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Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

The killing zone for pilots, with Paul Craig

Feb 10, 2026 · 48 min · 13 segments

Pilots with 50-350 hours are involved in more fatal accidents than anyone else, according to research from flight instructor Paul Craig. In this safety-focused episode, he explains the numbers behind…

Pilots with 50-350 hours are involved in more fatal accidents than anyone else, according to research from flight instructor Paul Craig. In this safety-focused episode, he explains the numbers behind this “killing zone,” how to avoid its traps, and whether any accident trends have changed in the 25 years he’s been studying them. Paul also talks about scenario-based training (which he helped write the book on) and new flight instructors (who he teaches every day). In the Ready to Copy segment, Paul talks about VFR-into-IMC accidents, whether pilots are normal, and signing autographs in court. SHOW LINKS: ...

Pilots with 50-350 hours are involved in more fatal accidents than anyone else, according to research from flight instructor Paul Craig. In this safety-focused episode, he explains the numbers behind…

Speakers: Paul CraigGuestJohn ZimmermanHost

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalPopularityVery Populartop 5%Audience≈380k followers

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Amazon Music Website

Top entities: Sporty's Pilot Shop×8 Aircraft pilot×7 Flight instructor×2 Cessna×3 Visual flight rules×3

Paul’s Aviation Beginnings1:19 – 2:03

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:19

Thank you, John.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:20

Thank you so much for inviting me on.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:21

It's been such a pleasure to be able to look forward to speaking with you today.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:28

I've been a long-term, and I mean long-term, Sporty's Pilot Shop friend and customer.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:35

I got my start in a high school class where an English teacher taught one period of an aviation class.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:42

I didn't know what it was.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:43

Had no background in aviation, but I took that class.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:46

And that guy's materials he used in that class was from Sporty's Pilot Shop.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:50

I remember seeing the catalog.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:52

So it has been a full circle to be with you today.

J

John ZimmermanHost

1:56

That's fantastic.

J

John ZimmermanHost

1:57

I love hearing those stories.

J

John ZimmermanHost

1:58

We're in our 65th year right now, so I love it when we can go back in time a little bit.

Sporty's Pilot ShopCompanyCompany
98%8 mentions
Aircraft pilotEntityCareer
94%7 mentions
Flight instructorEntity
90%2 mentions
CessnaCompanyAircraft company
85%3 mentions
Visual flight rulesEntity
81%3 mentions
MaineAdministrative AreaUS state
77%3 mentions
RocklandCityCity in Maine
73%2 mentions
IslesboroCityTown in Maine
69%2 mentions
NASAGovernment OrganizationGovernment agency
65%2 mentions
Global Positioning SystemEntity
60%2 mentions
Instrument flight rulesEntity
56%2 mentions
IslandEntityType of geographical feature
52%1 mention
Walt Disney World ResortTourist AttractionTheme park in Florida
48%2 mentions
Middle Tennessee State UniversityCollege or UniversityPublic university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
44%1 mention
McGraw HillCompanyEducation company
40%1 mention
EnglishEntitySpoken language
35%1 mention
TennesseeAdministrative AreaUS state
31%2 mentions
LexingtonCityCity in Kentucky
27%3 mentions
Cessna 172EntityAircraft model
23%1 mention
KentuckyAdministrative AreaUS state
19%2 mentions
AtlantaCityCity in Georgia
15%1 mention
Bureau of Transportation StatisticsGovernment OrganizationGovernment agency
8%1 mention
National Transportation Safety BoardGovernment OrganizationGovernment agency
8%1 mention
BelfastCityCity in Maine
2%1 mention

Flight SafetyAviation
Aviation
Accident RatesAviation > Pilot Training > Safety
Killing ZoneAviation > Pilot Training > Safety > Accident Rates
Scenario-Based TrainingAviation > Flight Instruction
Decision MakingAviation > Flight Instruction > Scenario-Based Training
Pilot ExperienceAviation > Flight Instruction > Scenario-Based Training > Decision Making
StatisticsAviation > Accident Analysis
Pilot ExperienceAviation > Accident Analysis > Statistics
Safety MeasuresAviation > Accident Analysis > Statistics > Pilot Experience
Risk ManagementAviation > Pilot Psychology > Decision Making
Accident PreventionAviation > Pilot Psychology > Decision Making > Risk Management
Training MethodsAviation > Flight Safety
Pilot EducationAviation > Flight Safety > Training Methods
AirmanshipAviation > Flight Safety > Training Methods > Pilot Education
Accident AnalysisAviation
SafetyAviation > Pilot Training
Pilot PsychologyAviation
Pilot TrainingAviation
Flight InstructionAviation
Decision MakingAviation > Pilot Psychology

Paul’s Aviation Beginnings1:19 – 2:03

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:19

Thank you, John.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:20

Thank you so much for inviting me on.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:21

It's been such a pleasure to be able to look forward to speaking with you today.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:28

I've been a long-term, and I mean long-term, Sporty's Pilot Shop friend and customer.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:35

I got my start in a high school class where an English teacher taught one period of an aviation class.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:42

I didn't know what it was.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:43

Had no background in aviation, but I took that class.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:46

And that guy's materials he used in that class was from Sporty's Pilot Shop.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:50

I remember seeing the catalog.

P

Paul CraigGuest

1:52

So it has been a full circle to be with you today.

J

John ZimmermanHost

1:56

That's fantastic.

J

John ZimmermanHost

1:57

I love hearing those stories.

J

John ZimmermanHost

1:58

We're in our 65th year right now, so I love it when we can go back in time a little bit.

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