Legendary instructor Doug Stewart has a lot of strong opinions about flight training, from inadvertent IMC maneuvers to instrument procedures to engine failures. In this episode, Doug offers a sweeping view of the flight instructor’s role, with practical advice for pilots and instructors alike. Doug is also an active pilot examiner, so he shares checkride tips and tricks based on his decades of experience. In the Ready to Copy segment, Doug talks about flight simulators, bad communication habits, jazz musicians, and lessons from cycling.

SHOW LINKS:

* Doug Stewart Flight Instruction: https://www.dsflight.com/

* Improving on the 180-degree turn: https://www.dsflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/VMC-INTO-IMC-Mindstar.pdf

* Pilot’s Tip of the Week: https://pilotworkshop.com/tip

Whether he’s circling the globe in his Bonanza or crossing the Pacific in a Gulfstream, Adrian Eichhorn says he monitors four key risks on every flight. In this episode, he explains why they matter and how preflight preparation is the key to preventing mistakes. An expert on multiple topics, Adrian also shares night flying tips, lessons learned from a decade of borescope use, and some wild stories from his long distance flights. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear about the strangest airport Adrian ever landed at, why he loves the Bonanza, and what he learned as strategic nuclear advisor to the President.

SHOW LINKS:

* Night flying tips: https://safepilots.org/library/contributed/Safety_GoodNIGHT_12-31-15.pdf

* Adrian’s long flights: https://flybluehorizons.com/

* Pilot’s Tip of the Week: https://pilotworkshop.com/tip

As an astronaut for Virgin Galactic, Mike Masucci flies one of the most unique aircraft ever built, but at the end of the day he says his job is to be a great glider pilot. In this fascinating episode, he takes us inside the spaceship to describe what it’s like to see Earth from above, what it sounds like in space, and how he guides the aircraft back to a safe landing. Mike also spent many years flying the U-2 in the Air Force and the Citation X for a fractional provider, and he shares lessons learned from both jobs. In the Ready to Copy segment, Mike talks about test pilot school, staying awake on long flights, and tips for flight instructors.

SHOW LINKS:

* Virgin Galactic: https://www.virgingalactic.com/

* Tim Decker episode: https://www.sportys.com/blog/episode-56-fuel-management-and-flying-the-u-2-with-tim-decker/

* Pilot’s Tip of the Week: https://pilotworkshop.com/tip