Other People's Airplanes

It’s time, once again, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration! It’s day 6 of the biggest aviation event in the country. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. In this episode, we bring you a bunch of warbird heavy metal flying. The “Tora, Tora, Tora!” reenactment, the A-10 Thunderbolt II with a heritage flight, the venerable P-51 Mustang, the C-46 and C-47, and the mighty F/A-18 Hornet. Then we head over to Camp Scholler for more Scholler Stories. We start by talking with Lynda Meeks of Girls With Wings about her week at the booth in Hangar “A”. Then we talk to Adam Fast of OpenAirplane. Lastly, we talk with Chris Gustafson about his week volunteering with Flying High Coffee. This is our last video episode from AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. We all left for home on Sunday, day 7. We want to thank Piper Aircraft, Sennheiser Aviation, Flying High Coffee, myTransponder, and OpenAirplane for all of the support this week, allowing us to bring you the content quickly. Huge thanks to Damon Favor and John Conway for all of the support. They worked cameras, lights, microphones, and reflectors. They imported and cataloged video footage and even edited episodes of various podcasts. Their help was invaluable this week. A final “thank you” goes out to you, the audience, for watching and commenting on all of our audio and video content. You are the reason we put in the hard work and long hours, and your appreciation makes all of it time “well spent”. Thanks for being such a great audience! We love you!

It’s time, once again, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the World’s Greatest Aviation Adventure! It’s day 5 of the biggest aviation event in the country. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. In today’s episode, we head over to Pioneer Airfield. We talk with Dave Readout about what it is like to crew for and fly the Goodyear blimp. Then we head over to the Sennheiser tent for Podapalooza. The annual event brings a host of the voices in your head together in one place for you to meet and greet. During Podapalooza, Damon spoke with Tom & Jessie Vander Jagt about their first visit to Oshkosh. Then Damon talks with Brad Marzari about his take on the event. Make sure you are also listening to the QuickCasts from The Pilot’s Flight PodLog, The Pursuit of Wings, In The Pattern, and Uncontrolled Airspace. Thanks for watching!

It’s time, once again, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the World’s Greatest Aviation Adventure! It’s day 4 of the biggest aviation event in the country. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. In today’s episode, we take you out to Scott’s Warbird Alley to look at some heavy metal. While there, we catch up with Panchito, the B-25 Mitchell I flew in during the Tico Warbird Air Show in March. We talk with Lynn May about the Disabled American Veterans. Be sure you “like” the DAV on Facebook to be entered to win a beautiful model of Panchito. Afterwards, we head over to the UCAP Tiedown Party (a.k.a. the UCAP Beer Bash) by the Super 8 Gate to shoot a couple of Scholler Stories. First we talk with Sam Wiltzius of Wired For Flight about his volunteer service at EAA Video. Then we talk to one of the men behind the Uncontrolled Airspace podcast, Jack Hodgson, about the success of aviation podcasting. Jack also has some insight for first-timers to Oshkosh. Make sure you are also listening to the QuickCasts from The Pilot’s Flight PodLog, The Pursuit of Wings, and In The Pattern. Thanks for watching!

It’s time, once again, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the World’s Greatest Aviation Adventure! It’s day 3 of the biggest aviation event in the country. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. In today’s episode, we interview Jack McHale, the Project Director for the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital. Then we talk with Hal Biestek, the Captain of the ORBIS DC-10. Because we know just mow much you love airplanes, we show you a whole bunch of the air show. Finally, we head over to Camp Scholler to talk to Larry Overstreet and Martt Clupper in our Scholler Stories segment. Make sure you are also listening to the QuickCasts from The Pilot’s Flight PodLog, The Pursuit of Wings, In The Pattern and Uncontrolled Airspace. Thanks for watching!

It’s time, once again, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the World’s Greatest Aviation Adventure! It’s day 2 of the biggest aviation event in the country. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. In today’s episode, we talk about the 75th anniversary of Piper Aircraft and the massive sea of yellow Piper Cubs over on the vintage flight line. Then we talk with Roger Peperell at the Piper tent about the history of Piper and the J-3 Cub. We did shoot any Scholler Stories today, but we will be sure to pick up some of those tomorrow. Make sure you are also listening to the QuickCasts from The Pilot’s Flight PodLog, The Pursuit of Wings, and In The Pattern. Thanks for watching!

