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 556: December Crashes
December 28, 2021 01:20 - 7 minutes - 11.8 MB1 December 1993; Northwest Airlink (Express Airlines) BAe Jetstream 31; Hibbing, MN: The aircraft had a controlled flight into terrain about three miles (five km) from the runway threshold during an an excessively steep approach in conditions of snow and freezing fog. Both crew members and all 16 passengers were killed. 3 December 1990; Northwest DC9-14; Detroit, MI: The DC9 was taxiing in fog and strayed onto an active runway where it was hit by a departing Northwest 727. One of the four ...
RFT 555: December Gear Problems
December 21, 2021 05:43 - 8 minutes - 13.2 MBAll December proceeds from the sale of Hamfist novels and the proceeds from the audiobook Hamfist Over The Trail will be donated to charity to help the victims of the tragic midwest tornadoes. December has a bad reputation for airline landing gear accidents. As an airline Captain, during every December flight I would brief my crew that, in the event of a landing gear indication problem, we would not delay the landing to trouble-shoot our issue. There is no record of airline fatalities due ...
RFT 554: Frozen Chosin Rescue
December 11, 2021 03:06 - 6 minutes - 9.87 MBFrozen Chosen: With the path to Hungnam blocked at Funchilin Pass due to the blown bridge, the US Air Force stood tall to deliver the means for the Marines to continue their fighting withdrawal. At 9 am on 7 December, eight C-119 Flying Boxcars flown by the US 314th Troop Carrier Wing appeared over Koto-Rl and were used to drop portable bridge sections by parachute. The bridge, consisting of eight separate 18 ft long sections, were dropped one section at a time, using two 48 ft parachutes ...
RFT 553: Maj. Kinsley Jordan
December 06, 2021 21:47 - 38 minutes - 53.3 MBMy team and I are passionate about connecting people to their passion, for a purpose and creating fulfillment in their lives. I, personally am so passionate about this because I walked through a stage in my life where I stopped dreaming. Though that season was scary and unknown, it was the start of The Winning Network. Check out the story below! I remember the moment very clearly. I was 1.5 years away from being done with my 12 year Pilot commitment with the United States Air Force. It was ...
RFT 552: Hamfist Meets His Soul-Mate
November 29, 2021 16:50 - 23 minutes - 33.8 MBJust then, the apartment door opened. I heard a soft-spoken female voice, “Tadaima!” “Miyako is here, and she brought our lawyer from the airport,” Tom remarked. A very attractive Japanese lady entered the room, walked right up to me, held out her hand, and bowed slightly. I had expected her to be wearing a kimono, but she was wearing a conservative, grey dress. She had a slight accent, “I'm Miyako. Thank you for saving my husband's life!” She gripped my hand with both of hers. “It...
RFT 551: Continental Flight 603
November 18, 2021 07:00 - 8 minutes - 12.7 MBThe aircraft involved in the accident was a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N68045, which had made its first flight in 1972. The captain was 59-year-old Charles E. Hersche, who was operating his last flight before retirement. He had been with Continental Airlines since 1946 and had logged 29,000 flight hours, including 2,911 hours on the DC-10. Hersche served with the U.S. Air Force from 1942 through 1953 during World War II and Korean War. The first officer was 40-year-old Michae...
RFT 550: English Proficiency
November 15, 2021 21:33 - 10 minutes - 15.5 MBA number of accidents, some of them fatal, and incidents have been attributed at least in part to communication issues related to the language proficiency of air traffic controllers and pilots. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mandated that pilots and air traffic controllers demonstrate language proficiency sufficient to deal with the linguistic challenges presented by quickly changing and dynamic abnormal situations and emergencies that require extended use of language...
RFT 549: Marine Corps Birthday/Veteran's Day
November 11, 2021 05:32 - 9 minutes - 13.7 MBIn the battle for Iwo Jima, 7000 marines were killed and 20,000 wounded. From az central: It's an image seared into the American consciousness. After four days of fierce fighting on the tiny Pacific island of Iwo Jima during World War II, part of the United States' “island hopping” strategy to defeat the Japanese after retaking the Philippines, six U.S. Marines climb the highest peak of the 8-square-mile outpost and plant an American flag. One helmet-clad Marine holds the post in pla...
