[imagesource: YouTube / VASAviation]

You might want to get a towel ready because this video will have you sweating bullets.

While pilot influencers have taken social media by storm with their posts about aviation life that seems to promise a degree of luxury, there is a very real danger when it comes to flying.

Like having your engine fail mid-flight, for example.

For an aspiring pilot, learning how to crash land is definitely more important than seeing how many countries you may visit.

That’s where student pilot Brian Parsley and his first solo cross-country flight on May 22 comes in.

Parsley faced a harrowing moment around 12 miles (just over 19 kilometres) out from the airport when he lost power to the single-engine Cessna 150 plane.

Nerdist has more:

At first, he thought that “carb ice” was causing his engine issues, so he took “appropriate measures” to deal with it. That included starting his plane‘s onboard camera so he could show an instructor in case it happened again.

That’s how he captured the nightmare that followed…

Lucky for Parsley, he was able to remain calm and collected enough to safely land the plane in a nearby field.

Towel in hand? Let’s see Parsley’s skills:

The engine failed mid-flight, but Parsley admitted that his biggest mistake happened before he took off:

“The aircraft ran out of fuel and this was 100% my responsibility at the end of the day. I did do my flight plan, checked fuel, and all necessary checks prior to leaving. It’s also worth noting I’ve flown the same route with my instructor without refuelling prior.

I will get fuel going forward every time I land regardless of what gages state or distance. That mistake could’ve cost a life. This was more than just a ‘near death’ experience. It was an incredible learning opportunity for others as well.”

In this easier-to-watch video (because Parsley is secure on the ground and not under threat in mid-air), he explains it all further:

We live and we learn…

[source:nerdist]