I Learned About Flying From That

What happens when your avionics panel suddenly doesn’t believe your destination exists

In Episode 139 of I Learned About Flying From That, host Carl Valeri sits down with flight instructor and CSIP TJ Shembekar to discuss an unforgettable flight heading north toward Churchill, Canada. While descending through solid IMC into Winnipeg to clear customs, TJ encountered an unexpected crisis: although his iPad and ForeFlight subscriptions were fully current, the aircraft’s onboard Garmin database had not been updated for Canadian airspace

Without warning, the magenta line vanished. The GPS didn’t recognize Winnipeg Airport, forcing TJ to fall back on skills many modern glass-cockpit pilots rarely practice: tuning raw-data VORs, centering green needles, and hand-flying an ILS approach down to minimums. To make matters worse, as they neared the runway, the panel triggered a startling alert—"TERRAIN! PULL UP!"—because the system believed the aircraft was descending into open terrain rather than an active runway

In this episode, TJ unpacks:

The critical difference between having current charts on an EFB and maintaining current aircraft panel databases.

Overcoming automation dependency and managing the cognitive friction of switching back to conventional navigation under pressure.

Nuances of Garmin avionics, including CDI course selection, synthetic vision terrain alerts, and advisory glidepaths (+V).

Why every instrument pilot should incorporate raw-data, green-needle tracking and non-precision VOR work into recurrent training and IPCs.

Sponsored by AVEMCO Insurance. Have an aviation story or lesson of your own to share? Contact Carl at ILAFFT@FlyingMag.com.

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

Faced with a total electrical failure, degraded weather conditions below, and a thick icing environment during descent, Eric shares the crucial decision-making process, teamwork, and flight instructor instincts that allowed them to manage multiple compounding emergencies and land safely.

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.

Sponsored by Avemco Insurance.