Adventures both in-the-air and surrounding the topic of flying airplanes
Episodes
The People Behind Boeing's B-17 is What Made the Airplane A Success
8 Oct 2026 · 14 min
My new friend, Ayal Shenkman, an Israeli F-16 pilot and history buff, visited the United States a few months ago to attend AirVenture and take in the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force for the opportunity to crawl around inside a classic B-17. He left the US for Israel realizing there…
Learning to Tow Banners for Fun, Profit and Improved Stick and Rudder Skills
26 Sept 2026 · 13 min
I was hired by Chicago Aerial Advertising when I was in my mid-20s to learn how to safely drag a huge airborne advertising display around Chicagoland with a tiny 150-hp Citabria as the tow airplane It turned out to be not only the adventure of my flying career, but also some of the most valuable…
Labor Day Explained
6 Sept 2026 · 17 min
Much about the American Labor movement has changed dramatically in the past 100 years. But some of the more unsavory aspects of labor remain exactly the same as they were a century ago. Here's why.
Airplanes and Water Can Mix
24 Aug 2026 · 14 min
I reminisce about the adventure and the fun of adding a single-engine seaplane rating to my pilot certificate.
ATC: 45 Years After the PATCO Strike
31 Jul 2026 · 21 min
August 3 is the 45th anniversary of the infamous PATCO strike that cost 11,435 air traffic controllers their careers after they called a strike against the FAA. Nearly five decades later, the nation's air traffic control system remains short of enough controllers to keep the system humming like it…
Aircraft Emergencies & the Saga of Speedbird 009
12 Jul 2026 · 12 min
Ever wonder how pilots think during an emergency and why they never seem to panic? Listen as I describe what happened aboard a British Airways 747 flight when they encountered the ash cloud created by the eruption of a volcano on the island of Java.
Work Life Balance ... for Pilots?
25 Jun 2026 · 13 min
At a recent CAP Squadron meeting, a cadet officer commented about how unsavory the schedules could be for pilots. Having spent much of my life in a cockpit, I took his comment rather personally. I thought more about his words over the next few days and came to realize that the aerospace industry…
Are You a Space Geek
22 May 2026 · 9 min
Rob's personal reflection on his lifelong fascination with space exploration and astronauts. It was recently highlighted by attendance at the Chicago premiere of Spacewoman , a documentary about Eileen Collins, a retired Air Force Colonel and the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle.…
When a Standard Instrument Departure Becomes Hazardous to Your Professional Health
6 May 2026 · 13 min
A routine instrument departure turns into a career-defining moment when poor cockpit communication and rushed decisions lead to a serious ATC deviation. In this episode, Rob Mark shares how one flight exposed the dangers of weak Crew Resource Management (CRM) - and the hard lesson that remaining…
The Coveted 1500 Hours
11 Apr 2026 · 23 min
Before 2009, pilots who wanted a career as an airline pilot could easily be hired with as little as 300 hours total time in their logbooks. That all changed after the crash of a Continental Express Bombardier Q400 turboprop with the loss of all aboard while on approach to Buffalo, New York.…
There's More to Flight Instruction Than Simply Logging hours
14 Mar 2026 · 14 min
No individual can enhance aviation safety as much as a flight instructor. Flight instructors possess a powerful opportunity to make a tangible difference in someone’s life, very possibly the rest of their life. Whatever a student pilot learns – good or bad – they learn from us. The habits we teach…
Stories about Flying intro for Jetwhine readers
2 Mar 2026 · 3 min
Bare with me here, because in this brief episode, I'll be introducing Jetwhine readers to the Stories about Flying podcast.
The Accidental Correspondent: Part 1
30 Jan 2026 · 10 min
Fledgling journalist Brian Coleman departed the US last week after snuggling up with a United Premium Plus seat enroute to the 2026 Singapore Airshow. This will be his first airshow adventure in the Asia/Pacific region. He'll be sending us back some regular reports as he explores the show ...…
Armchair Accident Investigators
19 Jan 2026 · 12 min
Have pilots acting as armchair accident investigators gotten out of hand? Sometimes. But not all accident investigators are created the same.
Being a Co-Pilot in the Early Days of the Airlines
3 Jan 2026 · 13 min
In the early days of the airlines, there were no Captains or First Officers ... only First Pilots and Co-Pilots. This episode describes an early memo from American Airways about how new male pilots were expected to behave on the line. There were, of course, no female pilots, nor any pilots of color.