RFT 458: Air Force/Airline Pilot J.A. Moad II
November 08, 2021 17:01 - 37 minutes - 52.2 MBJ.A. Moad II is a writer, performer, speaker, veteran and pilot. Advocate for the stories that cut deep—writing that makes us bleed. Crafting words to remind us that we are all human, struggling to find meaning and acceptance, strength and resilience as we break ourselves against the world, each of us with a hungered yearning for expression and a shared desire for those elusive, indefinable truths conveyed through the art of story. A former Air Force C-130 pilot with over a hundred comba...
RFT 547: Colgan Air 3407
October 28, 2021 03:54 - 14 minutes - 20.4 MBColgan Air Flight 3407 (9L/CJC 3407) was marketed as Continental Connection Flight 3407. It was delayed two hours, departing at 9:18 pm Eastern Standard Time (02:18 UTC), en route from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The twin-engine turboprop Bombardier Q400, FAA registry N200WQ, was manufactured in 2008 for delivery to Colgan. It was delivered to Colgan on April 16, 2008. This was the first fatal accident for a Colgan Air passenger flight s...
RFT 456: TWA Flight 800
October 26, 2021 23:18 - 11 minutes - 15.8 MBThe accident airplane, registration N93119 (a Boeing 747-131), was manufactured by Boeing in July 1971; it had been ordered by Eastern Air Lines, but after Eastern cancelled its 747 orders, the plane was purchased new by Trans World Airlines. The aircraft had completed 16,869 flights with 93,303 hours of operation and was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7AH turbofan engines. On the day of the accident, the airplane departed from Ellinikon International Airport in Athens, Greece, as TWA ...
RFT 545: Valujet 592
October 22, 2021 21:33 - 9 minutes - 13.5 MBThe aircraft, a DC-9-32, registered N904VJ, was the 496th DC-9 assembled at the Long Beach plant, was 27 years old at the time and had been previously flown by Delta Air Lines. Its first flight was April 18, 1969. Delivered to Delta on May 27, 1969, as N1281L, the airframe flew for Delta until the end of 1992, when it was retired and sold back to McDonnell Douglas. McDonnell Douglas then sold the plane to ValuJet in 1993. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A turbofan engin...
RFT 544: The Visual Approach
October 19, 2021 02:16 - 11 minutes - 16.1 MBAt some point in your flying career, either in an FAA Practical Test or in real life, you will be required to perform a visual approach to a landing. In a simulator checkride, typically the electronic glideslope and VASI (visual approach slope indicator) will be rendered inoperative. For planning purposes, we will use 3 degrees as the desired approach path. That is a typical ILS glideslope and typical VASI glideslope. For a 3-degree descent, your descent rate (vertical speed) will need to ...
RFT 543 My Airline Anniversary
October 15, 2021 04:40 - 15 minutes - 22.9 MBI was hired by United Airlines as a Flight Officer on October 16, 1978. In those days they used the term "Flight Officer" instead of "Pilot" because most new-hires were assigned as Flight Engineers. Now, of course, new-hires are all hired as pilots. My road to the airlines: 1977: Flight Engineer written exam 1977: Airline Transport Pilot written exam - FAILED on the first attempt! 1977: Self-study for ATP written exam - PASSED with 99% 1977: Airline Transport Pilot practical test -...
RFT 542: Kroger Chief Pilot Brett Minturn
October 11, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 46.6 MBBrett had an early love for aviation, inspired by his uncle, a United Airlines B-747 Captain. He started flying at age 16 and attained all of his certificates while in college. He was anxious to get into professional aviation, and graduated a year early so he could get his start. His first flying job after graduation was in the cold northeast, where the airplane engine had to be artificially warmed for two hours before flight, but the cockpit stayed frigid! He was then hired by Mesa Airlin...
RFT 541: Runway Awareness and Advisory System
October 07, 2021 20:02 - 6 minutes - 10.4 MBThe Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) is one of a number of related software enhancements available on later-model Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems. RAAS is designed to improve flight crew situational awareness, thereby reducing the risks of runway incursion, runway confusion and runway excursions. Runway Awareness and Advisory System uses airport data stored in the EGPWS database, coupled with GPS and other onboard sensors, to monitor the movement of an aircraft around ...
