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 063: AOPA Senior Vice President Katie Pribyl
January 16, 2017 05:01 - 18 minutes - 26.7 MBKatie leads AOPA’s Communications division and is responsible for its You Can Fly programs. Under the You Can Fly umbrella, Katie and her team are building programs designed to get lapsed pilots back in the air, provide more affordable access to aviation through flying clubs, support best practices in flight training, and introduce high school students to aviation. Katie earned a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and flew the Canadair Regional Jet with Atlantic Coast Airline...
RFT 062: Airline Pilot Guy Captain Jeff
January 09, 2017 05:01 - 51 minutes - 71.8 MBJeff Nielsen, the host of the Airline Pilot Guy podcast, started his aviation career in the U.S. Air Force, flying C-141s worldwide, then instructing in the T-37. He then left the Air Force to pursue a career in airline operations, hiring on with the airline he calls "Acme Air". His Airline Pilot Guy podcast, to show what happens "on our side of the cockpit door", is immensely popular, and just passed the 250-episode milestone.
RFT 061: Jet Warbird Instructor Larry Salganek
January 02, 2017 05:01 - 19 minutes - 27.2 MBLarry Salganek has been instructing pilots for 25 years. Most of his instructing has been in warbirds, both piston and jets, including the T-34, T-33, T-28, YAK 18, YAK 52, CJ-6 Provost T-5, Mig 15/17, L-29, L-39 and Siai Marchetti and Fouga Jets. Larry has probably spent more hours instructing civilians in military piston and jet aircraft than anyone else in the United States. Larry currently holds low altitude airshow waivers in the T-34, YAK 52, Marchetti 260, L-29, L-39, Mig 15, T-33 and...
RFT 060: Airline Chief Pilot Kathi Durst
December 26, 2016 05:01 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBKathi Durst attended the United States Air Force Academy the second year women were allowed to enroll, and went to Undergraduate Pilot Training the second year women were allowed to become Air Force pilots. Although she performed well enough to qualify for a fighter assignment, at that time women were not permitted to fly combat aircraft, so she was assigned as an Instructor Pilot (IP) in the supersonic T-38 Talon aircraft. After seven years, she left the Air Force and hired on with Americ...
RFT 059: Microjet Pilot Justin Lewis
December 19, 2016 05:01 - 32 minutes - 45.9 MBJustin started flying at age 14, and received his pilot’s license at 17. In 1999, he graduated from the University of North Dakota with a B.S. in Aeronautical Studies, a Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot Certificate, and a Flight Instructor Certificate. He built experience as a flight instructor for several years until he left for Navy Officer Candidate School. After receiving his commission, Justin married his high school sweetheart, Sarah Clark Lewis, to whom he attributes much of his accomp...
RFT 058: Airline Pilot/Author Laura Einsetler
December 12, 2016 05:01 - 29 minutes - 40.2 MBLaura Einsetler is a commercial airline pilot with over 30 years of flying experience in various aircraft around the world. She is also the author of two books, “Remove Before Flight” and “Lost and Found”. As an aviation and health enthusiast, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge and insight to help create better quality of life by reducing any fear of flying while educating and empowering the passenger.
RFT 057: Aircraft Prebuy Inspector Don Sebastian
December 05, 2016 05:01 - 46 minutes - 64.9 MBDon Sebastian started his aviation career flying airplanes at an army aero club in the morning and then jumping out of airplanes in the afternoon. After finishing his military service, which included combat in the Caribbean, he completed his aeronautical ratings, and has been flight instructing for five decades. He now combines his pilot skills with his A&P certificate to conduct pre-buy inspections for airplane purchasers throughout the world.
RFT 056: Airline Pilot/Adventurer Laval St. Germain
November 28, 2016 05:01 - 41 minutes - 58.6 MBIn addition to being a B737 Captain for a Canadian airline, Laval was the first Canadian to summit Mount Everest without the aid of oxygen in May 2010, the first person to ski down Iraq’s highest peak and has to date climbed 6 of the 7 Summits (highest peak on all 7 continents), and in the summer of 2016 made the fastest solo ocean row crossing of the North Atlantic ocean from mainland Canada to mainland Europe.
