Simpleflight Radio

Ask a pilot, which is their favorite plane, and they may answer with a plane they've never flown before.  We know that sometimes an airplane "speaks" to a person.  It may be the history, the sound, the performance, or maybe it's because of it's lines and appearance.  LIN 2010, Cirrus continued its streak of innovations by introducing the Xi appearance option.  It gave owners the option of making their plane a truly personal "one of a kind" experience.    Chris Custer, Lead Xi Designer for Cirrus Aircraft, joins the SimpleFlight crew in this week's episode to discuss the program from the designer's point of view.  This includes the challenge of working with an owner to help them vocalize and translate their vision into a reality that takes the ownership experience to a higher level. Chris' passion for design, combined with the pride he takes in helping customers navigate the many decisions they must make, comes through with "flying colors" in the discussion.  We hope you enjoy Chris' story as much as Marc and

As President of the Leading Edge Flying Club in Chicago, Marc meets a lot of "avgeeks"; each with a story that connects them to our special aviation family.  Recently Marc met Nathan Dial, an Air Force Captain who moved to Chicago on a 3 year sabbatical to earn his PhD.  Prior to coming to Chicago, Nate was flying C-130's as a Flight Commander of Group Current Operations, 55th Electronic Combat Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson.  His resume of accomplishments and decorations is lengthy, and especially impressive, considering its all happened in less than 10 years.   Not surprisingly, Nate's success has been the result of his intelligence, hard work, and understanding that the successful completion of every flight is based on how well the crew works as a team, and not due to any single crew member. We know you will enjoy getting to know Nate.  Let us know if you have any other questions you'd like us to ask him.   Also, please share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram

It feels like ADS-B is almost about ready to get started. We only have one year left before the FAA mandate in 2020 for ADS-B Compliance! Did you know that ADS-B has been an old idea built up of multiple technologies?  Steve Bussolari was one of the original thought leaders and key contributor of building out the  ADS-B system. He has so many stories to share from his time developing this new network while working in the MIT labs.  We take it for granted the amount of weather information, traffic information and resources available in our flying. Imagine in the early 1990's having an LCD screen in a Cessna 172 displaying traffic through an ADS-B device. You look out the window at 12 o'clock and 3 miles there is traffic in the exact spot that is displayed on the screen - you would probably be really excited!  Please share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community  @simpleflightradio   Here is to a great start of 2019!!                                 *   *   * Congratulations t

This past week, Marc found himself at his airplane at 6AM in anticipation of a 7AM departure for some minor maintenance at an airport some two hours away.  The only issue was his home airport (KPWK) was fogged in with forward and vertical visibility near zero.  When it became apparent the fog would not lift, he canceled.  He posted the situation on Facebook and Instagram, @simpleflightradio, kicking off a diverse set of opinions.  The Go / No Go decision comes with every flight, regardless of weather, equipment, pilot experience, passengers, or reason for the trip.  Getting to an answer is not always straight forward, but a great discussion topic.  Enjoy the show.  We are interested to hear what you think and how you come to a decision.  Please share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community  @simpleflightradio   Please note, Al, Marc, and Joby are participating in many holiday events over the next three weeks, so we're going to hold off posting any shows until January 7th.  In

This week, Al confesses to some troubles in the cockpit, that ultimately point to an enemy of a pilot .... Complacency!  Marc and Al take the conversation to a deeper level and come to the conclusion, that the very things pilots strive for as part of a safety culture, including process, standardization, and a rigid acceptance of checklists, can contribute to routines that may detract from the quality of a flight and potentially, its safety. But fear not, the crew brainstorms strategies and tactics that can counteract those outcomes and add new skills and enjoyment to your flying.  And even better, the subject is not yet closed.  We'd love to hear from you about ways you keep your skills fresh and remain alert to minor anomalies that may have a significant impact on safety.  Please share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio                                   *   *   * Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week!  @lineguy99 lineguy99 correctly answered ou