RFT 540: MetroState Professor Chad Kendall
October 04, 2021 03:12 - 21 minutes - 30.4 MBWith over 20 years of experience in the aviation industry as an educator, researcher, FAA Part 141 chief instructor, airline pilot, corporate pilot, and flight instructor, Chad is versed in the kinetic and dynamic challenges and changes in the aviation industry. His passion for aviation, education, background, research, and experiences are beneficial to industry start-ups, consulting firms, and aviation companies. Chad was instrumental in obtaining the Part 141 certificate for Metropolitan...
RFT 539: Gold Star Mother's and Family Day
September 30, 2021 19:11 - 7 minutes - 11.5 MBGold Star Mother’s and Family Day falls on September 26 this year and is traditionally observed on the last Sunday in September. The day is for honoring families of those who have received The Gold Star – the military award no one wants. The award commemorates the tragic death of a military member who has perished while in the line of duty and hopes to provide a level of comfort to the parents and families that are left behind. Since World War 1, a “Gold Star Family” has signified a family t...
RFT 538: Revisit With Wallpilot Mark Hasara
September 28, 2021 00:39 - 46 minutes - 65.3 MBPondering this past year and our new normal, I realized lessons learned from ancient and modern battlefields can be used in so many areas of our lives. Sitting down one night, hundreds of stories and lessons learned flowed onto the notebook pages. Three close friends told me “Share these with the rest of us!” The Lessons from the Cockpit podcast was born. Flying is described as long periods of boredom interrupted by short intermittent periods of extreme terror. On the Lessons from the Co...
RFT 537: Fatigue Risk Management
September 24, 2021 04:50 - 14 minutes - 20.9 MBFrom Code 7700: Fatigue. Fatigue refers to a physiological state in which there is a decreased capacity to perform cognitive tasks and an increased variability in performance as a function of time on task. Fatigue is also associated with tiredness, weakness, lack of energy, lethargy, depression, lack of motivation, and sleepiness. Sleep Inertia. Sleep inertia (also termed sleep drunkenness) refers to a period of impaired performance and reduced vigilance following awakening from the regul...
RFT 536: Pole-to-Pole Pilot Robert deLaurentis
September 20, 2021 06:01 - 29 minutes - 41.2 MBRobert DeLaurentis, “Zen Pilot,” is a successful author, speaker, pilot, real estate entrepreneur, philanthropist and Navy Gulf War Veteran. His books include the best-selling Zen Pilot: Flight of the Passion and the Journey Within; Flying Thru Life: How to Grow Your Business and Relationships Through Applied Spirituality; and the forthcoming, Citizen of the World: To the Ends of the Earth and Beyond. In 2019, Robert will undertake his second circumnavigation, this time from the North Pole...
RFT 535: National POW/MIA Recognition Day
September 17, 2021 19:27 - 9 minutes - 14.3 MBPOW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday of September, on September 17 this year, to recommit to full accountability to the families of the more than 80,000 veterans captured or still missing from wars that the United States has participated in. According to accounts, during the first ceremony of POW/MIA Day at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., fighter airplanes from the military base in Virginia flew in the ‘missing man formation’ in their honor. HISTORY OF NATION...
RFT 534: The Greatest Generation
September 13, 2021 05:53 - 5 minutes - 8.32 MBThe term The Greatest Generation was popularized by the title of a 1998 book by American journalist Tom Brokaw. In the book, Brokaw profiled American members of this generation who came of age during the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II, as well as those who contributed to the war effort on the home front. Brokaw wrote that these men and women fought not for fame or recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do." I have had the honor of interviewing numerous m...
RFT 533: Aircraft As Missiles
September 09, 2021 20:53 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBAttempting to crash an aircraft into a building was not an entirely new paradigm. Despite Secretary Rice stating, “I don't think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile” (Brush, 2002, para. 24), there had been numerous prior attempts to utilize aircraft in this manner (CNN, 2001). In addition, there had been a significant number of warnings suicide hijackings posed a serious threat. In 1972, hijackers of Southern Airways Flight 49 threaten...
RFT 532: Rescue At Chavane
September 06, 2021 06:01 - 20 minutes - 29.6 MBThis is a special Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah gift for our listeners. This is a fictional account, taken from Hamfist Down!, the sequel to Hamfist Over the Trail. Available soon as an audiobook. Strong language! December 21, 1969 I was scheduled for my Champagne Flight – my final mission – in the morning. Things had been uncharacteristically quiet on the trail for several days, and I wanted to get some target photos for Intel to find out what was going on. Also, I wanted some photo...
