ExpertAviator.com

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Today we interview commercial pilot and co-founder of OpenAirplane, Rod Rakic, to talk about his flight adventures in Civil Air Patrol. Everything from how we got started to working his way up the ranks to mission pilot. Rod also shares some really neat information about the organization itself like how you can participate and many of the different types of volunteer opportunities available, even for the non-pilot out there.

This interview with Rod is actually Part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 2 will release next as Episode 52 as we learn everything there is to know about OpenAirplane, especially how it’s going to revolutionize the aircraft rental industry as you know it. Good news is you’ll finally be able to rent an aircraft at any participating FBO in the country WITHOUT have to do any additional rental checkouts. Yea, it’s that awesome.

So grab a cold one and join us for Episode 51 sponsored by ForPilotsOnly.com.

Don’t forget to share this episode by clicking that Like, Share, Tweet button to spread the love!

Pre-Flight

Announcements

• AirVenture – It’s almost that time of year where we all flock to Wisconsin for the biggest airshow in the world, EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. Dates for the 2013 event are Monday July 29th through Sunday August 4th. You’ll be able to meet co-host Carl Valeri and Len Costa on various days so stay tuned for more information on their dates of attendance.
• NJ Balloon Festival – If you can’t make it to AirVenture we suggest you make your way to the 31st Annual QuickChek Ballon Festival at Solberg Airport, Readington, NJ from July 26th through July 28th.
• Favorite $100 Hamburger Joints – We’ve started an online discussion about favorite $100 hamburger joints and would love to hear from you. Tell us about your favorite spot be it the food, location, type of approach, etc. If you’ve got menu recommendations you can include those, too. Use #benburger to track the conversation on Twitter.
• Aviation Universe – Coming in Episode 51a, co-host Len Costa sits down with Lora Yowell and Richard Wells, owners of Aviation Universe pilot shop, to learn more about the store, their background in aviation, and even the best locations for plane spotting at Chicago O’Hare.

Cruise Flight

Show Notes

• Meet Rod Rakic
• Civil Air Patrol
• CAP Humitarian Missions
• CAP Search and Rescue
• Cessna 182
• GippsAero GA8 Airvan
• Pilots Roles at CAP
• CAP Volunteer Opportunities
• CAP Communication Infrastructure
• CAP Disaster Response
• OpenAirplane

After Landing Checklist

~ Picks of The Week ~

No Picks of the Week were included in this interview episode.

This Episode Is Sponsored By

Virgin Galactic Space Flight Fund

Thanks for listening to the Stuck Mic AvCast, a listener supported aviation podcast. We love publishing and delivering useful content and information for everyone! Please show your support with a $5 or $10 donation today and maybe we could one day fly in space!

Please submit your questions and feedback via blog comments, Twitter, or email and we’ll be sure to answer them on the air!

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Aviation training is constantly evolving producing both safer and well rounded aviators. Today I am excited to have with me an innovator in the field of aviation training, Eric Crump the Aerospace Program Director at Polk State College.

Eric's passion for aviation is immediately apparent. From the moment I met Eric at Sun N Fun 2013 I knew he would be a great guest on this podcast to help you with your aviation career. Eric is an aviation prodigy who learned to fly a plane before he learned to drive a car.  Eric is now fulfilling his passion for aviation as an educator and innovator in his approach to aviation training.

Eric and I Discuss:

• How he developed his passion for aviation at such a young age.

• Why he chose his career path.

• Who should choose a career in aviation?

• The conventional aviation training model.

• How modern training models are creating safer pilots.

• Financing Aviation Training and its challenges.

• How past practices in the aviation industry have lead to fewer financing options for pilots.

• Opportunities at Polk State College for future aviators and eductors.

• Sun N Fun’s yearlong educational and inspirational opportunities and how Polk State College has become a partner with Sun N Fun.

• How and why Polk County Florida has become one of the leading areas for aviation training and recreation.

• The STEM program and Polk Counties involvement.

 

As you can tell Eric is a passionate aviator. He plays a key role in helping people achieve their career goals and become safer pilots.  I highly recommend your visiting Polk State by going to AviationCareersPodcast.com/PolkState or www.Polk.edu/Aerospace. If you have any questions for Eric please go to AviationCareersPodcast.com/Contact and we will answer your question directly by e-mail and share your question in an upcoming episode.

