Talking Flight

We sit down for a long-form conversation with Mr. Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines.

Brad tells us about his life journey that eventually lead to him to become the Chief Executive Officer at Alaska Airlines.

We learn about how Brad approaches leadership, and how his late Father still has a profound influence on how he solves problems that come up at the airline.

Brad shares some excellent advice on how to be successful in business and life.

Captain Phil Parrish tells us about his amazing journey to become Captain for Alaska Airlines. (Previously released in 2014).

Captain David Mets is presently one of the two Seattle Base Chief Pilots for Alaska Airlines.

David tells us about his career as a USAF Pilot and about his transition to a Pilot career at Alaska Airlines.

We also learn that he had a three-year stint serving as Rocket Scientist at Cape Canaveral.

Several events that initially appeared to be disappointments, turned out to be some wonderful opportunities for Captain Mets and his family.

This is this first in a series of short Voice Blogs from Mike Swanigan. Don't worry, we will still feature our usual long-form interviews. This is an added feature to our Talking Flight Podcasts.

A lot of people gave me some great advice during my career. I am trying to pay it forward by recording these Voice Blogs. If it helps just one person, it will be well worth the effort.

If you find any of this to be helpful, please pass it on.

Be Excellent to Each other

Captain Kevin Nigbur is the first Horizon Air Pilot to appear on Talking Flight. He is currently flying the Embraer 175 Regional Jet on Horizon's route system.

Kevin earned an Aviation Degree in College, but he had to put his flying dreams on the back burner when he was needed in his family business.

Captain Nigbur tells us the amazing story of how he restarted his flying career after the age of 40.

One of the most complex pieces of running an airline is making sure that that qualified and rested pilots are available to fly the airplanes.

We rarely hear about the men and women who are behind the scenes working to make sure that your flight is flown by a crew of qualified and rested pilots.

On this episode, we sit down with Ms. Trish Barney. She is the Duty Manager Pilot Scheduling for Alaska Airlines.

Trish tells us the background story of how she got into the pilot scheduling world and she gives an inside look at how her Pilot Scheduling Team works their magic.

Our Guest today is Alaska Airlines Captain JP Wilson. He flies the Boeing 737 out of Alaska's Portland Oregon pilot crew base.

In addition to his Captain duties at Alaska Airlines, JP is now the Manager of Pilot Development at Alaska's sister airline, Horizon Air. He works with Colleges and Flight Schools on developing the next generation of airline pilots for Alaska and Horizon.

JP tells us the story of how followed his dream to become a pilot for a major airline. He also shares a few suggestions for aspiring pilots to improve their chances of being hired by an airline.

Captain Tom Crank tells us about his life as a Military and Commercial Aviator.

Tom tells us about his struggles at the USAF Academy, and how he unexpectedly became an Air Force Pilot.

Captain Crank began his airline career at Eastern Airlines, and he flew the Boeing 727 until the airline started to fail as a result of financial difficulties.

After Eastern Airlines, Tom headed west and went to work for Alaska Airlines.

Tom also tells us how he handled some leadership challenges that he had as a Captain.

Tom's motto is "It's not the mistake, it is the recovery."

One of the most feared aspects of being a pilot is the requirement to pass an FAA Physical exam to keep your license active.

Doc Greenblatt is a Senior FAA Aeromedical Examiner, and he has conducted thousands of medical exams on pilots. He has a successful Family and Sports Medicine practice in Bellevue Washington.

A family tragedy changed his life forever, and his path to becoming a Physician was not always easy. But he never gave up, and he has been a vital source of support for his patients.

We discuss the FAA medical examination process, and we talk about some of the issues that can affect the status of a pilot's application for a medical certificate.

Dr. Greenblatt gives us some strategies for staying healthy, and he tells us why it is vital for a pilot to deal with potential health problems early.

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Mary Kesselring joins Captain Mike Swanigan to tell our audience about her 34-year career with the Airline.

Mary grew up in an Airline family. Her dad was a Veteran Captain and Check Airman for United Airlines. He Mom was a former "Stewardess" (that is what they were called at the time) for United.

When she was in College, the realization came that she was about to reach the age where she would lose the travel benefits from her Dad's employment at United Airlines. Mary decided to solve that problem by entering the airline career field and began applying for Flight Attendant positions at United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

Alaska hired her, and the rest was history.

This interview is a wide-ranging discussion about Mary's journey and the rewards and difficulties of being in the Flight Attendant field.