65. Why learning to fly can be lonely, with Patrick Chovanec

11/21/23 • 39 min

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

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

Previous Episode

64. Safety lessons learned at the NTSB, with Robert Sumwalt

The point of an accident investigation is “to find out what happened, so that we can prevent it from happening again,” says longtime airline pilot and former NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. He shares what he's learned after decades of working this process, including: how pilots should read an NTSB report, why flight path monitoring matters, what professionalism means for GA pilots, and how flight data monitoring can improve safety. In the Ready to Copy segment, Robert talks about landmark accidents, why NOTAMs are often useless, and his favorite food from South Carolina.

SHOW LINKS:

Robert's article at Aviation Week: https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/safety-ops-regulation/time-refocus-get-back-basics

Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety: https://erau.edu/research/industry-collaboration/center-for-aviation-and-aerospace-safety

Sporty's Pilot Training+ Membership: https://www.sportys.com/sportys-pilot-training-plus.html

Next Episode

66. Flying like a pro in a Boeing and a Bonanza, with Don Wykoff

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