Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

What are the most revolutionary aviation products of the last 25 years? If you immediately thought of a glass panel or a new airplane, Doug Ranly wants you to think again. As the director of new products at Sporty's Pilot Shop, he's seen a lot of technology come and go, and he believes portable products have the biggest impact because they affect the most pilots. In this gear-focused episode, he names his top four products, shares some less successful inventions, and describes his process for evaluating a new gadget. Doug also talks about his first experience with active noise reduction headsets (in Iraq, not in an airplane), what products he'd like to see invented, and what product he wishes companies would stop inventing. In the Ready to Copy segment, you'll hear why Doug loves the RV-12, his pet peeve about flashlights, and what he learned as a carny.

Sporty's new products: https://www.sportys.com/new-products

Product PIREP videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBHmEXretS0q8UrerauNHAdwFk_ccci6l

Sentry Plus ADS-B receiver: https://www.sportys.com/sentry-plus-ads-b-receiver.html

Bruce Williams had a front row seat to some exciting developments in flight simulators, working at Microsoft as their program grew from a simple DOS program to a visually stunning virtual world. He offers some practical tips for using a sim for home training (have a plan, don't stress about the controls) and weighs in on the "game vs. simulator" debate. Bruce is also a longtime flight instructor, so he shares his tips for flying long cross-country flights, how to master glass cockpits, and learning aerobatics. In the ready to copy segment, Bruce tells us his favorite preflight weather tools, why pilots should use the autopilot more, and his favorite author.

Bruce's website: http://www.bruceair.com

Bruce's book: https://www.amazon.com/Scenario-Based-Training-X-Plane-Microsoft-Simulator/dp/1118105028/

Flight simulator gear: https://www.sportys.com/flight-simulator.html

People come to Oshkosh for the airplanes, but they stay for the people. That's according to EAA Chairman Jack Pelton, who explains why the culture at AirVenture is so unique, why America needs more of this spirit in everyday life, and his favorite place to visit at the big show. He also shares the organization's big plans for the 30th year of the Young Eagles program, why experimental airplanes are so popular right now, and what his top priorities are for the FAA. In the Ready to Copy segment, Jack explains why you can't build a new Cessna 172 for $100,000, shares his favorite vintage airplane, and identifies some underrated aviation museums.

AirVenture Oshkosh: https://www.eaa.org/airventure

EAA Young Eagles: https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/free-ye-flights

Sporty's Pilot Training courses: https://www.sportys.com/learn-to-fly-course-private-pilot-test-prep-online-app-and-tv.html

ForeFlight is one of aviation's biggest success stories, growing from a hobby to an industry-leading business in less than a decade. Tyson Weihs was there at the beginning, and in this episode he shares some early memories and some lessons learned about aviation and business. He also explains how he uses ForeFlight both for pre-flight planning and for in-flight navigation, plus tips for using datalink weather to stay safe. In the Ready to Copy segment, he opines on everything from his favorite app feature to what emerging technology he's watching to the best tennis player.  

ForeFlight Mobile: https://foreflight.com/

What's new in ForeFlight: https://www.foreflight.com/releases/

Sentry Plus ADS-B receiver: https://www.sportys.com/sentry

As one of Hollywood's top aerial coordinators, Kevin LaRosa has been around plenty of big budget movies—but Top Gun: Maverick was a completely different experience. He takes us behind the scenes to explain how they got all those incredible shots, including fighter jets flying at 600 knots through narrow valleys. The equipment, including the unique CineJet platform, makes some of these scenes possible, but the key to staying safe is planning and practice. Kevin also describes how the actors all took flight training to prepare for the movie, what he's learned from flying a huge variety of aircraft, and how he landed a helicopter on a moving train.

