Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago

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It was the summer of 2018, and Cayla Hunt was a 130-hour private pilot. She was sitting in the front seat of a Beechcraft T–34 Mentor on the way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the annual pilgrimage to EAA AirVenture. Cayla turned her attention toward the fuel selector. She moved the switch from the right to left tank, lining up the handle with the placard.

The engine went from purring to a few gurgles and then a deafening silence.

Read Cayla's full story: shorturl.at/fghTW

Illustration by Sarah Hanson

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