RFT 055: Airshow Legend Julie Clark
November 21, 2016 05:01 - 31 minutes - 42.8 MBA pilot for more than 45 years and a retired Northwest Airlines Captain, Julie Clark has logged more than almost 33,000 accident-free hours in the air and is rated in 66 different aircraft types. Marking her 36th year as a solo aerobatic air show pilot, Julie has earned the admiration of fans everywhere and garnered many awards and honors.
RFT 054: Marine-Air Force Pilot/Author Lawrence "Cheese" Colby
November 14, 2016 05:01 - 28 minutes - 40.3 MBLawrence "Cheese" Colby is one of the few pilots to attend both Naval Aviator Pilot Training and Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training. He started flying in college, and became a Marine helicopter gunship pilot. After attaining the rank of Major, he initiated an inter-service transfer and became an Air Force C-130 pilot. He still serves in the Air Force Reserves. In addition to his flying, he has written a novel, due for release in December 2016, and has invented a protocol to reduce surg...
RFT 053 Aviation Historian/Artist John Mollison
November 07, 2016 05:01 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBJohn Mollison is a pilot, historian, film-maker, aviation artist. and award-winning speaker. His passion is telling the stories of famous pilots in his art and films, and including the pilots in his projects. All of his paintings are signed by the actual pilots themselves, including a painting signed by two Vietnam War opponents, pilots Hong My and John Stiles.
RFT 052: Jerry Yellin, Last WWII Mission Pilot
October 31, 2016 04:01 - 37 minutes - 52 MBCaptain Jerry Yellin enlisted in the Army Air Corps on his 18th birthday, two months after the Pearl Harbor attack. He became a fighter pilot, flying P-40s, P-47s and P-51s. He flew 19 ultra-long P-51 missions from Iwo Jima to Japan on bomber escort and interdiction missions, and was the last pilot in WWII to engage in aerial combat. Following the war, he suffered from undiagnosed PTSD for 30 years, until ultimately finding a cure through Transcendental Meditation. In 1982, he reluctantl...
RFT 051: Airline Pilot/Author Patrick Smith
October 24, 2016 04:01 - 34 minutes - 47.9 MBPatrick Smith is an active airline pilot, air travel blogger and author. His Ask the Pilot column, ran regularly in the online magazine Salon.com from 2002 until 2012. He has appeared on over 200 radio and television outlets, including PBS, Discovery Channel, CNN, the BBC and National Public Radio. His work is regularly cited in print publications worldwide. He was voted one of the “25 Best Bloggers of 2013” by TIME magazine. Patrick took his first flying lesson at age fourteen. His firs...
RFT 050: World's Oldest Pilot Ernie Smith
October 17, 2016 04:01 - 17 minutes - 23.5 MBThe Guinness Foundation has declared 98-year old Ernie Smith as the oldest living active pilot in the world, and you would never guess his age by talking to him. In this podcast, we had a short, but very interesting, conversation with Ernie about how he got his start in flying, his current flying schedule, and why he prefers to fly right at dawn.
RFT 049: Aviation Photographer Brandy Forstie
October 10, 2016 04:01 - 18 minutes - 25.7 MBA chance offer of an assignment to photograph an airplane propelled Brandy Forstie into the aviation photography business. She now photographs interiors and exteriors of business aircraft, and also provides other image services to corporate clients, including portraits and facility photographs. Brandy is based in Atlanta, but travels frequently to serve clients at their locations. Her stunning images are available for viewing on her website at www.aviationphotoservices.com.
RFT 048: Warbird/Airline Pilot Donna Miller
October 03, 2016 04:01 - 31 minutes - 43.5 MBDonna Miller learned to fly in South Korea while working as a civilian for the Air Force. She flew general aviation in Europe while working for Jeppesen in the Frankfurt office, then transferred to Jeppesen in Denver and helped Elrey Jeppesen catalog his memorabilia. He gave her a piece of fabric from the original Wright Flyer, and she had it made into a necklace that Eileen Collins took to space when they docked with MIR. She had the honor of flying Neil Armstrong to Kitty Hawk for the c...
RFT 047: Pied Piper of fighter Pilot Music Dick Jonas
September 26, 2016 04:01 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBDick Jonas served four years as an infantryman in the Georgia Army National Guard while attending Valdosta State College. He graduated in 1965 with a BS degree in Physics and Math. He entered the Air Force and received his commission through Officer Training School. In 22 years service he flew 3,000 jet fighter hours in the F-4 and the F-16. During 125 missions in Vietnam he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal with 12 clusters. He recorded his ...
