Show Notes
The salient point of this episode revolves around the remarkable journey of Marco Bouw, who transitioned from a career in regional airlines to becoming a major airline pilot while also pursuing his passion for aerobatics. Throughout our discourse, we delve into Marco's early inspirations, including his experiences at the Oshkosh Airshow, which ignited his desire to fly. We share insights into the challenges and triumphs associated with our respective aviation paths, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and perseverance in the face of adversity. Notably, Marco recounts a harrowing incident involving a flat spin that necessitated his emergency ejection from the aircraft over water, a narrative that underscores the unpredictable nature of aviation. As we navigate through these experiences, we reflect on the intricate balance between professional commitments and personal aspirations, particularly in the context of family life and the pursuit of one's passions in aviation.
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A Designated Pilot Examiner shares 5 tips to pass your checkride, plus the story of his engine failure and landing on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive at 3 PM on a Friday. Johnny Ginley, a young DPE and fellow Ohio State aviation alum, explains what examiners see from the other side of the table. The advice applies to private, instrument, commercial, CFI, ATP, and type-rating checkrides. Many checkrides end before they even begin because of missing flight time, a bad endorsement, or aircraft paperwork that can't prove airworthiness. In this episode: Logbook mistakes that disqualify applicants, and why airlines still want clean logbooks years later Proving airworthiness: inspections, ADs, and why a printed status sheet isn't enough "Know your numbers": why cruising at 2,300 RPM needs a reason behind it Don't force the flight: making a go/no-go call when the wind picks up on checkride day Don't force the landing, and the one maneuver where a go-around now counts as unsatisfactory Average checkride pass rates and how the ACS changed the CFI oral The throttle cable failure that put Johnny on Lake Shore Drive, and how he got back in the cockpit afterward Got a checkride coming up? Send this episode to someone who needs it. You can read Johnny's full article in Pilot to Pilot Magazine. Pilot to Pilot Magazine Get your copy at https://pilottopilothq.com/mag
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In 1999, a handful of people gathered at a dusty Namibian airfield to meet two men flying weight-shift microlights around the world. One of them was Mike Blyth. Watching from the crowd was a boy who had never left the country, whose family couldn't afford much flying, and who had no real concept of where these men had come from — only that whatever they were doing, he wanted to do it too. Twenty-five years later, JP Schulze has flown around the world himself, built the first Sling High Wing off the line — designed by the same Mike Blyth — and become one of the most distinctive filmmakers in aviation. This one took a while to make happen. We finally met at Oshkosh this year, and JP is candid about being a naturally shy person who ended up with a career in front of a camera. He grew up in Namibia with no art classes and no creative outlets, thinking in German and Afrikaans, teaching himself English from the Discovery Channel at eight years old. He was taking the controls of his dad's microlight at ten. He funded his first licence by free-diving for crayfish, selling snake venom, and restringing tennis rackets. The around-the-world trip nearly didn't happen twice. Sponsors walked after a Cirrus ditched near Hawaii and the CAPS pull ran on every news channel — nobody wanted their logo on a small plane over an ocean. So JP and Louis Cole self-funded it, and JP is honest about what that cost: the fourteen-hour legs, the multi-hour shouting match somewhere between Fiji and Kiribati, and the weight of being responsible for a non-pilot's life for the first time. In this episode: Meeting Mike Blyth in 1999 — and building his airplane twenty years later Growing up flying "sketchy" weight-shift trikes over the African bush Why Southern Africa has a GA scene almost nobody expects Moving to New Zealand at seventeen and rebuilding from scratch in a third language Meeting Louis Cole on a sand dune and having his life change in a day Signing with Discovery, then watching the money disappear What flying around the world actually took — and why he'd do it again Insisting on being the first to build the Sling High Wing, then helping write the manual Why he refuses to post weekly, and what that has cost him The sunglasses he built because a $350 pair costs $10 to make Why print still matters, and what we both think is at stake We also recorded a second conversation about the around-the-world flight itself — that one is exclusive to the magazine, with the audio released free a year after publication. Happy Flying, Justin Support JP - otavi.co best sunglasses for pilots Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 003 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/mag Sponsors — please support the people who support the show: • NEW SPONSOR ALERT I'd like to welcome AeroTow to the Pilot to Pilot sponsors! check out their AeroTow T2 Engineered for easier maneuverability, the AeroTow T2 is versatile for a variety of aircraft. Its universal cradle provides a seamless towing experience ( Pilot to Pilot listeners can save $100 by using the code in the podcast!) Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Learn more about the exciting innovations at Textron Aviation today… just go to TXTAV.com • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Allworth Financial - https://allworthfinancial.com/airlines/lp/runway-for-retirement-webinar?utm_campaign=airlines+-+more+runway+for+retirement?lmls=Partner+Channel&lmld=Pilot+to+Pilot&ad_version=Social