Midlife Pilot Podcast

Ben is about to climb into a Piper Apache, which our own blog has definitively declared the official airplane of twin-engine Russian roulette, and he's doing the responsible midlife thing: writing down the flows, chair flying in his hotel room until his shoulder gives out, and showing up prepared anyway. Brian is deep in commercial checkride prep mode, synthesizing seven sources of information into cheat sheets that actually make sense to a human brain, and Ted — man flu survivor — is keeping everyone grounded as only Ted can. The topic tonight is what it actually takes to reenter the atmosphere of training after a gap: the ego check, the clipboard anxiety, the moment you realize you don't understand something and instead of walking away, you just read it again slower. Also: Neil deGrasse Tyson drops some wisdom, a five-star review nails all three hosts in one sentence, and we make the case that your private certificate is just a learner's permit for everything you're about to get wrong. Safety third. Always.Mentioned on the show:

* Piper PA23 Apache: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-23

* Gary Vaynerchuk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk

* Blog- The Ultimate "Official Airplane Of" Guide: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/blog/the-ultimate-official-airplane-of-guide

* Brian Schiff on The Calm Cockpit podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnSCpa2weUs

* Transair Flight 810 - 737, shut down the good engine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transair_Flight_810

* Beechcraft Baron 55: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Baron

* Beechcraft Dutchess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Duchess

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It's Information Whiskey time, and we're only one episode late — which, as Brian would say, is basically on time. Brian's commercial checkride is less than two weeks out, which means Lucy has been getting a workout and the chandelle has chosen violence. Mark crashes the Discord and the podcast in the same evening, Ted is somehow alive despite a brush with man flu, and a listener's tachometer cable failure at Sun 'n Fun reminds us all that airplanes love to choose the most inconvenient possible moment to express themselves. We dig into the surprisingly philosophical world of commercial regulations — where "do you have operational control?" is apparently all you need to know, until it absolutely isn't — debate whether AI is the future of aviation study or just a very confident guesser, and somehow end up at the conclusion that private pilots are pilots, instrument pilots are meteorologists, and commercial pilots are lawyers who can't bill by the hour. Monroe is a hornet's nest, the Cessna 140 is the VW Bug of airplanes, and Brian is headed to Mark's house. The pantry awaits.

Mentioned on the show:

* M54 - Lebanon Commemorative Air Force Warbird Day, May 23 2026: https://commemorativeairforce.org/events/750A

* EQY - Charlotte Monroe Executive, North Carolina: http://www.airnav.com/airport/EQY

* JQF - Concord-Padgett Regional Airport, North Carolina: https://www.airnav.com/airport/JQF

* MyAeroGlass: https://www.myaeroglass.com/

* Glide AI: https://www.glideai.io/

* HobbsMate: https://hobbsmate.com/

* WingsMX: https://wingmx.com/

* VSL Aviation- Seth Lake: https://www.youtube.com/@SethLakeDPE/videos

* Ben Lehman, Drift Aviation, Cessna 140 tailwheel: https://www.driftaviation.com/

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Ted soloed a glider this weekend. He went up at 3,500 feet and came back down at 9,500. Then eventually came back down from that too, but only because his butt hurt. One tow rope, zero engines, four and a half hours, and a metal ballast brick he was apparently sitting on the entire time. Silver badge? Almost. Cushion? Negative.

We get into what gliding actually feels like when you come from powered aircraft — the tow, the release, the moment the tow plane rocks its wings and suddenly everything is very real, and the variometer beeping in your ear like an Atari game while you chase thermals over rural Oregon. Ben joins the conversation too as we dig into the physics, the philosophy, and the surprisingly affordable math of staying airborne for half a workday on a single tow.

Also: Brian had a weekend. We'll just say that.

Plus listener feedback, community wins including a freshly minted instrument pilot or two, and a closing thought that pretty much nails why we all do this in the first place. No engine required.

Mentioned on the show:

* M91 - Springfield Kentucky: http://www.airnav.com/airport/M91

* 9A0 - Lumpkin County/Wimpy's Field, Dahlonega Georgia, Ben's nemesis: https://www.airnav.com/airport/9A0

* Ted's glider club: https://www.wvsc.org/

* LET L-23 Super Blanik: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LET_L-23_Super_Blan%C3%ADk

Support the show!