RFT 046: Airline Pilot Guy Host Captain Nick
September 19, 2016 04:01 - 44 minutes - 60.7 MBNick Anderson, perhaps better known as the Old.Pilot is the oldest of the Airline Pilot Guy Podcast crew and not too far from retirement after a flying career that started in the ‘60s. Brought up in England and from an aviation family, he began flying in the wood and canvas, open cockpit gliders of the Air Training Corps. He started his professional career in the military, the Royal Air Force. He completed jet training on the Jet Provost, Folland Gnat and the Hawker Hunter before getting in...
RFT 045: Fighter Pilot/Motivational Speaker Colonel Dick Toliver
September 12, 2016 04:01 - 54 minutes - 75.1 MBDick is a protégé of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and was mentored, trained, and commissioned under their tutelage. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, NV and completed two tours in Southeast Asia with 446 combat missions. He also held key roles in advanced research, development, and testing of tactical fighter aircraft. Later he directed the testing and evaluation of other weapon systems for the Department of Defense and allied military programs. Dick held key st...
RFT 044: John and Martha King
September 05, 2016 04:01 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBJohn and Martha King have trained more than half of all pilots seeking pilot certificates over the past 40 years, with over 98 percent passing their written exams on the first attempt. They have won numerous awards and possess every FAA airman certificate available to civilian pilots. In this podcast, they discuss their aviation journey , which includes an around-the-world flight in their Falcon 10 aircraft, and their piloting of the Fuji Film airship. Throughout the podcast their passion f...
RFT 043: Emergency Evacuation
August 29, 2016 04:01 - 16 minutes - 22.8 MBWorldwide, there have been 13 airline emergency evacuations so far this year. Although it's unlikely you will need to evacuate from an airliner you're traveling on, it is prudent to always be prepared for an event that could be catastrophic if not performed correctly. In this podcast we discuss airline evacuation procedures and steps you can take to prepare yourself for the unlikely event.
RFT 042: F-4 Pilot POW Colonel Lee Ellis
August 22, 2016 04:01 - 38 minutes - 53.5 MBLee Ellis was on his first Air Force assignment, flying an F-4C aircraft out of Danang, South Vietnam, when he was forced to eject over Dong Hoi and captured. He endured 5 1/2 years as a Prisoner of War (POW) in the infamous Hoa Loa prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton. It was during that incarceration, in the crucible of leadership, that he learned the lessons that guided him through the rest of his career and his life. After repatriation, he returned to flying, serving as a T-38 Instructor...
RFT 041: Aviation Pioneer Wally Funk
August 15, 2016 04:01 - 40 minutes - 55 MBWally Funk started flying at age 16, obtained her Private Pilot certificate while at Stephens College, and obtained all her other ratings while a student at Oklahoma State University. After graduating, she taught primary flight students for the U.S. Army at Fort Sill. Then she heard about an astronaut screening program and was selected to participate. Along with twelve other women, they became known as the "Mercury 13". Political pressures forced the termination of the women's astronaut pro...
RFT 040: Pilot/Aviation Attorney Fred Tecce
August 08, 2016 04:01 - 21 minutes - 30.3 MBFred Tecce started flying when he was 21, and eventually earned all of his ratings. He had to take a brief hiatus while attending Law School full time, but quickly made up for the lost time by buying a Piper Arrow, which he owned until 1994, and then a Beech Duke, which he still owns. Fred specializes in Aviation Law and, more recently, Intellectual Property Law, and has frequently used his airplane for business. His public appearance career began with a local television show in Philadelph...
RFT 039: B-52 Pilot/Airline Pilot Nick Hinch
August 01, 2016 04:01 - 52 minutes - 72.3 MBNick Hinch started his Aviation career as an Air Force navigator on the B-52, flying over Hanoi during Operation Linebacker II. He then went to pilot training and rose to B-52 Squadron Commander and Wing Assistant Director Of Operations. Following a 20-year Air Force career, he became an airline pilot with United Airlines, then went overseas to fly B777s for Air India.
RFT 038: Captain Chuck Nash
July 25, 2016 04:01 - 45 minutes - 62.9 MBChuck Nash spent 25 years as a Naval Aviator, rising to the rank of Captain. He has landed on 9 different aircraft carriers, amassing 965 carrier landings. He now serves as a Military Analyst.
