Show Notes
In this episode of the I Learned About Flying From This podcast, host Rob Reider interviews Heidi Porch, a retired airline pilot who survived a harrowing emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean. For a pilot who admitted a lifelong fear of swimming, Heidi details the technical and psychological challenges of ditching a Cessna 182 during a ferry flight from California to New Zealand in 1984.
More from I Learned About Flying From That
In Episode 138 of I Learned About Flying From That, host Carl Valeri is joined by flight instructor Gary Palmer to share a harrowing story of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flying. While en route with his wife as a passenger, Gary experienced a vacuum system failure in solid cloud cover. As his primary attitude indicator failed and spatial disorientation set in, Gary had to transition to backup equipment, rely on his training, and communicate directly with Air Traffic Control (ATC) to safely navigate out of a life-threatening situation. This episode breaks down crucial lessons on instrument scan, emergency decision-making, passenger safety, and knowing when to ask ATC for help.
In this episode, host Carl Valeri is joined by Eric Crump, Vice President of the Aerospace Center for Excellence, as he recounts a critical situation during a commercial pilot training flight. While flying at night in a Cessna 172RG high above a cloud deck, Eric and his crew smell electrical smoke in the cockpit. With no visible horizon and freezing temperatures threatening rapid ice accumulation in the cloud layer, they are forced to shut down the master switch, leaving them completely without electrical power or navigation equipment
When an explosive engine failure at 900 feet AGL completely covers the windscreen in oil and cuts all electrical power, routine checkride prep suddenly becomes a low-altitude emergency. Flight instructor Mike Pavlik and student pilot Nicolas Kirchner join host Carl Valeri to recount their harrowing Piper PA-28 flight out of Lakeland, Florida. They break down the split-second decisions required to manage a violent mechanical failure, lost communications, cockpit smoke, and pattern traffic—delivering vital lessons on airmanship, resource management, and keeping your cool when everything goes wrong without warning.
In this episode of I Learned About Flying From That, host Carl Valeri is joined by Boeing 777 pilot and aviation attorney Chris Pezalla to recount a challenging flight during the COVID era. After diverting to a Central Florida airport to wait out a storm, Chris faced an unexpected runway incursion while taxiing for departure in wet weather with obscured airport markings. Chris shares how communicating with Air Traffic Control restored safety, how he handled a follow-up inquiry from the FSDO, and why filing an Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS/NASA) report is crucial for every pilot.
What happens when a well-intentioned Flight Instructor lets a rusty student "dig a hole" during a cross-country flight? In this episode, host Carl Valeri is joined by flight instructor, mechanic, and aviation writer Jamie Beckett, who recounts a humbling 1992 New England flight where inadequate planning, misplaced confidence, and misidentified landmarks led to a surprise landing on a U.S. Army helicopter field.