Close calls

By Civil Aviation Safety AuthorityEducation

Close calls episodes

June 29, 2023 Maiden flight
A paraglider pilot’s skills and drills are tested to the limit on her very first time in the air. Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2021/07/maiden-flight/
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5 min
May 26, 2023 What did I think I was doing?
Weather affects short flights and long ones equally, as this pilot found out. I hadn’t ever been so glad to feel the earth beneath my wheels as I did when my aircraft touched the runway after this flight.

Read this Close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/02/what-did-i-think-i-was-doing/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 min
May 24, 2023 Stuck on top
Despite all good intentions, a pilot ends up in a nightmare situation. Self-analysis follows a lucky escape.

Read this close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/05/stuck-on-top/
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10 min
April 04, 2023 Night fright
Having purchased a Piper Warrior, endorsements for manual propeller pitch control and retractable undercarriage were straightforward. The next issue that seemed worthwhile addressing was the deadline imposed on VFR pilots by last light. So I embarked on a night VFR endorsement. The darkness of regional Australia at night proves to be more than a match for a city slicker’s night VFR rating.

Read this close call at: https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/04/night-fright/.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 min
March 01, 2023 Too close for comfort
Some years ago, I was involved in an incident that nearly resulted in a mid-air collision. It happened in the vicinity of the Archerfield Southern Training Area during a training session that I was conducting in a Cessna 172...

Read this Close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2022/03/too-close-for-comfort
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4 min
January 22, 2023 Assumed risk
A former boss once warned me that 'an assumption is the basis of a screw-up'. While I've often repeated that maxim to others, it took 5 white-knuckle minutes to teach myself the wisdom of those words.

Read this Close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2023/01/assumed-risk/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 min
December 05, 2022 Belting along
In this unexpected and scary incident, the pilot reaches for something familiar to use in an unusual way.

Read this Close Call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2022/11/belting-along/
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7 min
October 31, 2022 Water water everywhere
Recent la Niña rainfall has amplified a longstanding aviation hazard, as Steve Blackie discovered.

Read this Close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2022/11/water-water-everywhere/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 min
October 04, 2022 When EFATO calls
Recreational pilot Luke Bayly discovers the reasons for the seemingly endless drills of his initial training.

Read this Close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2022/09/when-efato-calls/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 min
September 05, 2022 No getting over it
An encounter with lenticular cloud literally shook this pilot out of complacency

Read this Close call at https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2022/08/no-getting-over-it/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 min

About Close calls

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The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is a government body that regulates Australian aviation safety. We license pilots, register aircraft and oversee safety.