SimpleFlight Radio Marc Epner, Al Waterloo

Like most people that love aviation, I find myself addicted to the experience.  Our community shares that passion regardless of all the other things that make us different.  And it's that love that drives our desire to share the experience with others.  Hence the reason for Simpleflight Radio.  It provided me the venue to share with all of you.  And not too many years ago, I started PF Flying, a YouTube channel that brings both in-cockpit audio and video to our followers.
The experience has led to me learning about all the power of recording my flights and sharing them with all of you.  It also led to a new love tied to producing the output in a way that resonates with people.  Along the way, I have made a lot of mistakes that are relatively common across the pilot community.  So when Max Trescott (aviationnewstalk.com) approached me about producing a show or two on the ins, outs, gotchas, and best practices of recording aviation, I jumped at the chance.  
I enjoy my discussions with Max, because there always seems to be great value in our shared experiences and our listeners seem to share that sentiment.  So thanks to Max for allowing me be a guest on his show and replay it here.  
Today's show is all about the audio end of the topic.  Stay tuned for Part 2, in which we will focus on video.  Hope you love listening as much as we enjoyed talking about it.
Blue Skies and Tailwinds!

Apologies to our loyal listeners for the gap between shows.  Schedules, Family, Work, and Life are competing for time.  I love SimpleFlight and refuse to let it go.  Thanks for your patience, while we work it out. 
In the meantime, I continue to have so many wonderful conversations with pilots across the country.  One of my pilot buddies is Max Trescott and we tend to have wonderful philosophical conversations at the end of our respective days.  The focus is always on being better, safer pilots, and imparting that knowledge to others.  Max commented on how we should record our impromptu conversations as we drive from point A to point B.  So let it be written, so let it be done!  Let's call it Pilots In Cars (PIC)!

Lately, I have been diving deep into Situational Awareness, as it appears to be an opportunity for pilots to take their skills to the next level.  Max and I dug into that recently and we had the good sense to record the conversation.  Max posted it on his podcast (aviationnewstalk.com) and I did the same here.  We're very interested in your comments, experiences, and questions, so please let us know what you think.  Please share them with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Blur Skies and Tailwinds!
 

Yes, SimpleFlight Radio is still here.  We took an extended break, but not without missing all of you.  Some of you have found me with my YouTube channel, PF Flying.  If you checked it out, you saw that I had a catastrophic engine failure at about 1500 ft AGL.  When it happened, I was completely caught off guard, but the surprises didn't stop there.

With over 2300 hours, I always feared an engine out.  I didn't think about it often, but if someone was to ask, it would've been in my top 3 list of things I didn't want to experience.  I wondered how I would handle it.  Would I be frozen by fear and panic?  That's when surprise #2 hit me.  I felt no fear, I had no indecision, and I had complete confidence I was going to be OK.

So join us in our first episode for 2022,  with Brandon and myself doing a completely unscripted hangar talk session about what happened, how it happened, and what came after the dead stick landing.  I learned a lot about myself and more specifically, how my brain was the key to a successful outcome.  I believe the same can happen for you, so encourage you to listen and learn about how to increase your chances for success when facing an emergency.

​We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.  Please share them with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

As 2021 comes to a close, it's a good time to reflect on the year that was.  As we made progress against Covid, the battle rages on.  Still, 2021 was a great year for General Aviation.  Many people have decided now is the time to start their aviation journey.  Flight Schools are extremely active and plane inventory & availability is tight as people start to check off bucket list items at a fast pace.  That not only goes for new pilots, but existing ones that are reaching new heights.
That is the case for Bob Reynolds.  As you may recall, Bob joined us in the summer of 2020 after taking advantage of the airline slowdown by landing at every Bravo airport in the lower 48 (except Regan).  And he didn't stop there.  Since then, Bob earned his Cirrus Vision Jet type rating and has been building time via some great adventures.  

Join us on this week's episode as Bob talks about his new aviation journey, including the costs, challenges, and the joy of following his dream.  Our dreams may be a bit different, but Bob sets the standard by which all of us can measure ourselves regardless of the destination.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.  Please share them with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

As Oshkosh came and went in 2021, the Simpleflight Crew celebrated the completion of our 9th year.  During the time of Covid, we didn't get a complete season out, but are very excited for our 10th season.  So we wanted to start this season with something we've not talked about previously and that is a hot topic.  After all our shows, we thought it would be an impossible task.  And yet, it was right there in front of us.  Aviation Insurance.

Join us on this week's episode as we are joined by Wendy Wenk, President of Wenk Aviation Insurance (www.wenkaviation.com). With almost 40 years in the business, Wendy and her staff help aviators navigate the often confusing landscape facing pilots and organizations.  Especially since the dynamics have been turned upside down over the last few years.  Brandon and Marc sought to understand the world of coverage, premiums, dynamics and best practices.  Wendy's long term perspective was eye opening and informative.  We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.   

We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.  Please share them with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio

Once bitten by the Aviation "Bug", pilots dream about flying experiences to come.  It may be a particular mission or a specific make and model of aircraft that the pilot wants to fly.  Dreams come in all shapes and sizes.

As a pilot gets a cadence going and becomes comfortable with their aviation life, a sense of contentment leads to a mental happy place and a zen-like experience.  Interestingly, new aviation experiences add to that feeling, but always seem centered on the same foundation of a love of aviation.  But then, when you least expect it, a new experience can come along that shatters the calm and replaces it with a high energy realization that there is more to achieve and now is the time to do something about it.
That's what happened to Marc after getting a chance to sit up front in a M-600 with a flying buddy.  Marc has flown other "next level" aircraft, but for some reason, this time resulted in a life changing moment.  The feeling, the sound, the decisions, the experience felt like a new world that was calling to him.  So listen in as Marc talks about it with Brandon and tries to understand what just happened.  The discussion also led down a path focused on different flying experiences and how aviation gives back based on what you put in.  It was a fun conversation.  We hope you agree.
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We'd love to hear about your aviation dreams and any "life changing" moments that happened along the way.  Please share them with the rest of the SimpleFlight Facebook and Instagram community @simpleflightradio