The New Pilot PodBlog (Robert Cigliano )

In this episode, I welcome John Telfeyan to the virtaul hanger for a chat about flying to Oshkosh. John is a VFR pilot and has flown to AirVenture 5 times. A couple by himself. John shares his experiences about flying to the big show, what he learned along the way and his thoughts on how to do it safely and succesffully. John as I said is a VFR pilot with around 500 hours and busts the myth that you need to be a high-time IFR pilot in order to fly to Oshkos. Listening to him talk, you realize that a realtively low-time VFR pilot can do it safely and successfully.

John also talks about his role in building Terafugia's rodable aircraft the Transition.It was an extremely interesting conversation on the safety feature, flight testing the production prototype and the new configuration of the Transition.

This was an enjoyable conversation where I learned a lot about the thought process of flying a cross-country flight. Just so happen the flight was to Oshkosh. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and also learned a little about what it takes to fly to Oshkosh.

Dave and Jeff (back row), Jim, Rob, Len, Kristen, Rick, Dorrie, Jack and Rick  (Photo by Jeff Ward)

Kristen and Len from the Stuck Mic AvCast.

Dave, Rick and Dorrie in front of Rick's 172

The gang chatting after a good meal

1)  David Torrente, an excellent pilot and great flying companion. I look forward to many more XC flights with him. Hopefully not as eventful as our last few.

2) Jack Hodgson for arranging the meetups. They are a lot of fun. A great opportunity to meet up with friends that you only see at aviation events.

3) Dave Pascoe from LiveAtc.net, Rick Felty and Len Costa from the Stuck Mic AvCast (it was also great meeting Rick’s wife Dorrie and Len’s girlfriend Kristen), Jeff Ward from behind the scenes at UCAP, Rick Sheppe and Jim Goldman who were at the meetup.

4) A big shoutout to Bradley approach who helped us find the airport when we needed to land.

In this episode I discuss another flight with Joey. How fuel flowing from a wing tip is not a bad thing, alternative plans and how to get flight following on a sight-seeing flight.

I also get caught by my instructor when I make a non-standard departure.

Please join me as I take you on another fun flight where I learn a few things by myself and with the help of others.

Shout Outs:

The Student Pilot Cast - Learning to fly...in front of the world. A podcast about learning to fly.

The Pilot's Flight PodLog - Pilots and aviation enthusiasts like to fly, naturally. When they aren't flying, they like to talk about flying. Come join us in the virtual hangar for a little hangar-flying!
myTransponder- the social networking site for pilots, aircrews, maintainers, controllers, instructors, owners, and enthusiasts

This is another episode of what you can do with your private pilot's license besides the typical $100 hamburger or pancake breakfast flight, I welcome Carl Valeri from the Aviation Careers Podcast into the virtual hanger to talk about flying careers.

I know a number of private pilots,including myself who would love to turn their hobby into a career. Carl is an airline captain and very experienced in counseling pilots on careers. So I figured who better to have on the podcast then Carl to discuss turning the passion of flying into a career.

Carl gives some great advice and suggestions on the different types of jobs that you can do in the aviation industry. It is not just flying for a regional or major airlines. Their are endless opportunities; maybe you want to teach ground school, be a banner tower or manage an FBO. Maybe you are looking for a mid-life career change or just looking for a part-time job while still maintaining your current one. Listen in and Carl will give you the information you need to map your career path.  

I hope you enjoy the podcast and it gives you some ideas on what you can do to turn your passion into a career. Even if it is a part-time job so you can have a little extra money to pay for your $100 hamburger.



Some information about Carl Valeri. He is a co-host on the Stuck Mic Avcast, blogger on his website ExpertAviator.com, host of the AViation Careers podcast and a CFI. He does this all on his spare time when not flying in the left seat of an Embraer as a Captain of an airline. He has also volunteered at Sun-N-Fun where he was a field reporter.

