Today Ty Burlingham joined me on the show! Ty is a helicopter and airplane pilot who owns a Cessna 180 and is the Chief Pilot for Precision LLC. Today Ty and I got together to discuss his background, how he got into aviation, what he is looking for when hiring a pilot, what Precision LLC has going on, and some ways to have fun with an airplane!

It is easy to see why Ty has been so successful, he is clearly hard working and passionate about aviation. This is a great episode with a lot of wisdom and advice for anyone in aviation!

This week on the show we have the Director of Marketing and Communications Rekha Lyons. Rekha was recently a recipient of NBAA’s Business Aviation top 40 under 40 award. Rekha is passionate about aviation but to an even greater extent she love the people involved in this industry. Rekha is not only working hard to make sure everyone is aware of this industry and the amazing opportunities that exist within it, she is active working on inclusion and to provide opportunity to anyone with a desire to be in the industry.

Rekha grew up around aviation and today she shares how that has influenced her, how she has given back to the industry, her experience gaining her private pilot, and what some of her favorite flying is.

Phil is dedicated to helping people find their way into and through the industry and is an inspiration to anyone in aviation. Phil and I discussed the benefits of flight training in the United States vs his home country of Germany. He shares info on how he got into aviation and the progression of his unique career.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Today's extra episode is a thank you to all of the amazing Veterans and their families who sacrifice so much for our freedoms and country. Today's guest works for Coulson Aviation as a heavy lift helicopter pilot flying the CH-47 Chinook helicopter fighting fires. Fallon Blattner started her aviation career flying Blackhawks in the Army. She is active in helping members of the military transitioning into the civilian world and shares some great resources with us today. Additionally she is active and a board member for Whirly Girls a fantastic group that is advocating for women in the helicopter industry. Fallon has tons of information and is a lot of fun to talk with, I hope you enjoy the show!

In this episode Brett Kubat shares his path through the United States Air Force including some amazing stories of flying the KC-10 and completing aerial refueling. There is so much information and knowledge in this one for anyone who has considered flying for the Air Force and for anyone who is getting out of the Air Force and wants to transition into the airlines. Thank you to Brett and his family for their service and for taking the time out of his training to talk with us!

While working as a spider excavator operator Forrest watched a helicopter setting ski lift poles and found his passion. He immediately started flight training but struggled to finance it. Eventually Forrest started his own company and realized he could sell it to finance his flight training, through his hard work and tenacity he finished his training and started a career in aviation during the depths of the Covid pandemic. Forrest’s story is inspiring and unique, anyone out there wondering if there is only one path into aviation will learn that with hard work and dedication you can find creative ways to accomplish your goals!

Christine Brown and I discuss how she became a pilot and how she has ended up in her current roll as a command pilot for Columbia Helicopters fighting forest fires. From flying tours and charter in New York to driving through Central America in an overland vehicle Christine shares stories and advice.

CEO and Owner of Sellacopter and host of The Helicopter Podcast Halsey Schider joins us to talk about his journey in the aviation industry and his transition from pilot to business owner. Halsey and I have been friends for a long time and talk about the joy of flying, the helicopter market and how Covid has impacted helicopter sales. This episode was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy hearing Halsey’s story!

Steve Dery and I discuss how a deployment to Afghanistan shaped his life and how he overcame struggles from that deployment. We also spend time talking about how working as a cabin crew member has helped motivate and shape his training and future as a helicopter pilot. Steve is an incredible individual with an amazing story that I know you will love!

Introduction to Aloft with Dan a new podcast dedicated to rad people doing rad things in aviation!