Desert Pilot Podcast
142 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★ - 6 ratingsCommercial Airplane Land, Sea, and tailwheel Pilot from Arizona podcasting aviation flying adventures.
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Episodes
My IFR story
February 16, 2020 17:46An ifr story I finally did it this December I passed my instrument rating so I’m now a commercial land and sea instrument rated pilot single engine. It definitely took a long time to do I started instrument flying about 10 years ago. It wasn’t that I never wanted to get my instrument rating it’s that I ran out of money. I got my private pilots certificate in the fall of 2008 in the spring of the year I got married. I was going to Arizona State with ambitions to become a commercial pilot. B...
Ep. 10 - Fathers day flight
October 01, 2019 12:46This audio is my father, my son and I flying into Tucson international airport (KTUS). Recorded in June 2019. _________ Find the podcast on most podcatchers like Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or Overcast Reach me on⇢ ✈︎ twitter: @DesertPilotTrev ✈︎ facebook: DesertPilot Podcast ✈︎ email: [email protected]
Ep. 09 - Redington Pass into Tucson
September 01, 2019 12:32This audio is my son and I departing San Manuel Airport (E77) flying clockwise around Mt. Lemmon through the Redington Pass into Tucson international airport (KTUS). Recorded in May 2019. _________ Find the podcast on most podcatchers like Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or Overcast Reach me on⇢ ✈︎ twitter: @DesertPilotTrev ✈︎ facebook: DesertPilot Podcast ✈︎ email: [email protected]
Ep. 08 - Flying to San Manuel Airport
August 01, 2019 12:00This audio is my son and I departing Tucson international airport (KTUS) on a flight to do some landings at San Manuel Airport (E77) recorded in May 2019. _________ Find the podcast on most podcatchers like Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or Overcast Reach me on⇢ ✈︎ twitter: @DesertPilotTrev ✈︎ facebook: DesertPilot Podcast ✈︎ email: [email protected]
Ep. 07 - Wright Flight Approach and tower part 2
July 15, 2019 12:00This is more audio at Tucson international airport (KTUS) with Wright Flight recorded in April 2019 approach and landing. _________ Find the podcast on most podcatchers like Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or Overcast Reach me on⇢ ✈︎ twitter: @DesertPilotTrev ✈︎ facebook: DesertPilot Podcast ✈︎ email: [email protected]
Ep. 06 - Wright Flight Approach and tower part 1
July 01, 2019 12:00This is more audio at Tucson international airport (KTUS) with Wright Flight recorded in April 2019 approach and landing. _________ Find the podcast on most podcatchers like iTunes, Stitcher, or Overcast Reach me on⇢ ✈︎ twitter: @DesertPilotTrev ✈︎ facebook: DesertPilot Podcast ✈︎ email: [email protected]
Ep. 05 - Taking off with Wright Flight
June 21, 2019 04:18This is some audio of me taking off at Tucson international airport (KTUS) with Wright Flight recored in April 2019. ===== Find the podcast on most podcatchers like iTunes, Stitcher, or Overcast Reach me on: twitter: @DesertPilotTrev facebook: DesertPilot Podcast email: [email protected]
My name is going to Mars
May 24, 2019 04:15So I just found out for the 2020 Mars Lander that you can put your name on a microchip and send it to the red planet. I guess this has been going on for years with other landers but I just found out so better late the never. send your name here
Ep. 04 - Flying back throught Tucson Approach
July 15, 2018 11:57This is the return from from Ep. 03 flying back from Benson (E95) to Ryan Airfield (KRYN). Find the podcast on most podcatchers like iTunes, Stitcher, or Overcast ===== Reach me on twitter: @DesertPilotTrev On my facebook page that I don't keep up on: DesertPilot Podcast Or shoot me an email: [email protected] Intro music by Planet Orange Outro music by Duke Ellington
Ep. 03 - Busted the Charlie
June 15, 2018 12:13This is a flight from Ryan Airfield (KRYN) to Benson Airport (E95) and yes you can hear me bust the class charlie airspace around Tucson International (KTUS). And yes I filed a NASA report for the event. Find the podcast on most podcatchers like iTunes, Stitcher, or Overcast ===== Reach me on twitter: @DesertPilotTrev On my facebook page that I don't keep up on: DesertPilot Podcast Or shoot me an email: [email protected] Intro music by Planet Orange Outro music by Duke Ellington
Ep. 02 - Cole's first flight part 1
May 15, 2018 15:47This is part one of Cole's first flight in a general aviation aircraft. The uncut video of this is on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/LJ_0kfkyjaY ===== Reach me on twitter: @DesertPilotTrev On my facebook page that I don't keep up on: DesertPilot Podcast Or shoot me an email: [email protected]
Ep. 01 - Basic Med, It's easy they said...
