How to Navigate Hazards and Distractions of Fall Flying

Managing crowded airspace over corn mazes, wildlife overflight regulations, and rapid-onset seasonal fog can be concerning.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, September 08, 2026 at 03:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Fall colors taken in from a GA plane [Credit: Jason McDowell]

Key Takeaways:

Autumn brings increased air traffic from sightseeing and training flights over scenic areas like corn mazes, requiring pilots to be extra vigilant for distractions and announce their positions.
Pilots must adhere to specific altitude restrictions, often 2,000 feet or higher, when overflying wildlife to avoid harassment and should be prepared to verify their flight path if questioned.
Shorter days and rapid fog formation in autumn necessitate maintaining night-flying and instrument proficiency, consistently checking weather forecasts (TAFs/METARs), and preparing for potential unforecasted atmospheric obscurations.

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If you live in a part of the world that has seasons when the trees change color, prepare yourself for more crowded skies. Starting in September there are significantly more aircraft over autumnal forests and the perennial seasonal favorite—the corn maze next to the pumpkin patch.

My favorite place to practice in the Seattle area is located over farmland east of the airport. Every year there are bright-orange pumpkins and mazes to find. In addition to training flights, there are many sightseeing flights. Between what’s on the ground and more airplanes in the air, there are a great many realistic distractions during lessons.