by Jeb Burnside

Pilots have many different phobias when it comes to flying personal airplanes. Some cringe at the thought of flying IFR over mountains, whether in a single or a twin. Others refuse to fly over large bodies of water, choosing to skirt Lake Michigan via the Gary/Chicago/Milwaukee route to Oshkosh each year. No matter which operation curdles your blood, few pilots disagree that an in-flight fire is the most dangerous and feared emergency they can face.

The reasons include pride—no pilot likes to think he or she can get into a situation from which proper application of technique or a checklist cannot extricate them—and a visceral reaction to the idea…