VFR Mastery Tag: Emergencies

Practice is the stuff of prevention when it comes to avoiding bad outcomes in flying. There is a catch, however: If your practice isn’t fully thought through, it can create exactly the situation you’re trying to prevent. Now you have little more than your reaction time to pick the strategy that separates a survivable ending […]

What’s the best thing when your engine calls in sick on the descent to a metropolitan airport?  Do you stumble along over the populated area even though the motor might quit? Do you trek over a less-populated area to a different airport? Or do you land off-airport even though the airplane is still flying?

Passenger airsickness is an annoyance that almost every pilot has had to deal with at one time or another. Landing ASAP is the rule, but VFR above the clouds complicates the execution. The passenger might not be the only problem as well. Maybe you shouldn’t have ordered the fish.

It’s another installment of “You are the controller.” In today’s episode, you’re the lifeline for a VFR pilot who is stuck in IMC. Do you provide guidance the pilot requested—direct to the nearest airport—when you’re certain that’s not the best solution? And if not, what will you offer to a pilot who’s barely holding it […]

The worst has actually happened and now your Cessna is twisted aluminum on the hillside. Everyone is OK for the moment, but daylight is waning and a storm is predicted for midnight. Given the altitude of the accident, that storm might bring snow. Is there any way you can get rescued sooner with minimal extra […]

All you wanted was a day at the beach. Instead, you’re airborne in an airplane lacking a primary flight control. An air traffic controller helped you pick an airport for landing and has people standing by. Now you must configure the controls that remain and decide which technique gives you the greatest chance of walking […]

Emergencies are equal-opportunity hunters: They’ll strike high-time pilots and newbies alike. Now you’re alone in an airplane with under 50 hours of total time—and an engine that’s out of control. What are the risks and tradeoffs given four different plans to get this airplane on the ground? Can you adjust the plan on the fly?

Sometimes it’s obvious you must land right away…like today when your turbo normalized engine rolls back to low power without any input from you. The less obvious choice comes when the problem seems to go away. Do you stick with your plan to divert, or do you press on tentatively, ready to land as needed?