April 15, 2018 15:00This is a basic med story. You'll laugh and you'll cry, actually you probably won't do any of that. ===== Reach me on twitter: @DesertPilotTrev On my facebook page that I don't keep up on: DesertPilot Podcast Or shoot me an email: [email protected]
Walking through History
January 21, 2018 03:51I wrote this post in April 2017 and never posted it. So here it is: Last weekend I had the chance to walk through Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress and a Consolidated B-24J Liberator. On display they also had a North American TF-51D Mustang and a North American B-25 Mitchell. I have never been inside of a B-24 before and was surprised on how much room there was inside compared to the B-17. The pilot of the B-24 said that it in the only one flying in the world. The Collings Foundation let us and e...
Road Rage in the Air
April 05, 2017 03:19There has been lot of changes in life, a change of job, I’m not in the military anymore, so that also means a change in location. Arizona called me back from San Diego. Although I was sad to leave this is where we are supposed to be. We moved to Marana a town on the north side of Tucson it’s a great location close to work and family and best of all it is only a 10 min drive from Marana Regional Airport. The airport has 2 interesting runways 12-30 which is the long almost 7000’ runway and the ...
Shad's Flight to Catalina Island the Airport in the Sky
September 01, 2016 05:16My last flight in 2015 was a perfect April day with light winds, clear skies and temperatures in the mid 70s F. The crew was myself, my son Shadrach, and two buddies from the Navy; Tony and Bill. We were flying to Catalina Island KAVX (aka The Airport in the Sky). The day was so clear we took off from just outside San Diego KSEE and once we got over the ocean we could see the island right away. We flew in to airport and took a shuttle down to the main town, Avalon, and walked around for a bit...
Tony's First Flight
March 05, 2015 04:45Tony a friend from work has been asking me to take him up flying. Actually he is an avid skydiver and has been asking me to jump out of my airplane. After we agreed there would be no jumping we set off yesterday. We flew out over the bay and since he had never landed in a small airplane before we did a few touch-n-gos. It had been raining the day before and was projected to rain yesterday but it didn't so the skies really claim and no one was out flying because they thought it was going to be...
Flight Review
March 05, 2015 03:41Back in February I finally did my flight review for the next coming year. Our club requires a yearly review, which is good since I had not been flying in almost a years time. So my wonderful flight instructor Shairre, my son and I set out over the bay of San Diego to do some turns, stalls and landings. We got to see the sunset over the water and then work on some night landings it was a great evening.
Feelings of a pilot
March 17, 2014 06:14John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was 19 years-old become fighter pilot in for the RAF in 1941 and died later that year in battle. He wrote this Poem on the back of a letter addressed to his father. It is an inspiration to every aviator. High Flight "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung ...
Flying through the clouds
February 17, 2014 23:24Made this video when I went flying last fall. Clouds are a rare site in Arizona so it's a big deal when you see one.
Back in the air...
January 12, 2014 08:42Some of you might think that I have fallen off of the blogging world. Well you would be kind of right. With work, home, and trying to finish up my bachelor's degree blogging kind of took the back burner but I haven't stop flying. Last year I got checked out with the Plus One Flyers flight club here in San Diego. I've posted a few of these pictures on twitter and some on facebook I post more in real time there. Here are a few photos from some flights from last fall. Took my son up in Sep for ...
Champ Story on Airplane Geeks
January 22, 2013 07:56If you are like me you listen to a plethora of aviation podcasts. I think some of the best aviation news comes from them and they stay on the topic I most care about most... aviation. A few months back I was listening to an episode of the Airplane Geeks Podcast and they were talking about the airplane of the week. One of the choices was the Aeronca Champ. If you didn't know back in the fall of 2008 I received my tailwheel endorsement in a red 1942 7AC Aeronca Champ. I don't think I've loved ...
