378 More on Best Glide + Bad Pilots and ATC in the News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Release Date: 04/04/2025
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...
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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...
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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”...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 discusses engine-out scenarios and best glide strategies, prompted by listener feedback on Episode 372, which analyzed the crash of a Bonanza B35B (N2UZ) that suffered engine failure at 7,500 feet near Charlottesville, VA. Although the pilot did many things correctly, he overshot a long field and crashed. Max highlights choices that might have improved the outcome, such as flight following and alternate route planning.
Listener emails, read by Aviation News Talk intern Kelly, offer insights and experiences. Karen Larson shares how a conversation about the episode helped her husband safely land a T6 with a failed engine. David Dismore and Nico Ghilardi emphasize the value of practicing power-off landings, especially from high altitudes. Daniel Switkin points out that glide range rings in EFB apps may not always be reliable, referencing an AOPA test. Carter Boswell inquires about glide differences between windmilling and stopped props. Max references Peter Garrison and Tom Turner for technical insight. Bozzie Boswell from Australia introduces the AvPlan EFB app, which offers planning features to keep routes within gliding range of airports.
Max underscores the importance of preparation, practice, and situational awareness to improve survival chances during engine-out emergencies.
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News Stories
- Air traffic controller charged with assaulting colleague in DCA tower
- FAA Says its Sending Counselors to the Control Tower at National Reagan Airport
- Swiss military jet crash: air traffic controller found guilty
- Pilot in Alaska who survived a night on a frozen lake being investigated
- Former Alaska pilot responsible for near mid-air collision sentenced
- Stalker pilot takes plea before trial begins
- Man who flew drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base sentenced
Mentioned on the Show
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Oceano Airport and Off Highway Vehicles on Ocean Dunes
Max's FLYING Magazine article: Skyryse One helicopter
Video of the Week: Testing Glide Rings in three EFB apps
Peter Garrison's FLYING article: Gliding, Props
AvPlan EFB App with Airport Glide Range Overlay
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