Airspeed

By Stephen Force

What's Airspeed about?

Join host Stephen Force for coverage of aviation and aerospace that includes general aviation, space exploration, military aviation, flight music, and a healthy dose of flying philosophy.

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Airspeed episodes:

05.04.2020
Airspeed - Downwind Dashes and Other Long-Distance Soaring with Tony Condon
Tony Condon is as an ATP and corporate pilot who also serves as the president of the Kansas Soaring Association, headquartered at Sunflower Gliderport. We sat down and talked about long-distance cross-country soaring.
04.19.2020
Airspeed - From Hell to Namibia and Back Again with John Harte
John Harte is glider CFI and chief instructor at Sanhill Soaring Club in Gregory, Michigan, just a few miles down the road from Hell. (Hell, Michigan, that is.) He's also a tow pilot, aerobatic pilot, airshow performer, and FAST formation...
04.12.2020
Airspeed - Hangar Flying with Kent Shook
Kent and I are sequestered in our respective locations at SARS-CoV-2 sweeps the nation, so we thought we'd record a podcast episode.
09.19.2017
Airspeed - The Eudaemonic Pie
We made an audiobook! Steve narrated the audiobook version of Thomas A. Bass's The Eudaemonic Pie. The book tells the story of a band of physicists and computer wizards in the late 1970s and early 1980s who set out to...
09.11.2016
Airspeed - Because Glider - Part 2
The second in a two-part series chronicling the long road to becoming a CFI. In this episode, our hero suffers more indignation at the hands of a check airman who calls off Christmas, after which he begins the long slog...
09.04.2016
Airspeed - Because Glider - Part 1
Here's Part 1 of the epic quest for the CFI certificate. It covers everything from deciding to go for the certificate up to the failed attempt to transition to a different motorglider at a faraway school. Part 2 is already...
08.07.2016
Airspeed - River Days Airshow 2016 - Part 1
Jack Hodgson takes the bully mic for a pre-show discussion of what it takes to put on a hometown airshow in some of the most complicated airspace in North America.
06.09.2016
Airspeed - The Assignment
An eighth-grade language arts assignment from FOD becomes an Airspeed episode. A father's expectations for his son at 14.
06.27.2015
Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 4 - Debrief
David Allen (on the bully mic) and Dean Greenblatt (BIRD from the show) join Steve to debrief the first-ever airshow over the Detroit River.
05.25.2015
Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 3 - Fast Footwork
This is the third installment of the series that covers - in near-realtime - the events leading up to the GM Detroit River Days Airshow on the Detroit River 20-21 June 2015. As before, David Allen of Other People's Airplanes...
05.10.2015
Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 2 - We've Got an Airshow!
David Allen once again takes the host mic to talk with Steve about the upcoming River Days Airshow in Detroit 20-21 June 2015.
04.11.2015
Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 1 - Waiver Application and Planning
First in a series that follows the planning and execution of our very own airshow.
01.25.2015
Airspeed - World Gliding Championship Competitor Tony Condon
US Soaring Team member Tony Condon talks about the upcoming 13.5 Meter World Championships in Lithuania.
11.30.2014
Airspeed - OpenAirplane with Rod Rakic
An interview with OpenAirplane co-founder Rod Rakic, as well as an account of my own OpenAirplane Universal Pilot Checkout at Crosswinds Aviation at Livingston County Airport (KOZW) in Howell, Michigan.
06.29.2014
Airspeed - Rules of Engagement 2014
An update of the Airspeed's rules of engagement and FAQ. Want to know more about what goes on behind the scenedat Airspeed? Here are the answetrs to the questions that people most often ask.
02.16.2014
Airspeed - Kim Crow - The Original Bitching Betty
A conversation with Kim Crow, who voiced Bitching Betty in the F-15 and many other platforms in the early days of audible annunciations in fighter aircraft.
12.21.2013
Airspeed - The Textron AirLand Scorpion Jet
We talk to Bill Anderson and Dale Tutt about the new Textron AirLand Scorpion Jet, which made its first flight just last week.
12.03.2013
Airspeed - ICAS 2013 - Rep Sam Graves on Sequestration
The remarks by US Rep Sam Graves regarding sequestration and its effects on the airshow industry.
11.24.2013
Airspeed - Inside Airshows - Part 3 - Tuskegee 3
Here it is! The third and final installment of the Inside Airshows series. After doing stints on a pyro crew and as a team narrator, things went to a completely new level as I had the opportunity to train up,...
11.18.2013
Airspeed - Inside Airshows - Part 2 - With a Mic in My Hand
In which I pick up a microphone and purport to entertain an airshow crowd (and confirm my suspicion that it's a lot harder than it looks).
11.04.2013
Airspeed - Inside Airshows - Part 1 - Running Away to Join the Circus
The first of a three-part series that takes you behind the scenes at airshows. In this episode, Airspeed takes you out to show center with the pyro crew at the 2012 TICO Valiant Air Command Warbird Airshow with Mark Sorenson...
08.04.2013
Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - AC-47 Spooky
The American Flight museum's AC-57 Spooky gunship.
08.04.2013
Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Karl Stoltzfus and C-47 Miss Virginia
Karl Stoltzfus of Dynamic Aviation flew this beautiful DC-3/C-47 to Topeka to show her off to this crowd. His grandson, Gabriel (7) joined him to talk about the aircraft and its renovation.
08.03.2013
Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Greg Smith and his Beech 18
Greg Smith and his Beech 18.
08.03.2013
Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Bill Whiteman and the T-28 Trojan
Bill Whiteman's T-28 Trojen - a RapidCast from the Gathering of Warbirds and Legends in Topeka.
08.02.2013
Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Darrell Linenberger's L-16B
Talking abut a liaison aircraft among the heavy metal on the ramp at Topeka.
08.02.2013
Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - MSgt (Ret) Robert Yarberry
Commemorative paratrooper MSgt (Ret) Robert Yarberry.
08.02.2013
Airspeed - Gathering of Warbirds and Legends - Briefing
The briefing from the practice day of the Gathering of Warbirds and Legends.
07.02.2013
Airspeed - Naval Aviation Training with ENS Evan Levesque - Part 2 - Tailhook!
The Airspeed audience first met ENS Evan Levesque (pronounced “leh-VECK”) as a MDN 1/C at the US Naval Academy in 2010. We then checked in with him during his primary flight training in the T-6B in February of 2012. Since then, ENS Levesque has gone on...
02.23.2013
Airspeed - B-2 Spirit with USAF Lt Col (Ret) Chris "Cliff" DeVaughn
Meet B-52 and B-2 driver USAF Lt Col (Ret) Chris "Cliff" DeVaughn! We talked about the aircraft, its flight characteristics, and its mission. And, more importantly, we talked about what it's like to fly long-duration missions in one of the...
12.16.2012
Airspeed - Glider Rating - Part 2
The second of two episodes covering my glider rating. Victory, defeat, ground effect, and a sock puppet. It's all here!
11.06.2012
Airspeed - You Don't Know Jack
Pilot, producer, and Uncontrolled Airspace co-host Jack Hodgson joins us to talk about the pilot population, flight training, the future of the aviation podsphere, and more in this nearly-two-hour conversation. Think you know Jack? Listen in!
11.02.2012
Airspeed - Road Trip
Taking to the streets (and tollways) of Orlando, Florida in a T-6 with eight other aircraft for the NBAA Convention 2012.
05.29.2012
Airspeed - VIDEO - Acro Camp Sneak Peek 04 - With Friends Like These . . .
Despite the aggressive schedule around here (glider training, trying to find a new acro ride, doing really cool legal work for the best clients on the planet, etc.), I managed to get some time this weekend to do some editing...
05.14.2012
Airspeed - Glider Rating - Part 1
Here's an account of my glider training this year through my first glider solo on Friday. Show notes at www.airspeedonline.com.
04.22.2012
Airspeed - VIDEO - Airspeed Promo: Monday 0600Z
Behind the scenes at Airspeed. Kinda.
03.06.2012
Airspeed - Airshow Announcer Rob Reider
50 minutes of pure awesome with one of North America's busiest airshow announcers, Rob Reider.
02.25.2012
Airspeed - Navy Primary Flight Training with ENS Evan Levesque
ENS Evan Levesque (pronounced “leh-VECK”) is a primary flight student at NAS Whiting Field near Milton, Florida. He’s flying the mighty T-6B in the aerobatic phase of training, having recently completed the contact phase and flown his first solo. He has instrument...
02.17.2012
Airspeed - Airspeed LPA Part 2 - Military Pilot-Speak
The second installment of the Airspeed LPA.
12.23.2011
Airspeed - Making Good on a Deal - IAC Michigan Aerobatic Open 2011 Diary
A diary of my first aerobatic competition. Compiled from blog posts I wrote before, during, and after the competition. Music is Game Day by Jon Schmidt. www.johnschmidt.com. www.musicalley.com.
12.06.2011
Airspeed - Airshows 101 at ICAS 2011
An overview of the Airshows 101 course at the 2011 ICAS convention.
11.16.2011
Airspeed - Flying through the Totality
On 21 August 2017, the umbral shadow of the moon will sweep across the continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina. Here are some thoughts about how (and why) to fly through that shadow.
10.25.2011
Airspeed - VIDEO - The Hoppers Promo
Here's the promo that I shot for The Hoppers, an L-39 team based in the midwestern US.
10.19.2011
Airspeed - Touching the True Source - CAP NESA MAS 2010 (Entire Essay)
Here's a big file that contains the full account of my experiences at CAP NESA MAS 2010. This file contains all of the audio from the prior three episodes in one tasty jumbo audio burrito. I hope that this doesn't bother anyone who has...
10.12.2011
Airspeed - CAP NESA MAS - Part 3
This is the third of a three-episode series covering my experience at Civil Air Patrol’s National Emergency Services Academy Mission Aircrew School (NESA-MAS) in Indiana in the summer of 2010.
09.28.2011
Airspeed - CAP NESA MAS 2010 - Part 2
This is the second of a three-episode series covering my experience at Civil Air Patrol’s National Emergency Services Academy Mission Aircrew School (NESA-MAS) in Indiana in the summer of 2010. I intend to make available the entire 30,000-word piece in a...
09.22.2011
Airspeed - Airshow Safety: The View from ICAS
In the wake of a difficult weekend (and, indeed, a difficult season) for the airshow community, I asked John Cudahy to sit down for a few minutes to talk about airshow safety. John has been the president of the International Council...
09.18.2011
Airspeed - CAP NESA MAS 2010 - Part 1
Part 1 of my 30,000-word epic describing my experiences at CAP's National Energency Services Academy Mission Aircrew School in 2010.
07.30.2011
Airspeed - My Movie Ate My Podcast
Will Hawkins joins Steve to commiserate about independent filmmaking.
07.23.2011
Airspeed - Shooting the MacGuyver Six
Getting complacent in your flying? Take a cue from a TV secret agent and try flying an approach with everything completely different and some of it detinitely not TSO'ed.