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What do glider tows, five written tests in 32 days, and refusing to go home before a late concert all have in common? Momentum — and the sneaky ways midlife tries to steal it from you.

This week Brian, Ben, and Ted dig into what it actually takes to keep the aviation ball rolling when life, annuals, and the sweet relief of finishing something hard are all conspiring against you. From Brian's commercial training comeback to Ted's sun-toasted glider adventures to Ben's Sun 'n Fun barrel-roll-adjacent arrival story, we explore how to pick your next mission, why your weakness list is your best preflight tool, and what pudding skin has to do with getting back in the cockpit.

Plus: too many PICs, one very eventful military checkride, vetting your safety pilot, and a review that'll remind you exactly why this show exists.

If it's not on the calendar, it's not real. Go put something on the calendar.

Mentioned on the show:

* Sun n Fun: https://flysnf.org/

* Member-exclusive bonus content: Parachute Equipped Flying with Erica (Aerosafe): https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-content-150148114

* I Learned About Flying From That- EP102, “geese shatter night calm”: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/ilafft/episodes/102--Geese-Shatter-Night-Calm-e310i8a/a-abs6rja

* 1dullgeek - "Passed Checkride, Still Doing Checkride Prep?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsb6YPyWCQk

Support the show! www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast

There's nothing more dangerous than a plane full of pilots. A wise man with a Pilatus once told Brian that, and he's been thinking about it ever since. Episode 176 is a deep dive into one of GA's most awkward social puzzles: what do you actually do when you need to evaluate another pilot before you get in the plane with them? And flip side — what should a non-pilot passenger even know to ask before trusting their life to someone with a certificate and a Cessna?

Also: Ted went flying with no engine. On purpose. Loved it. Needs more rudder.

Mentioned on the show:

* Conan O'Brien interviewing Arsenio Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS1pfretkM8

* M93 - Southernaire - breakfast: https://tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/entries/southernaire-motel-and-restaurant/4e5a83ce-d53d-4443-a85f-fbb1daaa43be

* L-39 Albatros, what Ben took to pick up his plane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-39_Albatros

* 10" certified Garmin G3x: $13,195: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/682215/pn/G3X-TCERT-01/

* 10" experimental Garmin G3x: $5,425: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/166058/

621.79 delta air lines

* TPF - Peter O'Knight Airport, Tampa Florida: https://www.airnav.com/airport/TPF

* I flew all day and landed at the same airport - tshirt: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/merch/p/i-flew-all-day-and-landed-at-the-same-airport-unisex-classic-tee

* EP104 - Flying With Strangers From The Internet: Vetting Co-Pilots: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HdgBUWZghbMuYXi5klMr2?si=6EjeYPykTT6iLwRTStTmEA

* CheckMate Aviation - Crew and Passenger Briefing Card: https://www.checkmateaviation.com/products/checkmate-crew-and-passenger-briefing-card?_fid=a43b4f713&_pos=1&_ss=cSupport the show! www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast

That little button is not your enemy — but nobody tells you that when you're a student pilot white-knuckling your first radio call. In episode 175, Brian, Ben, and Ted dig into everything they wish someone had told them about ATC before training started. Why "say again" is a superpower and not an admission of failure. How to read back what matters without trying to memorize everything the controller just said. Why knowing who you're talking to — ground, tower, approach, center — shrinks the panic down to a manageable size. How live ATC on your commute is basically free ground school. And the single most important thing any student pilot can do before pressing that button: practice the words before you say them. Whether you're still circling an uncontrolled airport wondering what to say on the CTAF or you're tangled up in a busy Class Charlie wondering how anyone does this naturally — they didn't. They just got the reps. Mentioned on the show:

* Thanks to Erica at Turbine Rotables! https://www.turbinerotables.com/

* Taylor Coot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Coot

* Republic Seabee/Lake Buccaneer: https://airvectors.net/avlake.html

* NOBODY CARES fly-in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAjPnyxtrSM

* Turbo Encabulator video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag

pro pilot pete

* PlaneEnglish: https://planeenglishsim.com/

* ARSim: https://arsim.ai/

* Revisionist History- This Is Your Captain Speaking: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/this-is-your-captain-speaking

* The Right Stuff (book): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Stuff_(book)

* CaptnTodd's "first flight with the portapilot" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyUVfGulHeY

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Ted "puts a ring on" his airplane in the most permanent way possible. A Colorado hotel owner proves that "not a Patreon supporter" and "free advertising" aren't mutually exclusive. We talk IFR currency, what it's like to come back to instrument flying after 20 years of VORs that no longer exist, and why the marine layer off the west coast might be the greatest IFR playground on earth. A 56-year-old gets his ticket back, another gets his for the first time, and somewhere between teenage phone anxiety and shooting approaches in the Pacific fog, we remember why all of this matters.

