James Marasa: Out of the clouds, into the trees

Flying BC - Pilot Stories and Aviation Adventures

"I could feel the trees smacking the bottom of the airplane. It was like a machine gun sound. And then, all of a sudden, they went back into the cloud."

178 seconds to live. Just under three minutes. If you're a pilot you've no doubt heard the statistic. Continued visual flight into instrument conditions claims a disproportionate number of general aviation pilots every year. It's easy to think, "I'll never do that." And yet, it keeps happening.

James Marasa is an IFR Air Traffic Controller in Vancouver, but he was once a young flight instructor who used up a LOT of those seconds. He lived to tell the tale, and this is his story.

Book: Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All The Facts by Annie Duke.

Find James at www.JamesMarasa.com

Follow Flying BC on Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

www.flyingbc.com