New FAA Medical Process with MedXPress
December 27, 2012 23:18It was that time again to renew my FAA medical, and if you are like me then you are new to the FAA's online process. The FAA have stream lined the process on a new web site at medxpress.faa.gov. The Stuck Mic AvCast did a recent episode on the process on MedXpress. Having just finished I'll recap what I did. First if you are a 20-something like me the the online form at MedXpress is extremely easy to fill out to set up an account on the MedXpress site. The site only has one form to fill ou...
T'was the night before Christmas, and out on the Ramp
December 22, 2012 01:19This poem has been around the internet a while and probably on paper longer. Just a quick search I found it on AvWeb in 2006 and on an Airline forum in 2003. Another had posted it again this year and it made my smile so I thought I'd recored it here. I got bored and added the links in below. T'was the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp, Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ. The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care, In hopes that -- come morning -- they all would b...
Call Sign: "Atlas"
December 06, 2012 02:14Today I official graduated from ASTAC school I received my call sign "Atlas". Not the paper map, the greek god charged with holding up the entire world. Ya I know I'm awesome at least today. The story behind a call sign is never really fully told but I did have a lot on my shoulders during the course and still made it through, now on to the fleet. The middle 5 is our class with instructors on the ends. From left to right our class call signs: Jeeves, Snorlax, Atlas, SAP, Siri In Greek mytho...
Passed ASTAC
December 01, 2012 06:12I passed my last section and the finals week. The last thing that we had to learn was P-3C Orion employment. They are the only fixed wing aircraft that we control on a regular basis. That is because they like to fly low and they do ASW. I passed that week's test and then move on the to the finals week which was a recap of all that we learn through the couse in one week it was 4 different tests and I passed. We get our call signs and graduate next week. P-3C Orion
MH-60R Seahawk
November 16, 2012 03:08The next part of our training we were tested on was the implantation of the MH-60R Seahawk . Up to this point we had simulated controlling the capabilities of a SH-60B which has been the work horse of the Navy since the 80's.The new "Romeo" has all the latest and greatest equipment and the tactics are slightly different. Passed the test. Just a few weeks until graduation. MH-60R with it's dipping sonar hanging below, you can also see the sonobuoy launchers on the side.
ASW week
November 04, 2012 23:08The so called hardest week of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) is over and I passed. I say so called not because it wasn't hard but because we are told a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a harder week to come. I can't talk too much about it, but here are a few wikipedia links that will give a good idea of ASW and helicopters dropping sonobuoys. It was a lot of material that had to be memorized and done exactly right. I'm not too good at either, but I made it through. Although the c...
Aviation Tips
November 03, 2012 04:48I was doing some online aviation training with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation I took a couse on mastering radio communications. It was a great refresh and there was a few things that I pulled from that couse that I had never thought about that I wanted to share. 1. Declaring Emergencies The air traffic controllers that they interviewed during the lessen talked about how ATC wants pilots to declare emergencies more because it gives the controllers the ability to bend the rules more and get t...
MCAS Miramar Airshow 2012
October 19, 2012 21:34It's was that time again last weekend for the 2012 MCAS Miramar Airshow. This year it was just my son and I going to the show. The US Navy Blue Angels, USN F/A-18 Super Hornet demo, USAF F-22 Raptor demo, USMC AV-8B Harrier demo, U.S. Army Golden Knights, U.S. Navy Leap Frogs, and Sean Tucker "Oracle Challenger" were some of my favorites. It since it was only the 2 of us I just snapped a few photos with my cell phone. We love helicopters he thought it was so cool to go inside. watching the ...
ASTAC test 2
October 16, 2012 22:46We are through our 2nd or phase of training and our 2nd test. All is well. This phase or week as they still call them, although the couse is not split up in to weeks any more the Navy can be set in their ways, dealt with the control function of the computer systems that work with the ship and the helicopter. The focus was understanding how to get the computer to do what you want. And talk to both helicopter and ship. I think this is going to be a common theme for the rest if the course. The ...
Staying In The Pattern
October 11, 2012 23:14This cockpit audio was recorded at least 2 1/2 years ago I don't really know. I just found it going through my computer and decided to share. I'm flying 3 touch-n-gos and have 2 other pilots in the plane with me. Dave an instructor and another buddy of mine who is a private pilot in the back seat. 3 pilots in an airplane is always fun. Download the podcast here
Going to School
October 03, 2012 19:08I'm in school right now. Not back to college but at school for the Navy. I got selected to go to (are you ready for this) Anti-Submarine Warfare/Anti-Surface Warfare Tactical Air Controller or ASTAC school. What that is the air traffic controllers on smaller ships. Like mine USS Princeton (CG-59) where all we have is a helicopter pad on the back of our ship. When we get underway we have a squadron of 2 helicopters on our ship with the pilots and crew to man them. But the controlling of the ai...
RIMPAC 2012
September 03, 2012 04:54I just came back from the largest naval exercise in the world and unlike the movie Battleship there was no aliens that attacked. The whole exercise is around the Hawaiian Islands and is a month long building up to the final week of the event where we have a big "battle". Although we did fire some 5in. rounds off and Harpoon and SM2 missiles it wasn't at another ship or at least one that had people in it. We also spent 2 port visits, about 10 days total, in Pearl Harbor on Ohau. Which was real...
Helo Ops on USS Princeton
April 16, 2012 05:14Yes it's true at almost 1 year since my last audio podcast and 6 months from my last post the DesertPilot podcast is back. I recorded this episode off the deck of the USS Princeton CG-59. Enjoy. Download the Podcast here SH-60B going around
Miramar Air Show it San Diego 2011
October 25, 2011 05:07My 2 year old son Shad, brother in-law Jayce and I went to the Miramar air show a few weeks ago. It was way cool and Shad loved it. I really wanted to go and se the Blue Angels for the first time. And that was awesome as well. I don't know if it is because I'm partial to the Navy they performed much better then the Air Force Thunderbirds that I saw back in March. Their tolerances seemed much tighter, and precision just a little bit higher. I was a great time had by all.
[Video] Flying home (AA MD-81 into PHX)
September 18, 2011 22:54 VideoOk so I'm back after 5 month of Navy basic training and Operation Specialist (OS) "A" School. I'm now at my first duty station in San Diego, CA aboard the USS PRINCETON (CG-59). I have tons to learn now. It's nice to be finally where I'm suppose to be for I can do my job. Here is a small video I made on my flight home.
Shad's First Flight
April 14, 2011 05:19Yesterday I took my son up in a small airplane for the first time. A fellow pilot friend Bill sent me a tweet that he needed a co-pilot for the fly to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) from Stellar Air Park (P19) for Cutter Aviation's free BBQ so I said sure then asked if Shad (who is 18 months-old) could come too he said he didn't have a problem with that. Below are some of the pictures from the flight and the audio from the short flight home. Shad had a good time the only part he cried was when the ...
On Top of the Clouds
February 21, 2011 05:34This last week I went flying for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Unlike most days in Arizona where the skies are clear or maybe just some high stratus clouds in the flight levels we had a low level cloud layer. It was a cloud layer from about 6000 to 10000 feet of nice fluffy cumulus clouds. I had never flown above a cloud layer that I could not see the ground. It was a little disconcerting at first but it was nothing after awhile and fun. Here are a few pics from the flight.
Arizona's 99th Birthday
February 15, 2011 02:47Today is Arizona birthday. My wife put this flag together for me and a friend, she can really do wonders with Photoshop. I love her. Also I found this creed that I thought goes well and something I'd like to pledge too. The Defender's Creed John Farnam I accept and understand that human predators exist. Criminal or terrorist, they take advantage of our civilized society to prey upon the weak. They represent evil and must be confronted and defeated. I believe that self-defense is a moral ...
Flying with Brendon
February 12, 2011 05:13So since my brother Brendon has been back from his mission he has not been flying with me. I got my private pilot certificate about a month after he left on his two year mission. I always wrote him on his mission about all the flying I was doing because at the time I was building my hours for my commercial. Since being back last September are schedules have never lined up until today. We flew up to Payson to visit my Grandparents and an old family friend, Lou, that was there to visit. As mos...
FIFI the only Flying B-29
December 22, 2010 04:58My youngest brother and I in November of 2010 got to go see the only flying B-29 when it came to the valley for a few days it was very neat. There was also a B-25 and B-17 there. We got to go inside of all of them and took lots of pictures. Below are some and on a link to even more. Download the short podcast of the flight over here. B-29 on take off with the B-17 and B-25 in the foreground. My little bro and the B-17 B-29 coming in for landing Hanging out the window of the B-25 Mannin...
