general aviation safety – Aviation News Talk

Max talks with Maya Shpak, CEO of SkyPath, about how pilots can avoid turbulence and find smoother air by combining crowdsourced observations, aircraft data, and machine-learning predictions.

The idea for SkyPath came from an airline captain and check airman who encountered turbulence and realized that the iPad already carried in the cockpit contained accelerometers capable of measuring aircraft movement. Much like a traffic app gathers information from phones on the road, SkyPath could collect ride-quality observations from participating aircraft, send them to the cloud, and return an updated turbulence picture to other pilots. Maya says the system now receives data from about 40,000 users each day.

An iPad observation is only one of five sources used by SkyPath. The system filters accelerometer readings, removes noise, and normalizes each report for aircraft type. That adjustment is important because light turbulence in a large business jet may feel moderate in a smaller general aviation airplane. When two pilots have iPads aboard the same aircraft, SkyPath can compare the two devices and identify a questionable reading.

SkyPath also derives turbulence information from ADS-B vertical-rate data. Many aircraft provide both ADS-B reports and iPad observations, allowing the company to compare the two and refine its conversion algorithm. This expands coverage into areas where no participating iPad-equipped aircraft has recently passed.

The platform also incorporates PIREPs and eddy dissipation rate, or EDR, reports. EDR is an aircraft-independent measure of atmospheric turbulence widely used in commercial aviation. SkyPath can convert its sensor information into EDR-compatible reports while using existing EDR data to supplement its own observations.

The fifth source is SkyPath’s predictive model. More than 200 meteorological parameters from NOAA and other government sources are fed into a machine-learning system trained with SkyPath’s observational data. This produces estimated ride conditions where direct reports are limited. Maya says this is particularly useful to general aviation pilots flying below normal airline cruise altitudes, although the company generally sees better accuracy above about 5,000 feet.

Pilots can use SkyPath before takeoff or during a flight. They may enter a call sign or flight number, paste a route from another electronic flight bag, or operate without a filed IFR flight plan. In its bearing mode, the app monitors an area approximately 100 miles ahead and 15 degrees to either side of the aircraft’s direction of flight. It can run in the background and generate an alert about ten minutes before the airplane reaches significant turbulence.

For larger operators, the same information can also be delivered through SkyPath’s own flight-following tools or integrated EFB systems. Pilots can set the alert threshold, place the app in the background, and continue using their primary navigation display. Dispatchers may receive warnings when an aircraft is approaching rough air and then contact the crew through the operator’s normal communications system. Maya says SkyPath was not yet integrated with ForeFlight at the time of the interview, although routes can be copied from ForeFlight into the app.

The altitude slider helps pilots compare ride conditions above and below their planned or current altitude. This can support a decision to climb, descend, or choose a different cruising altitude before departure. SkyPath also displays validated smooth-air observations as white hexagons. Knowing where the air is smooth can be more actionable than simply seeing where rough air has been reported.

The display uses familiar aviation colors to represent smooth, light, light-to-moderate, moderate, and occasional severe turbulence. Observed and predicted areas appear differently, allowing pilots to distinguish between actual aircraft encounters and conditions generated by the forecast model. Users can filter the display to emphasize the severity levels most relevant to their aircraft and operation.

Maya says access to better turbulence information can change pilot behavior. One business aviation operator using SkyPath reported nearly a 50 percent reduction in moderate-turbulence encounters. SkyPath also reviewed 180 published turbulence incidents and found that matching information had been available beforehand in 79 percent of them.

The app may also improve communication with passengers. Maya describes pilots showing charter passengers where rough air is expected and when it should end. That visual explanation can help nervous flyers understand why they need to remain seated and keep their seatbelts fastened.

Unexpected turbulence can produce injuries, diversions, medical expenses, airport fees, passenger accommodations, replacement-aircraft costs, and schedule disruptions. Even an unsecured passenger, flight attendant, or hot drink can create a serious event. Better information gives pilots more opportunity to avoid the roughest areas or prepare everyone aboard before reaching them.

Finally, SkyPath allows pilots to submit a digital PIREP from the app directly into the FAA reporting system. Individual pilots can begin with a free trial and choose between subscription levels. Maya explains how SkyPath is designed to supplement the navigation and weather tools pilots already use while providing a more detailed picture of where they may find rough or smooth air.

