In Episode 88, Bill welcomes Jason Miller, two-time FAA Western Pacific CFI of the Year and founder of The Finer Points, to discuss how his platform evolved into an flight training app that models real-world lessons with briefings, flights, and debriefs across five courses. They talk about uneven student preparation, the 2015–2023 “explosive growth” period that left inexperienced CFIs training newer pilots, and signs of degraded proficiency and safety concerns, alongside the FAA’s overhaul of written tests to reduce memorization and align questions with the ACS. Jason explains the free CFI Club’s mentorship focus, monthly meetings, and “CFI Handbook” videos, and why he chose a career instructing path. They cover technology’s impact—YouTube safety content, EFB benefits and distractions, and best practices—plus thoughts on AI’s current limits and targeted uses. Miller also describes his mountain/canyon “airplane camp” adventure training emphasizing risk management and survival planning. This is Student Pilot Cast episode 087, Powered by Human Intelligence; A Conversation with Jason Miller.

Get the free Go or No-Go guide: https://studentpilotcast.com/three-questions

Get the Friday Flight Brief: https://studentpilotcast.com/flightbrief

Links:

• Join The Finer Points on our Adventure Flying Trips
• The Finer Points – Become a better pilot
• Join The Finer Points CFI Club!

Hope you enjoy the episode and thanks for listening! Visit the SPC website at https://studentpilotcast.com. Please keep the feedback coming. You can use the contact form on the website or send email to bill at student pilot cast dot com. The theme song for our episodes is "To Be an Angel" by the band, "Uncle Seth".

Legal Notice: Remember, any instruction that you hear in this podcast was meant for the student and only for the situation that they happened to be in at the time. Please do not try to apply anything you see or hear in this episode or any other episode to your own flying. If you have questions about any aspect of your flying, please consult a qualified CFI.

Copyright 2008-2026, studentpilotcast.com and Bill Williams

In Episode 87, we join Bill and Kent as they discuss forced induction in general aviation, contrasting normally aspirated engines with superchargers, turbochargers, and turbo-normalizers, and explaining how turbos use exhaust-driven turbines and wastegates (automatic, manual—separate or throttle-linked—and fixed) to manage boost. They cover turbocharged vs turbo-normalized manifold pressure, the role of intercoolers in cooling compressed intake air, and operational considerations like avoiding overboost on takeoff/go-arounds, critical altitude (example: Seneca around 12,000 feet), and high-altitude issues including cooling challenges, pressurized mags, and pilot oxygen needs. They recommend FAA hypoxia training (including nitrogen-based options and a spatial disorientation simulator) and discuss descent and shutdown considerations, including turbo cool-down and the debate around shock cooling. Finally, they outline why pilots choose turbos (terrain, takeoff/climb performance, speed on long legs, weather/icing avoidance) and why some shouldn’t (cost, shorter TBO, more fuel burn, maintenance complexity, limited benefit on short legs, and discomfort using oxygen), using a Mooney vs Mooney Bravo comparison to illustrate time vs fuel tradeoffs.

Get the free Go or No-Go guide: https://studentpilotcast.com/three-questions

Get the Friday Flight Brief: https://studentpilotcast.com/flightbrief

Links:

Hope you enjoy the episode and thanks for listening! Visit the SPC website at https://studentpilotcast.com. Please keep the feedback coming. You can use the contact form on the website or send email to bill at student pilot cast dot com. The theme song for our episodes is "To Be an Angel" by the band, "Uncle Seth".

Legal Notice: Remember, any instruction that you hear in this podcast was meant for the student and only for the situation that they happened to be in at the time. Please do not try to apply anything you see or hear in this episode or any other episode to your own flying. If you have questions about any aspect of your flying, please consult a qualified CFI.

Copyright 2008-2026, studentpilotcast.com and Bill Williams

In Episode 86, we join Bill as he relaunches the podcast. Four distinct series, a new look, and more bad puns. I do a Briefing Room episode to launch things back off, and explain how things are changing, how they're staying the same, and what we want to focus on.

Get the free Go or No-Go guide: https://studentpilotcast.com/three-questions

Get the Friday Flight Brief: https://studentpilotcast.com/flightbrief

Links:

• Radio Check – The Student Pilot Cast

Hope you enjoy the episode and thanks for listening! Visit the SPC website at https://studentpilotcast.com. Please keep the feedback coming. You can use the contact form on the website or send email to bill at student pilot cast dot com. The theme song for our episodes is "To Be an Angel" by the band, "Uncle Seth".

Legal Notice: Remember, any instruction that you hear in this podcast was meant for the student and only for the situation that they happened to be in at the time. Please do not try to apply anything you see or hear in this episode or any other episode to your own flying. If you have questions about any aspect of your flying, please consult a qualified CFI.

Copyright 2008-2026, studentpilotcast.com and Bill Williams