You can reach Carl at the following:

Aviation Careers Podcast
www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/
www.twitter.com/FlyingCareers
www.facebook.com/AviationCareersPodcast
email:carl@aviationcareerspodcast.com

And for questions, comments, or suggestions please leave a voicemail at:
347-MY-WINGS

Stuck Mic Avcast
www.stuckmicavcast.com/

Expert Aviator

Hello Everybody. This episode is my recollections and imperessions of my first trip to Oshkosh.

We spent 3 days at AirVenture, camping at Camp Scholler. I participated in Podapalooza on Friday night along with other aviation podcasters. This trip was very special for me since I was able to share my passion of aviation and my first trip to AirVenture with my sons. This was our first "boys" trip together and what a trip it was.

The one thing that I will take from this trip is how social media is helping to bring people together, especially the aviation community. I met many of my "social media" friends for the first time in person at Oshkosh. We have all become friendly through Twitter, forums and listening to each other's podcasts. Even before I arrived at Oshkosh I already had meetups scheduled with my friends. So instead of not knowing anyone there, I had parties and meetups to go to. This is what our small community is all about. Strangers coming together with a single, common interest and hanging out like we knew each other for years.

You can see my pictures from Oshkosh at http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcigliano/sets/72157624676352535/

Some housekeeping,

• The URL for the web site has changed to be less of a mouthful, TheNewPilotPodBlog.com (removing blogspot from the name). The old URL will still work.
• I am using new equipment, a Behringer XM8500 microphone and Behringer Xenyx802 mixer. I hope the audio quality has improved. I plan to make some more equipment purchases. Please let me know if you hear any improvements.
• I also have finally created a logo. Please let me know what you think of it.

Uncontrolled Airspace (uncontrolledairspace.com)
@juliewillfly
@adamcanfly
@PilotRob950
@TwiliteFlyer
@pilot2b
@PilotConway
@scofreyjet
@JHWellington
@rfelty
Pilot Tony from UCAP forums and myTransponder.
myTransponder Team
Rod Rakic @rodrakic
Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com
Please join the myTransponder group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here

Hello everybody. In this episode I talk about going totally paperless in the cockpit using the iPad. More importantly I talk about my flight with Colleen. If you remember, our last flight was memorable for all the wrong reasons. I made 4 BIG mistakes and Colleen felt a little sick at the end (see Episode #09 - Colleen's 1st Flight in the PiperSport and my 4 Mistakes). When I asked if she would fly with me again, she said she didn't think so. This crushed me. So this flight was very important to me. I wanted to get her back in the air and make sure that she was comfortable and having fun. Otherwise she may never fly in a GA airplane again.

I also discus how I use the iPad. I pay special attention to the workflow and the apps that I use. I wanted to make sure that the flow was natural and that I could find all of the apps and information when needed. This is only a suggestion. You are the PIC and must decide what is appropriate for you.

I hope you enjoy the retelling of my flight.

Shoutouts:

1) Acro Camp 2
The casting call for Acro Camp 2 is now open. You have until June 2411:59 PM US ET to apply. So what are you waiting for? Climb over the airport fence and find out what it is like to fly upside down!

Go to www.airspeedonline.com or www.acrocamp.com to find out more and apply.

2) Stuck Mic AvCast Podcast http://stuckmicavcast.com/

This is the newest member of the aviation podshere. It is hosted by good friends of The New Pilot PodBlog
Len Costa (The PilotReport.com)
Rick Felty
Victoria Neuville

Hello everybody. In this episode I invite a group of friends into the virtual hanger for a discussion on using the iPad in aviation.

I recently purchased one and was trying to figure out how best to use this new, exciting tool. I took it up with me during a flight in the PiperSport and was very impressed with it. I immediate knew that the iPad will be great tool in my flight bag but I was unsure how best to fit it in my workflow, from preflight, enroute and post flight. To get a better understanding on how others use this cool, new toy, I decided to ask some friends who have already been using it. I figured that if I had these questions, others might have the same questions or at least be curious on using the iPad. So I decided to invite them to a round-table discussion to learn how they use it, what apps they use and to get any tips that might help me figure out how to use it in my flying.

I hope you enjoy it.

