Greg Brown: Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet

Text or Voicemail Greg!

Flying Miles and Miles of Texas...

Among our most rewarding aviator missions is applying our piloting skills to transport ourselves and loved ones to life’s most memorable family events. Join my wife and me flying 900 miles over remote country, much of it at night, on just such a mission! 

Now when I say "remote," imagine flying from NY to Orlando, or Chicago to Denver, over only two communities of any size, and only one attended airport for refueling and possible overnight!

So climb aboard my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seat belt, and prepare for takeoff on today’s adventure, “Make Way for Grandparents!” 

Greg

**EPISODE UPDATED With Additional Planning Info 8/18/26

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GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

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Text or Voicemail Greg!

This year marks the Centennial of legendary highway US Route 66, affectionately known as America’s Mother Road. Officially established on November 11th, 1926, it meanders nearly 2500 miles through 8 states from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California.

The highway was decommissioned in 1985, but countless travelers continue to trace the iconic route, visiting its many historic, scenic, and often quirky landmarks.

Why the attraction? Route 66 has long been romanticized in popular culture, perhaps most notably by John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel and subsequent movie, The Grapes of Wrath; then by Bobby Troup’s 1946 song, “(Get your kicks) on Route 66,” and the popular 1960s Route 66 television series starring Martin Milner and George Maharis.

My wife and I have long lived in Arizona, a prominent segment of the historic highway. Over the years we’ve savored countless Route 66 events, and driven much of Route 66 through the Southwest and parts of the Midwest. So like other Mother Road residents, Route 66 runs through our blood.

Most of our recent Flying Carpet aviation adventures have also originated from this area, and we've experienced many Route 66 locations upon overflying and/or landing there. So I recorded this episode to celebrate the "Mother Road's" centennial. It wasn’t easy choosing between our dozens of Route 66 flying adventures, but this story floated to the top. Look forward to more in the future.

So climb into my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelt, and prepare to launch over the Mother Road on Flying Carpet Podcast Flight #44, "Get Your Kicks on Route 66!"

Visit Ernie Adams's Dwarf Car Museum!

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Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

Perils of a Dream Pilot Job

"When the police first came up I asked 'em 2-3 times, ‘you’re joking, right?’ But about the time they put me in handcuffs and locked me in the police car… well, I don’t know the law, but I don’t think they’re allowed to joke with handcuffs!"

Climb into my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelt, and prepare to take off on Flying Carpet Podcast Flight #43, "Nabbed!"

Read John King's Flying magazine article mentioned in the podcast: “Sky Kings: Innocent Pilots Face Down Guns, Handcuffs” 

Support the show

Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

The Magic of Being a Pilot!

Where the heck is my watch? I wondered, upon checking my wrist for the current time. Jean and I were dining with aviation author and humorist Rod Machado, his wife Diane, and friends at an outdoor cafe in Palm Springs. 

"So Greg,” said Rod, continuing a conversation in progress, “How was your flight from Phoenix yesterday...?" Join us in experiencing, "The Magic of Being a Pilot!" 

Climb into my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelt, and prepare to take off on Flying Carpet Podcast Flight #42, "In Search of Lost Time!"

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Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

I recently had occasion to remember my dad on what would’ve been his 100th birthday. He was a cool guy with an impressive aviation background who lived some memorable flying adventures, so I decided to honor his memory through this episode.

So climb into my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelt, and prepare to take off on Flying Carpet Podcast Flight #41, “Best Landing Anyone Ever Made.”

Support the show

Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

Lessons & Landmarks; Cross Country Odyssey During the ATC Strike

During the recent longest ever US government shutdown, airline traffic was restricted at 14 major airports around the country. But you may not know that those same airports closed entirely to General Aviation ("GA") traffic, meaning non-airline private, and business aircraft. That aborted a plan to pick up friends at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. 

The experience reminded me of how fortunate we GA pilots are to fly generally open skies. It also reminded me of two previous occasions when our piloting privileges were limited or taken away. Some pilot listeners will remember the pain following the 9/11 terrorist attacks when all general aviation traffic was grounded. 

Well, an earlier historical event had a longer lasting effect on general aviation impacting my personal first ever West Coast piloting journey -- that's what this episode is about. Oh, and what a landing at the "Airport in the Sky!"

Episode Photo by Chris Dejongh

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Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

 Any pilot will tell you that learning to fly an airplane is a challenging endeavor. So when you fly with someone who demonstrates a natural knack for it, that's a special occasion. 

 Well, I recently experienced the best "first flying lesson" I've encountered in  thousands of hours as a flight instructor. Here is the inspiring story. 

Sawyer's "Flagstaff Pulliam Airport Spotting Guide"

VATSIM Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network

Support the show

Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

Runaway Autopilot! (Misadventures of a Corporate Pilot)

Happily I've experienced only a handful of scares over decades of piloting. But this one was a biggie!

So climb aboard my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelt, and prepare for takeoff on today's episode, "Runaway Autopilot!"

Support the show

Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

"This might as well be Oz,"  I thought, upon clearing the clouds approaching Paducah, Kentucky. I wouldn’t have been surprised to experience supersaturated sunshine, and perhaps a golden brick runway. 

Tales of faraway lands work magic on youthful minds, and although I’d never been here before, the stories of a special person from my youth had cast a spell on this Ohio River town as real as any bright-hued fairy tale.

Photo: Period postcard of the Irvin Cobb Hotel, Paducah Kentucky

Kentucky Belle Episode Webpage

Support the show

Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook

Text or Voicemail Greg!

Flight instructing offers some of the most rewarding flying there is. We experience the joy of fulfilling our students’ dreams of flight, become better pilots ourselves in the process, and develop lifelong friendships with many of those we teach. 

But among hours and hours of routine teaching and flying, there are occasional hard lessons, too, most often unanticipated. And those hard lessons are generally even more eye-opening and profound for us instructors than for our students. 

Above all, we learn that while maintaining a relaxed cockpit learning environment, we must never become complacent. 

Okay, everyone, hop aboard my Flying Carpet, buckle into the pilot’s seat, and prepare for takeoff on Flight Number 36, “Bowling Alley Hot Dogs.”

Support the show

Contact Greg with your comments and suggestions!

GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com (Find all of Greg's links here.)

Greg Brown's Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast

Greg's Book, Flying Carpet; The Soul of An Airplane "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in Flying Carpet."
    -- Nina Bell Allen, Former Asst. Managing Editor, Readers Digest

Greg's Fine Art Metal Prints, Pilot Achievement Plaques, & Photo Wall Calendars

Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Podcast Facebook Group

Greg Brown's Student Pilot Pep Talk Facebook Group

Follow Greg Brown on Instagram and Facebook