With our reoccurring theme of aviation bucket lists,, many would say flying into KOSH during Airventure is near the top of the list.  But once you've done that, how do you top it?  How about being a part of one of the mass arrivals.  Sounds pretty good, but how do you prep GA pilots to take on the risk and responsibility of flying in formation to the world's business airport?

That's what Brandon and Marc wanted to find out when they sat down with Chip Gentry – Director of Legal Affairs and Assistant Director of Operations's for the Cherokees to OSH mass arrival team (https://www.cherokees2osh.com).  Suffice it to say, there are a lot of considerations for logistics planning, pilot preparation, and coordination across pilots, airports, and airspace.  This year, the 60th anniversary of the Piper Cherokee, brings special meaning, as the group is capping participation to 60 PA24, PA28, and PA32 pilots.

Listen in to this episode of SimpleFlight Radio, as Brandon and Marc sit down with Chip to go behind the scenes to find out how a group of people can team together to ensure the end result is a safe and smooth arrival.  We hope you enjoy the show.

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

It seems every pilot has an aviation bucket list.  Sometimes its a type of airplane, an experience, or a destination.  And sometimes it's all three.  Regardless, the lists are wide ranging and not often duplicated.  But there is an exception.  A flight to Alaska is found on most lists.

It's easy to understand why.  No other state is as dependent on general aviation as Alaska.  The challenges it presents to pilots is legendary.  Even getting there adds the challenge of flying through another country.  Once there, with a reputation that precedes it, the inexperienced pilot might find it both beautiful and foreboding.  All of this adds up to a very special feeling about what it would be like to fly there.  Which brings up the question, what is it like to start your PPL training in Alaska?  Do the same rules apply?  Do CFI's in Alaska teach differently than those in the lower 48?  These are the questions Brandon and Marc had.  And thanks to one of our loyal listeners (Edward from Alaska), we were introduced to Dr. Raymond Weber of the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Dr. Weber, is a member of the faculty in the Aviation Technology Division, with a background in Aviation Safety.

Listen in to this episode of SimpleFlight Radio, as Brandon and Marc sit down with Ray to learn about the special considerations that comes with teaching and learning to fly in our 49th state.  We hope you enjoy the show and end up adding an Alaskan adventure to your personal bucket list.

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

With a late cancellation of SimpleFlight's guest, our listeners came to the rescue.  We asked them if they had any questions, and they came through in spades.  Armed with topics to discuss, we knew we would need help with the ATC-related  questions.  Enter repeat guest, Eddie Trujillo, our favorite C90 (Chicago Approach) air traffic specialist.  From there it was Marc, Brandon and Eddie, taking each question and making a hangar talk session you're sure to love.

Whenever you have a question or comment, let the SimpleFlight crew know.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

When Marc earned his PPL in the mid-70's, he learned from young CFI's, who were on a path to the airlines.  Getting a job was tough, as young pilots were competing with military pilots and those that were having their training paid for by the GI Bill.  Fast forward 40 years, and while it's still tough to get with the majors, the candidate pool and job landscape has changed dramatically.  

Those looking to earn their living in aviation have a lot of diversity in gender, background, age, and career goals.  It is not unusual to find first time CFI's approaching retirement age, as they prepare for their second, or maybe, "final" career.  For some, the CFI role is a stepping stone to flying passengers, while others view the instructor job as a way to share their passion for flight and to help others achieve their aviation dreams, as well as achieving their own.  

Listen in to this episode of SimpleFlight Radio, as Brandon and Marc speak with Jared Dellinger, a Chicago-based CFI, who is enjoying his "new and improved" career as a CFI.  As for his future in aviation, Jared is letting that be a work in progress.  With the cockpit of a GA plane being "the best office in the world", there is no need to rush towards that next job.  That's a very refreshing attitude and in that spirit, tune in and Enjoy The Ride!

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

Happy Holidays!!!  With the end of the year in sight, Brandon and Marc reflected on different areas of general aviation that have an opportunity to improve with just a little effort from all of us that love the industry so much.  Certainly there are many highlights as well, so the guys touched on some of the things aviation got right.

All of us are interested in making aviation better, so we'd love to hear your thoughts on the good, the bad, and the ugly from your perspective.  What are your pet peeves?  What should General Aviation Stop Doing?  Start Doing?  Continue Doing?

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

If you haven't listened to the October 13 podcast, we suggest you take a few moments and do so now.  You'll get a chance to meet two members of the Leading Edge Flying Club (KPWK), who each have a dream of plane ownership.  During the show, we learned they each brought a different mission, budget, and philosophy to their decision making process.  Both have made significant strides towards their goal.  There's a lot we can all identify with.

