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  • EP153 - Information Whiskey: "I've Studied My Brain Into a Porridge-Like Consistency"

    EP153 - Information Whiskey: "I've Studied My Brain Into a Porridge-Like Consistency"
    2025/11/04
    Information Whiskey strikes again! BIG NEWS: The Thaden Invasion is official—March 13-15, 2026 in Bentonville, Arkansas! Brian confesses his Sheppard Air conversion after weeks of IFR written torture ("The FAA told you to look at figure 71, but you have to memorize it's actually figure 24"), his wife solves compass errors in 8 seconds ("Here, idiot"), and Ted's fuel gauge crisis leads to the ultimate "It's Always Fuel" moment. Plus: Ben kills another twin, navigating without flight following during the shutdown, and why flying different planes makes you better.In this episode:🎉 THE THADEN INVASION IS HAPPENING: March 13-15, 2026 at VBT, Bentonville, Arkansas!Why Bentonville rocks: Frank Lloyd Wright house, Crystal Bridges Museum (free!), mountain biking capital, Fly Oz backcountry destinations, and Flying Magazine's "Coolest Airport in the Country"Ben's twin curse continues: "I warned this flight school of my curse and they still accepted me" - switching to BE-55 BaronJekyll Island adventure with red bug rentals and son EvanGovernment shutdown reality: How to fly safely when ATC can't take VFR requests and controllers are on skeleton crewsTed's "It's Always Fuel" crisis: "This wing is either full or empty. There's no level in it. I have no confidence that I have fuel at this point."Chinese lantern with actual flame floating past Ted's wing at night: "I can hear the FAA: 'So how did your wing catch on fire?'"The Hacienda Cherokee: Still out there, still getting refueled mid-air, still haunting Ben's flightsSafety talk that actually matters:Ben's wisdom: "See and avoid is ALWAYS our responsibility - 50 hours or 5,000 hours, period"Monitor approach frequencies even when not on flight followingKnow arrival/departure corridors at major airports"Keep your eyes outside and don't get lazy. Don't start playing on your phone."Ben's Cherokee stalker story: Same plane intersected his course twice in one dayWeather nerdery from Erica Gilbert:Ted's 30.48" altimeter after atmospheric river: "That is a HIGH number"Jet stream troughs create low pressure; ridges create high pressureHigh pressure = stable air, clear skies, but poor visibility from trapped pollutionListener feedback gold:Chris H: Why flying multiple planes makes you better - "I became too comfortable flying just one plane and built bad habits"The value of clubs: 180-2, PA-28, and 172 access keeps you sharp and forces proper checklist usageFly-in essentials:One mile walk to brewery, one mile to downtown (Ben's proud of this planning)Grass strip + paved runway availableLive podcast recording somewhere in Bentonville (street corner? Hangar? Brewery? TBD!)Hotels, Airbnbs, mountain biking, art museums, and aviation - something for everyoneBrian: "Ben has rented us a giant complex with what seems like a slaughterhouse in the back, but I'm sure it's fine"Mentioned on the Show:Legends Air Center - FBO at Thaden Field - Your Bentonville basecampFly Oz - Thaden Field - Backcountry flying destinationsVBT Pilot Briefing - Everything you need to knowFlying Magazine - The Coolest Airport in the Country - VBT featureCrystal Bridges Museum - Free American art museum in canyon parkBE55 - Beechcraft Baron 55 - Ben's new twin48A - Cochran Airport, Georgia - Picked up Evan here09J - Jekyll Island Airport, Georgia - Red bug rentals!Hacienda - The 64-Day Flight - Still flyingSheppard Air - Brian's IFR written redemptionGilbert Aviation IFR Course - Keeping Brian saneNOAA - What Is the Jet Stream? - Erica's explanationCheckmate Aviation - The best checklists (Chris H approved)LGE Flying Club, Georgia - Multi-plane accessSupport the Show:Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast - Discord, exclusive content, checkride debriefsMidlifePilotPodcast.com - Merch, feedback, stickers for reviews!New Patreon Members: Andy & Babs, Sierra Tango, Patrick L, Michael R, Michael W - Welcome aboard!
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    1 時間 2 分
  • EP152 - "Into the Wilds of GA": MOSAIC Day Celebrations, Carb Heat Confusion, and Airframe Chaos

    EP152 - "Into the Wilds of GA": MOSAIC Day Celebrations, Carb Heat Confusion, and Airframe Chaos
    2025/10/28

    ("One Fifty Two") Ted celebrates Mosaic Day by breaking free from the "walled garden" of light sport aviation and "soloing" both a purple lightning-bolt Cessna 152 and a 172.

