Taking Flight with Michael "Rocket" Blackstone

In this episode, Michael takes you up in the Cirrus SR22 for a night flight to practice instrument approaches with the G-1000 and to witness the Christmas Star over the Pacific Ocean! Michael attempts to explain in layman's terms what this incredibly rare event is for those of you who have any interest in the science of astronomy.  This event is called a "Great Conjunction" and is not only beautiful but it helps you feel the power of what scientific knowledge can do and how its helping us unlock of the secrets of our Universe. We as humans are small and insignificant but we have learned so much since the last time this event happened in 1623.  Take a look at this rare celestial event with Michael  in the southwestern skies over Los Angeles either from a Cirrus or just step outside and open your eyes wide!   

In this episode, Michael takes his first flight in an SR22! Experience the most successful most modern, most capable single engine piston aircraft on the planet as Michael takes his first lesson in the SR22. The incredibly designed 'Cirrus Perspective' Avionics package using the Garmin G1000 navigation is revolutionary and represents the direction of the future of all aviation. Michael's excitement on his first experience in this amazing aircraft shows  how perfect of an aircraft Cirrus has built.     

Michael talks with his friend Art Koral about his recent purchase and delivery of his 1981 Pitts S-2A.  Michael recalls taking his first flight in his dad's 1981 Pitts S-2A at age 8, which triggered him to buy his own 1998 Pitts S-2C when he was 26. These amazing aerobatic biplanes are legendary in the aerobatic world but both have significant challenges when taking the on cross  country flights. Listen to these two biplane nuts talk about the things that can make the trip way more challenging (and a bit scary at times) than either had hoped for!    

In this episode, Michael takes you flying in the Saab 340 from his Business Express days between  February 26, 1998 - January 1999. During his time at 'Biz Ex', Michael flew as a co-pilot on the Saab 340A/B accumulating over 700 hours of turbine time. He was based out of Portland, Maine, and then Boston Massachusetts.  Michael loved flying this amazing aircraft because of what it was capable of and how it made him into a highly skilled airline pilot. The Saab 340 is an aircraft with the capability of carrying 34 passengers up to 1,000 nm at 250 knots all day long, in all weather conditions.  Those pilots who have been lucky enough to fly the Saab 340 love it for how fun it is to fly and how safe and reliable it is. 

In this episode, Michael takes you back to his first solo flights at American Airlines as a new hire in 1999. Michael started his career at age 25 as a Flight Engineer on the Boeing 727, then transitioned to the Boeing 757/767 fleet where he became a First Officer and flew his first 'solo' with his father as the Captain of his first trip on the line. Then Michael became a Captain of the Boeing 737-800 and flew his first  'solo' flight as a Captain on December 16, 2015.   

In this episode, Michael takes you back to 1990, when his father soloed him at  at the Chino Airport on April 15, at age 17, in the Marchetti SF-260C. On this spring day, Michael and his dad shared an experience that very few lucky pilots get to share together. This historic moment marks when Michael's father passes the torch of flying from one generation to the next. Michael soloed in 1990, but he has been airborne ever since.  It has now been over 30 years since that beautiful day in Chino took place that  sparked  a career in aviation flying jets for a major airline, just like his father.     

In this episode, Michael takes you back to 1986, the year of TopGun and shares how Air Combat USA was created. From the time Michael was a child, he and his father loved fighter aircraft.  Michael's passion for Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) comes out, as he shares what it was like to teach aerial combat for over 4,000 hours in the Marchetti SF-260! 3-2-1 Fights On! 

In this episode, Michael introduces you to the art of flying fighters. If you have always wondered what flying a WWII fighter is like and how to get the most performance from your flying machine, this episode is for you. Michael walks you through what Angle-of-Attack (AOA) is and how it works, the difference between Rate vs. Radius and what the Lift Vector is used for while flying the Marchetti SF260 "right to the edge of the envelope" in a Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM)  1 vs 1 Dogfight!  3-2-1 Fight's On!! 

In this episode, Michael takes you on an epic 1,090 mile journey from Orange County, CA to Sherman, Texas in his open cockpit Waco biplane. Michael and his friends son, Danny, who is learning to fly, gets the experience of a lifetime flying with Michael in his  beautiful open cockpit Waco biplane for 12.5 hours of stick and rudder time.  Experience what it was like to fly a 1935 designed aircraft, when  even a  gentle 10 knot crosswind made for a formidable challenge.   You will find out what it takes  to fly an open cockpit  Waco in instrument conditions out of John Wayne Orange County (KSNA)  before dawn, fly across the Arizona and New Mexico deserts when its nearly 100 degrees,  fly over Possum Kingdom and  into the Dallas Forth Worth, Texas area for a night landing at 9 pm on a hot summer day in 2020.    

In this episode, Michael talks about what the most exciting areas in aviation are. From the time Michael experienced flight for the first time, aerobatics has been the most influential on his decision to make flying his life. Formation flying, and aerial combat in his father's company Air Combat USA  in the  Marchetti SF-260s sealed the deal. If you are looking for a reason to learn to fly, here are 5 reasons to start today, for a life of incredible adventures, trips to far away places, on your days off, to flying corporate jets on your way to the major airlines.