Pilots and Avgeeks share a special bond which can usually be described in one word.... Passion. In today's world, it's not uncommon to find pilots that are making their way back into the sky after an extended hiatus. What is less common is to come across a pilot that after being "bitten" by the flying bug, immersed himself into the journey that included earning his private and instrument ticket, the purchase of a plane, and taking trips that previously were only dreams. That's when the story makes a 180 degree turn. Because in this case, the pilot voluntarily decided it was time to walk away.
Listen in to this week's episode of SimpleFlight Radio as Marc and Al sit down with Kirke Machon, a Chicago-based GA pilot that embarked on and completed a journey that most only dream about. And once the dream was complete, had the strength and conviction to walk away. We found the discussion empowering and uplifting. We hope you do as well. As always, we love hearing from you and ask you share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!!
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We often think of airports as just pieces of concrete, maybe a control tower, and a place to land. Its easy to forget about the people behind the scenes putting their best foot forward to make your airport run!
This week, we sit down with Jamie Abbott, the Executive Director at our home airport - Chicago Executive (KPWK). Jamie has some incredible stories on how he and his team work hard to keep the airport safe, valuable to the community, and make a home for your favorite Aviation Podcast, SimpleFlight Radio! As always, we love hearing from you and ask you share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio 
Ask most pilots, and they will tell you that learning to fly was one of the most rewarding and challenging things they have done in life. And while similarities exist, each pilot's journey is unique. Something that can be depended on are the many challenges that will be faced throughout the training process. This week's episode of SimpleFlight Radio has Marc and Al talking with Kseniya Polinsky, a friend of the show, who recently earned her Private Pilot certificate. Like all of us, Kseniya, had to answer the questions of how to go about getting started, finding a school, a CFI, and establishing a timeline that made sense for her, while life around her continued to change. Kseniya's story serves as a reminder that the path is not always straight, but it is within the student's ultimate control. The crew enjoyed hearing about her strategies for understanding and navigating both the human and technical factors that come into play during the process. Of course, establishing, and when necessary, reestablishing momentum is a topic we can all identify with. We hope you you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. As always, we love hearing from you and ask you share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!! 
It's a surprise to no one that the most common conversations in aviation, center on people and planes. And why not... it makes for great hangar flying. This week, Al and Marc were reminded of another very important aspect of aviation... The Airport. We're not talking about the runways, but how the airport serves as a hub for bringing people and planes together. Airports have personalities that are born out of the stories and the people who make them happen. This week, the SimpleFlight crew visited a shining example of the perfection that happens when it all comes together.
Poplar Grove Airport (C77) is a very special place. It's not because of chance, but rather the owners of the airport, Steve and Tina Thomas, designed it that way. They built a culture years ago, which they protect, strengthen, and live 7 x 24 x 365. After a tour of the field, which was too short for their liking, the guys had a chance to sit down with Steve and Tina and talk about how they make the magic happen. When you listen to this week's show, you may hear about a flight school, a maintenance shop, a museum, and an air-park, but what you'll feel and think about is the history, the passion, and a very special community. You can read about Poplar Grove on their website:(www.poplargroveairmotive.com), but if you ever in the Midwest, drop by C77 and say hi to Steve and Tina (and the dogs). You may never want to leave. As always, we love hearing from you and ask you share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!! 
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 Al did. As always, we love hearing from you and ask you share your ideas with the entire SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!! 
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 it's 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 community @simpleflightradio Thanks for being a part of the SimpleFlight Family!!! 
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 to our Avgeek shout out!! This week our shout out goes to all the professional ATC controllers! Hopefully things will return to normal for all of you working in all the air traffic facilities! If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the week and earn shout out on the show, follow us on Instagram @simpleflightradio 
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 the meantime, visit our web page (simpleflight.net/podcast) to take a trip down memory lane and re-listen to some of your favorite shows from the past 7 years. Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy and Healthy New Year! * * * Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week! @wcrahen This week's "Avgeek of the Week, correctly answered our Instagram post asking for the three criteria necessary to land coming out of an instrument approach. @wcrahen correctly identified that you must, be in a continuous position to land (stabilized approach), have the required visibility, and have some element of the runway environment in sight. Great job and ties nicely to this week's discussion. If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the week and earn shout out on the show, follow us on Instagram @simpleflightradio 
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 our Instagram post asking for the make and model of a top down and cutoff picture of a single engine aircraft. He knew the picture was of a Piper Mirage, based on the nose cowling, the fuselage, and the DeIce boots. Thought we made it tough with the two bladed prop, but you can't put anything by our Avgeek of the Week If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the week and earn shout out on the show, follow us on Instagram @simpleflightradio 
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 Instagram post asking for the requirements associated with oxygen usage in the cockpit of our general aviation planes. Stephen knew that FAR 91.211 requires the PIC to use oxygen after 30 minutes at 12,500 feet, use it continuously at 14,000 feet, and offer it to passengers at 15,000 feet. Not regulatory, but it's also recommended that oxygen is used at 5,000 feet for night operations. This is due to the improvement in night vision when oxygen is used. If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the week and earn shout out on the show, follow us on Instagram @simpleflightradio |
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