Fly Maui

Pt. 2: Common Checkride Questions: Ep. 91

Now that you know the basics of a checkride, on Part 2 of Checkride Ready we answer some frequently asked questions. Some of these range from “What Should I Wear?” to “How Much Does it Cost?”   Stay tuned for Part 3: Getting Organized for Your Checkride.   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://www.thealoha360.com/     Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private or Instrument FAA written exam, plus “whole picture” learning that will make you a lifelong, safe aviator. Pass yo...

Pt. 1: Checkride Ready!

Let’s face it, no one likes tests! But if you want to become a pilot, you’ll have to go through a practical test, or checkride, to receive your certificate. This big day is the culmination of hundreds of hours of studying and flying. On this “Checkride Ready” series, we hope to demystify the checkride and gain a better understanding on what to expect. Part 1 covers some general tips and things to expect on your checkride day.   Stay tuned to Part 2: Frequently Asked Questions and Part 3:...

Tips for Dealing with Taxi Clearance Anxiety

Flying to an unfamiliar airport successfully is one of the most rewarding things about aviation. But it doesn’t come without its share of anxiety, including receiving and complying with a taxi clearance. For many pilots, there’s a level of nervousness when calling up ground control. Sometimes the jitters can escalate to freezing, and in worst cases, a runway/taxiway incursion or accident. On this episode we’ll share some tips how to prepare when going to an unfamiliar field and taxi like a p...

Taking the Next Steps After a Discovery Flight

You’ve just had your introductory flight, or “Discovery Flight,” and wondering, “How do I take the next step?” This episode will cover some practical advice that will help you know what to expect as you start your journey into private pilot flight training.   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://www.thealoha360.com/ https://iacra.faa.gov/IACRA/Default.aspx https://www.faa.gov/pilots/amelocator/ https://www.liveatc.net/   Mentioned in this episode: Gain the knowledge you need ...

See It All: Shipwrecks | Waterfalls | Whales | Volcano Crater | Famous Beaches

How can you see all of the highlights of Maui, Molokai and Lanai islands in just 2 hours? The only way to do this is in the air! On today’s episode we will take you on a virtual flight from Kahului Airport and work our way through Maui County. See the Road to Hana, Haleakala crater, Molokini, the shipwreck at Lanai, Kalaupapa settlement, the tallest waterfalls in Hawaii, Nakalele blowhole… and more! A flight is a great way to get your bearings on the first part of your trip, or a great way t...

Questions You Should Consider Asking in Flight Training

Make the most of your flight lesson by asking questions. This is going to help you as a flight training learner to retain the material, and it’s going to make your instructor a better CFI. When you ask clarifying questions, it deepens your understanding and helps build that important foundation for your training. Asking questions will also help your CFI know how to provide a higher level of service and instruction. We’ll discuss the topic of asking questions and cover other situations when q...

Helpful Reminders for CFI's

We are happy to be back on the Fly Maui Podcast & hope to get more consistent with the content on the show. Thanks for your patience and listening in! On this episode we invite you to be a fly on the wall for one of our recent team meetings with our local CFIs. These points are common sense, but good reminders to hear repeatedly when it comes to things like tracking student progress, the responsibility of a flight instructor and professionalism. Whether you’re an instructor or learner, we th...

Hana Rainforest Experience with Maverick Helicopters

Ready for an epic Maui experience that’s full of adventure, romance and breathtaking views? Maverick Helicopters offers once-in-a-lifetime experiential tours that take you into the Hana rainforest, along the sea cliffs of Molokai and to the crater of Haleakala. With the Hana rainforest tour, you also get a private landing where you step into another world. Each tour with Maverick Helicopters delivers a safe and unforgettable view of Hawaii. On this episode we’ll share all about our Hana rain...

Regrets and Things I Would Have Done Differently in Flight Training

Tips on Saving Money During Flight Training

There’s something we all can agree on: flight training is expensive! On this episode we’ll share some tips how to save money before, during and after your flight training. We’ll look at decisions such as: Should I wait until I have the money saved, or pay as I go? What about accelerated training? How can flying more often save me money? We’ve witnessed learners (including ourselves) make wise decisions that saved money along the way, and also approaches that we wish we’d done differently. Ma...

The Unique Weather Challenges to Flying in Paradise

The weather is perfect every day in paradise, right? You can find awesome weather almost daily somewhere around the island, but there are also some unique challenges to flying in tropical weather. Strong trade winds, wind shear, mountain wave turbulence, and quick-developing low visibility are some of the things you have to consider before departing on a flight. On this episode we’ll share about some of weather factors that need considered even in one of the most beautiful places to fly in t...

Waterfalls, Beaches and Whales on a Vacation Flight Lesson

What should you expect when you book a flight lesson with Fly Maui? We have visiting pilots call and email us daily asking about a vacation flying lesson or aircraft checkout and rental. If you’re a pilot vacationing in Hawaii, we’d love to have you fly with us! On this episode we’ll break down the details and describe some of the epic scenery you can witness while doing steep turns. Fly with aloha!   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://www.thealoha360.com/   Gain the knowledge you ...

What Is It Like to be a New CFI: Interview with Preston Schoewe & Cole Hambright

Fly Maui flight instructors Cole Hambright and Preston Schoewe join us to talk about their journeys to becoming CFIs. They trained together in Arizona, finished their ratings at a popular Part 141 aviation school, then took a step of faith, packed up and moved to Maui with a couple of suitcases. Now with a few months of instruction under their belts, they share with us the challenges and rewards of flying and instructing in Maui.   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://www.thealoha360.com...

Shipping Our Cessna from the Mainland to Hawaii: The Story of N5055H

We are happy to be back on the Fly Maui podcast after nearly a year break! One of the questions we get a lot is, “How long did it take you to fly your planes over to Maui?” Well, we aren’t great swimmers and we’re scared of sharks, so flying a Cessna 172 from California to Maui isn’t an option. The Fly Maui flight school recently purchased a Cessna 172 for the flight line, and on this episode we’ll cover the ins-and-outs of shipping an aircraft across the Pacific Ocean.   https://www.fly...

Cessna 172 Engine Install & Fly Maui Moves to New Location

We’ve had an interesting month with the arrival of the newly overhauled engine for one of our flight school airplanes. After the install process it was time to begin the break in. We’ll share about some of that process & how it’s related to Leslie’s biggest scare while flying so far. This is also the last episode we’ll be sharing on the Fly Maui podcast feed. We are grateful to all of our listeners and hope you’ll hop over to The Aloha 360 podcast where we’ll continue sharing about our aviat...

Cessna 172 Maintenance Questions

Aloha! Since we fly two Cessna 172s here in Maui and manage the flights and maintenance work on both aircraft, we constantly have questions how to best maintain our aircraft. A few weeks ago, our friend, AP/IA/CFI and Airplane Owner Maintenance Podcast host Dean Showalter invited us on his podcast to ask him all the questions we had about the Cessna 172. Dean had some great answers and shared some valuable wisdom from his years of experience. We had to share it with our listeners as well! ...

Don't Let Setbacks Define You

Aloha! On this episode we’re sharing some personal stories of struggles we’ve faced over the last few months… and it’s not just dealing with the pandemic and shutdown. We all experience setbacks in life: in our jobs, aviation, family and other relationships, and you might face some challenges that are totally beyond your control. You can move forward from setbacks, failures and mistakes, big or small. Your attitude and willingness to learn from these experiences will define your long term he...

Aviation Acronyms

From the first week of training, student pilots are thrown into a crazy new world of pilot speak. Aside from radio communication itself, there’s a big world of aviation acronyms and mnemonics to learn. It can be daunting at first, but the pilot soon learns that these become helpful flows in flight and memory aids when studying for the next checkride or flight review. On this episode, we’re walking through a big list of common aviation acronyms… welcome to our study session!   https://www...

4 Things Student Pilots & CFIs Can Agree On

Can we all agree on one thing? All of us want to save money in flight training. Getting the job done, and making it easier on yourself in the process will save you time and money in the long run. This isn’t an episode about saving money for training. We’re going to talk about a few common things that both students and instructors expect of each other. Agreeing on these 4 things will help you both set realistic expectations for your training, and will likely even put you on a faster track to ...

Getting Back into Flying

The last few months we’ve all been navigating uncharted waters during the pandemic shutdown. A few pilots and instructors have continued to fly with precautions, but the vast majority have grounded themselves and their flight schools since mid-March. Now that risk-avoidance is going into a risk-management phase as we’re getting back into the cockpit. On this episode we’ll share some of the things we’ve done, and best practices for getting back into flying whether you’ve been shutdown for a f...

Interview with Maui Visitor and Student Pilot with John Alpine

John Alpine and his family were spending their usual winter break on Maui when the Covid-19 shutdown went into effect. John decided it would be a good time to renovate and deep clean his condo that’s typically rented out to excited visitors. We asked John to share his thoughts about Maui slowly transitioning into opening back up to visitors. John also shares some of the things he’s learned through the shutdown, including soloing an airplane for the first time!     Resources http://th...

General Aviation News | Covid-19 Update | Flying in Maui

On April 29 the FAA issued a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) that provides relief to pilots who will want to get back into flying after the coronavirus shutdown. Many flight schools across the country remain closed or operating with limited training, and checkrides have nearly come to a standstill. This SFAR allows some extensions to help support general aviation pilots and instructors who could potentially be economically impacted by a shutdown that was beyond their control.   ...

Are Your Bad Habits Becoming Normal? Part 2 with Kerrie Ballard

Are Your Bad Habits Becoming Normal? Part 2 with Kerri Ballard

Retired Alaska Airlines Capt. Kerri Ballard joins us to continue our discussion on preventing bad habits while flying. Kerri offers examples and real-life stories from her years of flight instruction and flying for the airlines. What are some of Kerri’s encounters with wake turbulence? What did she consistently see as bad habits in the flight deck? What did she learn from the airlines that she wishes she had known as a flight instructor? We hope the stories and discussion offers inspiration ...

Are Your Bad Habits Becoming Normal? Part 1

A few months ago on Episode 60 we talked about the PAVE checklist and setting your personal minimums. This is a topic that we have continued to discuss in relation to decision making before and during flights. On today’s episode, we’re going to dive deeper into how we are trying to challenge ourselves to become safer pilots through decision making and risk management. We’re also taking an honest look at some of our bad habits that we tend to explain away until they become normal operations. ...

ForeFlight 101

ForeFlight is an aviation app for pilots and one of the most popular electronic flight bags available on the market. ForeFlight combines multiple resources for pilots with an easy user interface. With a few clicks you can access aeronautical charts, approach plates, airport information, weather, and file your flight plan. Combine this easily accessible information with ADSB-in and you’ve just multiplied your situational awareness in flight. This episode is a recorded Zoom call between severa...

Activities for Pilots During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A lot has happened in the world – it almost seems overnight how drastically our lives have changed, including for many of us as pilots. A large percentage of Americans are now under shelter at home/work at home mandates. Over the last month it’s brought discussion and confusion over what is legal for us as pilots in regards to dual instruction, solo flights, or making the decision to not fly altogether. It’s a hard time for many of us, but we can use this as an opportunity to evaluate and ...

Commercial Checkride Flight

This is the final episode in our Commercial Checkride series. After the written test, checkride prep, and oral exam… now it’s time to have some fun and fly. We’ll share about our flights with two different examiners and stories of success and failure.  If you have a checkride in your near future, we hope you take away some great advice and tips.   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://angleofattack.com/     Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial F...

Commercial Checkride Oral Exam

The checkride begins! Let’s dig into the oral exam portion of the checkride. Were we prepared? Did it turn out like we expected? Most importantly, we’ll talk at length about the positives & what we actually enjoyed about the oral exam. If you have a checkride in your near future, we hope you take away some great advice and tips.   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://angleofattack.com/     Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial FAA written exam, ...

Commercial Pilot Checkride Preparation

The final stages of preparing for a checkride usually involves three parts: studying for the oral exam, practicing for the flight portion, and organizing everything you need to have with you for the big day. Instructors are a necessity when prepping you for the oral exam and flight, but many fall short in adequately coaching us through the organization piece. Luckily for us and our recent commercial checkrides, we utilized a fresh-to-the-industry product that took the stress off of the organ...

Commercial Pilot Written Test Prep

There are some changes that were made in the FAA knowledge testing process in January. As we flew to Oahu for our commercial tests, this was our first experience after the changes were implemented. We’ll share how we prepared for the commercial written test, and hope you’ll pick up some good tips no matter which test you might be studying for. https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://faa.psiexams.com/faa/login     Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial...

Night Flying in Hawaii

Flying at night can be beautiful, thrilling and challenging at the same time. Flying fundamentals at night are the same, but there’s an added layer of vigilance and focus that must be maintained to fly safely at night. Here in Hawaii, flying at night might as well be flying in instrument conditions. With no sense of the horizon flying over the black open water, a good instrument scan is essential. On Episode 61 we’re flying at night for the first time in four years, and doing it in Hawaii! ...

Personal Minimums and the PAVE Checklist

Personal minimums are clearly defined, written down, and regularly updated tolerances you give yourself when making a go or no-go decision. Some people just think wind and visibility, but your minimums should extend even to proficiency, fuel, and maintenance issues. Your personal minimums are just that: personal. They’re tailored by you, and possibly with the help of your CFI, to your level of knowledge, skill and ability. The purpose of this exercise and sticking to them is to help you iden...

7 Ways to Begin Your Flight Training Now

You have a dream to learn how to fly… but for whatever reason, maybe right now is not the right time to jump in the plane and begin lessons.  It could be that you’re too young or don’t have the money or time set aside yet for full time training. It could be that you live in an area with terrible winter weather, so you’re just counting the days until summer to start. Having to wait can be terribly frustrating. In fact, a lot of potential students walk away from the dream in the process of wai...

Happy New Year from Maui and 2019 Highlights

On Episode 58 we look back on some of our favorite aviation moments and highlights of 2019. We’ll also share our most downloaded episodes of the year. Just briefly we’ll look behind us at the past year, but our focus will be to the future and the new year & sharing our goals and dreams moving forward. Aloha from Maui!   https://www.flymauihi.com/     Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial FAA written exam, plus “whole picture” learning that will ...

Merry Christmas!

Mele Kalikimaka from Maui! Wishing everyone aloha and happiness as we close out 2019 and look forward to new adventures in 2020.   https://www.flymauihi.com/     Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial FAA written exam, plus “whole picture” learning that will make you a lifelong, safe aviator. Pass your checkride with flying colors with Checkride Ace. Check out Angle of Attack online ground school: https://angleofattack.com/     Vacation...

Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Pilot

Are you like us and have waited until the very last minute to do your Christmas shopping? If you have a pilot or future pilot in your family, you’re in luck! There are a lot of products out there for the aviation enthusiast, both fun and practical. Even though we’re just a week away from Christmas, it’s not too late to order and get your gift shipped in time for the holidays.   https://www.flymauihi.com/ https://angleofattack.com/ https://daretoflyfashion.com/ https://oneplanejane....

What's Holding You Back in Your Flight Training

Tips for Surviving Your Checkride | CFI Chris Palmer

We get it! No matter what level of flight training you’re at, checkride day brings its share of both anxiety and excitement. You’ve trained, studied, prepared, and made sacrifices to make it to this day. Your checkride doesn’t have to be a daunting ordeal. What if you had a guide to walk you through the preparation, organization and brief you on what to expect? Today we have Chris Palmer from Angle of Attack sharing some of his top checkride prep tips. Chris also introduces us to Checkride A...

Predict a Safe Flight with a Complete Weather Briefing

One of the questions we were asked recently on our instrument check rides was, “How do you get your weather?” This is a question that examiners ask on nearly every check ride. It’s something that you as a pilot, or even student pilot, should be able to answer without blinking an eye. A safe pilot will not only gather, but also try to understand the weather along the route of intended flight. On today’s episode we’re going to share what weather resources we use here in Hawaii as well as other...

Common Pilot Distractions

Distractions in flight can be a life-threatening issue. It’s not just the rise in use of cell phones, iPads and GoPros in flight. There are other ways that distractions can creep in and eventually affect the safety of your flight. On Episode 52 we’re going to touch on some of these pilot distractions as a reminder to us all, and also talk about distractions we face overall in flight training.   https://www.flymauihi.com/   Vacationing in Hawaii? Book a flight with an experienced inst...

Andrew Bowman | Airline Pilot | C-17 Pilot | Veteran's Day

Our guest today is Andrew Bowman, who is vacationing in Maui this week and agreed to meet up and share about his aviation journey. Andrew flies for American Airlines, but began his career in the Air Force Reserves. It’s a fitting conversation as today is Veteran’s Day! Andrew shares how flying the C-17 has taken him all over the world and eventually led to the opportunity for an interview with American Airlines. He shares practical advice for anyone exploring the military or civilian career ...

Aviation Scholarships

It’s no secret that flight training is very expensive. Some people are under the impression that if you’re a pilot, then you must be rich! We know that the majority of you, like us, work hard to pay for your training. You may actually work multiple jobs, use your savings, or obtain a loan to finance your training. There is another option that could supplement your flight training costs, and that is an aviation scholarship. On today’s episode we’ll lay out some facts about scholarships, where...

Life After the Airlines | Captain Kerri Ballard

Kerri Ballard is a pilot who’s worn many hats in her career: flight instructor, fire bomber, world champion skier, and captain for Alaska Airlines. Like many pilots who’ve gone before us, and even some we’re lucky enough to call mentors and inspirations, the more we get to know Kerri, the more “cool factor” she has. Kerri’s humble heart and expertise is a draw for any young pilot who's lucky enough to meet her. We’re thrilled for her to share part of her story on this week’s episode. https...

Beginner's Guide to Self-Service Fuel

Fueling your own aircraft is actually a simple process that many student pilots learn early in their training. But if you’re like us and trained at a field where others handled fueling for you, it can be a little intimidating the first time you taxi up to a fuel pump and do it yourself. On today’s episode we’re going to walk through the steps of fueling properly and safely. https://www.flymauihi.com/ Vacationing in Hawaii? Book a flight with an experienced instructor and see Maui from ab...

The Path to Our Instrument Ratings: Written, Training, Oral and Checkride

On last week’s episode we shared some of our initial thoughts and reactions one day after passing our instrument rating check rides. Today, we’re diving deeper into how we prepared for that day beginning with ground school, on to our flight training, then the practical test itself. Whatever level of flight training you’re at, we hope this episode gives some practical tips how to successfully progress through the process. Fly with aloha!   https://www.flymauihi.com/ Vacationing in Hawai...

We Did It!

We’ve been absent from the podcast this month, and with good reason. Our focus had to turn to studying and flying getting ready for our instrument check rides, which were yesterday. On today’s episode we’ll give a brief overview of how we approached our instrument training from ground school to check ride prep. We’ll break it down into more detail in future episodes, but as for now, we just wanted to share the good news and initial thoughts. Fly with aloha! https://www.flymauihi.com/   ...

Confessions From a Student Pilot

Whatever you want to call them… confessions, regrets or lessons learned. These are six of the regrets we’ve seen in ourselves as student pilots and with others in flight training over the last few years. Episode 45 shares personal stories from past and current flight training and some of the things we wish we could do over, or do better. https://www.flymauihi.com/   Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial FAA written exam, plus “whole picture” learnin...

Help! My Spouse Wants to Learn to Fly

When a potential student pilot begins to seriously explore the thought of flight training, it leaves a lot of questions for their significant other. Isn’t this dangerous? How much is it going to cost? How will it affect our family? Today we welcome Neil and Lauren Greenhaw of Bentonville, AR. Neil is waiting to start flight training, and Lauren shares some of her honest uneasiness, but also excitement about the idea. https://www.flymauihi.com/ http://www.neilgreenhaw.com/ https://www.o...

The ABC's of Airspace | CFI Ovick Kar

Are you struggling with getting the overall picture of the American airspace system? Fly Maui’s Chief Flight Instructor Ovick Kar joins us on Episode 43 to share his “airspace story.” It’s a simple overview that may just help you when preparing for the next written exam or practical test. Get ready to take some notes! Aloha! https://www.flymauihi.com/   Gain the knowledge you need to pass your Private, Instrument or Commercial FAA written exam, plus “whole picture” learning that will m...