Show Notes:
Highlight of what was discussed:

• How reliable is the GPS
• What apps does each guest use and how the use them
• Will the iPad replace paper charts
• Until the chart margin information is included in the apps it will never replace paper charts
• A side note: after the episode I tried Flight Prep iChart and found that it displays the margin information
• The stitching of different charts and from TAC to Sectional
• The utility of being able to see where you are on a section/TAC and not just on a topographical map
• There is a concern that pilots will be looking inside the cockpit instead of outside even more with the iPad
• Concern about the simulated flight instruments and pilots relying on them
• The iPad as n educational tool
• FAA PDFs
• eBooks
• Jason Miller's (The Finer Points) communication app
• How to mount the iPad
• RAM mounts
• kneeboards
• Anti-glare screen protector
• Adam's custom pre-flight checklist that includes the iPad 
• Social Networking
• How myTrasnsponder.com and OshPlanner.com fit in
• Logbooks
• Log Ten Pro
• Logbook Pro
• JetRecord.com
• How we use the iPad for fun
• Angry Birds
• X-Plane
• Is it a legal Electronic Flight Bag

Below are the guests who sat at the round table in the virtual hanger. I have listed the apps that they use and a little information about them so that you get an idea how others are using the iPad.

Adam Fast @adamcanfly

• Private Pilot
• Creator of OshPlanner.com
• Used iPad on flight to Oshkosh
• Apps:
• ForeFlight
• SkyCharts Pro

Mike Miley @mike_miley

• Co-creator myTransponder.com
• CFI/ME/Commercial
• Apps:
• ForeFlight
• External GPS GNS5870 with Blue Tooth

Larry Overstreet @larryoverstreet

• PPL/Instrument/Glider
• uses iPad in Piper Cub
• Apps:
• ForeFlight
• Pilot FAR/AIM

Mike Daniels @Mike_Flys

• Crew member of the Mile High Flyers Podcast
• PPL
• uses it to plan dream flights
• Apps:
• ForeFlight
• Log Ten Pro
• Air Navigation Pro
• Motion X 

Rick Felty @rfelty

• PPL
• Aviation Videos on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/rdfelty)
• Apps:
• ForeFlight
• Checklists
• Bookmarks weather websites
• Weather apps

Darren @Shotgun15e

• Military (2000 hours F-15) and GA pilot (1000 hours SEL)
• Has taken the iPad to FL350
• Apps
• iFlyWhere
• ForeFligh
• Skycharts Pro
• Air Navigation Pro
• Wing X Pro 7

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com

Please join the myTransponder.com group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The New Pilot PodBlog is now on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheNewPilotPodBlog

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here

Hello Everybody, in this episode I interview Bart Jones Chief Pilot of Piper Aircraft about the PiperSport.  The PiperSport is Piper's new Light Sport Aircraft which has captured the attention of the aviation community. As most of you know, this is the plane that I personally fly. Bart shares his insights about this exiting new plane. So sit back and listen and enjoy the interview.




I will be at Airventure 2010, arriving Thursday morning and staying until Sunday afternoon. I will be camping at Camp Scholler with my two sons, Robert who is 20 and Joey who is 15.

One thing I am excited about is that I will be participitating in Podapalooza along with 20 other podcasters. It will be Friday night beginning at 7:00 PM at the Forum Pavillion 07 mainstage. So stop by and listen live to the voices in you head.

Shoutouts:

1. Bart Jones for taking his time out of his busy schedule to talk to me. 
2. Piper Aircraft for allowing Bart to do the interview and for being very helpful and supportive in getting this podcast published. 
3. www.OSHplanner.com, a great website where you can plan your time at Oshkosh. You can view my schedule at http://www.oshplanner.com/schedules/share/RobertCigliano/. 

Promos:

1. The Pilot's Journey Podcast - www.pilotsjourneypodcast.com 
2. Plane Crazy Down Under Podcast - www.planecrazydownunder.com
3. The Pilot's Flight PodLog - www.pilotsflightpodlog.com

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com
Please join the myTransponder group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here.