    As our friend Dominic eloquently writes, sport pilots are now "loose upon the natural wilds of general aviation," discovering that some planes "require you to hold the yoke one-third to the right just to fly straight and level. It's a feature."

    Ted's conclusion: "I buttered almost every landing...they're so easy to land compared to the egg." The bad news? He keeps forgetting carb heat exists.

    Ben logs his "maybe second best landing ever" (wife-verified!) at the Gainesville fly-in and surprises her with a short field takeoff. Brian gets Nashville Approach's fastest "stay outta the Class Charlie" dismissal ever, attends a stellar Commemorative Air Force hangar dance, and reminds us that filing IFR doesn't guarantee instant gratification when controllers are slammed.

    The crew tackles listener feedback from newly-minted MOSAIC pilots navigating "airframe chaos" (G1000s, steam gauges, and seats "smushed flat" so you "can hardly see over the firewall"), motion sickness solutions featuring Chick-fil-A minis and relief bands, and why even Bob Hoover dealt with air sickness.

    Plus community shoutouts including a 60-year-old nailing his commercial checkride with a power-off 180 in 15-gusting-25, and Xyla Foxlin getting her plane back after losing her medical.

    Mentioned on the show:

    • ABY - Albany Ga: https://www.airnav.com/airport/ABY
    • GVL - Gainesville Ga: https://www.airnav.com/airport/GVL
    • FlySto: https://www.flysto.net/home
    • M93 Southernaire: https://www.airnav.com/airport/M93
    • M54 Lebanon Tenn: https://www.airnav.com/airport/M54
    • Ted's "soloing a 150" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmXyFeK09ng
    • Checkmate Aviation: https://www.checkmateaviation.com/
    • myaeroglass: https://www.myaeroglass.com/
    • Xyla Foxlin lost her medical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj0H8oVS7qg
    • Xyla got her plane back!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-T7P3o6tU


    Join the Midlife Pilot Podcast community, support the show on Patreon, and get merch at www.midlifepilotpodcast.com
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    1 時間 1 分
  • EP150 - The Garmin 430 Is That Friend Who Peaked in High School

    EP150 - The Garmin 430 Is That Friend Who Peaked in High School
    2025/10/14

    Episode 150! Ben has a hilarious ATC mix-up flying into Nashville at night ("The other controller told me it was two zero...I could hear him laughing in the background"), Ted gets stuck at an abandoned airport for five hours, and the crew dives deep into avionics upgrades. From hoarding Garmin 430s like Beanie Babies to debating engine monitors, this is real talk about the joys (and financial pains) of panel upgrades.

    In this episode:

    • Ben's ATC comedy: vectored past his approach, realizes the airport is right there at 4,000 feet, and reveals his identity: "Is this Sierra Whiskey? It's Bravo Sierra from your second favorite podcast"
    • Music City STOL recap: Brian gets his second SNJ ride with the CAF, they meet community members, and discuss rookie class plans
    • Ted's five-hour weather delay: "Nobody locks sliding doors properly" - breaking into an abandoned clubhouse to wait out IMC
    • Avionics deep dive: Discord's best conversations about GPS upgrades, dual G5s, engine monitors, and managing limited budgets
    • "The 430 is that friend who peaked in high school" - why these units are hoarded and what your options are
    • Do you really want to know THAT much about your engine? The pros and cons of digital engine monitoring
    • Why partnerships make upgrades harder: "Convince your partners to spend $12,000 and the plane will be the exact same afterward"

    Listener feedback: Louis R. makes the case for getting Mike Busch on the podcast.

