Explore every episode of the podcast On Centerline
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Reference Maneuvers - Straight From the Airplane Flying Handbook | 24 Sep 2026 | 00:39:52 | |
Ground reference maneuvers are often taught as a collection of separate maneuvers—rectangular courses, turns around a point, S-turns across a road, and eights around pylons etc. But are they really different maneuvers? Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Slow Flight Myths Vs. The Airplane Flying Handbook | 03 Sep 2026 | 00:31:13 | |
Welcome to the On Centerline Podcast! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Turns Around A Point ISN'T THE POINT! | 13 Aug 2026 | 00:29:06 | |
Welcome to the On Centerline video podcast! Episode Content starts at 10:47
Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Proposed Changes to the CFII Check Ride | 25 Jun 2026 | 00:31:55 | |
The CFI-I check ride is designed to ensure flight instructors can safely and effectively teach instrument flying—but does the current practical test truly evaluate the skills that matter most in today's training environment? Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| 5 Signs of a Professional Pilot | 11 Jun 2026 | 00:21:25 | |
What separates a professional pilot from everyone else? It’s often not the big things—it’s the small habits and skills that consistently show up in every phase of flight. In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, we discuss five telltale signs of a true professional pilot: disciplined brake usage, smooth aircraft control, exceptional situational awareness, clear and concise radio communications, and precise airspeed management. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| The Importance of Takeoff Briefings | 30 May 2026 | 00:25:02 | |
Before every takeoff, pilots brief engine failures, abort points, runway lengths, terrain, weather, and emergency plans… or at least they should. In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, we dive into the often-overlooked art of the takeoff briefing and why so many pilots either skip it entirely or reduce it to a rushed, meaningless routine. We discuss what actually makes a takeoff briefing effective, how different conditions should change the briefing, and why a one-size-fits-all script can leave pilots unprepared when things go wrong. From runway environment and aircraft performance to passenger considerations and emergency decision making, we break down the many factors pilots should think through before advancing the throttle. A good takeoff briefing isn’t about sounding professional — it’s about building a clear mental game plan before one of the highest workload phases of flight. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| 360s in the PATTERN! | 16 May 2026 | 00:25:24 | |
The airport traffic pattern is one of the highest-risk environments in aviation for mid-air collisions — and non-standard maneuvering is often a major factor. In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, we break down the dangers of performing 360° turns in the traffic pattern, especially at uncontrolled airports, and explain why these maneuvers can quickly create confusion, blind spots, and collision hazards for everyone in the pattern. We’ll discuss why 360s should never be used as a spacing tool in the uncontrolled airport environment and offer 3 safer, more predictable alternatives that help maintain sequencing without sacrificing safety. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Additional Pilot Training (and the endorsements you'll need) | 02 May 2026 | 00:40:35 | |
A good pilot is always learning! These are words I live by and that's why today we will be discussing additional training you may want or NEED as you go through your aviation career! For you flight instructors out there, there will be times you will have well established and accomplished pilots come to you for additional training, and you will need to know how to best structure their training and how to properly log and endorse their logbooks. Today we discuss the experience and endorsements required to train an established pilot for additional privileges and ratings. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Do you need a medical to fly? | 18 Apr 2026 | 00:26:20 | |
With the passage of MOSAIC things have changed in a dramatic way in the world of aviation when it comes to medicals and the privileges of all pilots when it comes to not having a medical! Today we discuss these changes and talk about all the things you can do WITHOUT a medical! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Multi-Engine Ground School Part 3: Performance and Limitations | 04 Apr 2026 | 00:34:37 | |
Multi-Engine flying is some of the most fun and rewarding flying you can do! As multi-engine pilots it's critical to understand the performance capabilities and limitations of our aircraft. Today we discuss the performance and limitations a multi-engine aircraft and how they can differ from single-engine aircraft! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Multi-Engine Ground School Part 2! - VMC | 21 Mar 2026 | 00:34:27 | |
Multi-Engine flying is some of the most fun and rewarding flying you can do! As multi-engine pilots there are some key aerodynamic principles we need to understand and be proficient with handling. Today we discuss Vmc and the perils of flying on a single engine in a multi-engine aircraft! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Multi-Engine Ground School - Aerodynamics and the Critical Engine | 07 Mar 2026 | 00:27:52 | |