There are many career opportunities in the aviation industry. You can fulfill your passion in many ways just as Eric has done in fulfilling his passion for aviation. One of the most important things to remember while you are looking towards a career in aviation is to keep your mind open to the many opportunities in this exciting field. You never know where it will lead you but remember to enjoy the journey towards your career goal. I know you will achieve whatever goal you decide is worthy of your efforts.

I encourage you to right now take one step towards achieving your career goal. Visit a website or start listening to people motivated about aviation through pod-casts like this one. Maybe you are at home right now and have an aviation magazine or book you can pick up and start reading. If your phone is close by you can call a friend or aviation mentor right now to discuss your career goals. But make sure you do something to keep moving toward your career goal. I know you will achieve whatever you want through persistence and perseverance. So get started now!

Talk to you next episode and safe flying!

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

 

www.Polk.edu/Aerospace

 

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Holy takeoffs and landings, Batman – We’ve hit 50 episodes! To celebrate our 50th show each co-host spent time going through their pilot logbooks to find and share some of their 50th flying events. From their 50th logbook entry, to the 50th hour flown, 50th landing, 50th aircraft flown, and a whole heap of other 50?s! This is our golden episode, the show about 50?s, where we reminisce in logbook memories.

Don’t forget to share your 50th logbook events with us in the comment section below and click that Like, Share, Tweet button to spread the love!

Pre-Flight

Announcements

• AIR Pro’s Cookouts – Victoria’s employer and aircraft insurance company, Aviation Insurance Resources, has resumed their annual hangar cookouts which they host Friday evenings, weather permitting. You don’t have to be customer or local resident to enjoy one of KFDK’s most beloved summer traditions so drive or fly on over!
• Pensacola Beach Airshow – July 12th and 13th, “Witness exhilarating stunts and heart-stopping maneuvers… Civilian aircraft will perform aerial acrobatics over the Gulf of Mexico during a weekend of high-flying fun.” (from the airshow website)
• FAAST Events – The FAA Safety Team will resume their monthly events in the Clearwater, FL on the 1st Tuesday of every month at the National Aviation Academy. Co-host Carl Valeri will be speaking at some of these events.
• SMAC Meetup – To celebrate the our 50th show we’re hosting an open invitation meetup on June 22nd at Pilot Pete’s in Schaumburg, IL (06C). We’ll be having cake and gift bags for everyone that can make it. All avgeeks are welcome and we hope to see you there!
• Favorite $100 Hamburger Joints – we’ve started an online discussion about favorite $100 hamburger joints and would love to hear from you. Tell us about your favorite spot be it the food, location, type of approach, etc. If you’ve got menu recommendations you can include those, too. Use #benburger to track the conversation on Twitter.

Cruise Flight

Show Notes

• Logbook 50s
• 50th Entry
• 50th Hour
• 50th Day Landing
• 50th Aircraft Flown
• 50th Hour PIC
• First Flight at 50 Years or Older
• 50th Landing
• 50th Night Landing
• 50th Cross-Country Hour
• 50th Hour Solo
• 50th Instrument Approach
• 50th Flight with Someone
• 50th Hour in the Airbus
• 50th Hour as Airline Captain
• 50th Hour of Training
• 50th Blogbook Post
• 50th Flight as Airline Captain

After Landing Checklist

~ Picks of The Week ~

• Sean – Sole Survivor documentary
• Victoria – 57 Alpha Cafe, “The South’s Favorite Fly-In Eatery”
• Rick – Forecast Weather Maps website
• Carl – Tampa Bay Aviation Association
• Len – OpenAirplane (revisited)Holy takeoffs and landings, Batman – We’ve hit 50 episodes! To celebrate our 50th show each co-host spent time going through their pilot logbooks to find and share some of their 50th flying events. From their 50th logbook entry, to the 50th hour flown, 50th landing, 50th aircraft flown, and a whole heap of other 50?s! This is our golden episode, the show about 50?s, where we reminisce in logbook memories.Don’t forget to share your 50th logbook events with us in the comment section below and click that Like, Share, Tweet button to spread the love!

