Episode 13: My First "Solos" at American Airlines

12/02/20 • 56 min

Taking Flight with Michael "Rocket" Blackstone

In this episode, Michael takes you back to his first solo flights at American Airlines as a new hire in 1999. Michael started his career at age 25 as a Flight Engineer on the Boeing 727, then transitioned to the Boeing 757/767 fleet where he became a First Officer and flew his first 'solo' with his father as the Captain of his first trip on the line. Then Michael became a Captain of the Boeing 737-800 and flew his first 'solo' flight as a Captain on December 16, 2015.

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Episode 12: My First Solo in the Marchetti SF-260

In this episode, Michael takes you back to 1990, when his father soloed him at at the Chino Airport on April 15, at age 17, in the Marchetti SF-260C. On this spring day, Michael and his dad shared an experience that very few lucky pilots get to share together. This historic moment marks when Michael's father passes the torch of flying from one generation to the next. Michael soloed in 1990, but he has been airborne ever since. It has now been over 30 years since that beautiful day in Chino took place that sparked a career in aviation flying jets for a major airline, just like his father.

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Episode 14: My First Airliner - The Saab 340

In this episode, Michael takes you flying in the Saab 340 from his Business Express days between February 26, 1998 - January 1999. During his time at 'Biz Ex', Michael flew as a co-pilot on the Saab 340A/B accumulating over 700 hours of turbine time. He was based out of Portland, Maine, and then Boston Massachusetts. Michael loved flying this amazing aircraft because of what it was capable of and how it made him into a highly skilled airline pilot. The Saab 340 is an aircraft with the capability of carrying 34 passengers up to 1,000 nm at 250 knots all day long, in all weather conditions. Those pilots who have been lucky enough to fly the Saab 340 love it for how fun it is to fly and how safe and reliable it is.