
The killing zone for pilots, with Paul Craig
From Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's by Sporty's Pilot Shop
February 10, 2026 · 48 min · Season 1 · Episode 123
About this episode
Paul Craig discusses the 'killing zone' for pilots and how to avoid its dangers.
Pilots with 50-350 hours are involved in more fatal accidents than anyone else, according to research from flight instructor Paul Craig. In this safety-focused episode, he explains the numbers behind this “killing zone,” how to avoid its traps, and whether any accident trends have changed in the 25 years he’s been studying them. Paul also talks about scenario-based training (which he helped write the book on) and new flight instructors (who he teaches every day). In the Ready to Copy segment, Paul talks about VFR-into-IMC accidents, whether pilots are normal, and signing autographs in court. SHOW LINKS: * The Killing Zone, third edition: https://www.sportys.com/the-killing-zone.html * FAA-Industry Training Standards: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/training/fits * Pilot’s Tip of the Week: https://pilotworkshop.com/tip
People in this episode
Guest: Paul Craig
Topics covered
- pilot safety
- accident trends
- scenario-based training
- VFR-into-IMC accidents
- flight instruction
Keywords
- pilot accidents
- flight training
- safety statistics
- VFR accidents
- flight instructor
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sporty's Pilot Shop, FAA, Pilot Workshop
Books & works: The Killing Zone
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