Ready For Takeoff - Turn Your Aviation Passion Into A Career

The Guinness Foundation has declared 98-year old Ernie Smith as the oldest living active pilot in the world, and you would never guess his age by talking to him. In this podcast, we had a short, but very interesting, conversation with Ernie about how he got his start in flying, his current flying schedule, and why he prefers to fly right at dawn.

A chance offer of an assignment to photograph an airplane propelled Brandy Forstie into the aviation photography business. She now photographs interiors and exteriors of business aircraft, and also provides other image services to corporate clients, including portraits and facility photographs. Brandy is based in Atlanta, but travels frequently to serve clients at their locations. Her stunning images are available for viewing on her website at www.aviationphotoservices.com.

Donna Miller learned to fly in South Korea while working as a civilian for the Air Force. She flew general aviation in Europe while working for Jeppesen in the Frankfurt office, then transferred to Jeppesen in Denver and helped Elrey Jeppesen catalog his memorabilia.  He gave her a piece of fabric from the original Wright Flyer, and she had it made into a necklace that Eileen Collins took to space when they docked with MIR. She had the honor of flying Neil Armstrong to Kitty Hawk for the centennial of flight celebration in 2003. She gave the necklace to one of the pilots who did the recreation flight, so it went from Kitty Hawk to space and back to Kitty Hawk 100 years later. She also had the honor of knowing Louie Zamperini very well for the last 8 years of his life and traveled with him on several occasions to speaking engagements. In addition to her job as an airline pilot, she also flies  WWII bombers (B-17, B-24, B-25) for the Collings Foundation.

Dick Jonas served four years as an infantryman in the Georgia Army National Guard while attending Valdosta State College. He graduated in 1965 with a BS degree in Physics and Math. He entered the Air Force and received his commission through Officer Training School. In 22 years service he flew 3,000 jet fighter hours in the F-4 and the F-16. During 125 missions in Vietnam he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Medal with 12 clusters. He recorded his first albums of military ballads in 1969, after returning from Vietnam. He retired from the Air Force in 1986 as a Lieutenant Colonel, and became an Aerospace Science Instructor in the Air Force Junior ROTC program.

Nick Anderson, perhaps better known as the Old.Pilot is the oldest of the Airline Pilot Guy Podcast crew and not too far from retirement after a flying career that started in the ‘60s.  Brought up in England and from an aviation family, he began flying in the wood and canvas, open cockpit gliders of the Air Training Corps. He started his professional career in the military, the Royal Air Force. He completed jet training on the Jet Provost, Folland Gnat and the Hawker Hunter before getting into the awesome McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom, eventually becoming a Qualified Weapons Instructor. His military career moved around a bit and he spent a while as a fast jet QFI on the BAe Hawk before taking up a post with the Royal Australian Air Force on the F18 Hornet. Back with the RAF he completed his time on the BAe Tornado F3. Captain Nick is now an international Captain on the A-340 with a UK airline referred to as "Acme Red". Hi is also an accomplished photographer.

Dick is a protégé of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and was mentored, trained, and commissioned under their tutelage. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, NV and completed two tours in Southeast Asia with 446 combat missions. He also held key roles in advanced research, development, and testing of tactical fighter aircraft. Later he directed the testing and evaluation of other weapon systems for the Department of Defense and allied military programs. Dick held key staff positions and commanded a number of units in several major commands of the Air Force. His duty assignments included bases throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. He is a Command Pilot with 4,000 flying hours in the F-4, F-15, F-16, OT-37, O-2, T-33, and several civilian aircraft. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Medal with 27 Oak Leaf Clusters. Dick retired

John and Martha King have trained more than half of all pilots seeking pilot certificates over the past 40 years, with over 98 percent passing their written exams on the first attempt. They have won numerous awards and possess every FAA airman certificate available to civilian pilots. In this podcast, they discuss their aviation journey , which includes an around-the-world flight in their Falcon 10 aircraft, and their piloting of the Fuji Film airship. Throughout the podcast their passion for aviation shines through. They are strong supporters of aviation education and risk mitigation.

Worldwide, there have been 13 airline emergency evacuations so far this year. Although it's unlikely you will need to evacuate from an airliner you're traveling on, it is prudent to always be prepared for an event that could be catastrophic if not performed correctly. In this podcast we discuss airline evacuation procedures and steps you can take to prepare yourself for the unlikely event.

Lee Ellis was on his first Air Force assignment, flying an F-4C aircraft out of Danang, South Vietnam, when he was forced to eject over Dong Hoi and captured. He endured 5 1/2 years as a Prisoner of War (POW) in the infamous Hoa Loa prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton. It was during that incarceration, in the crucible of leadership, that he learned the lessons that guided him through the rest of his career and his life. After repatriation, he returned to flying, serving as a T-38 Instructor Pilot (IP), Stan-Eval Flight Examiner (SEFE), and Squadron Commander. His final assignment in the Air Force was Commander of the Air Force ROTC Program at the University of Georgia. He now travels and lectures extensively on Leadership, and has written four books.