    Mentioned on the Show:

    • Music City STOL - XNX Gallatin, TN
    • XNX - Music City Executive Airport
    • 9er Systems - Pete's Cardinal
    • EP134 with Dev Cannon about the CAF
    • Piperzilla - Ultimate STOL Cherokee 180
    • "Lost Prop Sonex Guy" - Cheapest instrument setup
    • Avidyne IFD440 - Drop-in replacement for Garmin 430
    • 1dullgeek on Ask the A&Ps Episode 51
    • AVEMCO on MOSAIC Insurance
    • Sarasota Avionics - Pricing resource
    • Pacific Coast Avionics - Pricing resource
    • Savvy Aviation - Mike Busch's resources
    • FAA Part 61.129 - IFR requirements

    Support the Show:

    • Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast - Discord access & exclusive content
    • MidlifePilotPodcast.com - Merch & feedback
    • youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast - Live Mondays 8PM ET

    10% supports Freedom Aviation Network's anti-human trafficking efforts
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    1 時間
  • EP149 - Information Whiskey: Why Does This Plane Smell Like Grandpa?

    EP149 - Information Whiskey: Why Does This Plane Smell Like Grandpa?
    2025/10/07
    It's Information Whiskey time - the crew's monthly no-format format where they "chew the fat" and see what happens. Brian accidentally became a Cherokee salesman at an air show ("I turn around, there's basically a queue forming"), Ben's on a night-flying mission to 1,500 hours, and Ted's been landing on Oregon beaches and flying 4,000 feet in ground effect. The guys also get serious about planning the Spring 2026 fly-in.In this episode:Brian's weekend: Muscle Shoals barbecue diplomacy ("if you come back with barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs...that goes a long way"), becoming an unwitting static display, and escaping a TFR with one minute to spareThe accidental GA ambassador: helping kids sit in the plane until "I realized this is not good"Ben's race to 100 hours of night time: "Turn on your lights. If you don't like it, turn your lights back off"Ted gives midlife eagle flights, lands at Boeing Field, and masters the art of the 4,000-foot ground effect taxiRyan K's thoughtful case for returning to Tango 82 for the spring fly-inFlying wisdom:"Night IFR is one of the best arguments for a parachute system""Learning to fly: horizon is steady, but your confidence isn't"On night engine failures: "Choose a place to land, turn on your lights. If you don't like it, turn your lights back off"Important announcement: If you have fly-in location suggestions, send them NOW. Brian's sounding the alarm.Mentioned on the Show:Bunyan's Barbecue - Muscle Shoals, AL (MSL)Luke's Landing: Flying to the Best Hot Dog - Luke's video about Bunyan's2I0 Madisonville Airport - Wings Over Western Kentucky locationWings Over Western Kentucky Air ShowMusic City STOL - Oct 10-11, XNX Gallatin, TNT82 - Gillespie County Airport - Fredericksburg, TXHangar Hotel at T82 - Previous fly-in locationKentucky Lake/Lake Cumberland Regional Airport - Potential fly-in location2I3 Rough River Airport - Kentucky fly-in optionBlue Grass Airport (LEX) - Lexington, Kentucky optionCali Beach (S16) - Oregon coast beach landing stripCheckMate Aviation - Barry's checklist company (1 year anniversary!)MyAeroGlass - Tim/Banjo Pilot's METAR displaysGilbert Aviation - Erica Gilbert's IFR trainingFAA Color Vision Testing Flowchart - Recent changes discussedFreedom Aviation Network - Anti-human trafficking effortsSupport the Show:Join the Patreon community for Discord access, exclusive content, and check ride debriefs: Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcastVisit MidlifePilotPodcast.com for merch, feedback, and discount codesURGENT: Send fly-in location suggestions to midlifepilotpodcast@gmail.comLeave us a 5-star review on Apple PodcastsSubscribe and catch us live most Monday nights at 8 PM ET: youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast10% of Patreon proceeds support Freedom Aviation Network's anti-human trafficking efforts
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    1 時間
  • EP148 - Camping on Mount Stupid: A Love Letter to Infrequent Flyers

    EP148 - Camping on Mount Stupid: A Love Letter to Infrequent Flyers
    2025/09/30

    Listener Chris C sparked this week's conversation with a thoughtful question about infrequent flying: "I have to think there's a whole class of pilots out there like me who just don't get up in the air very often... how I'll probably be camping on Mount Stupid for years at my current rate of flying." The crew dives deep into proficiency, imposter syndrome, and why flying once a month doesn't make you any less of a pilot.

