Top 5 Stories of 2022

A CASA C-212 Aviocar, similar to this one, made an emergency, one-wheel landing Friday at KRDU. [Courtesy: US Air Classics]

It's been a big year in aviation, and at FLYING, we've been there for pilots, to report on the stories that have mattered to you most—to the tune of more than 15 million page views. Here are the top 5 articles that we've posted on flyingmag.com over the past 12 months.

What do you think was the top story of the year? Let us know at: edit@flying.media.

1: NTSB Preliminary Report Sheds Light on Copilot Mid-Air Departure

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the copilot of a skydiving aircraft that made an emergency landing July 29 at Raleigh, North Carolina, intentionally departed the aircraft in flight without a parachute. According to the surviving pilot, the copilot was upset about the hard landing that damaged the airplane.

Roc landed Sunday at California’s Mojave Air & Space Port after a test flight that lasted nearly four and a half hours. [Courtesy: Stratolaunch]

2: World’s Largest Airplane Completes First Test Flight in Eight Months

Stratolaunch’s Roc—the biggest airplane in the world—returned to the sky Sunday, completing its first test flight in more than eight months.

The four-hour and 23-minute mission expanded Roc’s proven test envelope, including a higher altitude, as well as retracting and extending one of Roc’s main landing gear in flight for the first time.

Admirers of this unique technological wonder have expressed sadness about 'Mriya’s' destruction on social media posts from around the world. [Shutterstock]

3: New Images of World’s Largest Cargo Jet Show Details of Destruction

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has released new imagery showing an apparently destroyed Antonov An-225 Mriya—once the world’s largest cargo airplane—at Gostomel Airport (UKKM) in Ukraine.

The airport—also known as Antonov Airport—was the scene of intense firefights last month between Ukrainian military and invading Russian special forces. The photos show Mriya’s gigantic nose cone riddled with what appear to be bullet or shrapnel holes sitting near the aircraft’s wing and turbofan engines.

When undergoing routine maintenance, the sight of an uncowled engine is interesting. When undergoing unexpected maintenance, it can be chilling. [Photo: Jason McDowell]

4: The ‘Colossal Mistake’ May Lead to a Colossal Bill

"I made a colossal mistake in my first lesson, mistakenly departing with the cowl plug still in place. The cylinder head temperature had reached a sickening 550 degrees for a few minutes, and we made a precautionary landing at a nearby grass strip. After cooling down, the airplane performed flawlessly for the trip home, so I went ahead and scheduled a second lesson with my instructor for the next day."

The CAPS is housed in the fuselage ahead of the single Williams International FJ33-5A engine in the SF50, as shown on this company demo aircraft. [Stephen Yeates]

5: Cirrus Vision Jet Pilot Pulls Chute in Florida

A pilot and two passengers are okay after the Cirrus Vision Jet went down after deploying the CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System), apparently while on approach to Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM) in Florida on September 9.