This week, Marc and Al had some special guests that made their way to the SimpleFlight studio at KPWK.  Gavin Black, Andrew Haefner, Pierce Lane, and Bill Engelking flew from their respective home bases in Knoxville and Duluth for the show. That, in and of itself, epitomizes what flying clubs are all about.  It's all about adding a social aspect to our flying and infusing some energy into the aviation experience. What's different about their flying club, is that they are part of the Cirrus Employees Flying Club.  While they enjoy unique benefits associated with a club sponsored by an aircraft manufacturer, the value they receive is in many respects, common across all flying clubs.  It's an interesting mix of differences and commonalities.  We're interested in your thoughts on the value of flying clubs.  Join in the conversation on facebook. @simpleflightradio                                   *   *   * Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week!  @stephenrunkel @stephenrunkel correctly answered our Instagr

This week, we speak with Bob Schmelzer, who has spent the last 40+ years, flying for United Airlines.  Just this past week, Bob turned 65, which by FAA rules, required him to retire from the airlines. With 27,000 of his 37,000 hours being at United, it is certainly an end to an era.   The good news for GA is that Bob has never stopped training primary and advanced students working towards a rating, and even evaluating pilots while acting as a FAA designated pilot examiner. He stands as a role model for giving back to aviation! Listen in and join the SimpleFlight crew in learning about Bob's experience leading up to his last airliner flight, then feel his emotion as he describes that last flight, and finally what lies ahead for him.   Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week!  @Bmp590 @BMP590 correctly answered our Instagram post asking for someone to identify what famous hangar was pictured.  Our Avgeek of the week knew that the picture was none other than Red Bull's Hangar-7 at Salzburg Airport.  It is a

This week's show features Jason Schappert of MzeroA.com.   As pilots around the world know, Jason Schappert is a CFII and ATP rated pilot.  He is the founder of MzeroA.com, and author of eight aviation flight training books. In 2008, Jason was named AOPA's Top Collegiate Flight Instructor, which was followed by being named an Outstanding Flight Instructor in both 2014 and 2015.  Having amassed over 8000 hours of in-flight instruction since learning how to fly, he now provides help to many through his Online Ground School at mzeroa.com.  What you will learn from Jason is how his values, business acumen, and focus on helping to create safer pilots translate to success!  You're going to love this episode!!! In the hangar talk segment, Al and Marc talked about a topic that seems to have come too early this year.  That topic is cold weather flight preparation.  The guys talked about: Tips for getting the engine warmed prior to start. Required items for the cockpit. What's wrong with a 50 foot extension cord. W

This week Marc and Al sat down with the President and CEO of AOPA, Mark Baker.  AOPA has always been there for the General Aviation pilot, but the focus often seems to be centered on protecting our rights in Washington.  It was great to talk to Mark on a pilot to pilot basis and come to understand his passion and commitment to GA is really no different than any of us.  And the fact that he is dedicated to making aviation better as a result of his involvement, is proof positive he's the right person for such a critical leadership role. In the second half of the show, Al and Marc dug into our Facebook postings from pilots asking for our perspective on several topics.  Thanks to Mark L for asking for strategies to squash the jitters associated with straying from one's home airport.  Listen and Learn as the guys talk about: How to prep for the flight by starting at the finish line. How technology can help get you ahead of the game. Leverage other pilot's experiences. Using predetermined landmarks to remove the s

Tom Haines!  This week Marc and Al sat down with the Senior Vice President of Communication and Outreach for AOPA, Tom Haines.  After 30 years of bringing aviation into the homes of pilots via magazines like AOPA Pilot, Tom helps us to see the world from the editor's point of view.  Changing technology and the people who use it, creates a wide range of challenges in bringing the right content, in the right format to the right reader. Tom talks about the strategies he uses to stay connected with his audience. Listen and learn! In the second half of the show, Al and Marc debriefed their flight to and from the Gulf Shores AOPA Fly-In: How to select a refueling stop. How technology can help make enroute flight plan changes. When its OK to change your personal minimums. Mismatch with ATC. Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week!  @wlblueskies @wlblueskies correctly answered our Instagram post asking for the final approach fix for the now closed Runway 32L ILS at ORD! If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the w