Multi-Engine flying is some of the most fun and rewarding flying you can do! As multi-engine pilots there are some key aerodynamic principles we need to understand and be proficient with handling. Today we discuss the aerodynamics involved with the critical engine in our first installment of our multi-engine ground school! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| GPS Is Making Us Dumb! | 21 Feb 2026 | 00:29:26 | |
As with everything in aviation, there are no human instincts that come into play or naturally inherited traits. Flying is something that is completely foreign to human beings so everything we do in an airplane is a LEARNED trait. Unfortunately we don't always teach, or get taught the right things the right way, and these days pilots are not being taught to LOOK OUTSIDE. With the advent of GPS, ADSB and all the other pretty things we have on digital displays these days, pilots are being taught simply to look inside and never to look up except to land. Today we discuss the harm this type of training is doing and what YOU can do to overcome it. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Assessments - How instructors learn to teach! | 07 Feb 2026 | 00:20:31 | |
Learning to be an effective flight instructor can be TOUGH. They say the best way to learn something is to TEACH it and that is what proper assessments can help us to do! Today we discuss the different kinds of assessments and how we as flight instructors can actually use our own students to teach us to be better educators! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Do you know the THREE types of weather reports? | 23 Dec 2025 | 00:18:21 | |
If there is one thing all pilots struggle with UNIVERSALLY, it's WEATHER! Today we discuss the THREE types of weather reports available to us, and try to gain a better understanding of how to compare and contrast these reports to one another to gain the most vivid picture of what the weather is doing for a given flight. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| How to train a Helicopter Pilot - Advanced Endorsements | 13 Sep 2025 | 00:29:43 | |
As a flight instructor not everyone you will be working with are student pilots. There will be times you will have well established and accomplished pilots come to you for additional training, and you will need to know how to best structure their training and how to properly qualify them for their check ride. Today we discuss the experience and endorsements required to train an established helicopter flight instructor for their single-engine airplane add-on. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Endorsements for Student Pilots | 06 Sep 2025 | 00:49:28 | |
Learning to be an effective flight instructor is hard enough for most people as it is. Add to that all the regulatory requirements and record keeping you have to do and it can become overwhelming for many people! Endorsements are typically one of the things new flight instructors struggle the most with when it comes to the "paperwork" side of being an instructor, and they can also have some of the most severe consequences if you get them wrong! Today we discuss the endorsements needed to get a student pilot from "zero to hero". Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Certificates VS. Ratings - What's the Difference!? | 30 Aug 2025 | 00:18:51 | |
In aviation, communication is critical for safety. Being sloppy with our words can have unintended consequences that can lead to accidents and incidents. So it's imperative we are always using the right words to refer to the right things at the right times. When it comes to the difference between a pilot certificate and a pilot rating, we may not be talking about life and death, but nonetheless we should not only know the difference between the two, but we should be using these terms properly in everyday conversation. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| CFI Intervention! HOW and WHEN to take control! | 23 Aug 2025 | 00:18:00 | |
Knowing HOW and WHEN to intervene as a flight instructor is one of the hardest things for new CFIs to learn and even harder for any CFI to master. Today we discuss the different types of intervention we can utilize and when we should utilize them. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your ATP Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown - Aircraft Systems | 26 Jul 2025 | 00:58:07 | |
The ATP check ride is a little different than most other check rides, yet the way we study for it is exactly the same! Join me as I do my own self-study, going through the ATP ACS one line item at a time as I prepare for my own ATP check ride! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| I MESSED UP! - DON'T make this MISTAKE! | 12 Jul 2025 | 00:23:38 | |
I did the one thing I swore to myself that I would NEVER do. . . I sent a student to a check ride who wasn't qualified and they got turned away. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| The "5 Ts" of Instrument Flying | 05 Jul 2025 | 00:08:24 | |
Staying ahead of the airplane during an instrument flight is not only one of the most critical things for a pilot to do, but can also be one of the hardest things - especially for new instrument pilots. Today we discuss a tool that can assist you with staying ahead of the plane and avoid missing critical events during an instrument flight. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Passenger Vs. Crew Safety Briefings - How to brief passengers on an airplane | 28 Jun 2025 | 00:13:22 | |
