What can a flight instructor teach you about life?

For Tucker Axum, the lessons started with a Cessna 152, a battered station wagon, and an instructor named Farrell Skelton. In this episode of the Air Facts podcast, Tucker looks back 25 years to the instructor who taught him lessons that went far beyond flying: take responsibility, know when to go around, trust the people around you, keep learning, persevere through setbacks, and sometimes, simply release the brakes.

Tucker is a pilot and professional writer whose career has taken him around the world as a special agent with the U.S. Government. He is also a New York Times bestselling author and recently taught a writers' workshop at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

We talk about Farrell's influence, the experiences behind “Release the Brakes: What My Flight Instructor Taught Me About Life,” and how aviation can teach lessons that stay with us long after the engine is shut down.

On this episode of the Air Facts Podcast, we’re joined by Kathleen Thompson, winner of the 2026 Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots, to discuss her powerful story “The Day the Sky Went Silent.”

Kathleen’s story takes us along on her very first solo cross-country flight—an early milestone that quickly turns into a real-world test of airmanship and composure. What begins as a routine training flight across North Dakota soon shifts when she discovers her aircraft’s radios have gone silent.

With no way to communicate, still early in her training, and approaching controlled airspace, Kathleen is forced to rely on the fundamentals every pilot learns but rarely has to fully depend on in real time: aviate, navigate, communicate. The result is a vivid reminder that calm decision-making and solid training matter most when the cockpit gets quiet—and that even early in a flying career, real lessons often arrive unannounced.

In this episode of the Air Facts Podcast, we talk with writer, educator, yoga instructor, and student pilot Gita Brown about her moving story, “Dad’s Logbooks.”

Gita shares how growing up around her father’s sailplane flying eventually led her to flight training later in life—after years of being afraid to fly. We discuss the emotional connection between pilots across generations, the meaning hidden inside old logbooks, and how aviation can shape the way we process grief, identity, and personal growth.

We also explore Gita’s work as co-host of The Calm Cockpit, where she and professional pilot John Niehaus discuss pilot mindset, stress management, and practical tools for flying with confidence and focus.

Taking your first passenger is a milestone every pilot remembers—but when that passenger is a family member, the experience takes on a whole new meaning.

In this episode of the Air Facts Podcast, we talk with Zachary Sherman, a Boston-area private pilot who began flying in 2022. As a first-generation aviator, Zachary didn’t grow up around airplanes—but he quickly discovered a passion for flight and the desire to share it with the people closest to him.

In his article “Very Precious Cargo,” Zachary tells the story of taking his grandfather—his very first passenger—on a scenic flight over Boston shortly after earning his private pilot certificate. What followed was more than just a sightseeing trip; it was a moment of trust, connection, and shared adventure.

Special VFR is often treated like a footnote in ground school—something you can do, but probably never will. In this episode of the Air Facts Podcast, we talk with Adam Boyd, 2025 National CFI of the Year, about why that mindset may be incomplete.

Adam is an ATP, three-time Master CFI, Designated Pilot Examiner, and C-130 Instructor/Evaluator Pilot with the Arkansas Air National Guard. With more than 26 years of flying experience, he’s logged time everywhere from small-town North Carolina to the Pacific and beyond. But it was a recent departure in his RV-4 under a stubborn 900-foot ceiling that reshaped how he thinks about Special VFR.

On a winter night IFR flight home in his Mooney, fatigue, hunger, and deteriorating weather quietly stacked the odds against pilot Bob Hamilton. As ceilings dropped, icing threatened, and options disappeared, Bob was forced to confront a chain of decisions that led to one of the most intense moments of his flying career—saying “unable” to ATC and trusting his judgment to get the airplane safely on the ground. In this candid conversation, Bob reflects on what went wrong, what he learned, and how that fateful night reshaped his approach to IMSAFE, personal minimums, and risk management.

When freezing rain turns a routine regional flight into a life-or-death approach, airline captain Chris Schaich must make a split-second decision: divert into worsening weather or press on toward a runway he can’t yet see. In this gripping conversation, Chris shares what it’s like to face severe icing in the Saab 340, what he learned from the experience, and how fate—and solid airmanship—helped bring everyone home.

In this episode of the Air Facts Podcast, we talk with longtime contributor Dr. Serrhel Adams about his widely discussed article, Mea Culpa: Confessions of a Joyful Pilot. The piece struck a chord with readers for its honest reflection on why flying should sometimes be about joy—not just procedures and precision. Serrhel shares how his Cub flights over Northwest Arkansas help him reconnect with the wonder of flight, why safety and enjoyment don’t have to be opposites, and how his aviation photography captures that same spirit of freedom.

In this episode of the Airfacts Podcast, we delve into the critical role of character and discipline in crew resource management with pilot and human factors expert, Capt. Mario Jimenez, FedEx (ret.). Drawing from his extensive experience as a naval aviator and human factors manager at FedEx, Mario shares insights on how character shapes a pilot's ability to manage resources effectively. He emphasizes the mantra "discipline equals freedom," highlighting the importance of setting goals and maintaining a strong work ethic. Tune in to discover how these principles not only enhance safety but also foster a collaborative and efficient cockpit environment. 

In this episode of the Air Facts podcast, we sit down with Colonel Dale “Boots” Hill, a decorated Air Force veteran and longtime Air Facts contributor. From flying 165 missions in the OV-10 Bronco during Vietnam to commanding F-16 squadrons and training the next generation of pilots, Boots brings a wealth of experience and insight to the conversation. He shares the intense story behind one of his most-read articles, “Sounds You Never Want to Hear,” and reflects on how preparation, training, and teamwork shaped his military flying career. Along the way, he offers valuable lessons for every pilot—military or civilian—about leadership, mindset, and staying sharp in the cockpit.