Ready For Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion Into A Career

RFT 416: Fighter/Airline Pilot Skip Pribyl


Listen Later

Skip grew up in a house that had an “airplane room”, replete with models and pictures. His father was a pilot, and was a part-owner in a Beech Sundowner airplane. On his 10th birthday, Skip got to fly in the seat and control an airplane for the first time.

Skip was recruited to the United States Air Force Academy to play soccer, and majored in physics, attending while his high school friend Robert “Cujo” Teschner was also a cadet. When he was cut from the soccer team, his grades dramatically improved, which enabled him to receive one of the limited slots for pilot training. As a cadet, he broke his arm during a parachute failure while skydiving.

Skip attended pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, and was ranked high enough to select a fighter, and received an F-15C. He attended fighter fundamentals training in San Antonio, and was then assigned to the 54th Fighter Squadron in Anchorage, Alaska. His squadron was the first to utilize night vision goggles (NVGs) in dogfights at night.

After his Alaska tour, Skip was assigned to be a T-37 IP at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. After Laughlin, he was assigned to Lakenheath Air Base, England.

Skip eventually became the commander of an F-15 squadron in Lakenheath. In that capacity, he led his squadron throughout Europe in exercises.

After retiring from the Air Force, Skip became a CFI for five years, and was later hired by a legacy airline, and currently instructs on the B737.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Ready For Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion Into A CareerBy Captain George Nolly

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

136 ratings


More shows like Ready For Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion Into A Career

View all
6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Airplane Geeks Podcast by Airplane Geeks

Airplane Geeks Podcast

391 Listeners

Airline Pilot Guy - Aviation Podcast by Capt Jeff

Airline Pilot Guy - Aviation Podcast

643 Listeners

Aviation Careers Podcast by Carl Valeri

Aviation Careers Podcast

241 Listeners

Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast by Aviation Week Network

Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

383 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,483 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,917 Listeners

Pilot to Pilot by Justin Siems

Pilot to Pilot

923 Listeners

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News by Max Trescott | Aviation News Talk Network

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

765 Listeners

Fighter Pilot Podcast by E. Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello, Retired U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot

Fighter Pilot Podcast

1,855 Listeners

Opposing Bases: Air Traffic Talk by Air Traffic Talk

Opposing Bases: Air Traffic Talk

910 Listeners

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast by 21Five Podcast

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

324 Listeners

The Afterburn Podcast by John "Rain" Waters

The Afterburn Podcast

912 Listeners

Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's by Sporty's Pilot Shop

Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

152 Listeners

Ready 4 Pushback by Nik Fialka

Ready 4 Pushback

745 Listeners