On this week's episode, we'll reconnect with Andy Thome to get an update on his progress (spoiler alert  - he bought a plane).  Yet, other than a picture, he still has not had a chance see the plane in person, as "she" goes through a series of steps before she can be flown to her new home.  It's an interesting story and quite an education for the rest of us.  We hope you enjoy the show.

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

For those of you that read Rinker Buck's memoir, "Flight of Passage", you'll understand the romance associated with a cross country flight in a Piper Cub.  If you haven't read the story, you only need to love General Aviation to understand the smile that comes with a low and slow flight of 1500 nautical miles across the Western and Midwestern United States.  Imagine a pilot that has been flying for close to 50 years and amassed 39,000 hours, but never achieved a goal to make that kind of trip, until now.  

This week on SimpleFlight Radio, Marc and Brandon welcome back Bob Schmelzer for his third visit to the crew's Chicago studio.  Two and a half years ago, one of Bob's students ordered a brand new Carbon Cub (LSA).  When it became clear the plane would be delivered in November of this year, the owner asked Bob if he would fly out to Yakima, Washington to pick up the plane and fly it back to its new home in Chicago.  Seeing an opportunity to fulfill a goal of making such a flight, Bob jumped at the chance.  After spending most of the last decade flying Boeing 777's between Shanghai and Chicago, the idea of flying at 100 knots just above the terrain, over three days, in a taildragger, must have created some interesting emotions and thought processes.  Listen in and find out directly from Captain Bob, what he expected and what he experienced on his trek across the mountains and flat-lands bringing this little Cub to its new home.

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

With a forecast for snow on Halloween in Chicago, the topic of winter has entered our vocabulary too early this year.  Yet, with its arrival, the topic of cold weather operations seems right on schedule.  Non-pilots commonly ask if GA pilots fly in the winter.  After all, won't icing be an issue.  These same people are amazed to hear that its often the best flying of the year.  Clear skies, smooth rides, and performance that can't be matched.  And the scenery.... Pilot and non-pilot alike, will always be amazed at the beauty of flying under a full moon above a snow covered landscape.  To see the ground light up as the moonlight reflects off the white snow is a life changing moment.  Of course, on the other side of the coin, it's best to not talk about freezing preflights, snowy runways, and that ice thing we don't want to think about!

Winter flight operations has a lot of implications that go beyond airframe icing.  This week on SimoleFlight Radio, listen in as Brandon and Marc discuss the special aspects of preflight, flight and postflight during this interesting time of year.  Plus, the SimpleFlight crew remind us that it's more than plane and pilot.  Let's not forget  our passengers.  So bundle up, shake off the rust and get ourselves ready for the wonderful flying ahead of us.

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

Whether it's Trade-A-Plane or Controller.com, many GA pilots spend a fair amount of time window shopping for their dream plane.  It's fun and results in a smile.  But then the spreadsheet comes into play as the prospective plane owner starts to rationalize and compare rental costs vs. the cost of ownership.  Soon, the math starts to make sense and it's time to take next steps.  Hey, this can happen!

But what are those next steps?  What questions need to be asked and where are the answers found.  Will my "significant other" support me?  How do I broach the subject?  All of a sudden the simple finance question has turned into a long and unknown journey into the abyss.  Well, maybe not. 

This week on SimpleFlight Radio, Marc and Brandon sit down with two members of Leading Edge Flying Club (KPWK), who are part of a larger group of members that are asking for some answers on how to go about buying a plane.  Andy Thome and Edward Forman have similar missions, but different budgets and goals for what they are trying to achieve.  Tune in to hear the process they've followed to date and the path they've laid out in front of them.  

We're interested to have you join the discussion with your opinion and any questions you have of the SimpleFlight crew.  And at the same time, share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!

Since 2004, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has been recognizing its members for extraordinary performance in turning a potentially bad situation into a "non-event".  Or as they call it, "A Save".  Named after the first Air Traffic Controller, The Archie League Medal of Safety awards are announced each September to controllers across the various regions in the US.  See the link below.      

The award winners commonly remark, they were just doing their job.  While true, no one can argue with the positive results they achieve in the face of impending disaster.  It's noteworthy that it goes beyond situational awareness and the ability to solve complex problems in the face of a ticking time clock.  Being able to communicate as a reassuring voice to a distressed pilot cannot be overstated.  On this week's episode of SimpleFlight Radio, join Marc and Brandon as they listen to multiple replays of the radio transmissions between ATC and pilots. It's no surprise there is plenty to learn from these examples, which leads to an informative discussion between our co-hosts. 

As always, we're interested to have you join the discussion and tell us what you think.  Please share your thoughts with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

https://natca.org/index.php/media-center/other-natca-awards/archie-league-awards
​
Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!