RFT 037: Airline Pilot/Author Karlene Petitt
July 18, 2016 04:01 - 41 minutes - 56.9 MBKarlene Petitt knew she wanted to be a pilot when she was a pre-teen, even though everyone told her "girls can't be pilots". She started flying when she was 16, and now, with eight airline uniforms in her closet, she's an international Captain with a major legacy carrier. She's also an author of five books, and working on her PhD.
RFT 036: Directed By Accident
July 11, 2016 04:01 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBMany of the equipment items and procedures used on air carrier aircraft today are the result of accident board recommendations from hull loss accidents. In this podcast we discuss some of these.
RFT 035: Pump Up Your Resume!
July 04, 2016 04:01 - 16 minutes - 22.9 MBYour resume and application are what the airlines will see when deciding to select you for an interview. In this podcast, we discuss strategies to improve your chances to score that interview.
RFT 034: Airline Pilot/Author Erika Armstrong
June 27, 2016 04:01 - 31 minutes - 42.9 MBErika Armstrong accidentally entered aviation by working a desk at a local FBO to support herself in college. And THEN she became addicted to aviation. She worked her way up through the ranks, flying charters and Red Cross blood transport flights, and eventually ended up in the left seat of a B-727. Along the way, she encountered gender bias and sexual harassment, but she prevailed. She now writes aviation columns for numerous publications.
RFT 033: P-51 Pilot Lee Lauderback
June 20, 2016 04:01 - 37 minutes - 50.9 MBBad eyes kept Lee Lauderback from becoming an Air Force pilot, but he never lost his passion for flying. After graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with all of his ratings, he landed a job flying Learjets for golf legend Arnold Palmer. He flew all of Arnold Palmer's airplanes for 17 years, but branched out on his own after purchasing an old P-51D and returning it to service. After completing a contract instructing in the airplane at the famed U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, Le...
RFT 032: Aviation Photographer Adam Senatori
June 13, 2016 04:01 - 38 minutes - 52.9 MBAdam Senatori was furloughed from his airline pilot job, was trained as a fire-fighter, and worked as an instructor pilot. He started taking pictures with his iPhone during some of his flights and posted them on Instagram. He became an Instagram star, and won a photo contest sponsored by GE, which resulted in his getting a photo assignment in Wales. Soon, he was hired to photograph every major international airshow, and he is now a highly successful aviation photographer.
RFT 031: Thunderbird/USAF Chief of Staff General McPeak
June 06, 2016 04:01 - 53 minutes - 73.7 MBMerrill McPeak followed his initial Air Force F-104 and F-100 flying assignments as a member of the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, performing in 200 airshows. He then went to Vietnam, and became the commander of the famed Misty FAC (Forward Air Controller) squadron. After Vietnam, he went to Armed Forces Staff College, then to the Pentagon, and had a host of other assignments that eventually led to his becoming the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In this podcast, Genera...
RFT 030: Airline Pilot/Author Barry Schiff
May 30, 2016 04:01 - 30 minutes - 41.7 MBBarry Schiff started flying at age 14, became a pilot with TWA, and in the intervening years has amassed flying experience in 355 aircraft types. As an author, Barry has written over 1700 articles, and has a regular monthly column in AOPA Pilot magazine.
RFT 029: U-2 Pilot John Swanson
May 23, 2016 04:01 - 47 minutes - 65 MBJohn Swanson was an All-American Fencer at the Air Force Academy, then became a Forward Air Controller (FAC) in Vietnam and Laos. Following his combat tours, he became a T-38 Instructor Pilot and a U-2 pilot in the Air Force, then flew for Delta Airlines. He now flies fractional jets.
RFT 028: Combat Rescue Pilot Brigadier General Dale Stovall
May 16, 2016 04:01 - 55 minutes - 76.2 MBBrigadier General Dale Stovall talks about his time in the Air Force as a combat rescue pilot, his Air force career, and his career as an airline pilot for Fedex following his military retirement.
RFT 027: F-16 Pilot and Best-Selling Author Dan Hampton
May 09, 2016 04:01 - 22 minutes - 30.5 MBAfter finishing up a 20-year career flying F-16s in the Air Force, Dan Hampton wrote the New York Times best-seller Viper Pilot, and followed that with three other award-winning books.
