Aviation was born with the balloon when, in 1783, the first manned hot air balloon rose off the French soil.  But ever since the Wright brothers made their first flight out of Kitty Hawk in 1903, the balloon has been vastly overshadowed by the airplane.

With the advent of space tourism, the balloon could rise again to the forefront of aviation!  Join Matthew and I as we talk about the company Space Perspective and their goal to bring tourists to space suspended from a balloon.

Probably not, but maybe.  Definitely don't do it without first checking to see if your plane has an auto gas STC.  This episode is all about aviation gas (avgas).  Why does it still contain lead when leaded auto gas was phased out 50 years ago?  Why does avgas have 2 octane ratings instead of just 1?  What makes ethanol so dangerous for airplanes?  Join Hunter and I as we answer all of your avgas related questions!

Meet the Cessna 170, the tailwheel older brother to the ubiquitous Cessna 172.  In this episode, Matthew joins us to discuss why the 170 is such versatile tailwheel aircraft, how we found one, and what we learned from the buying process.

This week, I'm flying solo through the hurricane!  As pilots, we are always thinking about weather when we are flying or planning a flight.  When you become an airplane owner, you have to worry about weather not only in the air, but also when the plane is on the ground.  This worry is made even worse when you have an airplane that you keep outside in Florida during hurricane season!  Join me as we discuss keeping you plane airworthy and shiny no matter the weather.

At Oshkosh 2025, the FAA announced a new ruling called MOSAIC, which stands for Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification.  This ruling greatly expands the privileges of sport pilots and what is considered a light-sport aircraft.  Matthew Olinde of Olinde Aerospace joins us to discuss how this exciting new ruling will affect pilots, airplane owners, and flight schools.

Welcome to "The Wing Wag"!  In this episode, I will be introducing the podcast and explaining what a wing wag is.