This Is Your Pilot Speaking

In May 2022, an air-traffic controller in Florida received a frantic call. The pilot of a single-engine Cessna 208 had collapsed, leaving the sole passenger—with no experience at all flying a plane—to fend for himself in the cockpit. Remarkably, the controller was able to direct the passenger to take the controls, reach an airport, and safely land.

The story went viral for several days, perhaps in part because we can all imagine ourselves in that nightmare come true. Could we figure out what to do? Would we live to tell the tale? In the past, I would have asked myself those same questions. But this time, I had answers, and knew I was up to the challenge of landing a plane. At age 52, I had just earned my pilot’s license.

All my life, I assumed that flying an airplane was something otherpeople were born to do, not me. Then, during the pandemic lockdowns, my life took an unexpected turn. Unable to go on a trip, something I love doing, I turned to traveling virtually: I started playing the newly released Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on my PC. As my enjoyment grew, so did my curiosity. I bought an online “ground school” course—a series of video classes that teach flying basics—to learn more, and took the logical next