It’s time, once again, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the World’s Greatest Aviation Adventure! It’s day 1 of the biggest aviation event in the country. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. In today’s episode, I have to stop a mutiny by my camera crew. We then head towards the flight line to shoot some of the air show. Finally, we head on over to the Rubber Chicken Party where we talk to Dr. Brent Blue of Rubber Chicken Airlines and @ATC_Ben of Plane Crazy Down Under. Make sure you are also listening to the QuickCasts from The Pilot’s Flight PodLog, The Pursuit of Wings, and In The Pattern. Thanks for watching!

In this short episode, we talk with Jon Roberts, COO of the Caremark division of CVS Caremark. Jon tells us about his purchase of a brand new Piper Archer and how he is training for his private pilot’s certificate in his own airplane through Piper’s Ready, Set, Fly program. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. This interview was filmed on the grounds at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. Damon Favor and I simply had more footage than we could post during the event, so I am now releasing the rest of the interviews as stand-alone episodes. As COO of CVS Caremark, Jon is a super-busy guy. In this interview, Jon shares how Piper’s Ready, Set, Fly program helps him work primary flight training into his tight schedule. Jon also discusses his future plans to upgrade, once he has acquired the appropriate training, to a Piper Malibu Matrix. Jon is really looking at the utility that general aviation is able to provide, and is already enjoying the benefits of private aviation even before he has completed his private pilot training. You can find more information about Piper’s Ready, Set, Fly program by clicking right here. Huge news! This Saturday, June 16th 2012, the Smithsonian National & Space Museum is holding their 8th annual “Become A Pilot Family Day and Aviation Display” at the Udvar-Hazy Center on-site at the Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC. During the annual event, Dulles International welcomes GA traffic into the airport to be part of the event and park their airplanes on the ramp outside the museum! Guests visiting the museum will be able to talk to pilots and learn what it takes to become a pilot from experienced aviators. Thanks to my friends over at Sennheiser, I will be attending that event! I will be talking to pilots about the benefits of having a license, and hopefully talking to some future aviators about their aviation dreams. I will also be participating a two-hour remote radio show with Milford and Charlie of FlightTime Radio! You can listen live to that by going to this link right here, and if you can’t listen live, the guys at FlightTime Radio will turn it into a podcast episode for you to download and listen to at your leisure. There is so much aviation at the Udvar-Hazy Center that I cannot possibly get it all, from the Enola Gay, to Bob Hoover’s Shrike Commander, the Boeing Dash-80, the SR-71 Blackbird, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, and one of the newest residents, the Space Shuttle Discovery. I obviously cannot possibly show you everything the museum has to offer, but I will certainly to my best to bring you a mega-serving of Aviation Deliciousness slathered with a whole bunch of awesome-sauce. I will also be talking about Sennheiser’s Live Your Dream program. Sennheiser is really excited about helping to grow the pilot community, and Live Your Dream is helping people reach their aviation goals. Stay tuned, because I will be talking a lot more about that in the future, including sharing how you can get involved. Now, if there is anything in particular that you want me to cover, please drop me a line on Twitter or the Facebook page, and I’ll do my best! And speaking of Twitter, the widely-accepted hash tag for the event is #PilotDay12, so if you can’t attend, at least take part in the online conversation. And if you can attend, I would like to meet you in person! If enough of you are planning to be there, maybe we can do an impromptu meet-up somewhere in the area. Finally, the Geeks over at Airplane Geeks are planning to attend as well, so be sure to check out all of their awesome coverage of Pilot Day 2012 on their website right here.

Today we fly another one of the mainstays of the private pilot training fleet, the four-seat single engine Piper Warrior. And check it: this one’s got a glass panel! I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit of Other People’s Airplanes. We are back at Melbourne International Airport on Florida’s Space Coast. Since 1968, FIT Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Florida Institute of Technology, has called the Melbourne Airport home. With their fleet of over 50 aircraft, including one Citabria, they can train you in just about anything you want. Obviously most of the students are also enrolled in the college, but they do take walk-ins. Their fleet consist of Piper Warriors, Arrows, and Seminoles, Garmin G1000-equipped Cessnas, and the aforementioned Citabria, and the on-site maintenance facility keeps them all running at peak performance. A great many pilots have executed their primary training in the Piper Warriors. This particular Warrior features a glass panel with an Avidyne avionics package. I have little experience flying glass, so this should be an adventure. Our pilot today is Donald Judy, a CFI, CFII, AGI, and LSJSC with over 3500 hours of total time, and 2000 hours of dual instruction given. Don has flown everything from the Cessna 150 to the King Air cC90 and the Commander 690, but is partial to the T-34 Mentor. Huge thanks to Donald and FIT Aviation. You can find out more about FIT Aviation and the programs they have to offer by clicking right here. As always, thanks so much for watching. I love bring you all along for the ride. Please be sure to follow me on Twitter and like our Facebook page. Now I’m gonna go see if I can weasel my way into that Citabria for a little hang time. Smoke on!

It’s day 6 of SUN ‘n FUN 2012, the final day of this year’s ‘Spring Break For Pilots’. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. For today’s episode, we start at the newly built Fire Hub. A joint venture between the Recreational Aviation Foundation, AOPA, and SUN ‘n FUN, the Fire Hub gives pilots and aviation enthusiasts a place to congregate around the camp fire. It is surrounded by bricks, each of which can be bought and inscribed with a custom engraving. The volunteers at SUN ‘n FUN Radio all pitched in to help buy a brick for Dave Shallbetter, the chairman of on-site AM radio station. The brick was done in memory of Ione Shallbetter-Stiles, Dave’s mother. She had been a volunteer at SUN ‘n FUN since the very beginning, and has since ‘flown west’. Watch as we present Dave with the brick. Next we head on over to Hangar C to talk with my friend Mike Ladd about The Avpad, a canvas case that very conveniently turns your iPad into a kneeboard. The AvPad has a large pocket on the front, a slot for a pen and a stylus, straps for a small notepad, and an ID holder on the back. Finally, I bring you some of the air show before wrapping up my #SnF12 coverage. Thanks so much for watching these episodes. I love bringing you into the cockpit when I fly and along for the ride when I attend event. Thanks also to Sennheiser for providing the incredible audio gear I used during the week. Finally, thanks to Dave Shallbetter and the entire team of volunteers at SUN ‘n FUN Radio for doing an amazing job with the radio station this year. 2012 was simply incredible.

It’s Day 5 at SUN ‘n FUN 2012, and today we start with a balloon launch – sorta. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to bring you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. Each year at the SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In & Expo, a hot air balloon launch takes place on Saturday morning of the event – weather permitting, of course. Unfortunately, the weather today did not cooperate. In only the 3rd time in 15 years, officials elected to cancel the “Hare and Hound” balloon race, but not before a bunch of the beautiful airships were fully inflated. Next we watch some airplanes fly for a bit before talking with my friend Steve Oliver of Oliver’s Flying Circus. Steve owns a 1928 New Standard D-25. It has been fully restored to its factory quality, and Steve’s team now “hops rides” much like the barnstormers did back in the 1920s and 30s. Steve shares a couple of stories about smiling faces and special times folks have had flying in this incredible open-air biplane. This part of the show is pretty long-winded, but the stories were so great that I really wanted to share them with you. Finally, we talk with Rich and Cole about their father/son experience in the New Standard D-25. Pure. Freaking. Magic.

Today, we head on over to the Splash-In to watch airplanes land on the beautiful waters of Lake Agnus. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. Each year, SUN ‘n FUN hosts a Splash-In at the annual fly-in and expo. this event always takes place on Thursday, and for the last four years, has been hosted by Fantasy Of Flight on the beautiful waters of Lake Agnus. In this episode, I start by talking to Bob Hough, the owner and pilot of a 1943 Grumman G-44 Widgeon. This particular G-44 has been converted to a “Super Widgeon” by McKinnon Enterprises, giving it more powerful engines, a beefier hull, retractable pontoons, and a higher maximum gross weight. Then I bring Mike Daniels on camera to talk about what we are seeing at the event. Finally, I shut up for a bit and just let you watch airplanes fly. While I mention at the end of the episode that I will be back for day 4, I actually took day 4 to spend with my family. Thus, the next episode will be for day 5 of the event. Thanks for watching!

It’s Day Two of SUN ‘n FUN 2012. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. Today I just take you out near the show line and talk a little bit about what’s happening at SUN ‘n FUN Radio. I really do spend a lot of time there helping to get the content prepared for the audience. I also talk a lot about volunteering at SUN ‘n FUN, and how that can enrich your over experience. If you have never volunteered at an event like this, you really should consider it. It is one of the most amazing ways to get plugged in.

You’ve waited all year, and it’s finally here! It’s Spring Break for Pilots! We’re here for day One of the SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In 2012. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to bring you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. David will be volunteering at SUN ‘n FUN Radio for the fourth year in a row. When he is not tending to tasks at the radio station, David is going to bring short episodes from the grounds at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. Today, David made his way over to Paradise City, home of the ultralights and the LSAs. Then David made his way back to the radio station for a short wrap-up.

