124. Is This A Parking Lot Or A Runway?
From I Learned About Flying From That by Flying Magazine
March 11, 2026 · 34 min
About this episode
In this episode, Carl Valeri interviews Dan George about a harrowing experience during an RNAV approach in challenging weather conditions.
In Episode 124 of I Learned About Flying From That, host Carl Valeri is joined by Dan George, founder and Chief Instructor at FlightInsight. Dan shares a startling story from his early days as a CFII flying in actual Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). While shooting the RNAV approach into Maryland’s challenging Freeway Airport (W00) with a student, a perfect storm of factors—an offset approach course, older GPS equipment, patchy rain, and a short runway—led to a terrifying visual illusion right at the Minimum Descent Altitude.
People in this episode
Host: Carl Valeri
Guest: Dan George
Topics covered
- aviation safety
- instrument flying
- visual illusions
- pilot training
- weather conditions
Keywords
- RNAV approach
- Instrument Meteorological Conditions
- visual illusion
- Freeway Airport
- pilot training
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: FlightInsight
Places: Maryland, Freeway Airport, W00
More episodes of I Learned About Flying From That
- 130. The Unintended Cessna 152 Camping Trip · June 11, 2026 · 29 min
- 129. Stuck at Full Power · May 20, 2026 · 28 min
- 128. Blinded by Oil · May 6, 2026 · 28 min
- 127. The Blue Button Lifesaver · April 22, 2026 · 23 min
- 126. Slipping on the Slope of Safety · April 8, 2026 · 23 min
- 125. Surviving the "Impossible Turn" at Night · March 25, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the I Learned About Flying From That podcast page.