Mentioned on the show:

* Luke's Landing: https://www.youtube.com/@lukeslanding2230/videos

* EP172 - Live from Bentonville! Thaden Invasion podcast video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL_5JakmqDA

* 48A - Cochran Georgia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochran_Airport

Support the podcast on Patreon, get merch, send feedback: www.midlifepilotpodcast.com

You can have a flying machine or you can have a project. Sometimes you get both whether you wanted them or not.

This week, 1DullGeek aka Mark lays out why he's leaving the certified world behind and building a TL Sparker — a Czech experimental that burns half the fuel, costs a fraction to maintain, and was designed after his children were adults (unlike the Cherokee 235, which predates his parents).

Brian is staying in the museum business for now, flying a 1967 Cherokee 180 and embracing his identity as a steward of vintage aviation history, whether he likes it or not. Ted is flying a Special Light Sport that is certified, experimental-adjacent, and philosophically its own thing — much like Ted himself.

Along the way we get into what it really costs to own old iron, why parts availability in the certified world will break your soul, what MOSAIC means for the future of sport pilot, and whether two weeks of coursework is actually enough to maintain your own airplane (spoiler: probably not, but it's a useful warning label).

Also in this episode: a debrief from the Thaden Invasion fly-in including a NASA report we won't elaborate on, a $25 ramp fee at JWN that costs less than a tank of avgas but somehow hurts more, a surprise night power-off 180, and a birthday calculation that required community intervention.

Listener Sierra Victor from Surprise, Arizona (yes, that's a place) writes in about sport pilot gatekeeping and gets some straight talk: the aerodynamics don't care what certificate you hold, and neither should you.

Mentioned on the show:

* UCY - Union City Tenn: https://www.airnav.com/airport/UCY

* Full Stop Aviation: https://fs-aviation.com/

* AOPA - PAPA bill: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2026/march/11/pr-support-grows-for-bills-banning-ads-b-misuse

* Coleal interpretation: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/practice_areas/regulations/interpretations/Data/interps/2009/Coleal-Bombardier%20Learjet_2009_Legal_Interpretation.pdf

* LSRI, LSRM courses: https://rainbowaviation.com/courses/

* Dunning-Kreuger effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

* Fly Eagle Sport: https://flyeaglesport.com/

Support the podcast: www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast

www.midlifepilotpodcast.com

Recorded live at Legends Air Center, Bentonville Municipal Airport (KVBT)

We pulled it off. Forty-six planes, 76 humans, one carbon cub with a suspiciously placed trim switch, and a weather forecast that went from "perfect VFR" to "tornado watch to snowstorm in 24 hours." Episode 172 is the live recording from the Thaden Invasion fly-in — and it did not disappoint.

Ben, Brian, and 1DullGeek filling in for Ted who attempted to get here from Portland via Delta and was defeated by the commercial aviation gods. We called him anyway. He answered!

IN THIS EPISODE:

🛫 The Instrument Rating Spite Train

✈️ The Race to Union City — Ben attempts to bribe a Memphis Center controller via Venmo. The controller provides his Venmo. "Ready to copy."

🛩️ The Convergence Incident — Mark's GPS-autopilot handshake goes sideways mid-flight, resulting in an unannounced formation maneuver.

🌩️ The Forecast Nobody Asked For — Our new friend Bruce, a multi-decade professional meteorologist, delivers a pre-show weather briefing that sends everyone scrambling for early departures. Tornadoes by noon. Snow by evening. Perfect fly-in weather.

📞 We Call Ted — He answers. It's lovely. He didn't miss anything at Game Bird. Those planes are ugly. The formation flights were nothing. (They were incredible. Ted knows.)