In this episode I again do something a little bit different. This is my first Pilot Report. I discuss my first flight in a Czech Airworks SportCruiser. Piper Aircraft has just recently announced that they are dirstibuting this sleek and sexy airplane as the new PiperSport

You can read more about the new PiperSport at http://piperaircraftinc.com/home/pages/PiperSport.cfm.

I discuss my first flight with Mike Bellenir in this cool aircraft. I had always wanted to try the SportCruiser, ever since Mid Island Air Service got one on the flight line at Brookhaven (KHWV). I have always been a low wing-guy and, although I love flying the Eaglet, it never felt right. So when I saw the SportCruiser, I knew I had to fly it. Plus, Joey has said that the SportCruiser is the plane he wants to take lessons in.

So have a listen and hear what I like and dislike about the SportCruiser and what I learned on the flight.

Shoutouts:

1) The Pilotcast - episode 74 is hysterical and a must listen. Dave Allen (The Pilot's Flight PodLog) and Steve Tupper (Airspeed) join the crew for some aviation trivia. Plus they mention yours truly and The New Pilot PodBlog. http://pilotcast.libsyn.com/

2) The Pilot's Flight PodLog (http://www.pilotsflightpodlog.com/) - episode 57 is FANTASTIC! Dave and Will interview Nick Spark, the producer of the documentary, The Legend of Pancho Barnes. This movie sounds great and I plan to pick up a copy.  http://www.panchobarnesfilm.com/film/

3) Piper Aircraft for bringing the PiperSport to market and bringing credibility to LSA. http://piperaircraftinc.com/home/pages/PiperSport.cfm.

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog

Please join the myTransponder group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

And LIPilot on myTransponder.com

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here.

Here are some pictures of the N529SC



P92 Eaglet and the SportCruiser side-by-side.





A close-up showing the canopy and panel.













All glass panel.













Nice profile!

In this episode you will hear the recording of Podapalooza 2011. It was a different format this year being held at the Sennheiser tent. It was more a party than a podcast. I hope you enjoy it.

Shoutouts:

Shout outs go to our sponsors who with out their support, this event could not be possible.

• myTransponder.com 
• Sennheiser Aviation Headsets

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com
Please join the myTransponder group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here.

Hello everybody. In this episode I have invited special guests to a round table discussion the Civil Air Patrol. I have always been interested in joining and had some questions. So I decided to invite some very special guests, who are all members of the Civil Air Patrol to answer some questions and talk about their experiences in the Civil Air Patrol. I figured if I was interested in joining and had some questions, some of the listeners of this podcast might also have questions and might be interested in hearing about the Civil Air Patrol.

We discuss many different subjects including how to join, the different types of squadrons, the commitment level required, the aircraft, the different jobs, the history and the mission of the Civil Air Patrol. The listener who is a pilot will be interested in hearing about what he or she can do with his or her private pilot's license. For the student pilot or a person interested in becoming a pilot, he or she will interested in the discussion of whether he or she can get their Private Pilot's License through the Civil Air Patrol (hint: the cadet member can the senior cannot, but he or she can get advanced ratings).

I learned a lot about the Civil Air Patrol and am planning to join (I will keep everyone updated). This is a great organization where young people can gain very important skills that will serve them well for the rest of their life and where anyone can do great work and server their community and country.

For anyone interested please go to http://gocivilairpatrol.com/.

As a note, everyone who participated in this discussion were speaking as individuals and their comments do not reflect the views of the Civil Air Patrol.

Future Discussion

This is first in a series of discussions I am planning to have on different things that a new pilot, or for that matter any pilot, can do in addition to the $100 hamburger.  Hopefully this will get the juices flowing of anyone thinking about getting their PPL or kick-starting a dormant pilot.

If anyone would like to hear about a specific subject, please email me. I will try to set up a discussion about it.

Shoutouts:

I will like to thank my guests for spending 2 hours with me discussing the Civil Air Patrol.

