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
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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 
This week, we speak with Bob Schmelzer, who has spent the last 40+ years, flying for United Airlines. Just this past week, Bob turned 65, which by FAA rules, required him to retire from the airlines. With 27,000 of his 37,000 hours being at United, it is certainly an end to an era.
The good news for GA is that Bob has never stopped training primary and advanced students working towards a rating, and even evaluating pilots while acting as a FAA designated pilot examiner. He stands as a role model for giving back to aviation! Listen in and join the SimpleFlight crew in learning about Bob's experience leading up to his last airliner flight, then feel his emotion as he describes that last flight, and finally what lies ahead for him. * * * Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week! @Bmp590 @BMP590 correctly answered our Instagram post asking for someone to identify what famous hangar was pictured. Our Avgeek of the week knew that the picture was none other than Red Bull's Hangar-7 at Salzburg Airport. It is a unique building which houses the historical Flying Bulls aircraft fleet and a collection of Formula 1 race cars. Hangar-7 also offers space for art exhibitions. And with its Restaurant Ikarus, two bars, an Outdoor Lounge and one café, it is not just an events location, but a meeting point for art lovers and bons vivants, too. 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's show features Jason Schappert of MzeroA.com.
As pilots around the world know, Jason Schappert is a CFII and ATP rated pilot. He is the founder of MzeroA.com, and author of eight aviation flight training books. In 2008, Jason was named AOPA's Top Collegiate Flight Instructor, which was followed by being named an Outstanding Flight Instructor in both 2014 and 2015. Having amassed over 8000 hours of in-flight instruction since learning how to fly, he now provides help to many through his Online Ground School at mzeroa.com. What you will learn from Jason is how his values, business acumen, and focus on helping to create safer pilots translate to success! You're going to love this episode!!! In the hangar talk segment, Al and Marc talked about a topic that seems to have come too early this year. That topic is cold weather flight preparation. The guys talked about:
@waddlebus @waddlebus correctly answered our Instagram post asking for what TKS stands for. @waddlebus knew that the popular de-icing fluid's name came from the three companies that invented the fluid during WWII. That being Tecalemit - Killfrost - Sheepbridge. Their formula lowers the freezing point of water and has helped to provide greater utility for aircraft around the world. 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 sat down with the President and CEO of AOPA, Mark Baker. AOPA has always been there for the General Aviation pilot, but the focus often seems to be centered on protecting our rights in Washington. It was great to talk to Mark on a pilot to pilot basis and come to understand his passion and commitment to GA is really no different than any of us. And the fact that he is dedicated to making aviation better as a result of his involvement, is proof positive he's the right person for such a critical leadership role.
In the second half of the show, Al and Marc dug into our Facebook postings from pilots asking for our perspective on several topics. Thanks to Mark L for asking for strategies to squash the jitters associated with straying from one's home airport. Listen and Learn as the guys talk about:
@patriotpilot @patriotpilot correctly answered our Instagram post asking for the make and model of the plane you see on our Instagram page. @patriotpilot knew it was a 1939 Cessna 165 Airmaster! Many pilots answered that it was a Cessna 195, but our #avgeek knew that the windows and strut system in the landing gear was that of the 165. Nicely Done!!! If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the week and earn shout out on the show, follow us on Instagram @simpleflightradio 
Tom Haines! This week Marc and Al sat down with the Senior Vice President of Media and Outreach for AOPA, Tom Haines. After 30 years of bringing aviation into the homes of pilots via magazines like AOPA Pilot, Tom helps us to see the world from the editor's point of view. Changing technology and the people who use it, creates a wide range of challenges in bringing the right content, in the right format to the right reader. Tom talks about the strategies he uses to stay connected with his audience. Listen and learn!
In the second half of the show, Al and Marc debriefed their flight to and from the Gulf Shores AOPA Fly-In:
Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week! @wlblueskies @wlblueskies correctly answered our Instagram post asking for the final approach fix for the now closed Runway 32L ILS at ORD! If you'd like to be our #avgeek of the week and earn shout out on the show, follow us on Instagram @simpleflightradio Thanks to all who came to see us in person at the AOPA Regional Fly-In at Gulf Shores 
Cockpit Hacks! This week its all about making things a little bit easier, simple and safer in the cockpit. You may have seen a few things on Instagram this week of a few of the cockpit hacks. In the show we promised we would include a link to the "LCD Doodle Pad" that we talked about this week. Many of you asked where to buy it, here it is on Amazon: CLICK HERE FOR: LCD Neon Doodle Pad
During our conversation, Al and Marc talked about these ideas:
Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week! @muerto_garage @Muerto_garage correctly answered our Instagram post asking who the 777's launch customer was and how many are in their fleet! The 777 program was launched in October 1990 with an order from United Airlines. In June 1995, United flew its first 777 in revenue service. The Boeing board of directors authorized production of the 777-300 on June 26, 1995, and the first 777-300 was delivered to Cathay Pacific Airways in June 1998. Come See Us In Person! October 26th and 27th - Jack Edwards Airport - AOPA FLY IN 
Mike Poznansky joins us this week.
Mike has the good fortune to own two airplanes. But what makes his situation a little more unique, is that one of those planes is a Cessna 185 on amphibious floats. He lives a dual life, with a business need and one for adventure. Not surprising, Mike flies mostly for business, but looks for opportunities to increase the adventure side. You can follow Mike on Instagram: @mikepoz During our conversation, Al and Marc talked with Mike about some interesting topics:
So what do you think? Are you interested in getting a seaplane rating? Congratulations to our Avgeek of the Week! Dave - @drdavedraws Dave correctly answered our question that we posted on Instagram. We asked what device Mike Poznansky was holding. Dave correctly answered that the device was a bilge pump used to drain the floats prior to flight. Come See Us In Person! October 26th and 27th - Jack Edwards Airport - AOPA FLY IN 
Amy Voss joins us this week. She is a rockstar CFI, Mentor and is the Regional Training Manager for the East Coast at Cirrus Aircraft. She works daily with helping students, instructors and flight schools help people through elevating their personal minimums. Sometimes personal minimums are a lot harder than we think.
You can follow Amy on Instagram: @tri_everywhere We covered in our conversation with Amy:
Congratulations to our Avgeek of the week! Jodie - @indiana.jodes Jodie correctly answered our question that we posted on Instagram. We asked what all the variants of the 747 are and she answered correctly. Jodie even included all the Military designations too. Come see us in person! October 26th and 27th - Jack Edwards Airport - AOPA FLY IN |
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