In this episode of Talking Flight, we sit down with retired Delta A330 Captain Heidi Porch. She began flying at 16 and quickly found herself ferrying small aircraft across the Pacific. One of those flights ended in a dramatic ocean ditching 500 miles off the coast of Hawaii — a harrowing experience she recounts in her gripping new book, Ditching the Sky.

Captain Porch shares the highs and lows of her journey from teenage pilot to the left seat of a wide-body jet, and what it truly takes to succeed in the airline world.

Retired Captain Tad Santino joins us on this episode of Talking Flight.

He shares the story of his journey from being a gate agent for a regional airline to becomming a Captain for Alaska Airlines.

Tad had many adventures along the way and tells us how hard work, solid relationships, and a positive attitude provided the fuel for a fantastic career.

We're excited to have US Air Force Academy Cadet Jaylen Palmer on Talking Flight to share his journey to earning admission to the prestigious Service Academy.

At just 20 years old, Jaylen is our youngest guest yet. His aviation career started early—before even graduating high school, he had already earned his Private Pilot’s License, Instrument Rating, and Commercial Pilot’s License.

Jaylen’s story is a testament to what a motivated and focused young person can achieve, with the added support of an amazing family!

If you are a student who is interested in attending the Academy, Jaylen gives us some great advice on how to make it happen.

Mike Swanigan interviews Corporate Pilot and Podcaster Captain Rick Jones.

Rick pilots a Dassault 7X jet for a private owner and is also the host of "The RMFJ Podcast", currently trending on Spotify and other podcast platforms. 

Rick was a guest on a previous episode of Talking Flight. If you missed it, check out episode 27, where we dive deep into the early days of his career.

In today’s episode, Rick shares his journey toward his dream of flying for Alaska Airlines and the dedication it took to get there. However, the economic downturn of 2008 shifted his path, leading him to a second career, flying a private jet to destinations all over the world.

Dexter Cox is the author of one of my favorite aviation books. Dancing with the Devil is a wild ride chronicling Dexter’s long career as a general aviation pilot.

As a teenager entering the world of aviation, Dexter quickly realized the importance of learning from other people’s and his own mistakes. That mentality helped him to survive several close calls in the air and on the ground.

We shared a few great stories from his book, but there is much more to discover within its pages.

Retired Alaska Airlines Captain Michael Rinehart is our guest on today's edition of Talking Flight.

We have a great conversation about his childhood as an “Airline Brat,” including summers spent traveling with his dad, a Captain for Braniff International Airlines.

Mike started college at UNLV on a golf scholarship but later transferred to Arizona State University to enroll in their aviation degree program.

Michael shares his story of his rapid progression as a young pilot with Braniff Airlines, which unfortunately went out of business due to financial problems. After Braniff's collapse, Michael found a new opportunity with Alaska Airlines.

At Alaska, Mike became well known for his efforts in the late 1980s to launch the airline’s groundbreaking Crew Resource Management Program, helping it develop into a model that remains respected today throughout the industry.

Captain Joe Kohler is a former Naval Aviator who went to work for Northwest Airlines after leaving the U.S. Navy. Northwest Airlines later merged with Delta Airlines, where he finished his amazing flying career.

We have a wide-ranging conversation with Joe where he tells us about Navy Aircraft Carrier Operations and his experiences as a commercial airline pilot flying both Boeing and Airbus Airliners.

Welcome to Season 2 of Talking Flight.

Our guest today is Chief Warrant Officer Ron Warren. He is a distinguished Army veteran with a career that has taken him from the Utah Army National Guard where he served as a Military Policeman, and later, he transferred to the Regular Army where he became a Dog Handler.

Ron and his dog were later assigned to a Special Forces team performing combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The team was transported and protected by superbly skilled and battle-hardened Army helicopter crews.

Ron was impressed by the skill and coolness of these pilots, and he had no idea that he would later join that elite group of aviators and lead other helicopter pilots into battle.

Captain Gary "Duke" Ellington is a veteran Captain for Alaska Airlines.

Gary went from being a high school football player to a pilot for the US Navy. After the Navy, Gary was hired by Alaska Airlines and has been there for over 20 years.

Duke describes how he overcame some of his college and Naval Flight Training struggles.

Captain Ellington is the recipient of the prestigious Alaska Airlines Legend Award in recognition of his exceptional service to his passengers and his fellow employees.

Paul Salerno and his brother Bruce started SalAir, a cargo airline in 1980 that served the salmon industry in Alaska. The company grew into to regional cargo airline that provided feeder air service to the major cargo airlines during the 1980s and 1990s. They began by building a fleet of the iconic DC-3 aircraft and later added several Convair 440s to the airline. Mr. Salerno served as the airline's owner and chief pilot, and they went 15 years without a major accident. Unfortunately, in 1995 the carrier had three major accidents that resulted in four fatalities. 

After the tragic losses at SalAir, Paul took the lessons from those crashes and leaned into the discipline of Aviation Safety. He built a new company, OmniSMS, that develops safety systems and certification programs for companies serving the aerospace industry. The website is www.omnisms.aero