• Steve Tupper from Airspeed Podcast and Acro Camp
• David Allen from The Pilot's Flight PodLog and Other People's Airplanes
• Nate Deuhr from The Mile High Flyers Podcast
• Rod Rakic from myTransponder.com
• David Crawford

• Airspeed
• Pilot's Flight PodLog

In this episode I discuss my first flight taking up a passenger, my 14 year old son Joey.  Which also happens to be his first General Aviation flight.

I wanted to make this flight fun for him so that he would continue to fly with me.  I felt it was important to keep Joey involved so that he would be part of the experience and not just a bystander, hoping that this would keep him relaxed and more interested in the flight.

So my goal for this flight was a New Experience. A new experience for me, taking up a passenger and a new experience for my son, flying in his first GA airplane.

So at the end, the flight was a success. My goal was met. Not only did Joey enjoy the flight and wants to keep flying with me, but he wants to start taking lessons.

We are already planning and looking forward to our next flight together. Now I need to work on his sister, brother and mother.

Shout Outs:
Uncontrolled Airspace - the best hanger flying podcast
myTransponder - the social networking site for pilots, aircrews, maintainers, controllers, instructors, owners, and enthusiasts

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here.

Happy Holidays!

In this episode I look back at my first year as a new private pilot and forward to my second year. It has been an interesting first year for me. I have changed flight schools, got checked out in a new plane, started new training and introduced my 14 year old son to aviation. Heck, I even started a podcast.

http://www.flyaboutmovie.com/


In this episode I do things a little bit differently. I don't talk about one of my flights; instead I have invited Monika Petrillo into the virtual hanger to chat about her documentary film, Flyabout.

As a relatively new pilot, Monika decided to fly around the continent of Australia with her father, brother and father's wife.  Flyabout is the inspirational and beautiful film which chronicles her flight around Australia. It is not a travel log, it is more than that. It is her personal journey as she grows from a young woman into adulthood.

For the pilot or aviation lover, there is a lot of flying in this film. You follow her flights around Australia. You see the beautiful scenery, the wildlife and the people she meets along the way. You see her deal with formation flying, IMC weather, dirt runways and an extreme crosswind landing. You get to see Monika grow as a pilot.


This is a must see movie and has a spot on my shelf right next to 16 Right.

You can purchase the DVD, read about the movie and watch the trailer on her website http://flyaboutmovie.com/.
You can follow Monika on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/Flyabout.


Show Notes:

Interview with Monika Petrillo about Flyabout the documentary chronicling her flight around the continent of Australia

• Issues with being the least experienced and the only female pilot
• Why Australia
• Her growth as a pilot and a person
• Her struggles with IMC, crosswind landings, back-country runways and formation flying
• Her flight to Oshkosh as part of Bonanzas to Oshkosh
• Discuss each of our trips of Oshkosh 2010 
• What is a walkabout and is there a connection with Flyabout and what Monika learned about herself
• The shifting of generations and her conflicts with her father because she is the  more experienced pilot
• Celebrating the centennial of the first woman to get a pilot's license by setting a record for the most woman being introduced to flying in one single day - March 8, 2010
• Her daily prep for each leg of the journey
• How she conquered an extreme cross-wind landing

The 3 Question Segment

1) What do you most like about flying?
2) What do you want to do next?
3) How has flying changed you?

Monika's Shoutouts:

1) Will and Dave of The Pilot's Flight PodLog - http://pilotwill.libsyn.com/
2) Bonanza's to Oshkosh - http://www.b2osh.org/Home_page.htm
3) Lynda Meeks of Girls With Wings - http://girlswithwings.com/
4) The Ninety-Nines - http://www.ninety-nines.org/

Please go to The Centennial of Woman Pilots website http://centennialofwomenpilots.com/ to celebrate the Centennial of Licensed Women Pilots and Women’s Day, women pilots from around the world will attempt to set a new worldwide flying record: the most women pilots introducing a woman to flying in one single day, March 8, and in one single week, March 6 to March 12. Please visit this site to register and be part of the event.

