Simpleflight Radio

With the relatively crowded EFB space, you might wonder how a lesser known company can compete with the big guys.  That was the problem facing Bryan Heitman, founder of  Aerovie (Aerovie.com).  Aerovie was established based on its ability to enter PIREP's electronically and directly into the national airspace system.  What was missing from other solutions was an ability to get a diverse weather picture during the preflight phase.  That's where Bryan found his way to differentiate.  Listen and find out how you can get a SimpleFlight discount for this great app. Marc and Al also talked with him about his journey into aviation and the path ahead of him.  A great conversation and one we know you will enjoy. As always, thank you for listening.  Wishing you Blue Skies and Strong Tailwinds.

Talk to a pilot and you'll probably hear that they always had a goal to fly.... to become a pilot.  But what about the goals that come after the Private Pilot's License.  Unless it's a career choice, it seems the goals lose focus and become more nebulous.  Tim Rylko sits in for Al tonight and talks with Marc about his observations as a west coast instructor and an Embraer 175 pilot.  What can the CFI community do to encourage goals beyond earning the ticket.  What can the rest of us do?  It turns out, we can do a lot. As always, thanks for listening.  Blue Skies and Tailwinds!!! Enjoy the Show!!!

Dr. Chien is a full-time "complex case" Senior AME.  His knowledge and experience in navigating the aero medical process has helped many pilots stay in the air.  Bruce always has an interesting story to tell, and we expect him to help us understand 3rd class medical reform!  Listen & Learn!

Al and Marc showed their avgeek side tonight by talking about how they use YouTube to satisfy their aviation fix.  Everything from engine starts, instrument approaches, new plane intros, and Al's favorite....old airline commercials!!!  It really brought some nostalgic and fond memories back, bringing a smile to their respective faces.  We hope you have the same feeling. The guys also shared some exciting and positive news about GA safety statistics, which shows the GA community is starting to focus on stupid pilot tricks. A short show tonight, but a lot of fun and should generate some great conversation and YouTube activity!  Thanks for listening. Blue Skies and Tailwinds!

Al and Marc welcomed Grant Casstevens of DuPage Aerospace (www.dupageaerospace.com), a Chicago-based charter, maintenance, and aviation management company.  The discussion went way beyond the basic inner workings of the charter business as the guys talked about wild catering requests, unusual passengers, and the daily challenges of running the business.  What a great way to start SimpleFlight's 5th year.  We know you'll love the show. And along those lines, our sincere thanks to all of you for being with us these past 4 years.  We look forward to making this 5th year even better and to keep you as a loyal listener.

Congratulations to all of us, as SImpleFlight Radio celebrates its 4th anniversary with this show.  And what better way to celebrate and kick off our 5th year, than by talking about the current state of the market and a vision of what's to come.  As usual, we welcomed Janine Iannarelli of Par Avion LTD (paravionltd.com) to lead us through the goings on in the business jet market.  From there we talked to the piston side of things.  Of special note, was the high energy associated with OSH16 and the feel good vibe that was evident from start to finish.  The air was filled with a sense of innovation, energy, and optimism.  That combined with what looks to be record crowds, puts a big stamp of approval on our current and future state. As always, Al and Marc would like to thank each of your for your continued loyalty and active involvement with the show.  We are proud of what we've built over the last four years, and look forward to making year five, the best one yet. Blue Skies and Tailwinds!  

Aviation years are not too different than dog years.  Everything moves so fast, including obsolescence.  So when you hear that ForeFlight started in 2007, it speaks loudly to the quality of the company that it has found a way to excel through all the changes in the aviation industry.  Kudos to Tyson Weihs and Jason Miller for their ability to execute on the original vision and the courage to evolve that vision on an ongoing basis. Tyson joined Al and Marc tonight to share his perspective on the ride to date and insight on what's yet to come. Thanks for listening.  Talk to you again next week.  Until then, Blue Skies and Tailwinds.

It's hard to believe that #OSH16 is just a few weeks away.  Al and Marc couldn't have found a better guest to help us transition to that mindset, than Dan Pimentel (@av8rdanpim), creator of airplanista.com.  Dan writes for some 7 aviation magazines, but is probably best known for his OshBash event, bringing avgeeks together to go beyond Airventure, and to do the Oshkosh event as its meant to be. We know you'll enjoy listening to the show as much as Al and Marc did recording it. Blue Skies and Tailwinds!