Wally Funk started flying at age 16, obtained her Private Pilot certificate while at Stephens College, and obtained all her other ratings while a student at Oklahoma State University. After graduating, she taught primary flight students for the U.S. Army at Fort Sill. Then she heard about an astronaut screening program and was selected to participate. Along with twelve other women, they became known as the "Mercury 13". Political pressures forced the termination of the women's astronaut program. She became the first female FAA inspector, and the first female NTSB investigator, serving on over 400 accident boards. Wally was listed in Outstanding Young Women of America in 1965, Won the Pacific Air Race in 1975, and was inducted into the Aviation Womens Hall of Fame in 1995. She holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and has had awards, trophies, and even a song named after her. Wally still flight instructs, and has a reservation to fly into space next year with Virgin Galactic.

Fred Tecce started flying when he was 21, and eventually earned all of his ratings. He had to take a brief hiatus while attending Law School full time, but quickly made up for the lost time by buying a Piper Arrow, which he owned until 1994, and then a Beech Duke, which he still owns. Fred specializes in Aviation Law and, more recently, Intellectual Property Law, and has frequently used his airplane for business. His public appearance career began with a local television show in Philadelphia, and grew into national appearances on all the major networks as an expert on legal and aviation issues.

Nick Hinch started his Aviation career as an Air Force navigator on the B-52, flying over Hanoi during Operation Linebacker II. He then went to pilot training and rose to B-52 Squadron Commander and Wing Assistant Director Of Operations. Following a 20-year Air Force career, he became an airline pilot with United Airlines, then went overseas to fly B777s for Air India.

Chuck Nash spent 25 years as a Naval Aviator, rising to the rank of Captain. He has landed on 9 different aircraft carriers, amassing 965 carrier landings. He now serves as a Military Analyst.

Karlene Petitt knew she wanted to be a pilot when she was a pre-teen, even though everyone told her "girls can't be pilots". She started flying when she was 16, and now, with eight airline uniforms in her closet, she's an international Captain with a major legacy carrier. She's also an author of five books, and working on her PhD.

Many of the equipment items and procedures used on air carrier aircraft today are the result of accident board recommendations from hull loss accidents. In this podcast we discuss some of these.

Your resume and application are what the airlines will see when deciding to select you for an interview. In this podcast, we discuss strategies to improve your chances to score that interview.

Erika Armstrong accidentally entered aviation by working a desk at a local FBO to support herself in college. And THEN she became addicted to aviation. She worked her way up through the ranks, flying charters and Red Cross blood transport flights, and eventually ended up in the left seat of a B-727. Along the way, she encountered gender bias and sexual harassment, but she prevailed. She now writes aviation columns for numerous publications.

Bad eyes kept Lee Lauderback from becoming an Air Force pilot, but he never lost his passion for flying. After graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with all of his ratings, he landed a job flying Learjets for golf legend Arnold Palmer. He flew all of Arnold Palmer's airplanes for 17 years, but branched out on his own after purchasing an old P-51D and returning it to service. After completing a contract instructing in the airplane at the famed U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, Lee established his own school to train pilot-owners in the P-51. With 9,000 hours in the Mustang, Lee is the most experienced P-51 pilot in the world, and regularly flies aerobatic demonstration flights at airshows.

Adam Senatori was furloughed from his airline pilot job, was trained as a fire-fighter, and worked as an instructor pilot. He started taking pictures with his iPhone during some of his flights and posted them on Instagram. He became an Instagram star, and won a photo contest sponsored by GE, which resulted in his getting a photo assignment in Wales. Soon, he was hired to photograph every major international airshow, and he is now a highly successful aviation photographer.

Merrill McPeak followed his initial Air Force F-104 and F-100 flying assignments as a member of the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, performing in 200 airshows. He then went to Vietnam, and became the commander of the famed Misty FAC (Forward Air Controller) squadron. After Vietnam, he went to Armed Forces Staff College, then to the Pentagon, and had a host of other assignments that eventually led to his becoming the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In this podcast, General McPeak recounts a fascinating story of his Air Force career, which started with his notaccepting a Regular commission, since he had no intention of making the Air Force a career! He also describes his crash during an airshow, when the wings separated from his F-100 as he was pulling up for the “bomb-burst” show finale, at just under the speed of sound. In this interview General McPeak also talks about his return to Southeast Asia with his sons, to see the Ho Chi Minh trail from the ground.