My Shoutouts:

1) Monika Petrillo - Thank You for taking the time for talking to me -  http://flyaboutmovie.com/
2) Will and Dave for introducing me to Monika's DVD on Episode # 54 Monika Petrillo & Flyabout of The Pilot's Flight PodLog
3) Dave Crawford for helping me test my Skype Connection
4) Plane Crazy Down Under - An aviation based podcast with a focus on the Asia/Pacific area. They are a couple of crazy Aussies (with even crazier accents) talking about aviation - http://www.planecrazydownunder.com/.


Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog

And LIPilot on myTransponder.com

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here.

Hello everybody. This is a special episode. PJ Gustafson has joined me on the podcast to talk about the 1940 Air Terminal Museum and the vintage Cessna that they are raffling off.  Each year, the museum gives away a vintage Cessna airplane to raise money for the continued operation and restoration of the museum building.

In this episode I welcome Alex Turnbull into the virtual hanger. Alex is a mountain flying instructor at the Wakatipu Aero Club in Queenstown, New Zealand. This is another episode of what you can do with your certificate aside from the typical $100 hamburger or pancake breakfast flight.
Listen in as Alex talks about mountain and remote strip flying in this unique and challenging airspace. He also talks about the unique requirement of private pilot training in New Zealand, hint it involves mountain flying.

I hope Steve and Grant from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast don't get angry with me for encroaching on their part of the world.

Below is information from Gareth Allen, in charge of promotion for the club, on the club itself and the area.


The aero club flies four cessna 172s, a cessna 206, and a Tecnam P2002JF. Most of the club revenue comes from flights into Milford Sound, a popular scenic area, with a challenging approach and landing
at Milford Sound airstrip. The strip itself is 1800ft long, at the intersection of two valleys and the sound itself, producing a washing machine of turbulence, and an awkward traffic pattern. On busy summer days the airspace can get quite busy, with Islanders, Caravans, and smaller planes shuffling tourists in and out from Queenstown. Weather in the area is quite changeable, making the flight impossible roughly a third of the days during the summer, as all tourism operations are done under VFR. Often when weather is marginal, some passes into the area will be closed, making local knowledge of the network of creeks and valleys in and out of the sound essential.

Flight training makes up the rest of the club's income, with a mixture of overseas and local pilots earning PPLs, CPLs, and doing mountain flight training. There is no instrument flight training at Queenstown,
as the IAFs are all at ~10k feet, and the DHs at 4000 (runway elevation is 1200ft). The specialty here is mountain flying, as every flight that leaves Queenstown interacts with the mountains, and there
are an almost endless supply of new valleys to explore. A few dozen remote strips of ranging difficulty within a half hour's flight round out the saddle-crossing, low flight, and contour flight training.
There's also a beach landing strip 40 minutes away, for beach operations training.

Given Queenstown's reputation as the "adventure capitol of the world," many tourists want an aviation experience that is less scenic, and more exhilarating. The club gives trial flights daily during the
summer months, mostly to foreign tourists, through the river valleys and back over the lake to Queenstown. At the high end of the adrenaline spectrum is the aerobatic flight, using a Pitts Special.
The Pitts is known for being extremely difficult to fly, and especially to land. It can't be landed with a "wheel landing" and instead needs a three-point landing. At that flight attitude there is zero forward visibility, meaning that pilots must use peripheral vision to keep lined up with the runway and avoid ground looping. 


You can find more about the Wakatipu Aero Club at their website http://www.wakatipuaeroclub.com/
You can Email them at  frontdesk@wakatipuaeroclub.com
And you can follow them on Twitter @AirWakatipu 

In this episode follow Colleen and I as we take a sight-seeing flight along the south shore of Long Island. We start of from Brookhaven airport (KHWV), fly along the south shore beaches and then circle the Montauk lighthouse. This was Colleen's first flight in the PiperSport and her first time flying with me since I received my private pilot's license.

I try my hand at recording in-cockpit audio. I hope to show everyone how to get flight following and how easy it is. Even in the busy New York airspace.

During my flight I make 4 mistakes. Have a listen to find out what they are and I hope others will learn from them.