One of the most popular aviation web sites in existence is flightaware.com.  It is there so it's users can (among other things) check the progress and anticipated arrival times of both general aviation and commercial airline flights.  While most of us are users of FlightAware, many of us don't know much about the inner workings of the company.  Al and Marc talked with Ryan Jorgenson, a data analyst with the company, and learned that FlightAware is a rather large company that adds value to the marketplace is many diverse ways. Ryan also covered ways in which users can participate in the company's growth and earn a premium account along the way.  Listen and learn! Thanks for listening!  Blue Skies and Tailwinds.

Some 10 years ago, I was interviewed by a young woman from an airplane manufacturer about a possible job. I was sitting in the FBO engaging in the conversation, when the lineman came up to me asking if I needed fuel.  The woman responded that no fuel was needed.  She told me that always happens.  Everyone assumes its the man that is the pilot.  Despite the passage of a decade, that assumption is still prevalent.  Of course that's because most pilots look like me.  But thanks to our guest tonight, Tom Rege, of the Aviation Foundation (aviationfoundation.org), that may be changing.  The Aviation Foundation's mission is to make aviation accessible and a reality for minorities and women, ages 16-21.   Tom understands that to grow aviation, we must build on a diverse population who has the aptitude and passion for aviation.  We know you will enjoy listening as much as we did.

We all agree with the adage, a good pilot is always learning.  The question is where to go for that learning.  One such "place" is with Jason Schappert, a CFII, Author, and aviation educator, who has made a name for himself with pilots around the world.  Through his web site, mZeroa (m0a.com) provides training to any and all members of the aviation community.  Listen in to SimpleFlight radio to get up close and personal with Jason as he makes an "appearance" on tonight's show.

A pilot's view of an FBO, differs across pilot types.  The single engine private pilot has very different needs, expectations, and payment expectations from the corporate pilot, who is paid to ensure the passengers are happy and on time.  The view from the FBO is not so diverse, as regardless of type of pilot, the FBO staff wants to keep passengers comfortable, flight crews organized and airport tenants happy.  At least the good FBO's provide the same customer service regardless of type of aircraft, operation, or fuel purchases.  Tonight, meet Reyna Vigil, who recently moved to Chicago to manage the customer service staff at Hawthorne Global Aviation Services at KPWK.  Reyna discusses her role and it's challenges and rewards for a job well done. Thanks for listening.  Blue Skies and Tailwinds!  

Tonight, Al and Marc were joined by Fred Canavan, a loyal listener from New Jersey, who is a Civil Air Patrol pilot. Fred loves Aviation and he found a way to give back to the public through his work with the Civil Air Patrol (http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com).  As a mission pilot for CAP, one of his duties is to lead Search and Rescue missions.  As you will soon understand, the process to locate a downed aircraft is as much art, as it is science.  The good news is he and his colleagues have that skill.   Marc and Al also discussed new developments at Icon Aircraft corporation, as it goes through the growing pains that all aircraft manufacturers experience.  The guys talked about the airshows that kick off the summer flying season, including the exciting news that the OSH Notam has been published.  Lastly, Marc brought up his experience flying below the Chicago Bravo, only to find a long line of airliners flying their final approach in that same space.  Didn't have to have much of a scan to see 777's across hi

Aviation related or not, surprises can feel a little ominous.  Tonight's show had plenty of surprise moments.  First with a surprise visit from long time friend of the show, Alex Kottoulas.  And that was followed by a surprise rendition of Happy Birthday to our own Al Waterloo.  The theme continued as Marc spoke about his first ever ramp check at KOSU, followed by a surprise visit by an uncomfortable bout of turbulence.  What he did may surprise you. The guys then played a game in which they ranked the importance of high end devices that are commonly added to an airplane, and finished the night talking about a mobile pilot shop. Lots of discussion and a few surprises along the way.  We think you'll enjoy it!!! Thanks for listening.  Blue Skies & Tailwinds!