    In this episode:

    • Chris C's honest take on being an infrequent flyer and what it means for skills, risk assessment, and confidence
    • Brian's insight: "You're not somebody that's rusty. You're somebody that is consciously, willfully not flying a lot, but flying a little"
    • Why "there are millions of people in this country that don't have a pilot license at all—so you're flying more than them"
    • Ben confesses to his wrong-runway landing in Florida: "I turned all the blood left my face"
    • Strut collapses, coyote wrangling, and why the instrument written is "just a hazing"


    Bonus wisdom: "VFR flying is like break dancing. IFR flying is like cotillion."

    Also: Don't write "oops, landed wrong runway" in your logbook.

    Thanks to Chris C for the episode inspiration and for reminding us that thoughtful, safety-conscious flying matters way more than your Hobbs meter.

    Mentioned on the Show:

    • List of Class B airports - Wikipedia
    • List of Class C airports with traffic volume - Wikipedia
    • Sheppard Air - Written test prep
    • Triple Tree Fly-In - Sep 22-28, SC00 Spartanburg, SC
    • Music City STOL - Oct 10-11, XNX Gallatin, TN
    • Swift National Fly-In - Oct 1-5, MMI Athens, TN
    • CheckMate Aviation - Barry's aviation business


    • The in person (online) guided IFR course Brian is taking is from our friend of the show CFII Erica Gilbert, and you can sign up here: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/ifr


    Support the Show:

    • Join the Patreon community for Discord access, exclusive content, and check ride debriefs: Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast
    • Visit MidlifePilotPodcast.com for merch, feedback, and all things Midlife Pilot Podcast
    • Leave us a 5-star review
    • Subscribe and catch us live most Monday nights at 8 PM ET on YouTube: youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast


    10% of Patreon proceeds support Freedom Aviation Network's anti-human trafficking efforts

    www.freedomaviationnetwork.org
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    58 分
  • EP147 - Trip, Fall, Succeed: Chip Away at Your Next Rating

    EP147 - Trip, Fall, Succeed: Chip Away at Your Next Rating
    2025/09/23

    The crew tackles the midlife aviation dilemma: wanting that next rating but lacking time for full commitment. The hosts share Brian's "Trip Fall Succeed method" - making progress through small steps instead of diving headfirst into training.

    Ben returns from Europe unable to eat American pasta again and explains how multi-engine training feels like "standing in front of a cliff" until it becomes "a little bit of a slope." His dedication includes yoga training just to reach emergency gear handles: "I'm surprised I haven't thrown my back out yet."

    Brian shares his instrument training breakthrough on flying holds: "just draw the heading inbound to the fix and make the least insane turn" - apparently the secret nobody teaches. Ted discovers rental planes lack coffee makers while relearning carburetor heat exists.

    The key message: you don't need full commitment to make progress. "Point yourself in that direction and start chipping away" through reading, finding safety pilots, or just "planting seedlings of learning" in your brain during downtime.

    As friend of the show ATP CFII Nathan Ballard proves: "It took me 27 years to go from commercial to CFI. We are all on our own pace."

    Plus the debut of Midlife Pilot Confessional featuring anonymous "avionics errors."

    "Steam gauges because sometimes your best friend is a needle with a twitch."

    Mentioned on the show:

    * Moontown Airport Alabama: https://www.moontownairport.com/

    * CFII Ben Lehman, Drift Aviation: https://www.driftaviation.com/

    * Sandwich Illinois private airport: https://www.airnav.com/airport/IS65

    * The Dunning-Kreuger effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

    * Ted's Alvord Desert video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKIK0CiVnrM

    * CNI Cherokee County, Canton Georgia: https://www.airnav.com/airport/CNI

    * Triple Tree fly-in, Sep 22-28, SC00 Spartanburg, SC: https://tta.aero/ttfi/

    * Music City STOL, Oct 10-11, XNX Gallatin Tenn: https://nationalstol.com/musiccity/

    * Swift fly-in, Oct 1-5, MMI Athens Tenn: https://swiftmuseumfoundation.org/2025-swift-national-fly-in-october-1st-5th-preregistration-form/

    * Atlanta Mayors' 5k on an ATL runway: https://runsignup.com/Race/Donate/GA/CollegePark/Mayors5Konthe5thRunway