Shoutouts:

1) PJ Gustafson and The 1940 Air Terminal Museum in Houston, TX.
Each year the museum gives away a vintage Cessna aircraft in a raffle to raise money for the continued operation and restoration of the museum building. The airplane is given away on the 3rd Saturday of July each year. Please support this cause and maybe you might win this beautiful airplane.

For more information on the museum and the raffle, you can visit their website at http://www.1940airterminal.org, on Facebook by searching for The 1940 Air Terminal Museum, or Follow the museum on Twitter at http://twitter.com/1940ATM. The raffle plane also has its own Twitter account at http://twitter.com/N9379B.

2) Jones Beach Airshow. http://jonesbeachairshow.com
Each Memorial Day weekend there is an airshow at Jones Beach in Wantagh Long Island. It is a spectaculart show. This year the Blue Angels are the headlining show. Also performing will beUS Army Golden Knights, Canadian Forces CF-18 Demonstration Team, Sean D. Tucker and Red Bull Air Force to name a few.

Happy New Year everyone.

In this episode, I talk about my flight with Joey to the Wings Sports Bar and Grille in Hartford (KHFD) for our first $100 hamburger trip. This is the trip that we had tried to take before but could not due to weather and traffic issues. Well, we finally did it. The weather was perfect and the burgers and wings were great. Have a listen as I discuss the issues I had along the way and what I learned from the trip.

I also discuss an accidental Uncontrolled Airspace Podcast meetup with John Wellington and how I recognized him from Rick Felty's great videos.

I talk about a couple of upcoming aviation films which are in progress, A Pilot's Story by Wilco Films (Will Hawkins from The Pilot's Flight Pod Log) and AcroCamp by AirSpeed's Stephen Force.

I introduce an excellent new aviation podcast, The Mile High Flyers. Four regular pilots from out west who do a little hangar flying. These guys and gal are great. Wonderful chemestry and a lot of fun to listen too.

Finally I discuss some ideas of what I would like to talk about in the future and ask for any ideas you may have and if anyone would like to be a guest on the podcast.

Shout Outs:

• The Pilot's Flight PodLog - http://pilotwill.libsyn.com/
• Mile High Flyers Podcast - http://www.milehighflyers.com/
• A Pilot's Story - http://www.apilotsstory.com/
• The Student PilotCast - http://studentpilotcast.com/cast/default.aspx
• Checkout Bill Williams blog and video on how to record cockpit audio  http://studentpilotcast.com/cast/category/Videocast.aspx
• Rick Felty's YouTube Page - http://www.youtube.com/user/rdfelty
• AcroCamp - http://www.acrocamp.com/

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com

Please join the myTransponder.com group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The New Pilot PodBlog is now on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheNewPilotPodBlog

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.


Direct access to the mp3 is here

Hello everybody. This podcast I try something unique. I am doing the whole podcast from the cockpit of N385PR a PiperSport which I rent from Mid Island Air Service at KHWV. I was inspired by Nate Duehr aka Denverpilot from the Mile High Flyers podcast. He recorded the cockpit audio of a flight that he took with Zyola and Mrs. Denverpilot and released it as episode 15, Zyola Returns to the Sky. In this episode he let the recorder run and released it with out any compression of time or editing of the audio. I thought that was pretty cool and got me started thinking about doing a whole podcast from the cockpit.

This episode has been totally recorded from the cockpit of N385PR. I did a little editing and some minor compression. I tried to clean up the audio as best as I could but this is pretty much the audio as it was on my practice flight.

It was a pretty typical Saturday at KHWV. You will hear a lot of chatter on the radio and there are a lot of traffic in the pattern including gliders. If you listen closely you will hear pilots calling on the CTAF of other airports that share the same frequency as KHWV. Before I take off as I do my run-up, you will hear that there was almost an incident when a C152 took the runway when another Cessna was on final. That is why your head needs to be on a swivel especially at an uncontrolled field.