RFT 026: Aviation Safety Expert Captain Rusty Aimer
May 02, 2016 04:01 - 39 minutes - 54.5 MBCaptain Ross "Rusty" Aimer has an entire closet full of airline uniforms, and has flown all over the world, including a stint as the pilot for the Shah of Iran. He is now a much-sought-after aviation safety expert for all of the news shows.
RFT 025: Amputee Aerobatic Champion Mike Penketh
April 25, 2016 04:01 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MBMike Penketh was a Marine fighter pilot, warbird pilot, airline pilot, air race pilot and race car driver. Then after experiencing a terrible car crash and losing both of his hands, he regained his flying credentials and won an aerobatics competition. He is now a motivational speaker.
RFT 024: Vietnam War Ace Brigadier General Steve Ritchie
April 18, 2016 05:00 - 46 minutes - 63.8 MBSteve Ritchie graduated first in his Undergraduate Pilot Training class in 1965, but he almost didn't even get into pilot training due to injuries sustained playing on the championship Air Force Academy football team. After graduation, he made a personal pilgrimage to see the chief Air Force Flight Surgeon, and was successful in making his case. After pilot training he flew the F-104 for a couple of years, then volunteered to fly the F-4 in Vietnam. At DaNang Air Base, he flew the first F-4 ...
RFT 023: Ron Rapp
April 11, 2016 05:00 - 36 minutes - 49.9 MBRon Rapp got the flying bug early, and started flying, and instructing, in every airplane he could find. In addition to basic and instruments, he taught aerobatics and formation. His formation flying led to his joining a sky typing team. He now flies a Gulfstream internationally, and runs the House of Rapp aviation blog.
RFT 022: Interview With Chad Hennings
April 04, 2016 05:01 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MBChad Hennings was an All-American football player in high school, and could have had his choice of any college in the country. He chose the United States Air Force Academy, where he was named Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. After graduation, although he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, he opted to serve his country as a fighter pilot, flying the A-10 on 45 combat missions during the Gulf War. After completing his active duty service commitment, he was again select...
RFT 021: Thunderbird Blaine Jones
March 28, 2016 05:00 - 33 minutes - 45.5 MBBlaine Jones was a commercial baker who started taking flying lessons in early September, 2001. Then the attacks of September 11th galvanized him to serve his country. He volunteered for the Air Force, and became a fighter pilot. Not just any fighter pilot - Blaine flew the F-15, the F-22, and was selected for the thunderbirds aerial demonstration team.
RFT 020: TOPGUN Steve Harden
March 21, 2016 05:00 - 48 minutes - 67.3 MBTOPGUN instructor Steve Harden developed the CRM training program for his new employer, Fedex, and now teaches CRM principles to the medical community.
RFT 019: Eastern/FEDEX Pilot Dick Powers
March 14, 2016 05:00 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MBDick Powers was a pilot with Eastern Airlines during the Golden Age of Aviation. After Eastern went out of business, Dick resurrected his career as a freight pilot with FEDEX. He now conducts airline safety audits worldwide.
RFT 018: Patty Wagstaff Interview
March 07, 2016 06:01 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBPatty Wagstaff has been an aerobatic champion for over three decades. In this episode of Ready For Takeoff, we learn about how she became an international champion.
RFT 017: Interview With Blue Angel Donnie Cochran
February 29, 2016 07:02 - 59 minutes - 82.3 MBDonnie Cochran became the first African-American member of the Navy Blue Angels aerial demonstration team, and later the first African-American Team Leader.
RFT 016: Interview With F-117 Pilot Sam Martin
February 22, 2016 05:01 - 47 minutes - 66.3 MBIn this episode of the Ready For Takeoff podcast we talk to Dr. Sam Martin, "The Great Sambini", an Air Force fighter pilot who flew O-2A, A-37, A-10 and F-117 aircraft.
RFT 015: Interview With Brenda Robinson
February 15, 2016 05:01 - 35 minutes - 49.7 MBIn this episode of the Ready For Takeoff podcast we talk to Brenda Robinson, the first African-American female to earn the wings of gold as a Naval Aviator. Following her service with the navy, Brenda flew for American Airlines for 17 years, then founded the non-profit Aviation Camps of the Carolinas, LLC.
RFT 014: High Altitude Physiology
February 08, 2016 05:01 - 26 minutes - 37.1 MBIn this episode of the Ready For Takeoff podcast we discuss high altitude physiology, including a discussion of the atmosphere, hypoxia, and evolved gas dysbarisms.