Flight Tales

On this episode of Flight Tales, we get real about weather planning and aeronautical decision-making (ADM)—from using AviationWeather.gov and understanding winds aloft, to why TAFs can flip fast, and how personal minimums keep new pilots out of trouble. We talk about the stuff that actually matters when you stop flying local training blocks and start doing real cross-countries:✈️ How to plan weather days ahead (trend watching) vs. just checking the departure METAR🌫️ Fog season, temperature/dew point spread, and why forecasts can change overnight💨 Cold fronts, “clear sky = windy day” traps, and seasonal patterns that catch new pilots🧭 Commercial long cross-country planning: different terrain, different systems, different risks🟣 Using in-flight tools (ADS-B/ForeFlight/ATC/ASOS) to re-evaluate and divert early🧠 “Wild West Part 91” decisions (just because you can doesn’t mean you should)🎯 Why actual IMC feels nothing like hood time—and how that affects proficiency🤖 Autopilot: helpful safety tool… until it becomes a crutch

Bottom line: Plan on the ground, build margins, have a Plan B (and C), and don’t let external pressure make the decision for you.👇 Drop your questions or episode ideas in the comments—we’ll answer what we can.

Owens Flight Training is a flight school based in Lafayette, Louisiana.www.owensflighttraining.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/owensflighttrainingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/owensflighttraining

In this episode of Flight Tales, we dive deep into one of the most overlooked skills in private pilot training—mastering the paper navigation log.

New pilots often jump straight into ForeFlight and other advanced EFBs, but without understanding how those numbers are calculated, you’re setting yourself up for trouble on cross-countries, diversions, and your private pilot checkride.

🎙 What we cover in this episode:

Why every student pilot should learn paper nav logs before relying on automation

How understanding wind correction, dead reckoning, and pilotage builds real situational awareness

Why ForeFlight can help you—but also cripple you if it’s all you know

How to prepare for scenario-based private pilot checkrides

Weight & balance calculations during multi-leg cross-country scenarios

Why paper sectionals still matter (and what happens when technology fails)

Real-world stories and examples from training without GPS or ForeFlight

The importance of preflight planning, aviationweather.gov, and 1800wxbrief

Tips for navigating at night and avoiding common student pilot mistakes

✈️ Key takeaway:

Automation is an amazing tool—but it should be a luxury, not a crutch. Understanding the fundamentals makes you safer, more confident, and better prepared for anything a flight throws at you.

On this episode of Flight Tales, we sit down with newly-minted CFI Alex Foreman to talk about his unconventional path into aviation. Alex grew up in Crowley, Louisiana, took his very first helicopter ride at the Rice Festival, and still never imagined flying could be a real career. That changed years later after a simple conversation about discovery flights flipped a switch and sent him down the path to becoming a pilot.Alex shares how he dropped out of college, joined the National Guard as a 25H (IT and communications), and seriously considered a 10-year Guard contract to fly helicopters before deciding it was not the right move for his future. Instead, he found Owens Flight Training, took a discovery flight in an airplane, and instantly knew he had found his thing. From there, he pushed through private, instrument, and commercial in about a year while balancing work, Guard duties, and an IT internship.Now a CFI, Alex talks about getting his first students, including one who skipped the discovery flight and went straight into training, how different it feels flying from the right seat, why landings are so hard to teach, and how instructing exposes both your strengths and your bad habits as a pilot. If you are a student pilot, thinking about becoming a CFI, or wondering whether to go the military route or civilian flight school, this episode is packed with real-world insight.For more aviation stories, training tips, and behind-the-scenes flight school life, explore the rest of the Flight Tales episodes on the Owens Flight Training YouTube channel. To learn more about becoming a safe, knowledgeable, and confident pilot, visit our website at OwensFlightTraining.com.Owens Flight Training is a flight school based in Lafayette, Louisiana.www.owensflighttraining.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/owensflighttrainingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/owensflighttraining

In this episode of Flight Tales, we break down one of the most misunderstood topics in aviation: density altitude what it is, why it matters, and how it can turn your “plenty of runway” into “we might not make it over that mountain.”We talk through real-world examples from Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and even hot Louisiana days where the air gets thin enough to ruin your takeoff distance, climb performance, and yes even your grandma’s chances of riding along.What we cover in this episode:• Why density altitude affects everything: engine power, lift, and climb rate• How temperature, humidity, and elevation combine to wreck aircraft performance• Why your takeoff roll doubles at airports like Centennial or Driggs• The checkride trick: sea-level vs. high-elevation takeoff distance comparison• True airspeed vs. indicated airspeed and why mountain approaches feel terrifyingly fast• Weight & balance decisions including whether grandma makes the cut• Turbochargers, fuel management, and safe departure planning• Emergency briefing considerations for mountainous terrain• Multi-engine performance traps at high elevations• Why fields are better than trees. Always.If you’ve ever wondered why your plane climbs like a champ at sea level but turns into a tired lawnmower in Denver, this episode will make everything click.Owens Flight Training is a flight school based in Lafayette, Louisiana.www.owensflighttraining.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/owensflighttrainingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/owensflighttraining