RFT 531: Pandemic Travel Tips
September 02, 2021 19:05 - 18 minutes - 25.9 MBThis advice is my opinion only! Goal: avoid being infected, and avoid being placed on No-Fly list! Now more than ever, preparation is key. If you are in the high-risk group (over 65, asthma, heart disease, other underlying disease) don’t fly. Avoid Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) Get vaccinated and take a photo of your vaccination card. Enhance your immunity with zinc lozenges and IGg. Don’t fly if you have a cold. If traveling overseas, check with State Department (www.travel.state...
RFT 530: Gold Star Families
August 30, 2021 05:49 - 19 minutes - 27.8 MBOriginally posted in Marine Corps Gazette, September 2007 BURIAL AT SEA….. BY LT COL GEORGE GOODSON, USMC (RET) In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial. War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war. Lt. Col. George Goodson (Ret) and family Now ...
RFT 529: Traditional vs. AQP
August 26, 2021 19:45 - 8 minutes - 12 MBFrom FAA: Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) The Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) training system is developed using a systematic training program methodology. AQP is a voluntary, data-driven, alternative means of compliance to the ‘traditional’ regulatory requirements under 14 CFR Parts 121 and 135 for training and checking. Under the AQP performance-based regulatory framework of 14 CFR Subpart Y, FAA is authorized to vary from traditional prescriptive requirements under 14 ...
RFT 528: One-Eyed Pilot Shinji Maeda
August 23, 2021 06:01 - 43 minutes - 60 MBShinji Maeda is a Shin-Issei who is active in our community as founder and president of Aero Zypangu Project, a 501c3 non-profit organization he founded with his supporters. Its mission is “to provide opportunities and experiences that inspire hope, strength, and joy in people with disabilities, in youngsters, and in their families through aviation activities.” Through his motivational lectures and discovery flight lessons, Shinji delivers his message, “Nothing is impossible,” through his ow...
RFT 527: The End of Our Era?
August 19, 2021 19:27 - 7 minutes - 11.6 MB"An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted” - Arthur Miller From War On The Rocks: DON’T FAIL AMERICA’S ALLIES: THE PLIGHT OF AFGHANS LEFT BEHIND FRANCE HOANGAUGUST 16, 2021COMMENTARY President Joe Biden failed America’s allies — and my family — in 1975. He should not repeat his mistake in 2021. My mother was a Vietnamese national who risked her life working for the U.S. naval attaché in Saigon. My father was a South Vietnamese army officer. In April of ...
RFT 526: My 21st Birthday
August 16, 2021 05:35 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MBBody-for-LIFE has become a best-selling book in the United States, and millions of Americans have regained control of their lives through this fitness/nutrition program. In May 2000, as a fat 55-year-old with a 36-inch waist, I accepted the challenge. Eighty-four days later, I was fitter than at any time in my life— including my time as a college gymnast—and I’d lost 25 pounds of fat and sported a 32-inch waist. At the end of the year, I was honored by being selected first runner-up for t...
RFT 525: Eastern Airlines Flight 401
August 12, 2021 07:47 - 12 minutes - 18.1 MBFlight 401 departed JFK Airport in New York on Friday, December 29, 1972, at 21:20 EST, with 163 passengers and 13 crew members on board. The flight was routine until 23:32, when the plane began its approach into Miami International Airport. After lowering the gear, First Officer Stockstill noticed that the landing gear indicator, a green light identifying that the nose gear is properly locked in the "down" position, had not illuminated. This was later discovered to be due to a burned-out ...
RFT 524: Randy Brooks
August 09, 2021 06:01 - 38 minutes - 54.5 MBRandall Brooks’ varied flying experience supports the advancement of APS’s unique flight training programs and advanced pilot training techniques. Randall joined APS in 2012 with seven years of experience in the UPRT field and more than 25 years of flight operations and training experience as a pilot and aviation manager. Prior to joining APS, Randall held multiple director of flight operations and director of flight training positions. While vastly skilled providing flight instruction in ...
