What Do You Do When Someone Says Something Hilariously Untrue About Aviation?

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot recently, specifically because many people who don’t understand aviation at all, or have very surface-level knowledge based on something they read online—I’m looking at you, Reddit—and are typically the loudest ones who say the most egregious things about aviation.

And, I think it’s about time I write a blog about it because a good pilot friend recently called me to tell me about a situation he had a few days ago with an ‘aviation admirer’...his words, not mine.

Here’s what my friend told me (this isn’t verbatim because it was a phone call, but I’ll try to recreate from memory as best I can)

Ah, my friends, this is one of our greatest social challenges: the "Actually Guy" dilemma. That's when someone says something about flying so utterly wrong that you're torn between correcting them (becoming the "Actually Guy") or letting misinformation spread like a virus through the establishment.

This particular aviation myth – that small planes can somehow "slip between" the gaps in thunderstorms – is about as accurate as saying helicopters stay aloft by scaring the ground away. It's complete nonsense, but delivered with the confidence of someone explaining that water is wet.

Here's the reality: Thunderstorms are among the most dangerous weather phenomena for ALL aircraft, including airliners, and they're especially hazardous for small planes. The violent updrafts and downdrafts can exceed 6,000 feet per minute – far beyond what any small aircraft can climb or descend safely. The turbulence can literally tear an aircraft apart, and microbursts can slam a plane into the ground with the power of a mother-in-law’s stare after telling her you won’t be at her house over the holidays.

The FAA explicitly warns pilots of all aircraft to avoid thunderstorms by at least 20 nautical miles. There's no "slipping between" anything – that's like suggesting you could run between raindrops in a downpour. Lightning is actually one of the least dangerous aspects of a thunderstorm for aircraft; it's the invisible turbulence, hail, and wind shear that can kill.

But I'm digressing into facts, when my friend's question was about navigating this strange conversation, not aviation safety statistics.

So what would I do when someone drops fake news into a conversation with the grace of a student pilot's first landing?

There are a few options, arranged here from least to most socially destructive:

1. The Gentle Course Correction: "That's an interesting perspective. Thunderstorms are pretty unpredictable, though and the FAA recommends all aircraft avoid them by at least 20 nautical miles. 

2. The Socratic Method: "That's interesting – what makes you think small planes can navigate between lightning bolts? Do you also believe mosquitoes can fly between raindrops during a hurricane?” This approach gives them an opportunity to realize they may not be on solid ground with their reasoning.

3. The Tactical Ignorance: Sometimes, especially if the person is insufferable or the setting inappropriate, it's fine to just nod and move on. Not every misconception requires immediate correction.

4. The Full Aviation Nerd: Launch into a detailed explanation of thunderstorm formation, embedded microbursts, wind shear, and the history of Delta Flight 191. Keep talking until their eyes glaze over and they start looking for the exit. This approach works great if you want to ensure you’re never invited to dinner again, or if you’re secretly hoping to the end of your relationship.

For what it's worth, I like option #1 or #2, depending on how interested the person seems in actual information versus just hearing themselves talk. The key is to correct without condescending – remember that most people's aviation knowledge comes from disaster movies and news headlines.

That said, there are certain aviation myths that are so persistent and potentially harmful that they deserve correction. These include:

• "Small planes fall out of the sky when engines fail" (They glide quite nicely, thank you)

• "Helicopters drop like rocks if the engine quits" (Ever heard of autorotation?)

• "Flying through clouds is dangerous because you might hit another plane" (That's why we have this cool thing called ATC and GPS)

• "Light aircraft are too fragile to fly in the winter" (They operate in Alaska year-round)

• "Pilots can see everything from up there, like a drone view" (Have you seen our blind spots?)

• "Small planes don't have to follow FAA regulations" (Tell that to my 200-page FAR/AIM)

The hardest part about addressing aviation misconceptions is that flying is complex, technical, and counterintuitive. People often don't have the foundational knowledge to understand why they're wrong. It's like trying to explain algebra to someone who hasn't mastered addition.

So, the next time someone confidently states that Bernoulli's principle is just a theory or that planes can't fly upside down because gravity would pull them down, take a deep breath. Remember that you were once ignorant about aviation too (though probably never that ignorant), and try to educate rather than embarrass.

Or just excuse yourself to the bathroom and never return. That's also an option.

Got a question about how to handle awkward aviation situations? Email me at [email protected], and I might answer it in a future article. Especially if your question is about how contrails are actually chemicals being sprayed by the government to change the gender identity of frogs.