Ever flown “under the shelf” to avoid talking to ATC? In this Flight Tales episode, we sit down with a Lafayette controller to unpack why flight following is your best friend from faster SAR response and easier handoffs to smoother sequencing around weather. We also nerd out on ADS-B coverage, VFR flight plans vs. flight following, digital/remote towers, RNAV vs. old VOR procedures, and swap stories about C-130s, KC-135s, F/A-18s, the B-17 walkthrough, Airwolf, and Wings Over Houston.What you’ll learn:How flight following actually works and why it’s safer and simpler than you thinkWhen centers say “unable” (workload realities) and what to do nextWhy filing a VFR flight plan + getting radar services is a power comboADS-B coverage improvements (even over water) & remaining radar gapsRNAV approaches, runway flips, and how ATC sequences during stormsThe future: digital/remote towers and datalink clearancesChapters:0:00 Intro & local fly-ins1:20 Airwolf, airshows & Blue Angels3:48 Heavies at regional fields (C-130s, KC-135s, F/A-18s)6:40 Vietnam-style UH-1 ride story9:41 Pyro, Pearl Harbor reenactments, B-17 walk-through12:50 Flight following—why ATC wants you talking17:05 “Under the shelf” vs. calling approach21:22 VFR flight plans + SAR timeline explained24:10 Radar gaps, center workload, “unable” moments27:10 Flight service stations today (what they still do)30:55 Call sign/code “stealing” & timing tricks33:20 When/why ATC helps file or amend36:05 Sequencing around storms—real-world case41:45 Digital/remote towers & camera grids44:40 RNAV beats legacy VORs (and why)46:50 Runway switch & long-runway ops49:35 Datalink vs. “paper strips” (the tech gap)50:54 Wrap: “Why wouldn’t you get flight following?”Owens Flight Training is a flight school based in Lafayette, Louisiana.www.owensflighttraining.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/owensflighttrainingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/owensflighttraining

Corporate aviation isn’t all champagne and leather seats—sometimes it’s customs phone calls, international ATC accents, and learning to love uncertainty. In this episode of Flight Tales, Trey (back on a Gulfstream V/G5) breaks down real life in corporate flying: why owners move, how that can flip a pilot’s world, what it’s like hopping to Bonaire and across Europe, and his #1 tip for new pilots who freeze on the radio—just ask.

Key takeaways:

• Corporate flying = incredible access & variety, but owners’ lives = your schedule.

• International ATC is workable—expect different accents, cadence, and procedures.

• Don’t be shy on the mic. Controllers can’t help with the question you didn’t ask.

If you enjoyed this, hit Like and Subscribe. Drop your questions below for Trey or suggest where we should take Flight Tales next.

Brennan walked in straight from a charter - uniform, socks and all - and breaks down what it’s really like to earn a Challenger type rating at CAE and jump right into line flying. We cover the grind of 12-hour ground school days, touchscreen IPT flows, full-motion sim surprises (engine relights, control jams, high-altitude descents), the ATP oral, CRM with a seasoned captain, and real-world ops like CPDLC, Miami frequency chaos, and keeping a jet under 250 KIAS off a 2,000’ level-off. If you’re eyeing your first jet type or getting ready for recurrent, this one’s packed with practical nuggets.Highlights:CAE training cadence: ground IPT flows full-motion simsSim traps & lessons: engine flameout relight, emergency descent, single-engine workATP/Type oral focus: systems, limits, practical scenarios (not just regs)First month flying charter: 43,000 ft cruise, reroutes, CPDLC workflowJet habits that start in GA: flows, “scoreboard” verification, checklists, radio chopsCRM & dividing tasks so the airplane never “gets ahead” of youOwens Flight Training is a flight school based in Lafayette, Louisiana.www.owensflighttraining.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/owensflighttrainingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/owensflighttraining

FAA Aviation Safety Inspector Laennec Ratard joins Flight Tales to unpack a decades-long journey—from childhood island hops in BN-2 Islanders to night freight in C210s and Barons, Caravan UPS feeder routes, F-27 operations in South America, corporate flying, and ultimately the FAA. He breaks down what really happens during ramp checks, enroute cockpit inspections, DPE oversight, and exactly what flight schools need to pass Part 141 faster.

In this episode:

• Island beginnings (BN-2 Islander)

• Marines to civilian training at New Orleans Lakefront

• Night freight: canceled checks, no-autopilot IFR, Saint Elmo’s fire

• The storm that changed his risk calculus (and left a shoulder-harness bruise)

• Caravans, overload runs, and standby life

• Choosing cargo over a low-paid regional FO path

• Inside the FAA: POI duties, ramp & enroute inspections, corrective actions

• ACS vs PTS—what’s actually measured on checkrides

• DPE surveillance—how examiners are observed and evaluated

• Part 141 playbook—manuals, facilities, aircraft, chief instructor demo, common pitfalls

Ever wondered what flight following actually does — and why every pilot should be using it? In this episode of Flight Tales, the crew dives into the ins and outs of VFR flight following: what it is, how to request it, and why it’s one of the smartest (and safest) habits you can build as a pilot.

We break down:
✈️ How flight following keeps you visible on radar
🗣️ Why new pilots often skip it (and why they shouldn’t)
📡 How ATC uses your transponder code to track and assist
⚠️ Real-world benefits during emergencies and busy airspace
👨‍✈️ Instructor insights from training flights around Louisiana

Whether you're a student pilot, instructor, or weekend flyer, this episode will change how you think about talking to ATC.

Mohamed Zahairi was born in Saudi Arabia to Egyptian parents, learned three languages, worked across 20+ countries, became a flight attendant—and is now chasing the dream of becoming a professional pilot in America. In this episode of Flight Tales, we talk about language barriers in training, TSA/AFSP hurdles for foreign students, picking the right flight school, why community matters, and the day he became a U.S. citizen. If you’re an international student or a late bloomer wondering “Can I really do this?”—this one’s for you.Owens Flight Training is a flight school based in Lafayette, Louisiana.www.owensflighttraining.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/owensflighttrainingInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/owensflighttraining