🎙️ Community Moments — Keith's story of stepping away from aviation and finding his way back. Captain Todd's first cross-country with his girlfriend (she asked where the car was). The anonymous question about an all-wives episode (immediately shot down). Erica Gilbert, CFII and weather guru, knitting quietly in the back like an aviation safety angel.

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

🏆 Legends Air Center at Bentonville Municipal Airport (KVBT) — Home of the Thaden Invasion and quite possibly the only FBO where you can fish off one end and tour an aerobatic manufacturer off the other.

✈️ Game Aerospace — The manufacturing facility that had our crew high on carbon fiber fumes and ambition. Shoutout to Derek and the team.

📋 Checkmate Aviation — Sponsor of our beautiful lounge space. Barry bought the company by accident (sort of). Custom checklists. Real story.

🎙️ Midlife Pilot Podcast on Patreon — The thing that keeps this ad-free and human. The reason we can afford microphones and index cards (when Ted is here).

🐦 Plane Places Adventures (YouTube) — Check out the channel. Virgil always has something.

🎙️ Airline Pilot Guy Podcast — AJ's co-hosting home. Captain Jeff. Good people. Good aviation.

📘 Helen Thaden — Aviation Pioneer — The namesake of the invasion. Bentonville's own. Look her up if you don't know the name yet.

🌤️ 1800wxbrief.com — FAA Aviation Weather Briefings — For those of you who don't have Bruce's number.

📖 Make Small Corrections by Brian Siskind Essays on flying, legacy, and midlife transformation. Brian's book. Read it.

QUOTE OF THE EPISODE:

"A beef Wellington is just a corn dog from a different socioeconomic background."

DPE, airline pilot, C-130 instructor, and VSL Aviation founder Seth Lake drops in from his car outside a North Little Rock hangar to help pilots get ready for the real thing. He previews his enhanced pre-flight safety seminar happening Saturday morning at Thaden Field — think less checklist theater, more popping cowlings and actually looking at stuff — and breaks down the honest threat picture at a busy uncontrolled airport: why flight following isn't optional, why calling traffic "in sight" is a commitment you'd better mean, and why hope is not an arrival strategy.

Plus: the case against the emergency descent maneuver, what midlife pilots actually have going for them on check rides, a surprise Miller's Ale House field recording, and the Bentonville roundabout that has claimed at least one dignity so far.

Seth's enhanced pre-flight seminar is Saturday at 9AM in the exhibition hall. Register at faasafety.gov for WINGS credit.

See you on the ramp.

Mentioned on the show:

* Nashville Bravo reclassification: https://www.reddit.com/r/nashville/comments/1q6ixd5/bna_to_be_upgraded_to_bravo_airspace/

* Erica's Aerosafe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AeroSafe

* Erica's Aerosafe weather briefing checklist: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/aerosafe

* Aviation Weather Handbook: https://www.faa.gov/regulationspolicies/handbooksmanuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-28a-aviation-weather-handbook

* Charles Taylor master mechanic award: https://www.faasafety.gov/content/mastermechanic/default.aspx

* Airline Pilot Guy: https://airlinepilotguy.com/

* Bob Hoover's aileron roll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9pvG_ZSnCc

* Seth Lake's VSL ACE guide: https://vslaviation.myshopify.com/products/vsl-ace-guide

* Seth's WINGS/EAA seminar on STCs at ORK (N Little Rock): https://www.faasafety.gov/spans/event_details.aspx?eid=141995&caller=/spans/events/eventlist.aspx

* How to fly an emergency descent: https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/aerodynamics/emergency-descent-aerodynamics-how-to-fly-them-safely-high-to-low/

* VBT airspace briefig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJldTQ8LhM

* Fayetteville airport: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayetteville_Regional_Airport

* 2025 DCA crash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Potomac_River_mid-air_collision

* Seth on setting up Foreflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFLxF8uciT8

* Crystal Bridges museum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Bridges_Museum_of_American_Art

* Pinnacle Hills Promenade: https://www.pinnaclehillspromenade.com/en/

* Buffalo National River: https://www.nps.gov/buff/index.htm

* Pinch Hitter course for nonpilots: https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/pinch-hitter

* Seth/Midlife Pilot Enhanced Preflight WINGS course: https://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_publicregistration.aspx?eid=141537&type=1

* Josh at Free Pilot Training: https://www.youtube.com/c/FreePilotTraining

Support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast