Ready For Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion Into A Career
613 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 136 ratingsThe Ready For Takeoff podcast will help you transform your aviation passion into an aviation career. Every week we bring you instruction and inspiring interviews with top aviators in their field who reveal their flight path to an exciting career in the skies.
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Episodes
RFT 110: Wake Turbulence
August 11, 2017 06:24 - 9 minutes - 14.1 MBThis information is for training and informational purposes only. Wake turbulence is generated whenever an airplane is developing lift. The heavier and slower the airplane, the greater the wake turbulence. Your key to avoiding wake turbulence is to always fly through undisturbed air. A Bombardier CL604 Challenger suffered catastrophic damage at FL 340 from the wake of an Airbus A380 flying at FL 350. The report is very sobering.
RFT 109: Flight Test Engineer/Aviation Expert Dr. Todd Curtis
August 07, 2017 04:01 - 36 minutes - 51 MBTodd Curtis served as a Flight Test Engineer in the Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base prior to launching the web site AirSafe.com in 1996, capitalizing on his Bachelor's Degree (Electrical Engineering), Master's Degrees (Electrical Engineering and Business) and Doctorate (Aviation Risk Asseessment). The site consistently ranks as a top three or first page result for Google searches for airline safety, fear of flying, carry-on baggage, and numerous other airline safety and security terms. T...
RFT 108: Aerotoxic Syndrome
August 04, 2017 05:19 - 11 minutes - 16.1 MBModern jetliners have an environmental control system (ECS) that manages the flow of cabin air. Outside air enters the engines and is compressed in the forward section, prior to the combustion section, ensuring no combustion products can enter the cabin. A portion of that compressed bleed air is used to pressurize the cabin. The ECS then recirculates some of that cabin air through HEPA filters, while the rest is directed to outflow valves, ensuring there is a constant supply of fresh, clean ...
RFT 107: Tanker Pilot/Author Mark Hasara
July 31, 2017 04:01 - 45 minutes - 62.5 MBFor twenty-four years Mark Hasara operated one of the Air Force’s oldest airplanes, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. His career started during the Reagan Administration, carrying out Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent mission. Moving to Okinawa Japan in August 1990, he flew missions throughout the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia. His first combat missions were in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a Duty Officer in the Tanker Airlift Control Center, he planned and ran five hundred airli...
RFT 106: Low Fuel Over North Vietnam
July 28, 2017 04:01 - 8 minutes - 12.1 MBIt was 30 July, 1972. Operation Linebacker was well under way. Typical missions north of Hanoi would have us refueling over Laos and making “right turns” to attack targets northwest of Hanoi, or refueling feet wet and making “left turns” to attack targets northeast of Hanoi. In mid-July, some genius at Seventh Air Force figured out that we could surprise the gomers by ingressing using left turns from feet wet to attack targets to the northwest: all the SAMs (surface to air missiles) would b...
RFT 105: International Travel Safety Expert Brian Webb
July 24, 2017 04:01 - 24 minutes - 34.6 MBBrian Webb specializes in teaching church mission teams how to travel safely around the world with a biblical perspective on safety and security. In 2011 Brian was the sole recipient of the National Training Award and received the national award for Outstanding Achievement in Training from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Air Operations. In addition to managing a covert operations program, Brian also served as the national program manager of the agency's Primary Aviation Sur...
RFT 104: Jet Blast
July 21, 2017 17:51 - 8 minutes - 12.4 MBIn the movie Pushing Tin they made it look like fun. It probably inspired many people to think that jet blast was fairly harmless. For starters, in the movie, the actors were most likely (simulated) being tossed around by the aircraft wake, not the jet blast. The wind speed 200 feet behind an aircraft at takeoff power is equivalent to a Category V hurricane!
RFT 103: B-1 Pilot/Author/Performance Expert Dr. Tony Kern
July 17, 2017 04:01 - 39 minutes - 55.4 MBDr. Tony Kern is the Founding Partner and CEO of Convergent Performance, LLC., a veteran-owned small business in Colorado Springs. Convergent was formed in 2003, and is specifically dedicated to reducing human error and improving performance in high risk environments such as aviation, military operations, surgical teams, law enforcement, and oil and gas. Tony is one of the world’s leading authorities on human performance in time constrained, error intolerant environments, and has lectured on...
RFT 102: TCAS
July 14, 2017 04:01 - 10 minutes - 14.8 MBA traffic collision avoidance system or traffic alert and collision avoidance system (both abbreviated as TCAS, and pronounced tee-kas) is an aircraft collision avoidance system designed to reduce the incidence of mid-air collisions between aircraft. It monitors the airspace around an aircraft for other aircraft equipped with a corresponding active transponder, independent of air traffic control, and warns pilots of the presence of other transponder-equipped aircraft which may present a thre...
RFT 101: F-14 Pilot/Turnaround Specialist Chuck Gumbert
July 10, 2017 04:01 - 17 minutes - 25.1 MBChuck Gumbert, The Turnaround Specialist™, has utilized a wealth of life and business experience, as well as a knack for overcoming challenges, to guide numerous clients to success. One of Chuck’s first major challenges—overcoming the debilitating effects of polio at age 2—did not stop him from eventually participating in high school athletics and later becoming a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy, graduating at the top of his class. His drive for accomplishment, led to him climbing Mt. Kiliman...
RFT 100: Flying West and Nickel on the Grass
July 07, 2017 04:01 - 4 minutes - 6.13 MBFlown West I hope there's a place, way up in the sky, Where pilots can go, when they have to die- A place where a guy can go and buy a cold beer For a friend and comrade, whose memory is dear; A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread, Nor management type would ere be caught dead; Just a quaint little place, kinda dark and full of smoke, Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke; The kind of place where a lady could go And feel safe and protected, by the men she would k...
RFT 099: Admiral Lawrence Chambers
July 03, 2017 04:01 - 45 minutes - 62.8 MBIn 1954, after 18 months of flight training, Chambers was designated as a Naval Aviator. His first fleet assignment was to an air-antisubmarine warfare squadron, VS-37, where he flew the Grumman AF Guardian. Transitioning to the light attack community, he later flew the A-1 Skyraider with VA-215 and then, following postgraduate education, transitioned to jet light attack aircraft, flying the A-4 Skyhawk with VA-125 and VA-22. He then established VA-67 (later VFA-15|VA-15) as its first comman...
RFT 098: No-Flap Visual Approach
June 30, 2017 04:01 - 7 minutes - 10.9 MBA visual no-flap or partial-flap approach may be a required maneuver on a type rating test. there are several techniques to make this event easier. Naturally, good CRM requires you to use all of your resources, which include the ILS (if available), VASI/PAPI (if available) and non-ILS approaches in your database. If none of these are available, simply fly the airplane on a 3-degree glide path by positioning the aircraft 350 feet AGL at one mile, 650 feet AGL at two miles, and 1000 feet A...
RFT 097: Mirage 2000 Pilot Marc Sheffler
June 26, 2017 04:01 - 18 minutes - 25.8 MBMarc Sheffler wanted to fly ever since he was a child. He started flying at age 17, and after attending L'ecole de L'air (the French Air Force Academy) he attended pilot training in the French Air Force in 1997. Excelling in flight training, he became a fighter pilot, flying the Alphajet. Following that, he transitioned to the Mirage 2000. He currently has 2,200 hours in the Mirage in the air-to-ground mission, employing weapons ranging from "dumb bombs" to terminal guided munitions. He ha...
RFT 096: Night Flying
June 23, 2017 04:01 - 7 minutes - 11.1 MBNight flying is generally smoother and features less communications traffic congestion than daytime flying. But to have a safe night flight, the pilot needs to be extra vigilant in several areas. For starters, it is much more difficult to find a suitable area for an emergency landing at night, so you might want to adjust your route of flight to remain within a reasonable distance of suitable emergency airports. That might necessitate flying slightly higher at night to maximize gliding dist...
RFT 095: Career Counselor Karen Kahn
June 19, 2017 04:01 - 42 minutes - 59.3 MBKaren Kahn has been actively involved in the aviation industry for 30+ years. She is one of the nation’s first female commercial pilots hired and one of few pioneers still working. Prior to starting her airline career in 1977, she instructed at the Sierra Academy in Northern California and operated her own weekend ground school teaching Private, Commercial and Instrument courses. She holds ratings through Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), including type ratings on the Boeing 757/767 and McDon...
RFT 094: Windshear
June 16, 2017 06:13 - 9 minutes - 14.4 MBWind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance. It can occur either horizontally or vertically and is most often associated with strong temperature inversions or density gradients. Wind shear can occur at high or low altitude. Not all fronts have associated wind shear. In fact, shear is normally a problem only in those fronts with steep wind gradients. As with so many things associated with weather, there is no absolute rule, but a couple of clues tell you that...
RFT 093: Professional Pilots of Tomorrow
June 12, 2017 04:01 - 28 minutes - 40 MBThe Professional Pilots of Tomorrow was organized to provide confidential, insightful, and unbiased mentoring to pilots by more experienced and seasoned professional pilots from airlines throughout the aviation industry. Becoming an airline pilot for a major airline takes years of work experience. Chances are pilots use one of two routes to build their work experience and flight time: military service or regional airlines. In the present day, most pilots entering the regional airline indus...
RFT 092: A Significant Week In Aviation History
June 09, 2017 04:46 - 3 minutes - 5.52 MBThis week marks two very significant anniversaries in aviation history. Both occurred during World War Two. The Battle of Midway occurred 75 years ago this week, June 4-7 1942. Although it was a naval battle, the dramatic results were achieved primarily by naval aviation. Only seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which launched the United States into the war, the results of the battle crippled the Japanese navy for the remainder of the war. In this one battle, four Japanese aircr...
RFT 091: Thunderbird Lead/Executive Director AOPA Air Safety Institute Richard McSpadden
June 05, 2017 04:01 - 29 minutes - 41 MBRichard McSpadden was first introduced to flying when his mother presented his father with an introductory flight lesson. His father became a pilot and that started a generational love of aviation that passed to Richard and now to his children. His father purchased a Navion, and Richard earned his pilot ratings in the plane. Richard joined the Air Force after college, and found that the Navion time really gave him an edge in Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). His performance in UPT was in...
RFT 090: ETOPS
June 01, 2017 04:01 - 13 minutes - 19.8 MBETOPS is an acronym for Extended Operations. The term used to signify Extended Range Operation with Two-Engine Airplanes but the meaning was changed by the US FAA when regulations were broadened to include aircraft with more than two engines. It refers to the standards and recommended practices (SARPS) issued by ICAO for Part 121 aircraft to fly long-distance routes that had been off-limits to twin-engined aircraft, and subsequently to extended range operations of four-engined aircraft (such...
RFT 089: Fear of Flying Counselor Tom Bunn
May 29, 2017 04:01 - 25 minutes - 35.1 MBAfter graduating from Wake Forest University in psychology, Captain Tom entered the U.S. Air Force. Number one in his class when he got his wings in 1960, he was given his choice of assignments, and chose to fly the Air Force's first supersonic jet fighter, the F-100. He served from 1961 until 1965 with the 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany flying the F-100 and F-105. In addition to flying, he did accident investigation and developed a safety device for the F...
RFT 088: Thoughts For USAFA Class 2017
May 25, 2017 06:34 - 6 minutes - 9.74 MBCongratulations on achieving what at times probably seemed impossible. As a member of the legacy class of 1967 I'd like to share some thoughts with you. As you go out into your first assignment, you’ll quickly learn that an Air Force squadron is truly a family, and your squadron-mates will quickly become your brothers and sisters. And you may notice that many of your contemporaries may not have the same posture, the same bearing, the same crisp salute that you have. That’s understandable -...
RFT 087: SR-71 Test Pilot Bob Gilliland
May 22, 2017 04:01 - 35 minutes - 50.2 MBBob was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1926 and graduated from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee in 1944. At age 17, Bob volunteered for the US Navy and was training to go into submarines when he was accepted into the US Naval Academy at the war’s end. As a midshipman he served on various warships, including a heavy cruiser, destroyer, carrier, and the battleship USS North Carolina in which his GQ station was the 16 inch gun turret. Bob graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1949. He ...
RFT 086: Stabilized Approaches
May 18, 2017 04:00 - 10 minutes - 14.9 MBFactors of a Stabilized Approach Maintain a specified descent rate. Maintain a specified airspeed. Complete all briefings and checklists. Configure aircraft for landing (gear, flaps, etc). Be stabilized by 1,000 feet for IMC operations; 500 feet for VMC approach. Ensure only small changes in heading/pitch are necessary to maintain the correct flight path. Go-Around for Safety If these factors are not met, the approach becomes “unstabilized,” which means a go-around for another at...
RFT 085: Designated Examiner Natalie Hoover
May 15, 2017 04:01 - 14 minutes - 20.3 MBAlthough Natalie Hoover's dad was an Air Force pilot and then became a Fedex pilot, she really didn't have any interest in flying until after she graduated college. On her way to pursuing a master's degree, she took an introductory airplane flight, and never looked back. She spent the next two years virtually living at the airport, collecting all the ratings, and getting an airline job. Then she realized she wanted to get back to her roots in General Aviation, and became a full-time CFI. L...
RFT 084: Europe/Pacific Ace Dean "Diz" Laird
May 11, 2017 03:28 - 1 hour - 97.9 MBDean "Diz" Laird entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Navy on January 2, 1942, was commissioned an Ensign on August 11, 1942, and was designated a Naval Aviator at NAS Miami, Florida, on October 21, 1942. His first assignment was as an F4F Wildcat and then F6F Hellcat pilot and assistant gunnery officer with VF-4 at NAS Norfolk, Virginia, from November 1942 to March 1943, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) from March 1942 to December 1943, at NAS Quonset, Rhode Island, f...
RFT 083: Ryan Rankin and the Year-Long Test Flight
May 08, 2017 04:01 - 30 minutes - 42.6 MBRyan was born and raised in Sarasota, FL. As a young boy he would drag his parents outside so he could look for aircraft flying overhead. Flying is the one thing he has wanted to do more than anything else. Thanks to the Navy and the support of his family he has been able to do just that, and in ways he could have never imagined. While he loves flying, he is equally fascinated with meeting people who share this excitement for aviation. So in 2017, he is going to fly 52 different types of ...
RFT 082: Getting Your Type Rating
May 04, 2017 04:01 - 29 minutes - 41.1 MBTo serve as Pilot In Command of a large (over 12,500 pounds) or turbojet aircraft, you must have a type rating in that aircraft. Normally, training for the type rating is conducted in a formal training environment, using simulators and advanced training facilities. The Type Rating Test (check ride) is normally conducted adhering to the Practical Test Standards, although at some airlines the rating process is conducted using the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) with proficiency determin...
RFT 081: Military/Airline Pilot Bruce Mayes
May 01, 2017 04:01 - 37 minutes - 52.3 MBBruce Mayes started flying as a teenager, and continued his flying first in the Army and then in the Coast Guard, where he flew both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. After the service, he was hired by Aloha Airlines, where he rose to Captain on the B737 until the airline went out of business. Of the nine world records Bruce holds, one of them is in the B737-700 on a passenger flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles! Bruce has owned several airplanes, most of them antiques, and currently ...
RFT 080: Aviation Security Expert Jeff Price
April 27, 2017 04:01 - 24 minutes - 34 MBJeff Price is considered one of the world’s leading experts on aviation security, lecturing at conferences such as the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, the Air Line Pilot’s Association, and the American Association of Airport Executives. He has written over 300 publications for a variety of publications including Aviation Security International magazine, Airport magazine and Plane & Pilot. He has also authored two chapters on aviation security for other texts and is frequently calle...
RFT 079: SR-71 Pilot Brian Shul
April 24, 2017 04:01 - 26 minutes - 38 MBIn 1973, Brian Shul was an Air Force T-28 pilot advising the Thai Air Force when his airplane was shot down over Cambodia. He suffered catastrophic burns and spent over a year in the hospital, with numerous experts telling him he would never fly again. He was determined to prove them wrong. Two days after being released from the hospital, Brian was back flying Air Force fighter jet aircraft. He went on to fly the A-7D, and was then selected to be a part of the first operational A-10 squad...
RFT 078: Former Rusty Pilot Mary Flake
April 20, 2017 04:01 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBMary Flake grew up during the depression, and worked peeling potatoes on a farm as a 14-year-old. One day, a Piper Cub landed at the farm, she got a ride, and was hooked. She immediately wanted to take flying lessons, but had to save up $100 for the required lessons. After several months, she had the money, and started taking lessons. When she was ready to solo, she filled out the paperwork and her instructor told her she would have to wait until she was 16. She spent the next year working...
RFT 077: World Speed Record Holder Jack Brush
April 17, 2017 04:01 - 46 minutes - 64.2 MBJack Brush began his aviation career as a rated navigator while at the United States Air Force Academy, where he was in the second class to ever graduate. He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) and was assigned to fly the C-124. In two years, he amassed 2000 flying hours, and then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving his Master of Science Degree in Aeronautics. While teaching Aeronautics and Economics at the Air Force Academy, he continued to fly with cade...
RFT 076: International Charter Pilot Dave Fisch
April 12, 2017 18:43 - 37 minutes - 51.9 MBDave Fisch learned to fly as a teenager, soloed in 5 1/2 hours, and earned all of his certificates up to CFI in his first year. He worked his way through college as a CFI, then joined the Air Force Reserves at Travis Air Force Base and was sent to Air force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). Following UPT, he was assigned to fly the C-141 worldwide. In between Air Force missions, Dave worked several desk jobs and kept applying to the airlines. Finally, he struck pay dirt at American Airli...
RFT 075: F-15/Airline Pilot Jeff Fellmeth
April 10, 2017 04:01 - 32 minutes - 45 MBJeff Fellmeth, formerly known as "First Officer Jeff" on the Airline Pilot Guy podcast, is now "Captain Jeff" at a legacy airline. When Jeff was 14, his Boy Scout trip to summer camp had an overnight stop at the Air Force Academy, and that's when he decided he wanted to become an Air Force officer. He was initially turned down by the Academy, but was accepted to the Academy Prep School. In Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), he initially got airsick, until his first spin in a T-37. After...
RFT 074: A-10 Pilot Colonel Kim Campbell
April 03, 2017 04:01 - 22 minutes - 32.5 MBKim Campbell joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet at age 13 and made her first solo flight in a civilian aircraft over San Jose at age 16. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy in 1997 where she was the cadet wing commander, as was her father during his time at the academy, the first time that a father and daughter both served as cadet wing commander. Also, like her father before her, she "maxed" the rigorous PFT (Physical Fitness Test), o...
RFT 073.5 French Aerial Demonstration Team Commander Christophe Deherre
March 31, 2017 04:08 - 14 minutes - 20.7 MBColonel Christophe Deherre is the Director of the French Air Force Center for Studies, Reserve and Partnership for the French Air Force. He wanted to be a fighter pilot ever since he was a child, and he attended the prestigious Ecole de L'air in Provence, France. He spent one year as an exchange student at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He is currently commanding the Patrouille de France aerial demonstration team during their month-long tour of the United States. This ...
RFT 073: Air Force/Airline Pilot Brian Settles
March 27, 2017 04:01 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBBrian Settles embarked on his aviation career by accident, registering late (at the behest of his mother, Bernice) for Ball State University after his basketball scholarship to the University of Colorado fell through at the last minute. Ironically, he was talked into signing up for the drill team which meant enrolling in the Air Force ROTC program. While at Ball State, Captain Settles majored in Secondary Education with a concentration in Spanish and English and was enticed to enrolling in...
RFT 72.5 Ace Your Interview!
March 24, 2017 03:12 - 25 minutes - 36.4 MBYour resume and employment application will determine if you are invited for an airline interview, but it is your performance at that interview that will get you hired! This episode of the Ready For Takeoff podcast will give you insights into what you can do now to be prepared for that interview.
RFT 072: NGPA Executive Director David Pettet
March 20, 2017 04:01 - 22 minutes - 31.8 MBAs a 5-year-old, David Pettet wrote a letter to himself saying he wanted to be an airline pilot. He became a CFI as an 18-year-old, hired on as gate agent with a regional carrier, and parlayed that into a flying job. He was hired by Omni Air International as a B767 pilot, then moved to Hawaiian Airlines, flying the DC9 and the A330, and finally landed his current job at a major legacy airline. He has been a member of the National Gay Pilots Association since his early years as a pilot, and...
RFT 071: Amputee Air Force Pilot Christy Wise
March 13, 2017 04:01 - 28 minutes - 40.6 MBCristy Wise attended the United States Air Force Academy, and after graduation attended Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training. When she received her wings, Christy was assigned as a Rescue C-130 pilot. On April 11, 2015, Christy was struck by a hit-and-run boat while paddle boarding near Shalimar, Florida. The injuries she sustained required her right leg be amputated above the knee. Christy counts her survival a miracle. Christy’s twin sister, Jessica, is a surgical resident who has ...
RFT 070: Airline Productivity Expert Mike Baiada
March 06, 2017 05:01 - 49 minutes - 69.4 MBMichael Baiada has 35 years and over 20,000 hours of flying experience and holds BS degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Business Administration from Rutgers University. He was the Manager of Products at Allied/Bendix Avionics Division, Assistant VP - Operations/Maintenance at Ransome Airlines and a USAF officer/pilot. After serving in the Air Force, Mike joined United Airlines as a pilot. His passion, from early on, has been to enhance airline productivity. Over the last 25 years, Mich...
RFT 069: Combat Pilot/Author Mark Berent
February 27, 2017 05:01 - 41 minutes - 58.3 MBMark Berent received his pilot’s wings in September 1953, then flew the F-86 SabreJet and the F-100 Super Sabre in Germany, France, and the U.S. He even caught a ride in the "missile with a man in it", the F-104. In the early ‘60s, the USAF sent him to Arizona State University to get an engineering degree. While there, the Vietnam War became more intense, and he volunteered for duty in Vietnam In mid-December 1965 he arrived at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam as a pilot in the 531st Tac...
RFT 068.5 OBAP Chairman Karl Minter
February 23, 2017 05:01 - 18 minutes - 26.6 MBCarl Minter got his start in aviation as a teenager in the Negro Airmen International program, and later attended Parks College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. After a stint working as an engineer for Sikorsky, he joined the Air Force and flew C-141's and then was selected to fly Presidential Support missions in the Gulfstream aircraft. After leaving the military and joining a legacy airline, Karl continued his service in the Air Force reserves. In this podcast, Karl describes th...
RFT 068: Platinum CSIP Chuck Gensler
February 20, 2017 17:01 - 22 minutes - 32.2 MBChuck’s aviation career is the result of a life-long interest in aviation, which was made stronger as his father - an Air Force pilot in three wars - took him to countless air shows where he watched the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels perform. This led to enrollment in USAF ROTC at the Citadel and a subsequent pilot slot. He brought the discipline he learned at the Citadel into his Air Force flight training and graduated near the top of his class. As a result of his performance in Undergra...
RFT 067: Airline Pilot/Podcaster Carl Valeri
February 13, 2017 05:01 - 36 minutes - 51.4 MBCarl Valeri started his career in the computer business, preparing clients for the effects of the dreaded Y2K Disaster. But he always had a desire to fly, and finally found his passion when he got an airline job. When he was furloughed, he found his other passion: helping furloughed pilots find aviation employment. He now helps countless pilots in the pursuit of their passions through his aviation counseling, his blog, and his podcasts. He publishes an Aerospace Scholarship Guide, which h...
RFT 066: Triple Ace/Test Pilot Bud Anderson
February 06, 2017 05:01 - 41 minutes - 57.6 MBDuring WW II Bud Anderson served two combat tours escorting heavy bomber over Europe in the P-51 Mustang, Nov 1943 through Jan 1945. He flew 116 combat mission (480 hrs) and destroyed 16 and 1/4 enemy aircraft in aerial combat and another one on the ground. He has an extensive flight testing background spanning a 25 year period. At Wright-Patterson AFB OH he was a fighter test pilot and later became Chief of Fighter Operations. He flew many models of the early jet fighters and was involve...
RFT 065: French Aerobatic Pilot/Airbus Engineer Christophe Simon
January 30, 2017 05:01 - 26 minutes - 37.9 MBChristophe Simon wanted to fly from an earlier age, but his initial efforts were nipped in the bud when he could not pass the French medical exam because he had bad eyes. So he attended a university to become qualified for non-flying aviation employment. After graduation, he discovered he couldn't find employment because he had not attended a prestige (Ivy League) university. He relocated to England and quickly found meaningful employment in his chosen career. After 7 years, he was hired b...
RFT 064: Fighter Pilot/Motivational Speaker Rob "Waldo" Waldman
January 23, 2017 05:01 - 23 minutes - 33.4 MBMotivational keynote speaker Waldo Waldman – The Wingman – is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Never Fly Solo. He teaches tactics on how to build trusting, revenue producing relationships with employees, partners, and customers while sharing his experiences as a decorated fighter pilot and sales expert. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, he holds an MBA with a focus on Organizational Behavior and is a former top producing sales manager. He successfully le...