What's Airspeed about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Airspeed episodes:

Airspeed - Downwind Dashes and Other Long-Distance Soaring with Tony Condon

Airspeed - From Hell to Namibia and Back Again with John Harte

Airspeed - Hangar Flying with Kent Shook

Airspeed - The Eudaemonic Pie

Airspeed - Because Glider - Part 2

Airspeed - Because Glider - Part 1

Airspeed - River Days Airshow 2016 - Part 1

Airspeed - The Assignment

Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 4 - Debrief

Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 3 - Fast Footwork

Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 2 - We've Got an Airshow!

Airspeed - River Days Airshow - Part 1 - Waiver Application and Planning

Airspeed - World Gliding Championship Competitor Tony Condon

Airspeed - OpenAirplane with Rod Rakic

Airspeed - Rules of Engagement 2014

Airspeed - Kim Crow - The Original Bitching Betty

Airspeed - The Textron AirLand Scorpion Jet

Airspeed - ICAS 2013 - Rep Sam Graves on Sequestration

Airspeed - Inside Airshows - Part 3 - Tuskegee 3

Airspeed - Inside Airshows - Part 2 - With a Mic in My Hand

Airspeed - Inside Airshows - Part 1 - Running Away to Join the Circus

Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - AC-47 Spooky

Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Karl Stoltzfus and C-47 Miss Virginia

Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Greg Smith and his Beech 18

Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Bill Whiteman and the T-28 Trojan

Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - Darrell Linenberger's L-16B

Airspeed - GWL RapidCast - MSgt (Ret) Robert Yarberry

Airspeed - Gathering of Warbirds and Legends - Briefing

Airspeed - Naval Aviation Training with ENS Evan Levesque - Part 2 - Tailhook!

Airspeed - B-2 Spirit with USAF Lt Col (Ret) Chris "Cliff" DeVaughn

Airspeed - Glider Rating - Part 2

Airspeed - You Don't Know Jack

Airspeed - Road Trip

Airspeed - VIDEO - Acro Camp Sneak Peek 04 - With Friends Like These . . .

Airspeed - Glider Rating - Part 1

Airspeed - VIDEO - Airspeed Promo: Monday 0600Z

Airspeed - Airshow Announcer Rob Reider

Airspeed - Navy Primary Flight Training with ENS Evan Levesque

Airspeed - Airspeed LPA Part 2 - Military Pilot-Speak

Airspeed - Making Good on a Deal - IAC Michigan Aerobatic Open 2011 Diary

Airspeed - Airshows 101 at ICAS 2011

Airspeed - Flying through the Totality

Airspeed - VIDEO - The Hoppers Promo

Airspeed - Touching the True Source - CAP NESA MAS 2010 (Entire Essay)

Airspeed - CAP NESA MAS - Part 3

Airspeed - CAP NESA MAS 2010 - Part 2

Airspeed - Airshow Safety: The View from ICAS

Airspeed - CAP NESA MAS 2010 - Part 1

Airspeed - My Movie Ate My Podcast

Airspeed - Shooting the MacGuyver Six