RFT 523: UAL Flight 266
August 05, 2021 05:08 - 13 minutes - 19 MBUnited Airlines Flight 266 was a scheduled flight from Los Angeles International Airport, California, to General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin via Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado with 38 on board. On January 18, 1969 at approximately 18:21 PST it crashed into Santa Monica Bay, Pacific Ocean, about 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west of Los Angeles International Airport, four minutes after takeoff. Rescuers (at the time) speculated that an explosion occurred a...
RFT 522: Kevin Sweeney
August 02, 2021 06:01 - 42 minutes - 59.6 MBKevin Sweeney is the only person to successfully land a KC-135, the military version of the Boeing 707, after two of the four engines were ripped completely off the airplane while on a night combat mission in Desert Storm. This challenging experience taught him to think on his feet and be highly flexible, which means that he will quickly make adjustments to his presentation to be sure that your audience is receiving the most applicable information possible. The unique life experiences of K...
RFT 521: Pan Am Flight 214
July 29, 2021 06:01 - 7 minutes - 11.8 MBPan Am Flight 214 was a scheduled flight of Pan American World Airways from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On December 8, 1963, the Boeing 707 serving the flight crashed near Elkton, Maryland, while flying from Baltimore to Philadelphia, after being hit by lightning. All 81 occupants of the plane were killed. The crash was Pan Am's first fatal accident with the 707, which it had introduced to its fleet five years earlier. An investigation by ...
RFT 520: MGen Ron Ladnier
July 26, 2021 06:01 - 29 minutes - 41.5 MBFlightSafety International, a Berkshire Hathaway company Ron was named the President, FlightSafety Services Corporation (FSSC), in January 2014. FSSC provides turnkey aircrew training systems (ATS) and contractor logistics support (CLS) to its military customers. It includes aircrew training, courseware, advanced technology training devices, computer based training workstations and support for simulators at 18 U.S. military bases. Current programs include the development and fielding of th...
RFT 519: United Airlines Flight 286/Trans World Airlines Flight 266
July 22, 2021 06:01 - 8 minutes - 12.5 MBOn Friday, December 16, 1960, a United Airlines Douglas DC-8, bound for Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport) in New York City, collided in midair with a TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation descending into the city's LaGuardia Airport. The Constellation crashed on Miller Field in Staten Island and the DC-8 into Park Slope, Brooklyn, killing all 128 people on the two aircraft and six people on the ground. It was the deadliest aviation disaster in the world at the ti...
RFT 518: Ivana Alvares-Marshall
July 19, 2021 06:01 - 30 minutes - 42.6 MBIvana is the Governor of the African Section a non-profit organization of International Women Pilots called the Ninety-Nines. It is the only and first organization for women pilots established in 1929 by 99 women pilots founded by Amelia Earhart in the USA. Female pilots remain a rarity especially in Africa. The numbers are starting to increase but it is still a minuscule amount. The African Section aims to work with schools, careers and offices to help enthuse girls to look into gaining a c...
RFT 517: Magnetic Compass
July 15, 2021 06:01 - 7 minutes - 10.6 MBNortherly Turning Errors The center of gravity of the float assembly is located lower than the pivotal point. As the aircraft turns, the force that results from the magnetic dip causes the float assembly to swing in the same direction that the float turns. The result is a false northerly turn indication. Because of this lead of the compass card, or float assembly, a northerly turn should be stopped prior to arrival at the desired heading. This compass error is amplified with the proximity t...
RFT 516: Aerial Fire Fighter Chris Doyle
July 12, 2021 06:01 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MBChris Doyle and his wife Maria have been working in Colorado since 2009 doing agricultural aerial application and formed CO Fire Aviation in 2014, they have a 4 year old son, Patrick, and a 2 year old daughter, Sophia. Chris first started flying lessons at 14 years old has 27 years of aviation experience. He has been a commercial pilot for 22 years, with vast international experience, including SEAT flying in Australia, Indonesia and the United States. He has amassed more than 10,000 a...
RFT 515: The Evolution of Navigation
July 09, 2021 02:38 - 15 minutes - 22.7 MBDead Reckoning On May 21, 1927 Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, France after a successful non-stop flight from the United States in the single-engined Spirit of St. Louis. As the aircraft was equipped with very basic instruments, Lindbergh used dead reckoning to navigate. Dead reckoning in the air is similar to dead reckoning on the sea, but slightly more complicated. The density of the air the aircraft moves through affects its performance as well as winds, weight, and power settings....
RFT 514: July F-4 Memories
July 05, 2021 06:01 - 24 minutes - 34.8 MBBrushy Four On 1 July 1972 I was number 4 in Brushy Flight, attacking a target in Kep, North Vietnam. As we exited the target area, our flight was targeted by a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) from our left 7 o'clock position. This SAM was tracking differently than a typical SA-2. The typical SA-2 traveled in a lead-pursuit flight path, not too difficult to defeat if you can see it. this SAM was different. It was traveling in a lag-pursuit flight path, aiming directly at out flight. We sepa...
RFT 513: MOH Steven Bennett Story
July 01, 2021 20:24 - 9 minutes - 14.3 MBOn June 29, the second day of the counteroffensive, an OV-10 flown by Air Force Capt. Steven L. Bennett had been working through the afternoon in the area south and east of Quang Tri City. Bennett, 26, was born in Texas but grew up in Lafayette, La. He was commissioned via ROTC in 1968 at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. After pilot training, he had flown B-52s as a copilot at Fairchild AFB, Wash. He also had pulled five months of temporary duty in B-52s at U Tapao in Thailand. Af...
RFT 512: VREF CEO Jason Zilberbrand
June 28, 2021 06:01 - 28 minutes - 40.7 MBVREF plays a crucial role in advising decision-makers within the aviation industry and is the Official Valuation Directory and Appraisal Company for the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association). VREF provides valuations, appraisals, and litigation consulting services to a worldwide client base of aviation professionals, including: Aircraft owners Banks Financial institutions Law firms Leasing companies Manufacturers Operators Suppliers And More VREF Aircraft Value Refe...
RFT 511: Approach Lights
June 24, 2021 23:02 - 9 minutes - 13.7 MBAn approach lighting system (ALS) is a lighting system installed on the approach end of an airport runway and consisting of a series of lightbars, strobe lights, or a combination of the two that extends outward from the runway end. ALS usually serves a runway that has an instrument approach procedure (IAP) associated with it and allows the pilot to visually identify the runway environment and align the aircraft with the runway upon arriving at a prescribed point on an approach. Modern ...
RFT 510: Remembering Morris Nolly on Father's Day
June 20, 2021 06:01 - 11 minutes - 16.2 MBOn this Father's Day I want to honor my father, Morris Nolly. He was the reason I became a pilot. Morris Nolly was a first-generation American, the fourth of five children born to Russian immigrants Wolf and Tillie Noloboff in 1909. He grew up in Brooklyn, NY. Speaking only Yiddish at home, he didn't learn English until he entered grade school. He excelled in his studies, and received a full scholarship to New York University, where he studied Aircraft and Navigation Instruments, and he gr...
RFT 509: Inertial Navigation Systems
June 17, 2021 06:01 - 8 minutes - 12.2 MBInertial navigation is a self-contained navigation technique in which measurements provided by accelerometers and gyroscopes are used to track the position and orientation of an object relative to a known starting point, orientation and velocity. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) typically contain three orthogonal rate-gyroscopes and three orthogonal accelerometers, measuring angular velocity and linear acceleration respectively. By processing signals from these devices it is possible to tra...
RFT 508: Fighter Pilot/Speaker Anthony "AB" Bourke
June 14, 2021 06:01 - 44 minutes - 61.8 MBAnthony “AB” Bourke is a highly experienced F-16 fighter pilot who has flown tactical missions in countries all over the world. He has accumulated more than 2,700 hours of flight time in numerous high performance aircraft and was one of the first pilots to fly his F-16 over New York City in the homeland defense efforts on September 11th. Following his impressive military career, “AB” took the tools and techniques that made him one of our nation’s premier fighter pilots and applied those to...
RFT 507: Snitch Program For GA?
June 10, 2021 06:18 - 9 minutes - 13.9 MBFOQA is a voluntary safety program that is designed to make commercial aviation safer by allowing commercial airlines and pilots to share de-identified aggregate information with the FAA so that the FAA can monitor national trends in aircraft operations and target its resources to address operational risk issues (e.g., flight operations, air traffic control (ATC), airports). The fundamental objective of this new FAA/pilot/carrier partnership is to allow all three parties to identify and...