Proper safety briefings before flight are not only required by the regulations, but imperative for the safety of everyone on board and the general flying public. Today we discuss how we should be differentiate between briefings for passengers vs. briefings for other pilots. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Airworthiness for Commercial Pilots | 21 Jun 2025 | 00:36:32 | |
Airworthiness can be a confusing and complex topic for any pilot, but it's especially important when you're the pilot in command of an aircraft for hire! Today we delve a little deeper into the intricacies of airworthiness and what you need to be familiar with to pass your commercial pilot check ride. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| IFR Scenario Based Training | 31 May 2025 | 00:36:27 | |
Scenario Based Training has been really pushed to the forefront of how we teach and evaluate pilots in the past decade. Today we are going over some IFR scenarios straight from the ASA Oral Exam Guide that were chosen by YOU. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Wet Vs. Dry Leases - Commercial pilot check ride | 24 May 2025 | 00:17:10 | |
In today's episode, we delve into the world of aircraft leasing and explore the key differences between wet and dry leases, with a focus on how they pertain to commercial pilots. Whether you're preparing for your check ride, or already a working pilot, understanding these leasing options is crucial. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Common Vs. Private Carriage | 17 May 2025 | 00:12:49 | |
In this episode, we dive into the crucial differences between common carriage and private carriage as they pertain to commercial pilots. Understanding these distinctions is essential for your check ride preparation and overall flying career. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your Commercial Pilot Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 1 - Pilot Qualifications | 10 May 2025 | 00:46:25 | |
We are continuing our ACS breakdown series and expanding it to your commercial oral exam! We start the commercial series today with Pilot Qualifications. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| VDP vs. MAP | 26 Apr 2025 | 00:12:48 | |
Today we are discussing exactly what a Visual Descent Point is and how it is different from the missed approach point. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| 5 Tips for STUDENT Pilots | 19 Apr 2025 | 00:21:35 | |
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| 5 Tips for Instrument Students | 12 Apr 2025 | 00:19:36 | |
Today we are discussing 5 tips to make you a better instrument pilot and to make your instrument training easier and more effective! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Bad Regulations! | 15 Mar 2025 | 00:16:05 | |
It's no secret that sometimes the FAA just gets things WRONG. Sometimes they just make things confusing. Either way, these errors and ambiguities lead to many pilots mis-interpreting certain rules and requiring lawyers to clarify the FAA's position and intentions through letters of interpretation. Today we discuss two such issues with some very prominent regulations. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Everything you wanted to know about HOLDS! (And more that you didn't.) | 01 Mar 2025 | 00:47:33 | |
Holds can often be the most frustrating parts to students in instrument training. They have a certain complexity that tends to confuse and complicate when combined with all the other skills and items you need to learn in instrument training. However, the reality is they are much easier than most people initially realize, so today we are going to break down holds and holding entries from the technical side all the way to the practical side of things. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| The Approaches Your CFI-I Never Taught You | 15 Feb 2025 | 00:18:29 | |
Even though it's the most widely used approach in the professional flying world, the visual approach is largely overlooked in instrument training. In addition, the contact approach is so seldomly used at all, that most instructors fail to even mention it throughout a students' training. We talk about BOTH today! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| How to fly on Instruments! | 08 Feb 2025 | 00:39:33 | |
With everything there is to learn in instrument flight training, one of the most difficult things can be learning how to simply control the aircraft! Today we discuss instrument attitude flying and the techniques and methods such as control performance and primary and support that can be utilized to help make control of the aircraft in the instrument environment just as easy as it is in the visual environment! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Is Your CFI Failing You? | 04 Jan 2025 | 00:27:59 | |
There are many ways I see subpar service and quality of training from CFIs, but today we are talking about the abuse I constantly see in one specific area of the experience requirements for the commercial pilot certificate. We will talk about the short-comings that are all too common with these training activities as well as the solutions I have personally developed for my own students. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 6 - ATC Clearances | 28 Dec 2024 | 00:49:03 | |