We’re at the Sebring Regional Airport in sunny in Sebring, Florida for day one of the annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to take you into the cockpit … of Other People’s Airplanes. Each year, hundreds of exhibitors descend on the airport to show their products and services. From avionics packages, to airplane kits, to fully certified LSAs, if it has anything to do with sport aviation, you can find it at EXPO. We started by talking to Mike Hansen of Hansen Air Group about the Fk12 Comet, an acro-capable biplane with tandem seating that, frankly, looks like the Pitts’ cousin. While it has not been certified for aerobatic flight, the new Lycoming engine will allow them to make that jump. Then we popped over to talk with Ken Scott of Vans Aircraft, Inc. about the RV-12, a super-capable little homebuilt ELSA. His comment, “It flies like a Vans, which is about the best thing you can say about an aircraft,” really caught my attention, as did the fact that you can build one of these in about 800 hours. Finally we spoke with Ken Z. of Breezer Aircraft USA. The Breezer features a sliding canopy, allowing the pilot to keep the canopy cracked about 8 inches while in flight below 90 KIAS. On those hot summer days, you can climb out at 90 with the “windows” open. When you get to higher, cooler air, close the canopy and run it up to 120. Genius. We wrap up by spending a few minutes with Carl Valeri of the Stuck Mic Avcast. Carl attended the event for several days and got some really great interviews. You can listen to that episode here.

This is not your grandpa’s Piper Cub. Add a slotted wing, a 180-hp engine, and some big Alaska bush tires, and now you have the Dakota Cub Super 18. I’m David Allen, and I’m about to bring you into the cockpit … of other people’s airplanes. While making plans to attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2011, I contacted my friends at Dakota Cub to see if they would be interested in flying me in one of their airplanes. They were more than excited. We decided to fly on Tuesday morning. So on day two of AirVenture, I loaded up all of my gear into Rod Rakic of myTransponder’s Jeep. Damon Favor of the Pursuit of Wings was also in tow to work the camera and handle all of the audio and such. We then drove on up to a small little airport in Wisconsin call Brennand (identifier 79C). The paved part of the runway was about 20 feet wide, but there must have been another 60 feet of usable grass on either side. The airport was super small (with NO fence), but it was really busy. I was shocked at how many airplanes were landing and taking off while we were shooting. David Richardson, the pilot of the Super 18, and I saddled up with me in the front seat and took off. It took me about 3.4 seconds to fall in love with this airplane once we got off the ground. We left the door open for the whole flight. This is important, I learned, because the stall warning on this bird is basically this: when the bottom half of the door begins to float up, you are stalling. Very, very cool. David took us out west over a lake, letting me fly much of the time, then climbed up a bit to show me the slow speed characteristics of the airplane. It’s crazy. You can put the plane into a full stall, with the altimeter buzzing backwards and the houses getting bigger, but you still have full aileron control and can still fly the airplane. It never dipped a wing or wanted to spin, and even though we were no longer generating enough lift to maintain altitude, we could still fly the airplane. It was ridiculously cool. We flew back up to a safe maneuvering altitude, and David handed me the controls again. I started with some slow flight stuff. With full flaps down and the GPS indicating 50 knots ground speed, I was able to fly and maintain control of the Super 18 – even though the airspeed indicator was pegged at zero. That’s no indicated airspeed, folks. Then I flew the plane through the stalls. I was turning and banking all the way through a stall that lost 500 feet. We flew around for quite a while more before heading on to 51WI, a tiny little grass strip about 5 miles south of 79C. We landed there, and Damon and Rod were waiting for us. David was also kind enough to fly both Rod and Damon in the Dakota Cub. Some of my equipment experienced technical difficulties during the flight. One camera stopped recording unexpectedly. Unfortunately, that was the same camera that was recording the cockpit audio, so the second half of the flight is all but silent. The camera that faces me directly also died when it ran out of battery power. Lessons learned: know your equipment and triple check it before flying. In spite of the issues, I still landed with three cameras rolling. Special thanks goes out to Sennheisser Aviation for letting me demo their new S1 Digital Aviation Headset. Thanks to NFLIGHTCAM for letting me demo their new NFLIGHTCAM+. Without them, there would have been no cockpit audio. Thanks for Damon, once again, for running cameras and basically being a huge help in all of this and the rest of AirVenture. And a very special thank you to Amy Gesch, David Richardson, and the whole team at Dakota Cub for allowing me to fly this incredible bird. It was simply a dream to fly. You must try this airplane.