Quick, name an avionics manufacturer.  Many pilots would name Garmin, Bendix-King, or maybe Rockwell Collins and Honeywell.  After listening to the show, you might add another name to that list.  Al and Marc talked to Ryan Paul of Avidyne on tonight's show.  While Avidyne no longer OEM's their equipment to Cirrus and Piper, they've found exciting growth in their IFD 440/540/550 Nav/Comm GPS solutions.  Focused on reducing pilot workload, Avidyne provides a "lower" cost and highly functional solution to today's general aviation pilot. Also of interest, was Ryan's path to achieving his dream job in aviation.  After listening to Ryan, you'll understand how he made it happen.  Amazing what a positive attitude and a contagious enthusiasm can do for a person!

As Al battled storms flying in from the West, Marc kicked off the show talking about his need for a higher level of training, so he can fly like a professional, with the confidence and proficiency that comes with it.  On cue, Al joined the show and relayed his experience flying in tonight.  That same confidence and proficiency was obviously in play.  The guys talked about how that higher level of training does exist, but not in great supply.  Whether the lack of demand is because of the financial implications or for some other reason, is unknown, but served to fuel the conversation.  Listen and join in on the discussion. Blue Skies and Tailwinds!

With Al on the road, or should I say in the air, Josh Blain joined Marc as his co-host for the show.  The guys talked with Janine Iannarelli of Par Avion Ltd. who joins us quarterly to discuss the state of aviation with regards to the business jet market.  Janine always brings a keen insight into the trends that drive the health of the market. Josh and Marc also talked about a recent experience at a non-towered field, which did not go over well with Josh.  And heads up about the Chicago Aviation Symposium on June 25th at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL (KLOT).  It's all part of the Bridge The Gap initiative to bring controllers and pilots together in the spirit of safety.  If you're in the Midwest, mark it down on your calendar. Blue Skies & Tailwinds!

If you ask a general aviation pilot, what's the toughest topic to become proficient in, many will respond with Weather.  And that goes beyond weather theory.  Sometimes it's just collecting all of the data points and trying to pull it all together.  Making that even tougher is the lack of consistency in how the data is presented.  Maps, text, coded, and decoded are just some of the types we as pilots must pull together to paint a single picture.  Enter WX24Pilot, a new IOS app brought to us by Paxton Calvanese.  This weather app brings all of your flight planning data, including a pilot's personal minimums to a single place with a single graphical user interface.  Using a circular clock type view, a pilot can quickly build a picture of the weather that will be faced on their planned flight.  Now why didn't we think of that before?  Can't answer that, but we are sure glad Paxton thought of it.  Listen in to the podcast and also find a demo of the solution on YouTube.  You'll be glad you did!Thanks for listenin

Change is good.  It leads to innovation and in aviation, hopefully a cheaper, safer, faster, and better flying experience.  Tonight's show dealt with the changing environment in aviation.  Al and Marc talked about scheduled 135 operating companies and other "uber-like entities and how they are changing the industry.  The conversation moved to new student pilot rules, which get in the way of an old and wonderful tradition of soloing on a pilot's 16th birthday.  And then on to a discussion of how Icon Aircraft is working to set a risk mitigation precedent with a new buyer contract with many interesting caveats.Marc and Al finished strong by checking in with sometimes co-host, Tim Rylko, who is about to complete his three month training with his new employer.  In a matter of a couple weeks, Tim will be flying with passengers in an EMB 175.  Very exciting!Thanks for listening.  Blue Skies and Tailwinds.

How appropriate, we recorded this show on Easter Sunday.  It's a day when family gets together and catches up on the many changes that occurred over the past several months.  Same with the SimpleFlight Aviation family.  Josh Blain (of CFI fame) and Eddie Trujillo (Chicago Approach ATC) stopped by the SimpleFlight Studio to share what's been going on in their lives.  Congrats to Josh for surpassing 1,000 hours (600 in the last 7 months), and Eddie talked about his ATC life as Chicago continues to change traffic flows and he progresses in his career. Like all shows, you'll find a refreshing and informal feel to the conversation, which once again proves, that we are all part of the same family!!! Blues Skies & Tailwinds!