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

12/05/23 • 38 min

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

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

Previous Episode

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

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

Next Episode

67. Year in review, with John Zimmerman and Rob Reider

In this special year-end episode, host John Zimmerman sits down with producer Rob Reider for a behind-the-scenes look at Pilot’s Discretion. They talk about what traits make for a good guest, the two rules for podcast hosts, and tips for getting better audio. You’ll also learn the most popular Pilot’s Discretion episodes of 2023, what John and Rob’s favorite episodes are, and what lessons they have learned about flying after 66 interviews. In the back-and-forth Ready to Copy segment, they share the most famous pilots they’ve flown with, their nominee for most underrated airplane, and their favorite airports. SHOW LINKS: - Pilot’s Discretion archives: https://www.sportys.com/podcast - I Learned About Flying From That podcast: https://www.flyingmag.com/ilafft-podcast/ - AeroWear apparel for pilots: https://aerowear.co