Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

How much of the recent boom in private aviation will last now that the pandemic is over? Aviation analyst Brian Foley says about 10%, which is good for the industry but not enough to sustain some overly optimistic business models. In this episode, he talks about the current state of the market, the fate of Wheels Up, and Cirrus Aircraft’s plan to go public. Brian is also getting current as a pilot after 15 years, and he offers some realistic advice for other rusty pilots. In the Ready to Copy segment, Brian shares his famously blunt opinion about Sustainable Aviation Fuel, electric airplanes, hydrogen power, and the best-looking Falcon jets. SHOW LINKS: - Brian Foley Associates: https://www.brifo.com - Brian on private aviation trends: https://www.brifo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Private-Aviation-Popularity-Falls-Back-To-Earth.pdf - AeroWear: http://aerowear.co

New aerospace businesses seem to be launching every month, including electric ultralights, eVTOL air taxis, drone delivery services, and private space flight. As a longtime pilot and venture capitalist, Ben Marcus is the perfect person to sort through the hype. He explains which business models will work first, why Walmart is finding success with drone delivery, and what benefits GA pilots might see as a result of this investment boom. Ben also founded JetAviva, a popular airplane broker, so he talks about the light jet boom of the last 25 years and what it takes to transition from a piston airplane to a single pilot turbine. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear about common charging standards for eVTOLs, the best light jet on the market, and Ben’s favorite backcountry strip in Arkansas.

SHOW LINKS:

• The Moving World Report: https://up.partners/movingworld/
• The GameBird: https://youtu.be/pnFFyjkvDEg
• Pilot Training+ membership: https://www.sportys.com/sportys-pilot-training-plus.html

From F-16 to 737 to Citation to Bonanza, Don Wykoff has flown a lot of different airplanes in his 50-year flying career. In this episode he explains how he stayed safe by approaching every flight with professionalism, using checklists the right way, and building training into simple trips. He also talks about losing the engine in his F-16, why pilot rest rules matter, and how to transition back to GA after a career flying jets. In the Ready to Copy segment, Don explains why he doesn’t like the GUMPS checklist, why he liked to hand-fly Cat III approaches in the 737, and what flight instructors can learn from airline pilots.

SHOW LINKS:

• Pilot rest rules: http://www3.alpa.org/portals/alpa/committees/ftdt/Guide-to-FTDT-Limits-6-A-ed-June-04.pdf
• LaGuardia visual approach: https://youtu.be/wxRFIneSTT4
• Sporty's Pilot Training+ membership: https://www.sportys.com/sportys-pilot-training-plus.html

After a lifetime of riding on airplanes, economist Patrick Chovanec decided to learn how to fly them. In this episode, he explains how a combination of Covid-19 and Microsoft Flight Simulator started him on a path to earning his Private Pilot certificate, and what he learned along the way. He explains how flight training can be lonely, why modern flight simulators are much more than a game now, and why airplanes are so expensive. In the Ready to Copy segment, Patrick shares the biggest myth in flight training, his preferred flight sim equipment, underrated countries to visit, and his favorite economics joke.

SHOW LINKS:

• Patrick’s new book: https://www.sportys.com/cleared-for-the-option-a-year-learning-to-fly-book.html
• Patrick’s website: https://www.patrickchovanec.com
• Sporty’s Pilot Training+ membership: https://www.sportys.com/sportys-pilot-training-plus.html
  

Rob Reider is a renaissance man: he's a well-known airshow announcer, honorary Blue Angel, Van's RV-7A owner, 5-time Emmy award winner, and an accomplished musician. In this wide-ranging episode, Sporty's John Zimmerman asks Rob about all of these topics, from the behind-the-scenes world of airshow performers to commuting by light airplane to his brief role in a legendary movie. In the fast-paced "ready to copy" segment, Rob talks about his favorite airshow food, the best banjo players, and his idea of the perfect flight.

Host: John Zimmerman (@jtzim), Sporty's Pilot Shop

Guest: Rob Reider, RobReiderVoice.com

Sporty's PJ2 Radio: Sportys.com/PJ2