397 APR Key Explained: GPS Approach & Autopilot Errors to Avoid with DPE Jim Pitman
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Release Date: 08/15/2025
412 Cirrus SR22T N17DT Stall Crash: Flaps Retracted on Low-Power Approach + GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Rob Mark about the fatal crash of Cirrus SR22T N17DT near Shelbyville, Indiana, and why this accident is so instructive for any pilot who flies approaches at low altitude with high workload. The NTSB’s probable cause centers on inadequate airspeed and an aerodynamic stall, but the real value is in the flight data that shows how the airplane got there: low power held for an extended period, repeated stall warnings, multiple ESP interventions, and flaps that ultimately remained retracted until impact. This episode matters because it’s rare to have this level of detail....
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411 Vision Jet SF50 Landing Gear Collapse: Wrong Lever After Touchdown +GA News
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
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410 Cirrus SR22 Safety: Stabilized Approaches and Go-Around Accident Lessons
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
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Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with host Scott Hamilton of WBT, Charlotte's News Talk radio, about the Statesville, North Carolina Citation 550 crash that killed NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six others, then expands the conversation with a fresh technical finding and a practical training takeaway for pilots. While preparing for the short radio interview, Max revisited the ADS-B track and noticed something he hadn’t seen anyone else write about: the altitude anomaly isn’t merely a “jump,” it’s an impossible spike. The key number is stark. The ADS-B data shows a reported climb of 1,374 feet in 1.64...
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408 Aerobatic Training for Pilots: How Upset Recovery Prevents Loss of Control — Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with Dr. Catherine Cavagnaro about how aerobatic training builds safer, more confident pilots by reducing loss of control, improving stall and spin awareness, and shortening the startle response. Although many pilots associate aerobatics with airshows or extreme flying, this conversation reframes aerobatic training as a practical safety tool that directly applies to everyday general aviation operations. Catherine explains that the core value of aerobatic training lies in learning where “the edge” of aircraft control really is. Many pilots are taught to avoid stalls and spins...
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407 Starting a Flight School with The Flight Academy
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
Max talks with John Fiscus, co-founder of The Flight Academy, and Director of Operations Jordan Ming to break down how one of the country’s most respected Cirrus-focused training organizations was created, expanded, and refined over more than two decades. Whether you’re an instructor considering the entrepreneurial leap, a pilot curious about how flight training businesses operate, or someone fascinated by the evolution of modern GA training, this conversation delivers clear, practical insights rooted in real experience. John opens with the origin story behind The Flight Academy—one...
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406 Flying Tails: Ken Wayne’s Amazing Animal Rescue Flights with Bears, Eagles & Wildlife
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
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405 Aviation Safety Lessons from Todd Conklin: Human Factors, Margin & Mistakes
Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News
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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...
info_outlineMax 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 video version of this episode. 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 helps pilots keep the two systems straight:
Apples = GPS navigator functions like activating an approach, sequencing waypoints, and CDI scaling.
Oranges = AFCS/autopilot functions like heading, NAV, APR, and altitude hold modes.
Max and Jim break down common scenarios in G1000 and Garmin Perspective+ cockpits, including:
- How to know an approach is active (look for magenta waypoint below the approach title).
- Why APR is often pressed at the wrong time—and how that can disarm modes.
- When to press NAV instead of APR (e.g., intercepting before clearance).
- How to interpret scaling modes (LPV, LNAV, terminal, en route) inside the HSI.
- Using OBS mode effectively and when to turn it off.
They also discuss common checkride errors, such as failing to deselect OBS or mishandling the SUSP (suspend) key during a hold. Jim explains why the FAA expects private pilot applicants to demonstrate basic knowledge of installed automation—even without an instrument rating.
You’ll hear practical techniques to avoid “automation surprise,” like keeping the active flight plan visible, always checking the flight mode annunciator (“scoreboard”) before and after pressing a button, and using the “look–press–look” habit.
Finally, they clarify the confusion between loading and activating an approach: often, the best way to start is simply going direct to the IAF or IF rather than pressing “Activate Approach.”
Pilots can download Jim’s free “G1000 Common Errors & Solutions” guide at flywithjim.com/G1000 and Whether you fly glass-cockpit IFR regularly or are just starting instrument training, this episode will help you use the APR key correctly, fly more precise GPS approaches, and avoid costly autopilot errors.
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