Top Gun: Maverick behind the scenes: https://youtu.be/Nz9lnIDdkMo 

Kevin's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/k2_larosa/

Sporty's aerobatics course: https://www.sportys.com/basic-aerobatics-with-patty-wagstaffa.html

After a lifetime of flying on space shuttles and Air Force jets, Mike Mullane believes that “humility keeps you alive,” whether you’re an astronaut or a student pilot. He shares the hair-raising experiences that taught him that lesson, and explains what normalization of deviance means in the context of aviation safety. Mike's son Patrick, a new private pilot, also joins the podcast and explains what makes flight training weird for older students and what earning an MBA taught him about flying. This is a back-and-forth episode about aviation families, risk management, and flying dreams.

Mike's blog: https://mikemullane.com

Mike's book: https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Rockets-Outrageous-Shuttle-Astronaut/dp/0743276833/

Patrick's book: https://www.amazon.com/Father-Son-Holy-Shuttle-Astronauts/dp/B088BF1D3G/

Sporty's Pilot Training app: https://www.sportys.com/sporty-s-pilot-training-app.html

Finding a replacement for 100LL has been a "galactically slow train wreck," according to longtime aviation journalist Paul Bertorelli. In his famously blunt way, he explains what's going on with GAMI's unleaded fuel candidate, when you might be able to pump some of it, and why he thinks the FAA has dropped the ball. He also speculates on the future of electric airplanes following Textron's purchase of Pipistrel, plus what he thinks of the latest eVTOL concepts from Joby and Archer. In the rapid-fire "Ready to Copy" segment, Paul comments on everything from the Cirrus parachute to whether the Air Force has seen alien spacecraft. If you know Paul's work, you know he doesn't lack opinions, but he always backs it up with facts learned from a long career of covering aviation.

Paul's blog at Avweb: https://www.avweb.com/author/paulb/

Paul's videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/AVweb/videos

Shop headsets at Sporty's: https://www.sportys.com/aviation-headsets.html

Why do good pilots make bad decisions? The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s Richard McSpadden says it’s because the human brain wasn't made to work well at 100 knots. He offers some practical tips for managing that limitation, explains why VFR-into-IMC accidents persist, and describes the right approach to aircraft transitions. Richard also talks about his time as leader of the US Air Force Thunderbirds, the joy of backcountry flying, and what it was like to teach his kids to fly. From practical safety tips to great flying stories, this podcast is loaded with insight for pilots.

AOPA Air Safety Institute - https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/air-safety-institute

General Aviation Joint Safety Committee - https://www.gajsc.org

Sporty's PJ2 radio: https://www.sportys.com/pj2-handheld-com-radio.html

What's it like to complete 98 inverted flat spins from 24,000 feet in a Pitts? Spencer Suderman is the only person in the world who knows, and he describes that incredible experience in this fast-moving episode. He also shares his opinion on what airmanship is and why it is so important for safe flying: "Pilots communicate with the airplane through the flight controls… you have to know how speak the language." Spencer has plenty of tips, including which flight control really makes the airplane turn, what his favorite maneuver is for improving airmanship skills, and how he handled the loss of a propeller in flight.

Spencer's website: http://spencersuderman.com

Inverted flat spins record: https://youtu.be/kIF8OJ2Q51A

Spencer's new YouTube series on airmanship: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBHmEXretS0o_ZBP7zyO7FTjBI25fjM1F

Sporty's Tailwheel Checkout Course: https://www.sportys.com/tailwheel-checkout-course-with-patty-wagstaff.html

As a theoretical cosmologist, Katie Mack (better known as AstroKatie online) isn't afraid of a little math—so when she learned to fly, she dove right into physics and aerodynamics. What she didn't expect was how much fun it would be, and how much her interest in airplanes would consume her life. She talks about the flight training process, whether Newton or Bernoulli is more correct about lift, and what she thinks of the emerging world of private spaceflight. In the Ready to Copy segment, Katie shares her pick for the best science fiction book for pilots, her theory of how the universe will end, and the story of her cameo in a Reese Witherspoon movie.

Katie's science writing: https://www.astrokatie.com

Katie's book, The End of Everything: https://bookshop.org/books/the-end-of-everything-astrophysically-speaking/9781982103552

Sporty's Pilot Training app: https://sportys.com/demo