CFI Dan Bass is today's guest as he relates how he almost lost his life because carbon monoxide poisoning rendered him unconscious as he was returning home from a day-long business trip. He also recounts an engine failure at 14,500 feet, and what he did right—and wrong—in handling this emergency. Both incidents resulted in good outcomes and provide valuable lessons to learn.Sponsored by AVEMCO.

A pleasure flight with co-owners of a Piper Arrow nearly turned deadly when the pilot realized he was too low to make a safe landing on an old grass field. But when he initiated the go-around, he heard a loud thump. He looked out at the left wing and the left flap was up! Asymmetrical flaps and a mangled left main gear made the plane nearly impossible to control. Guests Andrew Levison and John Garry share how they dealt with the problem.Sponsored by AVEMCO.

Twenty-one year-old Mason Rowe is the guest on this episode. He’s a flight instructor, has about 300 hours in Cessna Citations, and will soon join a major cargo airline to be type-rated in the Boeing 737. He recounts 2 stories of engine issues in a small plane that has caused him to reconsider how much to “trust” any airplane. The lessons learned include a warning about complacency when flying a single engine piston aircraft — or any plane.Sponsored by Avemco

The crew of an Air National Guard C-130 Hercules was on a nighttime precision cargo drop practice mission. En route, they found themselves significantly lower in altitude than they should have been, putting their lives in jeopardy. What happened caused some changes in procedures and how missions were flown to that drop zone. Brigadier General Marcus Jannitto, the navigator on that flight, joins Rob Reider to explain the entire scenario.Sponsored by Avemco

Analytics - it’s an important word in almost every business. The same is true in aviation. On today’s episode, Rob Reider talks with Dr. Paul Craig, PhD, who shares some of the not-so-flattering statistics for pilots who have between 50 and 350 hours of flight time. He’s compiled thousands of accident reports and published his findings in a book called, “The Killing Zone.” He’ll also discuss his personal incident when he wasn’t quite ready for “hard IMC."

Air Traffic Control in the USA is an extremely challenging job for the men and women who help manage nearly 50,000 flights daily in the U.S. alone. In the busiest airports, coordinating departures begins before any airliner pushes back from the gate. Joining host Rob Reider is retired JFK controller Dave Schoen, and he gives us a glimpse into the workings of ATC and how we as pilots can do our parts to keep it moving smoothly.

If you own an airplane, you’ve doubtless become very comfortable with the panel, whether it be steam gauges or glass. But if you fly an airplane with which you are less familiar, you’ve got a bit of catch-up to do to feel proficient in your scan. In today’s episode, Rob interviews a pilot who had some challenges in a Chinese airplane with a strange attitude indicator.Sponsored by Avemco

How many times have we jumped in an airplane for a short flight without doing complete flight planning? Most of the time there are no consequences. But what would you do if you thought you’d done due diligence in your planning and something changed en route? Divert? Go back to where you started? Or was there another option? Host Rob Reider discusses this cautionary tale with pilot Randy Bolinger.Sponsored by Avemco.

Today’s episode contains two stories, one with a Cessna 150 that involved a problem that led to an off-airport landing and another in a Beech Bonanza that had a sudden loss of oil pressure and an engine that blew apart. Join host Rob Reider as he interviews the pilot who experienced both of these incidents.Sponsored by Avemco Insurance.

Knowing the maintenance history of an aircraft plays a significant role in this episode. Host Rob Reider speaks with former Air Force pilot Alan Gurevich who shares what happened when the F-4 he was piloting landed and he encountered what he thought was a brake failure. He’ll also share how an emergency procedure helped him in a situation in his motor glider.Sponsored by Avemco