Cockpit Hacks! This week its all about making things a little bit easier, simple and safer in the cockpit. You may have seen a few things on Instagram this week of a few of the cockpit hacks. In the show we promised we would include a link to the "LCD Doodle Pad" that we talked about this week. Many of you asked where to buy it, here it is on Amazon: CLICK HERE FOR: LCD Neon Doodle Pad During our conversation, Al and Marc talked about these ideas: FlightSteam and ADS-B Using a Doodle Pad vs. an iPad scratchpad Organizing your Radios The process of leaving an airport Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week!  @muerto_garage @Muerto_garage correctly answered our Instagram post asking who the 777's launch customer was and how many are in their fleet! The 777 program was launched in October 1990 with an order from United Airlines. In June 1995, United flew its first 777 in revenue service. The Boeing board of directors authorized production of the 777-300 on June 26, 1995, and the first 777-300 was delive

Mike Poznansky joins us this week. Mike has the good fortune to own two airplanes.  But what makes his situation a little more unique, is that one of those planes is a Cessna 185 on amphibious floats.  He lives a dual life, with a business need and one for adventure.  Not surprising, Mike flies mostly for business, but looks for opportunities to increase the adventure side. You can follow Mike on Instagram: @mikepoz During our conversation, Al and Marc talked with Mike about some interesting topics: Why the interest in an amphibious aircraft Reconfiguring the plane as a standard taildragger West Coast vs. Midwest Flying Strategies and ADM in each of his airplanes. Let us know if you're interested in getting the seaplane rating! Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week!  Dave - @drdavedraws Dave correctly answered our question that we posted on Instagram. We asked what device Mike Poznansky was holding.  Dave correctly answered that the device was a bilge pump used to drain the floats prior to flight.  

Amy Voss joins us this week. She is a rockstar CFI, Mentor and is the Regional Training Manager for the East Coast at Cirrus Aircraft. She works daily with helping students, instructors and flight schools help people through elevating their personal minimums. Sometimes personal minimums are a lot harder than we think. You can follow Amy on Instagram: @tri_everywhere We covered in our conversation with Amy: "Busting your personal minimums" How to train to enhance them Speaking up about situations that are beyond your personal minimums A discussion of non-legal personal minimums Tell us how you have expanded your personal minimums! Congratulations to our Avgeek of the week!  Jodie - @indiana.jodes Jodie correctly answered our question that we posted on Instagram. We asked what all the variants of the 747 are and she answered correctly. Jodie even included all the Military designations too. Come see us in person!  October 26th and 27th - Jack Edwards Airport - AOPA FLY IN

This week on SimpleFlight Radio, Marc and Al discuss: The PreFlight With the impending return to flight of Marc's airplane, the SimpleFlight crew talked about the preparation for flying a plane that is fresh out of a major maintenance event. For all it's structure and formalization, it's surprising to see the variability employed by pilots in conducting a PreFlight.  That is true between pilots and even with one pilot in different situations.  Listen in to hear Marc and Al discuss different factors, like: First Flight of the Day, vs. Subsequent Flights Type of Mission Impending Weather or Deadline Risk Profiles "Mandatory" vs. "Optional" Tasks PreFlight Hacks Congratulations to our Avgeek of the week!  Eva K. - Eva_Koz_Photography Eva's name was randomly drawn to receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card for submitting her responses to our Listener Survey during September.  Thanks to all of you that took the time to share your feedback.  If you want to earn a shout out on the show as the avgeek of the week, make sur

This week on SimpleFlight Radio, we welcome: Max Trescott  National CFI of the Year, Author, Avionics Guru, and host of his own podcast - Aviation News Talk There is so much we can learn from somebody like Max. Here is what we get into with Max: Night Flying His Podcast - Aviation News Talk Quality in flight training Making a leap into an aviation career Bringing professionalism in to the cockpit The book he authored - Max Trescott's G1000 and Perspective Glass Cockpit Handbook Congratulations to our Avgeek of the week!  David H - @gkdave He answered our question correctly on Instagram. If you want to earn a shout out on the show as the avgeek of the week, make sure to follow us @simplefligthradio on Facebook and Instagram. Come see us in person!  October 5th and 6th - KMDH - AOPA Fly In at the Carbondale, IL airport. Remember you have only one week left to complete our listener survey and be entered to win the $50 Amazon Gift Card.  http://www.simpleflight.net/listener-survey.html  