From the ATIS you will notice that the wind was 250@12 but the recommended runway was 15. This would be a tailwind. I was curious why we did not use 24 and briefly thought that I would ask to go to a runway more aligned with the wind but when I saw the limp windsock I continued on. Looking back, I should have questioned the runway and waited for them to switch the runway, which they did while I was on upwind.

To give them time to switch the runway and make it easy for me, I decided to to fly to the south practice area. You will hear me reference a diagram that I use to determine how to approach the pattern when  I say that I need to fly to the golf course. I have a laminated diagram showing how to enter the pattern for each runway. On it I have marked the checkpoint where I need to be to enter the 45.

The rest of the podcast you will hear me practicing landings and in the pattern. I try to add some comments on what I am seeing, thinking and what is going on.

I hope this gives you a good idea of what goes on during a typical flight at KHWV on a hot, summer Saturday. This is in real-time and you hear what I hear and hopefully get a picture of what I see.

Let me know what you think of this and if you like listening to pretty much unedited in-cockpit audio and if you would like me to do this again..

Remember I am not a CFI or professional pilot. So that anything I say or do in this audio, is not intended to teach. It is what I do as a relatively low-time pilot who is trying to not only stay current, but more importantly be more proficient. You are the pilot-in-command and if you have any questions ask your CFI.


Shout Outs:

• @Denverpilot from the Mile High Flyers podcast for inspiring me to do this.
• @PilotDamon who has put a new aviation podcast, The Pursuit of Wings. It is one that I think will carve out its own niche. Damon is taking you along as prepares to become a professional pilot. He has a full-time job which he will be quitting to become a professional pilot. 
• @CFIPilot Noah Carroll who I met at Oshkosh but forgot in my list of shoutouts on the last episode.

Thanks for listening.

Blues skies everyone!

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com

Please join the myTransponder group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The New Pilot PodBlog is now on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-New-Pilot-PodBlog/141071599274422

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here

Hello Everybody! In this episode I take you along on my first aerobatic ride. On September 5, 2010 I go flying with Mike Bellenir in Mike Mancuso's Extra 300L for some aerobatic flying. We did aileron rolls, loops, hammerheads, Cuban eights, 90 degree hesitation rolls and Immelmans. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!

I take you into the cockpit with me as Mike takes me through all of the maneuvers. Mike is a great instructor and an accomplished acrobatic pilot and he really made the flight enjoyable.

The day was picture perfect, blue skies, puffy clouds and a nice little crosswind. We flew for about 20 minutes and just about all of that time was filled with aerobatic flight. My favorite maneuver was the hammerhead. You climb straight up vertical until the plane runs out of airspeed and begins to stall, you then kick the rudder and the plane pivots to the side of the rudder used and dives straight down towards the earth. You the pull out from the dive to go to straight and level flight. It was absolutely amazing.

Aerobatic flight is one of the goals that I laid out in episode 1 - Goal Setting. It is part of the New Experience category and I plan to do more this summer. I hope to add spins into the mix.

Have a listen and join me in the cockpit for some aerobatic flight. Don't worry, I didn't hurl!





Shout Outs:

• Mike Bellenir for taking me up and getting me hooked on aerobatics. If you are on Long Island and would like to go up for the flight of a lifetime with a great instructor, please stop by Mid Island Air Service at Brookhaven Airport (KHWV) and sign up for a flight. 
•  http://mmairshows.com/
•  http://www.midislandair.com/COMPANY-INFO/Locations.html#location2

• Checkout these two airspeed episodes where Stephen Force interviews Mike Mancuso 
• Airspeed - Aerobatics and Airshows with Michael Mancuso
• Aerobatic Ride with Michael Mancuso in the Extra 300L

Blue skies and tailwinds always.

You can reach me at TheNewPilotPodBlog@gmail.com
Please send comments and suggestions.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/NewPilotPodBlog
And LIPilot on myTransponder.com

Please join the myTransponder.com group Friends of The New Pilot PodBlog.

The New Pilot PodBlog is now on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheNewPilotPodBlog

The intro and closing song is John Mellencamp's My Aeroplane.

Direct access to the mp3 is here