Aviation News Talk Podcast

Max talks with Laurence Balter about how the general aviation community in Hawaii is flying relief supplies to help victims of Maui’s wildfires. The town of Lahaina is served by just a single road, which has closed frequently since the wildfires began a week ago. Electricity and cell phone outages have also hampered relief efforts. Soon after the fires, local Maui pilots began organizing to fly supplies into Kapalua Airport, near Lahaina, but which is closed to most general aviation flights. The pilots received permission to fly into Kapalua, and began flying relief supplies to the airport. Balter and Maui Brewing founder Garrett Marrero organized the effort via text messages and social media, and flights began on August 11. The pilot group worked with the airport fire departments at Maui's main Kahului Airport. Firefighters and volunteers weighed and loaded supplies that were delivered to the fire station. The process worked in reverse at theKapalua airport, where local fire fighters unloaded planes and

Choosing a flight instructor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as you work to become a pilot, and later as you work on additional certificates and ratings. And that’s because having the right CFI can be one of the biggest factors in your success. Not that you can’t succeed with an awful flight instructor, but it’s so much easier if you’re with the right flight instructor. Most likely, you’ll get to choose a new flight instructor multiple times, either because your first flight instructor has moved on, or you’ve moved to a new location, or you’re working on advanced training in some aircraft in which your previous flight instructor doesn’t specialize. And the flip side of all of this is firing a flight instructor, which we’ll talk about later. Since choosing the right flight instructor is so important, you’ll want to give this a lot of thought and not just sign up with the first flight instructor you come across, or your friend, or your employee who’s been itching to get you to fly with t

284 The Surprising Distraction before a 737 Crash + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 284 The final NTSB report is out for Transair flight 810, which crashed at night in the ocean shortly after takeoff from Hawaii. The pilots thought that they had a rare double engine failure. In fact, they had just a single engine failure, but they left both throttles at idle, dooming the plane. The probable

283 Wings to Rotors: How you can start now to add a helicopter rating to your pilot certificate + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 283 Max talks about his experience getting a helicopter add-on rating, and how you can do it too. The FAA allows a fixed wing pilot to add-on a helicopter rating with 30 hours of helicopter time. For someone without a pilot certificate, they’ll need a minimum of 4

282 Foggy Night: Unraveling the crash of a Cessna Citation 550 jet at French Valley in Southern California Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you've learned something from the show that made you a safer pilot or pass a checkride, please join the club and support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation via PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary282 Max talks about the crash of N819KR, a Cessna Citation 550 jet, at French Valley in Southern California. The pilots flew two GPS approaches at 4 AM, while the field was below IFR minimums. After

281 What's Wrong about the 70-50 Takeoff Rule with Catherine Cavagnaro + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 281 Max talks with Catherine Cavagnaro about the Myth of the 70-50 takeoff rule and what’s wrong with it. It seems that 70-50 rule is extracted from a basic but unrealistic model for aircraft takeoffs that ignores air resistance. The same model predicts her Bonanza will go supersonic shor

280 Miracle in the Mountains: Heroic Rescue by Alaska Air National Guard Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary280 Max talks with LtCol Zerkel and Capt Phillips of the Alaska Air National Guard, who were part of a heroic effort to rescue two NY pilots who crashed a Cessna 182 in high in the mountains. The pilots spent 36 hours waiting to be rescued. At the same time, the Guard was trying to extract 12 moun

279 Poor Decision Making Kills Airline Pilot in C150 Crash + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 279 Max talks about an accident that highlights how external pressures, fatigue, and poor decision making can doom even a high time, professional pilot. An experienced airline pilot crashed a Cessna 150 near the airport of intended landing around 10 PM. He and his teenaged son had been flying all day

278 Prop Safety, Checklist Usage: Listener Mail - A Friday Mailbag Special + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 278 Max discusses a propeller accident in which a CFI let a 16-year old student out of an airplane with the engine running, all to avoid having to get out in the rain. NEVER let anyone out of your plane with the propeller still turning. He also reads a number of emails from listeners