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Welcome to Episode 33. This is  the podcast where we give you an inside look at aviation careers and motivate you to achieve your career goals!  I am really excited to be bringing you this episode because my guest today is a friend and fellow aviator who is passionate about flying and he will help you understand what it is like to fly the world as a corporate pilot.

Before we begin I want to say thank you for listening and also thanks to all those who have sent me feedback. I also want to thank those who have offered to financially support to the podcast through donations I don’t take donations but,  one of the best ways to help support this podcast is to visit AviationCareersPodcast.com and click one of our sponsors listed in the right column of the website. I also am working on another solution where I you can sponsor this program while giving to a great cause. More details will follow but I am very excited about this opportunity because it involves helping our WWII veterans.

Another way to show your support for this show is to put a five star review in iTunes. This not only helps others find my show, but the reviews truly help me stay motivated. since it shows I am actually helping others through this podcast.

I encourage you to sign up for e-mail updates because periodically I will be sending out career opportunities, reviews, and announcements concerning my new book “Aviation Careers: An Inside View”.

I am truly excited about this episode because I get to talk to a friend and fellow aviator who is going to help me reply to a listener e-mail. Today I have with me Chris Thren, a corporate pilot who worked his way up from the kid watching planes at a grass strip to flying jets around the world.

Today’s episode was inspired by an email from Garrett:

Hey Carl,

Just wanted to drop you a note and say great job on Aviation Careers Podcast.   I recently found the podcast and have listened to every episode in the last few days..   Pretty much 24/7. My favorite one that you did was comparing Business "Corporate" flying and The Airlines in Episode 14.  You did a great job in describing the difference in the two and  the jobs available in the corporate world. I was wondering if you could do ANOTHER episode and really expand on the corporate end of it.

Could you do a podcast discussing the routes into the Corporate world?Specifically from people that moved through the ranks on their own grassroots style, not the ones who went through a flight school or anything like that.  I would like to hear from people that went the "Pay as you GO" route as I put it. Somebody that didn't go take out the 80k loan and do a fast track program. I know these people are out there because I have run into them a few times at FBO's

Is 38 too old to enter this industry?

One thing that really has me worried is this new HR5900 Rule. Its killing all of us LOW time Pilots.

What advice do you have on that area?

How do you see this effecting the pilot Pool and the way the industry will change in the next few years?

Do you think the SIC rule will change?

I Appreciate all you do for us pilots out here,

Garrett 

Thanks again for the e-mail and the incredible story Garrett. Since you took the time to write me with such a wonderful and interesting story I decided to try and find someone who could help answer some of your corporate aviation questions in depth. Today I have with me Chris Thren who like you got the bug for aviation but at a very young age. To help us understand what it is really like to fly the world as in international corporate pilot I thought Chris would be perfect since he has flown a Falcon 900 and many other planes around the world.  Chris has worked as a check airman and has many years experience flying to some of the most remote parts of the world.

 

Today Chris and I discuss:

• Highlights of his corporate job.

• How he developed his passion for aviation.

• His career path from grass roots aviator to check airman flying a corporate jet around the world.

• What it is like to land in some of these far corners of the world.

• His favorite aspects of business aviation and who he would recommend this job to.

• Organizations that help corporate pilots throughout their career.

• The challenges of being a corporate pilot.

• Specific detailed examples of the day in the life of flying as a corporate pilot both domestic and international.

• Where Chris is now in his career.

• Advice for those looking at a career in business aviation. 

Thanks for being on the show Chris and if any of you have questions or feedback for either Chris or myself please go to AviationCareersPodcast.com and click on the contact page.  If your question is for Chris I will forward it to him and we will answer you directly and possibly share it in an upcoming episode. Remember your privacy is important to us so we will only share your story and not your personal information. If you leave us a voicemail at 347-MY-WINGS please leave your personal contact information in the beginning so I can edit it out if we use your voicemail on the show.

I hope you have enjoyed this episode and if you did please rate us on iTunes. Also if you want updates please sign up for e-mail updates at AviationCareersPodcast.com

As you can tell by our interview with Chris today the path towards your aviation career goal is varied. Remember to keep looking forward and accept the many challenges as learning and growth opportunities. I know you will reach your career goal if you simply persist and persevere.

Talk to you next episode and safe flying.

 Links Mentioned In This Podcast:

 Aviation Careers Podcast Episode 14 – What Is Business And Private Aviation?, Interview with Corporate Pilot Tom Wachowski

NBAA - National Business Aviation Association

AOPA - Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association

Jet Professionals Inc.

Executive Jet Management

Flight Safety International

SimuFlight 

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In this show Victoria shares her experiences flying with her new dog, Turbo, what to do when dogs become airsick, protecting their hearing, in-flight doggy gear, and other flying with pet considerations. Carl answers some listener questions about radar requirements on instrument approach plates and we talk about instrument approach lights. Then we wrap it up with a discussion about currency versus proficiency including some tips on how to stay safe when returning to the skies. That and more coming up right now!

Pre-Flight

• American Heroes Airshow – Saturday, June 29th, from 9AM to 4PM in Lake View Terrace, CA
• Wings and Wheels Expo – Saturday and Sunday, June 15th and 16th at the Teterboro Airport, NJ
• 23rd Annual WWII Weekend – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 7th to 9th in Reading, PA
• Become a Pilot Day – Saturday, June 15th, from 10AM to 3PM at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA

Cruise Flight

Show Notes

• Flying with Pets
• Pilots N Paws
• Flying IFR
• Getting back into flying
• Summer flying
• Red Bird Simulator
• IFR SFL – Sequential Flashing Lights

After Landing Checklist

~ Picks of The Week ~

• Victoria – Mutt Muffs
• Rick – NOTAMS iPhone App
• Len – Satellite Phones
• Carl – JustPlanes.com & Just Planes YouTube

Please submit your questions and feedback via blog comments, Twitter, or email and we’ll be sure to answer them on the air!

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Subscribe to Our MP3 ONLY Podcast Feed

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Welcome to Episode 32. I hope you enjoyed the last two episodes full of interviews from  the 2013 Sun N Fun Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland, Florida. I enjoyed interviewing these passionate people as they talked about aviation careers.  If you really want to hear some motivating interviews of some truly inspirational aviators make sure you listen to episode 30 and 31.

Iin today’s episode we are going to catch up on some of the past questions.  Included in this episode is a short interview with Alan Lawless a flight test engineer who I interviewed in episode 22. He will help us answer one of our engineering questions.

 Today I have with me a frequent co-host on the show Tom Wachowski. Tom is a corporate pilot and former airline pilot who brings a unique perspective to this podcast. Before we begin lets catch up with Tom and some of the interesting flying he has done in the past few months.

Listener Mail:

From Todd:

 I am 37 and can retire from law enforcement in 5 years. I am looking at starting a career in aviation. I will be 42 when I can retire. Would it be possible for me to start now and make a career in aviation at least flying regional or cargo?

From Jesus:

 Jesus is a air traffic controller with questions about jobs in the United States compared to Europe.  Jesus also wants to know if we can recommend large flight schools and online training.

From Brian:

 Brian started flying while he passed the bar and wants to discuss options on how he can meld the two careers of flying and law.

From John:

 Would a flight school look askance at someone who took such a long time to learn how to fly? How about "real flying" jobs? Are they looking for pilots who completed their primary training as close to FAA minimums as possible? 

From Tim:

What would you recommend in terms of getting my pilot training and a college degree. Should I do one or the other first or both at the same time?

Tim also would like us to compare and contrast the training experience from a big flight academy to the training received from an individual instructor at a smaller school.

Question From Junior:

 In Episode 27 we had a question from Junior concerning changing careers from a Designer to Engineering .

 From Jonathan:

Am I too old to become a professional pilot?

What pilot ratings would I need to become a UAV pilot?

How would you suggest I go about my career?

From Carlos:

I am currently a student pilot, but I am within days of taking my check ride.

Would it be possible to do some charters part time?

If so what are some things that I should start looking into?

Thanks for listening to Aviation Careers Podcast. Your questions are important to us and if you have any questions comments or suggestions there are many ways to contact us. You can simply click on the Contact page on our website - AviationCareersPodcast.com or submit a questions via facebook or twitter.  You can also leave us a voicemail at 347-MY-WINGS, 347-699-4647.

 If you found this information useful please rate us on iTunes so others can find us.  Remember to always keep focused on your career goal but be ready for many challenges because those challenges will define who you are in the future. The challenges are the process through which our resolve is hardened like steel.  Keep focused on your goal because I have faith you will achieve it.

Talk to you next episode and Safe Flying!

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Airplane Geeks Podcast

Taking Advantage Of The Pending Pilot Shortages

Sun N Fun 2012 Interviews Look for the interview Restored Champ to hear the interview with an aviation attorney.

Your Money House

 

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Welcome to Episode 31. Today’s episode is the second part of the inspirational aviation career interviews from Sun N Fun 2013.  Sun ’n Fun’s mission is to preserve and enhance  the future of flight through world-class events while inspiring and educating people of all ages. To learn more about Sun N Fun please listen to episode 30 and read the show notes. I think you will find that there is something for everyone who is interested in aviation at Sun N Fun year round.

Before we begin the interviews I want to encourage you to sign up for our e-mail updates. Many of you have asked if I could be available for career counseling. Of course if you have questions please feel free to go to Aviation Careers Podcast and click on the contact page to submit your questions, but I do understand you would like a more comprehensive conversation. I have spent many years consulting and would love to do one on one with each and every listener but I have limited time and my consulting rates may be a bit high especially for those who are just starting out in their career. Therefore,I came up with an idea that will help all of you and be of a high value.

I am still working on a few solutions along with some books and videos that will help you move towards your career goal. To keep up to date on the progress of these ideas and to receive other career updates please go to AviationCareersPodcast.com and sign up for e-mail updates in the right column.  I also will send announcements on occasion to include who is hiring, new programs available at flight schools, and new financing options to name a few. I encourage you to sign up for these e-mail updates because I am excited to be bringing you this valuable information in the future.

This episode contains inspiring interviews which all who are interested in a career in aviation will enjoy. In these interviews we discuss many aviation career fields including : commercial airline pilot, flight instructor, mechanic, engineer, and management.

Most of the volunteers at Sun N Fun Radio represent many podcasts. In my case I was representing The Stuck Mic AvCast:  an aviation podcast about learning to fly, living to fly, and loving to fly. I encourage you to  listen to at StuckMicAvCast.com.

Now with that said, lets get started listening to some of these informative and inspirational discussions.

 

• Al Thompson - Central Florida Aviation Academy - Al discusses the purpose of the academy and how students can apply to the school. CFA is a wonderful opportunity for those young people interested in aviation.
• Elaine Larsen The Embry Riddle University Jet Dragster. Elaine speaks about opportunities for engineering students to work on the jet engine and the dragster through the Eagle Hire Program
• Jamil Larkin and The Embry Riddle Dream Launch Tour. Jamil discusses all of the career fields you can pursue at Embry Riddle.
• Jessica MacClinchy, Admissions Representative, National Aviation Academy - Jessica speaks about the aircraft mechanic school, flight school, financial aid, and job opportunities for graduates.
• Marisha Faulk - Driver of Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster - Marisha talks about driving the Jet Dragster, her degree experience at Embry-Riddle, flight instructing, and her future plans for flying. Marisha is truly an inspiration and is an example of someone who has overcome many challenges and succeeded in defining her career in aviation.
• Julius with Aeronautical Systems Engineering at the National Aviation Academy Booth discusses the advantage of using simulators for your training.
• Wayne with Elite Flight Simulation Solutions discusses the various flight simulators and the advantages of simulator training.
• Paul Cassell - Fedex - Donates a 727 to Sun N Fun as a training device from the Central Florida Aviation Academy. Paul speaks about the outreach programs at Fedex and the importance of the many different careers in aviation. In addition Paul talks about the great need in all aviation career fields.
• Tailwheels Etc. opened a new campus at Lakeland Linder Airport - John discusses their new flight school and what they have to offer for the student looking into a career in aviation. You can also learn how to fly a Stearman!  Kevin Chambers talks about the new program at Lakeland and the pending pilot shortage, and their new financing program. John discusses how Sallie Mae is back in the aviation educational financing business. John also talks about basic and advanced Aero Camp.
• Jim Sherman talks about Plane Sense and the career opportunities.

As you can tell there are numerous passionate aviators at Sun N Fun who love to share their knowledge about aviation careers. If you are interested in a career in aviation, Sun N Fun is a great place to start. They have yearlong events and activities including summer camps, museum tours, an aviation high school, and so much more. For more information about Sun N Fun go to Sun-N-Fun.org.

Also if  you want to hear some amazing interviews and prerecorded shows you can listen to Sun N Fun radio at LiveAtc.net/snf or click on the link from my website.  Sun ’n Fun’s mission is to preserve and enhance  the future of flight through world-class events while inspiring and educating people of all ages and they truly achieve this goal. Click here to read How To Listen To Sun N Fun Radio 2013.

Thanks for listening to Aviation Careers Podcast. If you found this information useful please help support this website by visiting our sponsors listed on the website.  Also if you have any questions please click on the contact page where you can send an e-mail or leave a voicemail.

I hope you have enjoyed this podcast and gleaned valuable information from these interviews. To be successful in your career goal it takes persistence and perseverance. I have faith that you will achieve your career goal!

Talk to you next episode and Safe Flying!

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Today’s show marks the triumphant return of our beloved and sassy Victoria Zajko as she fills us in on all the exciting news from her absence including the amazing statistics from 2013?s Women of Aviation Week Worldwide events. Rick’s recent flight with a CFI conducting simulated engine out procedures invokes an interesting conversation about pitching down when it may seem completely counterintuitive. And Carl wraps it up with a story and explanation about his first autolanding in the Airbus A320 on an ILS during 1,400 RVR. All that and more coming up right now!

Pre-Flight

From July 26-28th, 2013 the Festival of Ballooning at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ will feature over 100 hot air balloons, flights, entertainment, headlining bands, fireworks, plus more. As one of the nations greats balloon events this is not to be missed.

Cruise Flight

Show Notes

• Women of Aviation Worldwide Week
• Canada takes it all
• Frederick Women Fly It Forward
• Northampton MA airport
• Calhoun Air Center
• Astronaut Pam Melroy
• Traveling Space Museum
• Simulated engine failures
• Stretching the glide
• Best glide speed
• Flaring the jet
• Norwood MA airport
• Airbus A320 Autoland tutorial
• Low visibility taxi routes
• Overwater flying
• Low visibility takeoffs
• Checklist usage
• Auto brakes
• ILS 22L KJFK
• Minimum Equipment List (MEL)
• Unsuccessful landings

After Landing Checklist

~ Picks of The Week ~

• Sean – Aviation Museum of Kentucky
• Victoria – Airfare America
• Carl – Coconut Flyers Group
• Len – myRadar iOS app
• Rick – Breitling Reno Air Race iOS game

NOTE – Did you know that by clicking the links in this blog post that you help support this website? There’s no extra cost to you and it helps us continue to provide a quality podcast. Plus you’ll get extra karma points! For more information visit our Affiliate Linkpage.

Virgin Galactic Space Flight Fund

Thanks for listening to the Stuck Mic AvCast, a listener supported aviation podcast. We love publishing and delivering useful content and information for everyone! Please show your support with a $5 or $10 donation today and maybe we could one day fly in space!

Please submit your questions and feedback via blog comments, Twitter, or email and we’ll be sure to answer them on the air!

Subscribe to Our Enhanced Podcast Feed in iTunes

Subscribe to Our MP3 ONLY Podcast Feed

Direct your pod catcher to http://feeds.feedburner.com/StuckMicAvCastMP3

Or to subscribe in iTunes:

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Welcome to Episode 30. This is the podcast where we give you an inside look at aviation careers. I am excited to be speaking with you today for two reasons. First, I have completed my training on the Airbus A320 and am able to focus on bringing you inspirational and educational content on a more frequent basis.

Second, I just returned from Sun N Fun 2013 and was able to visit with numerous people inside the aviation industry who are truly passionate about their careers.  In the next two episodes I will be sharing many inspirational and informative interviews which describe various aviation careers. I think you will enjoy them. One of my favorite interviews is at the end of this show with a surprise guest. I hope you will enjoy these interviews as much as I enjoyed speaking with these truly wonderful aviation enthusiasts.

Before we begin, I  appreciate all the feedback I have received from you the listener and I appreciate how this podcast has become a part of your weekly routine. Your feedback and questions are very important to me and I will include the answers in an upcoming episode. With that said if you do have a question please feel free to contact me and I will answer them on an individual basis before putting them on air. It is important to me that you have your aviation careers questions answered in a timely manner.