Congratulations to our AvGeek of the week! Micah Maziar - @Micahatc He answered our question correctly on Instagram. If you want to earn a shout out on the show make sure to follow us @simplefligthradio on Facebook and Instagram.  Planning your flights for fuel is such a personal idea and problem to solve. Al and Marc go at it based off of some personal experiences with a few tips and tricks learned through out.  Come see us: September 22nd, - KSQI - Whiteside County Career Day and Fly - IN October 5th and 6th - KMDH - AOPA Fly In at the Carbondale, IL airport. You have two weeks left to fill out our listener survey. We'd appreciate your help in making the show better. Please take 5 minutes to fill out the survey. If you leave your name and email, you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.  http://www.simpleflight.net/listener-survey.html

The SimpleFlight crew welcomes back Air Traffic Controller, Eddie Trujillo.  Eddie has been quite busy at C90 (Chicago Approach), including his recent checkout on North Satellite.  That means Eddie is now working all sectors around O'Hare, and its quite a challenge. As we continue to collect survey responses (click the link above to add your voice), it was interesting to see multiple requests on how to fly VFR in a busy area like Chicago, including the beautiful Lake Shore Run.  The timing couldn't have been better, as Eddie tackled that with great insight for how best to partner with ATC to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.  Eddie also talked about how his dream of being a pilot took him down a path in which he discovered his true passion... Air Traffic Control. But the main message in this episode is the Pilot / Controller partnership.  We are all focused on the same goal, a safe flight.  And together, we make it happen. ​​​                            =============== ​We hope you enjoy listening

In the spirit of "bringing the band back together again", Al Waterloo joined Marc in the studio for this week's show.  The great news is that this is not a "one and done" event.  Al and Marc have been working behind the scenes to put together a long term plan to deliver value for our listeners.  It starts with fanning the flames of our listeners passion for aviation, by connecting them to the people and things that bring aviation to life.  So tonight Marc and Al launch SimpleFlight 2.7.  Why not SimpleFlight 3.0; read on to find out more. Joined by repeat guest, Tim Rylko, Marc and Al explored the unusual path Tim took to achieve his dream of flying for the airlines.  As you may recall, Al was with the airlines and has been on multi-step journey to achieve his success as a Regional Sales Director for Cirrus Aircraft.  Different paths, different end games, but both have been successful.  What can we learn from their stories?  What were the risks?  What tough decisions stood in their path?  All great questions

Brandon Anderson had a goal.  That was to bring aviation into his life in a big way.  As he is an independent technology consultant, the path to reaching his goal was not so clearly defined.  Diving in with both feet, Brandon headed out to the west coast to get on the fast track to earning his CFI, and then followed with his CFII.  Listen in as Marc learns about Brandon's first year as a CFI, with over 650 hours flown.  The experiences, the surprises, and the opportunities that have come as a result of his investment, makes for an inspiring and meaningful discussion. The conversation moved to the Pilot / Controller relationship and what are the ingredients to making it an effective partnership.  Turns out, some key concepts, like Communication, Trust, and Focus are every bit as important as in any other partnership, like marriage, business, and social relationship.  After listening, please fill out the contact form on the RADIO page and let us know your thoughts!                           =============== ​We

Some of our listeners may have heard the SimpleFlight crew refer to the "VFR Bandit".  That moniker was earned by Adam Hirsen, a Chicago entrepreneur that used General Aviation to fly around the country for business.  Not so unusual, until you understand that Adam had not completed his IFR training, so his frequent long trips all were made VFR.  And as the legend goes, he never had to cancel. How does that happen?  That's what we wanted to know, and so Adam joins us on this episode to dispel the myth, or tell us how he pulled it off.  For the record, Adam has earned the right to move on from that title, as he recently earned his IFR ticket, which is a story in and of itself.  Listen in as Adam takes us through his experiences conducting business, while training for what we all know as one of the toughest GA ratings that can be earned.  It's sure to be a great conversation and look forward to you joining us.  As with all SimpleFlight discussions, there is much to be learned from our fellow pilots. ​​​