277 External Pressures & Stress Lead to a Cessna 170 Accident + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 277 Max talks with CFI Chris about how his self-imposed pressure and stress led to multiple incidents and accidents. Chris shares how a 1-hour checkout with the new owner of a Cessna 170 led to an accident. But Chris also had two other accidents or incidents within a 3-year period. He attribut

276 Capturing the Skies – Why and How to Record Your in-Cockpit Audio Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Join now as a member to support the show with a donation via PayPal or Patreon. Send us an email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 276 In this episode, Max and Marc Epner delve into the benefits of recording in-cockpit audio, from enhancing learning to preserving memorable moments. Whether you're a seasoned pilot or an aspiring aviator, this episode offers practical tips and guidance on how to set up your audio recording system, the equipment you'll need, and how to ensure compliance with aviation regulations. So buckle up, tune in, and get ready to soar to new heights with this captivating e

275 What Fixed Wing Pilots Need to Know about Helicopters + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 275 Max talks about things fixed wing pilots should know about helicopters including their rotor downwash and wake turbulence, and how far away pilot should stay away from hovering and departing helicopters. He also talks about the Robinson Safety Notice, which says that airplane pilots are at high ri

274 Checklist Usage, FAA Medical Preparation, & Aging Pilot Solutions: Listener Mail - A Friday Mailbag Special Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary274 Max reads listener letters and feedback. Listeners share their Checklist best practices. Two pilots share how they prepared in advance for their FAA medical with great success. And a pilot decided to sell his plane, after listening to #257 about chal

273 Checklist Accident Failures: The Importance of Using Checklists Properly + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 273 Max talks about two accidents in which the improper use of checklists was a factor, and how to better use checklists when you fly. The pilots of Spanair Flight 5022 were all configured to takeoff, when they returned to the gate for a maintenance issue. Later they went to takeoff

272 Spatial Disorientation and SOPs: Analyzing Three Recent Accidents Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary272 Max talks about three recent accidents, all of which should have been avoidable. Interestingly, two of them involve helicopters, and yet the lessons we can learn from them apply directly to fixed wing pilots as well. Two of the three accidents involve failure to follow standard operating procedur

271 Pilatus PC-12 Crash and other Listener Feedback and Insights - A Friday Mailbag Special Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary271 Max reads listener letters and feedback. A listener asks if owners are more invested in their aircraft and more likely to do an impossible turn than renter pilots. Multiple listeners provide inputs on PC-12 autopilot disconnects. There was another Diamond DA42 crash, this ti

270 Exploring the Causes of Two Recent Nighttime Accidents + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 270 Max talks about two recent fatal night accidents that happened in Florida, which should have been avoidable. One occurred in Lantana after a full day of flying after purchasing an aircraft in Kentucky. After what may have been a bounced landing, the aircraft climbed extremely slowly, turned to th

269 Mastering Your Checkride with ForeFlight with Seth Lake Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Join now as a member to support the show with a donation via PayPal or Patreon. Send us an email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 269 Max talks with Seth Lake about how to use and how not to use ForeFlight for a successful checkride. Even if you aren’t planning to take a checkride, you’ll learn lots of tips from Seth about how to use the Documents tab of ForeFlight to organize information that you may want to have at your fingertips when you fly. He recommends you create a Binder for your checkride and then add documents to that binder. For example, for an instrument checkride, you may want to include

268 How to Troubleshoot a Failing Engine In Flight with Tom Turner + GA News Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary 268 Max talks with Tom Turner about how to troubleshoot a partial or total engine failure in flight. Every engine is going to be a little different, but there are generic steps for troubleshooting any partial or complete engine failure. All piston engines need fuel, air, and a source of igni

267 What Led to Fatal Breakup of a Medevac Pilatus PC-12 in Nevada Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus. Aviation News Talk is a listener supported show. So if you listen, please sign up and join the club to support the show! Make a monthly donation via Patreon and get various goodies, or make a one time donation at PayPal. Send us your feedback or comment via email If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary267 Max plays audio from ATC and the NTSB press conference and discusses what preceded the fatal breakup of a medevac Pilatus PC-12 in Nevada. The aircraft departed Reno, International Airport on February 24, 2023 at about 9 PM. It was snowing lightly at the time, and moderate turbulence and icing were