Remember to go to AviationCareersPodcast.com and click on the contact page.  You can also call in your questions at 347-MY-WINGS or 347-699-4647.

If you want to hear about my experience in obtaining my A320 type rating at the airlines I would encourage you to listen to The Stuck Mic AvCast Episode 43. I relate both my experience in obtaining the type rating and explain the process of obtaining a type rating.

Sun N Fun:

SUN ’n FUN’s mission is to preserve and enhance  the future of flight through world-class events while inspiring and educating people of all ages.

The many year round educational opportunities include:

• Summer camps to interest students in aerospace science while including much of the history and art of aviation.

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math programs including summer, weekend, holiday, and online programs. Their program is named STEMtastic and include programs for ages 7 through 14.

• Future Eagles Aviation Club which allows students to meet on a regular basis and explore the many fields in aviation.

• Lakeland Aeroclub which actually teaches high school students how to fly. This program is made possible through the partnership of local businesses in Polk County and through dedicated flight instructors.

• School tours of the Museum Of Flight tailored to your group’s specific goals and needs.

• On a per request basis provide docents and teachers to visit schools and discuss development of STEM programs in your school.

Intro To Interviews:

Again, this episode contains inspiring interviews which all who are interested in a career in aviation will enjoy. In these interviews we discuss many aviation career fields including : commercial airline pilot, flight instructor, mechanic, engineer, and management.

Most of the volunteers at Sun N Fun Radio represent many podcasts. In my case I was representing The Stuck Mic AvCast:  an aviation podcast about learning to fly, living to fly, and loving to fly. I encourage you to  listen to at StuckMicAvCast.com.

One quick disclaimer before we begin listening to these amazing aviation advocates. In some of these interviews I speak with my fellow crew members from my job as an airline pilot. I am very proud of my employers contribution to Sun N Fun and aviation careers but would like to clarify that I am not a representative of my employer and the comments and opinions during this show are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

Now with that said, lets get started listening to some of these wonderful discussions. Since there are many interviews and much information related during this episode I highly recommend you refer to the extensive show notes at AviatoinCareersPodcast.com Episode 30.

In this episode I discuss:

• Sun N Fun Fly In At Lakeland, FL

• Year Round Educational Opportunities at the Sun N Fun Campus

• Inspirational interviews including many aviation career paths  On Sun N Fun Radio.

• Listening to Sun N Fun Radio Year Round.

• Should you transition from a regional to a major airline?

• Stuck Mic AvCast Episode 43 - My experience obtaining the A320 type rating.

• Listener Mail.

• The voicemail line at 347-MY-WINGS or 347-699-4647

Interviews From Sun N Fun Include:

• Mike Stromer - Vice President, Customer Connections, JetBlue - Mike discusses how JetBlue is a leading contributor in assisting and inspiring young people to foster and interest and achieve their educational and aviation career goals.

• Sergio - Tech Ops, JetBlue - Sergio discusses Aviation High School and the various internships with JetBlue. Sergio describes various educational programs supported by JetBlue including engineering , mechanic, and pilot internships.

• Eric Poole- Captain and Manager University Programs, JetBlue - Eric discusses how to become involved in the University Gateway Program.

• Andy Kozak - Manager Maintenance Training JetBlue - Andy discusses becoming an aircraft mechanic. He also describes the maintenance training program at JetBlue and how JetBlue inspires high schools students through assisting high school students build an airplane!

• Cape Air Gateway Program - Crisa explains the benefits of the program, requirement, and how to apply. This is a very quick path to the airlines. We also speak with Sean who is a first Officer on the E190 for JetBlue. He is one of the first to complete the gateway program with Cape Air.

• Craig Hildebrandt - Fleet Manager and A320 Captain JetBlue - Craig shares his passion for aviation and gives advice to those interested in a career as an airline captain.

• Bonny Simi - JetBlue E190 Captain and VP Talent - Bonnie discusses the varied careers at an airline. She has words of encouragement for those looking at a career in aviation. She discusses the mentor program and hiring at JetBlue. Bonnie also talks about other  areas JetBlue reaches out to the community.

• Jake and Julie two college students in the Gateway Program are truly inspriational and have some great advice for those looking to become a pilot and get involved with the Gateway program.

• Al Spain - I had a chance meeting and some inspiring words from one of the founders of JetBlue.

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