs. oranges” analogy...
info_outline
396 How All Pilots Benefit from New MOSAIC Sport Pilot and LSA Rules with Sean Elliott + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
In this episode of the Aviation News Talk podcast, Max Trescott talks with Sean Elliott, Vice President of Advocacy and Safety at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), about the FAA’s groundbreaking MOSAIC final rule—and how it benefits all pilots, not just sport pilots or Light-Sport Aircraft owners. Sean explains that MOSAIC replaces the old, restrictive Light-Sport Aircraft definition with a performance-based standard, removing the long-standing 1,320-pound maximum takeoff weight limit and focusing instead on a clean stall speed (VS1) of no more than 59 knots CAS for sport...
info_outline
395 NYPD Pilot Ken Solosky on 9/11 — Listen Now on the Rotary Wing Show
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Ken Solosky was the NYPD's Chief Pilot on 9/11, responsible for coordinating helicopter operations during the most devastating day in modern American history. In this short teaser, you'll hear a preview of our in-depth interview with Ken, including why rooftop rescues at the World Trade Center weren't attempted and how the team coped with confusion, misinformation, and tragic loss. The full episode is available now on our new podcast: . Listen and subscribe in your favorite podcast app, by clicking on the link above, and then click the Follow button in the upper right. Or, you can...
info_outlineMax talks with Dr. Tony Kern about human error, airmanship, and the hidden threats pilots pose to themselves. Tony shares how his passion for understanding error began with the tragic loss of two of his former B-1 bomber students in 1992. The crash, attributed to "a failure of airmanship," prompted him to research the elusive meaning of that term—work that eventually led to his book Redefining Airmanship.
Beyond medical transport, they assist military veterans by flying them to camps designed for rehabilitation, as well as special events like Major League Baseball games. They also provide commercial airline tickets, through partnerships with JetBlue and Southwest, as backup transportation.
Tony emphasizes that even the best pilots are “one decision away from disaster” and discusses how errors often don’t result in negative outcomes, which falsely reinforces bad habits. He introduces the concept of a “personal fingerprint of error” and advocates tracking errors—both in and out of the cockpit—to identify behavioral patterns.
The conversation also touches on complacency, fatigue, and how inexperienced team members can sometimes better sense danger than veterans. He recalls the Thirtymile Fire as a case study in poor decision-making and leadership under stress. Tony concludes by stressing the instructor’s responsibility not to pass along a faulty product, and encourages pilots to be relentless students of their own behavior. He also shares resources from his company, Convergent Performance, and his books, podcast, and LinkedIn newsletter.
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 ANR Headsets
Max has been using only Lightspeed headsets for nearly 25 years! I love their tradeup program that let's you trade in an older Lightspeed headset for a newer model. Start with one of the links below, and Lightspeed will pay a referral fee to support Aviation News Talk.
Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset $1199
Lightspeed Zulu 3 Headset $899
Lightspeed Sierra Headset $699
My Review on the Lightspeed Delta Zulu
Send us your feedback or comments via email
If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone.
News Stories
- Airline pilot demand back to pre-pandemic levels
- AOPA leads national GA safety campaign
- Laser strikes down from record 2023
- Airline pilot fined after RAF intercepted flight
- Two United Pilots Forget Passports Before International Flights
Mentioned on the Show
Buy Max Trescott's G3000 Book Call 800-247-6553
Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset Giveaway
Dr. Tony Kern's Convergent Performance company
Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast
Dr. Kern's Books
Blue Threat: Why to Err Is Inhuman
Redefining Airmanship
Flight Discipline
Going Pro: The Deliberate Practice of Professionalism
Darker Shades of Blue: The Rogue Pilot
Armored Knight
The Ghost of Nathan Hale
Dark Wind by Buck Myles (Tony Kern)
13 Bullets: A Blue Walker Action Thriller Series by Buck Myles
Free Index to the first 282 episodes of Aviation New Talk
So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars
Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification
Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we’ll make a couple of dollars if you do.
Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android.
Check out Max’s Online Courses: G1000 VFR, G1000 IFR, and Flying WAAS & GPS Approaches. Find them all at: https://www.pilotlearning.com/
Social Media
Like Aviation News Talk podcast on Facebook
Follow Max on Instagram
Follow Max on Twitter
Listen to all Aviation News Talk podcasts on YouTube or YouTube Premium
"Go Around" song used by permission of Ken Dravis; you can buy his music at kendravis.com
If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.