Talking Flight – Details, episodes & analysis

Akaska Airlines Captain and YouTube creator Brendan ODonnell joins us on Talking Flight to share his story of growing up in Oregon and pursuing his dream of becoming an airline pilot. His path ito aviation took several unexpected turns, but he stayed focused and never gave up. It all paid off, and today Brendan his living that dream, flying Boeing 737s for Alaska Airlines.

Also, a video project that he started as a side gig to help with the family budget during the early part of his career has transformed into the popular YouTube series "The Pilot Life".

In this episode of Talking Flight, we sit down with retired Delta A330 Captain Heidi Porch. She began flying at 16 and quickly found herself ferrying small aircraft across the Pacific. One of those flights ended in a dramatic ocean ditching 500 miles off the coast of Hawaii — a harrowing experience she recounts in her gripping new book, Ditching the Sky.

Captain Porch shares the highs and lows of her journey from teenage pilot to the left seat of a wide-body jet, and what it truly takes to succeed in the airline world.

Paul Salerno and his brother Bruce started SalAir, a cargo airline in 1980 that served the salmon industry in Alaska. The company grew into to regional cargo airline that provided feeder air service to the major cargo airlines during the 1980s and 1990s. They began by building a fleet of the iconic DC-3 aircraft and later added several Convair 440s to the airline. Mr. Salerno served as the airline's owner and chief pilot, and they went 15 years without a major accident. Unfortunately, in 1995 the carrier had three major accidents that resulted in four fatalities. 

After the tragic losses at SalAir, Paul took the lessons from those crashes and leaned into the discipline of Aviation Safety. He built a new company, OmniSMS, that develops safety systems and certification programs for companies serving the aerospace industry. The website is www.omnisms.aero

Michael Pittman is a Captain for Frontier Airlines. He is presently serving the company as a Line Check Airman and he lives in Mesa, Arizona.

Captain Pittman graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Aviation Management, where he also obtained all of his flight ratings as part of his college education.

Michael's first job as a high school student was being a baseball umpire. At the time, He had no idea that the skills that he learned running an officiating crew would later be helpful in his aviation career.

Captain Pittman tells us what it takes to work your way into a successful career in aviation.

We sit down with my long-time friend, Captain Mike Baumgartner. We met as classmates while attending Alaska Airlines 737-200 initial training in 1984.

Captain Baumgartner's dream of becoming a pilot began when he was a young child traveling from Seattle to Switzerland to visit his grandparents.

Mike used hard work to achieve his dream of becoming an airline pilot.

He tells us about flying the DC3 and making landings and take-offs on several beaches in Alaska to haul loads of fish to market.

Captain Mike flew his last flight for Alaska on the same route where his flying career started.

Ross Belfiore is a 20-year veteran Aircraft Maintenance Technician at Alaska Airlines. He tells us what it takes to earn the proper FAA credentials to enter the Aircraft Maintenance Field and how he was able to achieve early seniority at Alaska Airlines.

Whenever I had a maintenance problem in San Francisco, Ross was often the Technician who responded to fix the problem.

If Ross says that your jet is fixed and ready to fly, you know that one of the best people in the business has solved your problem.

Captain Mike Swanigan tells us the story of the most memorable trip of his career. 

In June of 1991, Alaska Airlines started service from Anchorage, Alaska to the former USSR (Russia) flying a specially-equipped Boeing 727-200. 

Mike was selected to be on the crew of the inaugural flight, and he learned that flying in the former Soviet Union (Russia) presented some unique challenges.

Chazmin "Chaz" Peters joins us on the podcast to tell about her transformation from a very shy little girl in elementary school to her present status as an experienced Airline Pilot.

We recorded this interview just a couple of days before Chaz gave birth to her first child, a beautiful baby girl.

 

Captain David Glick is one of the most respected Pilots at Alaska Airlines.

David tells us about the mindset it took for him to earn an Engineering Degree and graduate from USAF Pilot Training (UPT) near the top of his class.

Our listeners will enjoy the positivity that Captain Glick brings to work every day as he flies to the many destinations served by Alaska Airlines.

He also served in the Alaska Air National Guard, where he flew into the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq.

David has a passion for helping prospective Alaska Airlines pilots prepare for the intimidating Pilot Hiring Board.

Captain Kisa Wiley is the Chief Pilot at the Seattle Base of Horizon Air.

Horizon Air is a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group, and the airline coordinates its schedules and traffic feed with Alaska Airlines.

Captain Wiley is a third-generation pilot. Her Dad, retired Captain Jim Wiley, had a long career with Alaska Airlines. Her Grandfather, the Late Colonel Jim Wiley, was a Tuskegee Airman who flew combat missions in Europe during World War 2.

Kisa had no interest in becoming a pilot until she was in college. Then, one day, her younger sister, Ali, talked her into attending private pilot ground school. Kisa fell in love with flying, and the rest was history.