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy
November 13, 2010 05:03Yep I did it, On November 1st I swore in and joined the U.S. Navy. I know there might be a lot of questions so I'll just tel the whole story. Last year I got I changed my major to Air Traffic Management or Air Traffic Control (ATC) from the more general Aeronautical Management that I was doing. Really the only difference in the degree is that the last few classes in ATC are labs in ATC sims which seemed cooler then upper level management classes. Since taking these ATC classes I've found t...
Copperstate Fly-in 2010
November 05, 2010 21:41Copperstate Fly-In 2010 Oct 23, 2010 by Ben Cowden View Album Play slideshow Here are some photos from this years EAA Copperstate 2010, I flew down on saturday in the CAP airplane and hung out. We got to tour and talk with the captain of a the B-17 that flew down there from the CAF at Falcon Field. I ask if you had to be a really high time pilot to fly the B-17. He said "No" and that he was an account for his day job. To fly it is just like a big flying club that you buy into and it ...
[Video] Air Bus A320 landing PHX Sky Harbor
October 11, 2010 21:29 VideoI did it. I made the sacrifice and switched to AT&T and now have an iPhone 4. One of the features on the iPhone is that I can upload HD video that I took and edited on my phone to Youtube. I've done a few videos and wanted to post them on here. I flew a non-rev flight to Texas to see my cusins went to a Rangers game and rode along with my cusions who is a local cop there. tons of fun.
Shuttle Launch Meet-up
September 10, 2010 22:40I know it’s been a while but it’s been a very eventful summer and now I’m back in school and all is well… Right. If you haven’t been following me over the summer I went to Florida with my wife, 9-month-old son, and brother in law. The original reason for going was to see the STS-133 launch that was scheduled for the end of July. But after we had bought our non-refundable airline tickets and hotel room NASA pushed the launch back to the fall. We still went and had a great time at Disney World ...
[Video] CRJ-200 Sim
July 17, 2010 20:48 VideoLast month as part of my intership at Mesa Air Group 3 other interns and I got to "play" in their Canada Regional Jet (CRJ) model 200 full motion simulator while they're was not pilot scheduled for training. It was loads of fun.
Number of Student Pilots Down
June 14, 2010 06:52This is a short segment (3min) from NPR that talks about the decline in student pilots in the US and why. It's great to help anyone understand what is going on in the industry. Although most of the things in the story does hit the issue on the head I, along with JetWhine.com, don't agree that less student pilots will lead to less professional pilot. It will just lead to lower qualified pilots. One of two kinds, a fool who is up for his neck in debt or some one with rich parents. So which ...
CAP O Flight
June 12, 2010 00:36This last Wednesday morning I did my first Civil Air Patrol cadet Orientation Flight (or O flight). Three 13 year-old cadet boys and I went off for a 2 hour flight making 2 stops letting each cadet taking turns in the front seat flying. Each cadet gets 5 of these in CAP. First stop was Case Grande, second was Coolidge airport. When we landed we saw a DC-4 on the ramp fueling up. We got out and walked over to it. You don't see a DC-4 everyday and after talking with the pilot we learned that so...
[Video] Flightbag and Survival Gear
May 29, 2010 03:13 VideoA little while back I was listening to the Uncontrolled Airspace podcast ep. 186 and they were talking about flight bags and all the things that they carry in their flight bag. I was shocked when they didn't mention any survival gear that they carry. I consider survival gear an essential part of flying and my flight bag. I put this together to show everyone what I carry and give some ideas. I'm open for any input so send it my way. Arizona Survival Gear from Trevor Smith on Vimeo. Download ...
[Video] RC School Project
May 08, 2010 05:05 VideoIn my Aircraft Design and Logistics Management class at Arizona State we made a Radio Controlled Airplane. But the way we did it was the class was step up like a company would be with a design, supply, manufacturing, etc. departments that all worked together to make the plane. I learned a lot and was a neat idea for the class. The grade we got in the class was not based on if the plane flew but how we worked together and what we learned from it. I was in the test and evaluation department an...