    * Atlanta airport cemetery (on the runway): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/flat-rock-and-hart-cemeteries

    * Erica's IFR ground school class: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/ifr

    * dwhonan's aviation photography: https://www.instagram.com/dwhonan/


    Join the Midlife Pilot Podcast community, get merch, and more at www.midlifepilotpodcast.com
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    1 時間 6 分
  • EP146 - The Third Rail of Aviation Discussion

    EP146 - The Third Rail of Aviation Discussion
    2025/09/16

    1DullGeek takes the hot seat to defend his controversial lean-of-peak flying technique that left Brian "smiling and nodding while trying to keep up." Using full throttle and mixture control for power management breaks more than just Lord Alpha Juliet's brain - it challenges decades of conventional wisdom.

    The crew dives deep into the psychology of finding and keeping good A&Ps, from owner-assisted annuals to the art of setting ground rules before work begins. Ted shares desert camping adventures complete with ground effect experimentation, Brian celebrates his first successful tailwheel flight review, and everyone agrees that partnerships come with built-in mechanics (the real MVP move).

    Mentioned on the show:

    * EP100 in West Virginia with OG Chris: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/blog/remembering-episode-100-a-very-special-non-event

    * Mike Busch, Time and Materials: https://www.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Savvy_2023-12_time-and-materials.pdf

    * Ask the A&Ps: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/podcasts/podcasts/ask-the-a-and-ps

    * Savvy Aviation: https://www.savvyaviation.com/


    Support the Show: Join the best midlife pilot community and support the podcast on Patreon, browse our aviation merch collection, send us your feedback, and connect with fellow pilots at https://midlifepilotpodcast.com. We're grateful for your support in making this the positive aviation community we all love to be part of.
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    57 分
  • EP145 - Information Whiskey: Life, Spotted Cow, and Plane Jinxes

    EP145 - Information Whiskey: Life, Spotted Cow, and Plane Jinxes
    2025/09/09

    Episode 145 brings you "information whiskey" - the crew's loose, conversational format where they step back from their "really tightly wound formatted structure" to catch up on life, flying, and everything in between.

    Ben confesses to being a "plane jinx" after his multi-engine training gets derailed by yet another 100-hour inspection, while Brian plans an epic desert trip from Nashville to New Orleans to Marfa because "if I don't have something on the horizon to look forward to, I'm just a shell of a human being." Ted shares his Palouse flying video and recalls his motorcycling adventures from "above the Arctic circle" to "below the equator."

    The highlight of the episode is Brian's glowing review of Wendell Geek's masterful Fisk arrival video, calling it "the first thing I've seen where it actually made me want to fly Fisk" and praising its non-linear storytelling approach. Mark reveals he accidentally rendered over his original footage and had to rebuild the entire video from scratch.

    The conversation meanders through STOL competitions ("if I had your plane, I would be doing that"), insurance implications of MOSAIC rules, and the crew's ongoing battle with aging aircraft and cars. Ben gets his thrills with a massive forward slip through Atlanta's Delta airspace, while Brian contemplates whether anyone wants to rebuild a 4AGE motor in a 1985 Toyota MR2.

    As Ted notes about midlife priorities: "We chose this not because it was easy, but because we thought it was easy" - the same mindset that drives both flying and life decisions at this stage.

    Ben's wisdom: "Cleared for the approach means it's time to make math panic look graceful."

    Mentioned on the show:

    • Music City STOL: https://nationalstol.com/musiccity/
    • XNX - Music City Executive Airport: https://www.airnav.com/airport/KXNX
    • Piperzilla: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1418719012179295
    • Ted's "Palouse Is My Happy Place" vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhD9hx-XvII
    • Tailwheel CFI Ben: https://www.instagram.com/flyyywithben/
    • RYY - Cobb County: https://www.airnav.com/airport/KRYY
    • MGE - Dobbins ARB: https://www.airnav.com/airport/kmge
    • Mark/1dullgeek's Oshkosh arrival vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIWmgdiTDj8
    • Ted's Oshkosh arrival vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91smAolmRpI
    • Checkride debriefs and Killing Zone Konversationz: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1238009
    • Midlife Pilot Podcast: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/
    • YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@MidlifePilotPodcast
    • Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast
    • Freedom Aviation Network: https://freedomaviation.network/
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    52 分