Talking with ATC as a student pilot is often one of the most challenging things people face in flight training. Unfortunately it tends to just get more complicated as you get into instrument training, but there are a few key things every pilot can do to make this task a lot easier. Join us today as we discuss ATC clearances and communications. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 5 - Systems PART 2 | 14 Dec 2024 | 00:37:17 | |
Today we are continuing with systems related to IFR flight. In today's episode we specifically discuss navigation systems, as well as airworthiness for IFR flight. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 4 - Systems | 07 Dec 2024 | 00:14:47 | |
Today we are diving into systems related to IFR flight. In today's episode we specifically discuss Anti-icing and De-icing systems, as well as Autopilot. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 3 - Cross-Country Planning | 30 Nov 2024 | 00:57:34 | |
I will start off by saying there is SO MUCH to go over in this portion of the Instrument ACS that I can't possibly fit it all into this one podcast episode. So if there is anything specific YOU want me to cover in a future podcast, please leave a comment and let me know what you want to hear more about! But until then, we continue with our overview of the ACS breakdown with IFR cross country flight planning! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 2 - Weather | 23 Nov 2024 | 00:50:21 | |
If there is one thing that really separates and instrument pilot from a VFR-only pilot, it's probably their ability to read and decipher the weather! It's often said that a pilot needs to be just as much a weatherman as they are a pilot and that is never truer than when flying IFR. Today we breakdown the things that DPEs will be looking for to gauge your understanding of and risk management in relation to WEATHER! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| IMSAFE. . . and how to USE it! | 16 Nov 2024 | 00:15:11 | |
IMSAFE is one of the first acronyms pilots are taught, but it often doesn't get the attention it really deserves! It's important to understand the real-life stressors and ailments we all deal with as individuals, rather than getting caught up in generalizations or hypotheticals. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. . . EDUCATE? | 09 Nov 2024 | 00:13:19 | |
When it comes to the priorities in the cockpit, we often use the little mnemonic "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate", but as CFIs there is a forth one that gets added into the mix and that is EDUCATE. Today we talk about educating and where in the order of priorities it should fall. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Pass your IFR Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown Part 1 - Pilot Qualifications | 02 Nov 2024 | 00:32:48 | |
Back by popular demand and for the first time on YouTube. . . We are continuing our ACS breakdown series and expanding it to your IFR oral exam! We start the IFR series today with Pilot Qualifications. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Can you Go Around on a Check Ride? | 26 Oct 2024 | 00:26:10 | |
So many pilots get it in their mind that go-arounds on a check ride are frowned upon, when in reality it's quite the opposite! The other oversight in training is that each specific approach and landing have their own techniques that need to be adhered to. We discuss all of this in this weeks episode! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Narration Vs. Teaching | 19 Oct 2024 | 00:16:06 | |
Today we talk about the differences between narration and actually teaching. Simply saying what you're doing doesn't convey all the information our learners need to know. We need to continue to incorporate the concepts of "what, why and how" into everything we do to help our learners fully embrace and understand the topics of flight training. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| The Normalization of Deviance | 12 Oct 2024 | 00:20:24 | |
The Normalization of Deviance is inherent to human nature, but it is something that we has CFIs and pilots need to do our best to mitigate at all times! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| How to teach as a CFI - The "What, Why, How" Method. | 05 Oct 2024 | 00:15:21 | |
The What, Why, How method is the basic structure I use for teaching almost anything! It's a great model that can be used both in the classroom and in the airplane. If you're an aspiring or current CFI, try this method out when teaching your students and let me know what you think! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| Taking Ownership Over Your Flight Training | 28 Sep 2024 | 00:16:48 | |
A great question was brought up by one of my viewers on Youtube about how much ownership should students be taking in their own flight training. Join us today as we discuss the answer to this question and the dynamics between a student and an instructor. Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||
| The Intricacies of the LAZY 8 | 21 Sep 2024 | 00:22:25 | |
The Lazy 8 is not only one of my favorite commercial maneuvers, but is by far the HARDEST maneuver you will ever have to do on a check ride. Today we discuss the intricacies of this maneuver in an effort to help you understand and fly it better in the plane! Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut | |||