127. The Blue Button Lifesaver
4/22/202623 min
In this episode of I Learned About Flying From That, host Carl Valeri sits down with pilot David Segel to discuss a seemingly routine night flight that quickly turned into a harrowing lesson in survival. While attempting to regain his night currency at Alpine Airpark in Wyoming, David took off expecting a bright, full-moon lit sky to safely illuminate the surrounding 10,000-foot peaks. Instead, moments after leaving the runway, he was met with pitch-black darkness caused by an unexpected lunar eclipse. As severe spatial disorientation set in and his autopilot began blaring "Terrain! Pull Up!" warnings, David had to fight his own senses and rely on a critical piece of technology—the Garmin autopilot's "blue button"—to navigate his way out of danger. Owner: www.avemco.com/8705-ownerNon-Owner: www.avemco.com/8705-nonowner
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCarl Valeri· Host0:00
[upbeat music] A blue button saved this pilot's life, and it may save yours coming up in this episode of I Learned About Flying From That. Well, welcome to episode 127, sponsored by Event Go Insurance. My name is Carl Valerian. Joining me today is David Siegel. David, welcome to the show.
David Siegel· Guest0:23
Thank you, Carl. It is a privilege to be here. I- You know, D- I have learned so much, I have to say, from these podcasts and these episodes, and I'd rather learn on somebody else's ticket, and hopefully I can share some of my stories so other people can learn, not have to suffer those mistakes.
Carl Valeri· Host0:42
You know, David, we're, we're so thankful for you being on here, uh, because you are sharing that, uh, with our audience, and it's really important for people to share their stories so we can learn about flying from that. And by the way, if you're listening or watching and you wanna share your story, just ilafft@flyingmag.com, and you can share your story. But first of all, before we get into that story, uh, one thing I love to hear about is people's adventures and their passion for aviation. So let's get started from when y- what sparked your interest in aviation, and then we'll talk a little bit about the, the, uh, incident that night.
David Siegel· Guest1:19
Sure, Carl. Well, y- like a lot of people, I started, uh, I, I, I learned to love airplanes early from my father.