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A Routine Flight Turns Into an Emergency
Max talks with Troy Duck and John Von Fange about their dramatic Cirrus SR22T CAPS parachute deployment in N39VF after a power loss near Chanute, Kansas. What began as a routine flight quickly turned into an emergency when they heard a loud banging noise and lost engine power. Faced with a rapidly developing situation, they attempted to divert toward the airport, declared an emergency, and ultimately pulled the CAPS parachute. The event was unique in that they were able to user their Spyderco Manix 2 pocket knives to cut two of the parachute’s Kevlar attachment harness lines from within the airplane.

As the aircraft descended, they attempted to divert toward Chanute Martin Johnson Airport. Like many real-world emergencies, the situation evolved quickly, and Troy and John found themselves in exactly the kind of scenario that Cirrus pilots train for but hope never to experience. This episode is valuable because it captures not just what happened, but how the decision-making unfolded in real time.

The Decision to Pull CAPS
Max explores how they assessed the deteriorating situation, what they were seeing and thinking in the cockpit, and what pushed them toward the decision to pull CAPS. Their story highlights one of the core safety principles in Cirrus training: if the odds of a successful forced landing are uncertain and CAPS is available, delaying too long can remove your best option.

The episode reinforces the idea that CAPS is not just a last-ditch device. It is a survival tool designed to be used when continuing the flight is no longer the safer choice. That distinction matters. Pilots who mentally rehearse emergency scenarios in advance are far more likely to act decisively when seconds count.

Troy and John describe what it felt like to commit to the pull and what happened immediately afterward, giving listeners a rare first-person account of a real CAPS deployment.

What Happened Under the Parachute
A CAPS deployment may sound like the end of the emergency, but this episode makes clear that it is really the beginning of a new phase. Once the parachute was deployed, Troy and John still had to ride the aircraft down and prepare for impact.

Max talks with them about the descent, their expectations during those moments, and what they recall from the landing sequence. For pilots, this is a useful reminder that survival systems reduce risk, but they do not eliminate it. Even with CAPS successfully deployed, the descent and landing can still be violent, unpredictable, and physically demanding.

Hearing Troy and John describe the event helps translate abstract safety training into a real human experience. Their account gives listeners a better sense of what a CAPS event feels like, not just procedurally, but emotionally.

Dragged Across the Ground After Touchdown
One of the most unusual and memorable parts of this accident happened after the aircraft touched down. Strong surface winds kept the parachute inflated, and the airplane was dragged across the ground. What could have felt like the end of the emergency immediately turned into another dangerous phase.

That detail makes this episode especially compelling. Many pilots think of touchdown as the conclusion of a CAPS event, but in windy conditions the parachute can continue to pull the aircraft, exposing occupants to additional hazards. Troy and John describe the chaos of being dragged on the ground and what that experience was like after already enduring the power loss and parachute descent.

This portion of the episode adds an important training lesson: in any CAPS landing, pilots must be prepared for what happens after impact as well as before it. Wind, terrain, obstacles, and aircraft motion after touchdown can all affect survivability.

Lessons for Cirrus and GA Pilots
Max uses this conversation to draw out lessons that apply far beyond one specific accident. For Cirrus pilots, the message is clear: brief CAPS often, think through deployment criteria in advance, and recognize that waiting too long can turn a survivable event into a fatal one.

For all general aviation pilots, the episode offers a broader lesson in emergency management. Power-loss events are messy. They create time pressure, uncertainty, and conflicting instincts. Pilots naturally want to save the airplane and reach the runway, but sometimes survival depends on giving up that goal early enough to preserve better options.

The story of N39VF is not just about a power loss. It is about preparation, judgment, and the value of having a plan before the emergency begins. Troy Duck and John Von Fange survived because they were faced with a critical decision and made it in time.

Their experience gives every listener the chance to think more deeply about how they would handle a similar emergency. That alone makes this an episode worth hearing.

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Mentioned on the Show
Buy Max Trescott’s G3000 Book Call 800-247-6553
Spyderco Manix 2 pocket knives

Free Index to the first 282 episodes of Aviation New Talk

So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars
Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification

Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we’ll make a couple of dollars if you do.

Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android.

Check out Max’s Online Courses: G1000 VFR, G1000 IFR, and Flying WAAS & GPS Approaches. Find them all at: https://www.pilotlearning.com/

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Like Aviation News Talk podcast on Facebook
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“Go Around” song used by permission of Ken Dravis; you can buy his music at kendravis.com

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Tag: general aviation safety

423 How Pilots Can Avoid Turbulence and Find Smoother Air with SkyPath

420 Cirrus SR22T CAPS Pull: N39VF Power Loss and Parachute Drag Survival