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Midlife Pilot PodcastAuthor: Midlife Pilot Podcast
Welcome to the Midlife Pilot Podcast, where we share the experiences and the challenges of flying in midlife. Whether you're a seasoned pilot, training for private or instrument ratings, or just thinking about getting started in aviation, we like to think of the podcast as your aviation companion, and your weekly dose of aviation inspiration. Hosted by the dynamic trio of Ben, Brian, and Ted - the show is not instruction - it's all about sharing real stories, personal insights, and the pure joy of spreading your wings in midlife. Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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EP159 - The Sky Was Angry That Day, My Friend
Episode 159
Tuesday, 16 December, 2025
Like George Costanza pulling a golf ball from a whale's blowhole, Ben emerges from a harrowing 3.5-hour IMC flight through icing conditions with quite the tale to tell. Our intrepid Atlanta pilot finds himself wondering "did I get away with one? This sparks a deep dive into normalization of deviance, expanding personal minimums, and whether Ben just wrote "the first line of his NTSB report."Brian continues his quest to become qualified to "give bad information for small amounts of money" as an instrument ground instructor, while Ted battles the "Mississippi River pointed at the Northwest" and installs stripped hex screws.The crew tackles thoughtful listener feedback about pre-flight anxiety and the existential dread of pursuing aviation as what outsiders might call "the Midlife Crisis Podcast." Plus, planning continues for "The Thaden Invasion" fly-in at KVBT - a very GA-friendly airport that's excited to host the podast and community... for now.Mentioned on the show:* Wikipedia - List of social generations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation#List_of_social_generations* Beresford Research - Generations defined by name, birth year, and ages in 2025: https://www.beresfordresearch.com/age-range-by-generation/#:~:text=Generations%20defined%20by%20name%2C%20birth%20year%2C%20and%20ages%20in%202025* Side view of The Hollywodo Squares: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059995/mediaviewer/rm648494848/?ref_=tt_ov_i* The Finer Points on the Oscar pattern for IFR flying: https://www.learnthefinerpoints.com/articles/the-oscar-pattern* Checkmate Aviation IFR, Oscar pattern on back: https://www.checkmateaviation.com/products/checkmate-ifr* Oscar pattern graphic: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/13hnvzo/oscar_pattern_graphic/* Flight Insight, the VOR Flower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm7XxyzZFh0* EP36 - CFI Jeff Ramsey, Frequency Change Aviation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgaNuf5gCCo* Seinfeld, "The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3TZC69tSg* Psych Safety - The Challenger Disaster: Normalisation of Deviance: https://psychsafety.com/normalisation-of-deviance/* Blancolirio on the N2345R Montana fatal icing encounter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkSM531bYzs* Ben's video, "Pushing the Envelope" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cvl1LJV1Y* Big Bird was nearly on the Challenger: https://www.history.com/articles/big-bird-challenger-disaster-nasa-sesame-street* Performance Pilot by Ross Bentley and Phil Wilkes : https://bookshop.org/p/books/performance-pilot-skills-techniques-and-strategies-to-maximize-your-flying-performance-phil-wilkes/1d2cd7f443b0d5ca* The Calm Cockpit podcast: https://calmcockpit.com/* Tammy Barlette's Crosscheck mental performance training course: https://www.crosscheckmentalperformance.com/* Crosscheck training course and group: https://www.skool.com/crosscheck/about?ref=f15fa026369c49dfaf275891f87f1f26Join us on Patreon, get event info, merch, and more:www.midlifepilotpodcast.com
