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:

Autumnal flying sees increased air traffic, especially over scenic areas like corn mazes, requiring pilots to enhance situational awareness and use air-to-air communication (122.75).
When overflying wildlife, pilots must adhere to specific altitude restrictions (e.g., 2,000 feet) and local regulations to avoid harassment.
Shorter days and unpredictable fall weather, particularly sudden fog, necessitate maintaining proficiency in night and instrument flying and diligent pre-flight weather checks (TAFs/METARs).

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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.