Time in Flight – Details, episodes & analysis

Peter Zaccagnino went to Embry Riddle for an engineering degree. While he was learning about aerospace engineering, he was taking flight training and was getting to amass experience with flying sky-divers and getting tailwheel experience initially in a Pitts Biplane and then a Cessna 195, with a rotary engine. He was 19 when used that Pitts to get into aerobatic flying and discusses what that preflight entails. Peter loves to flight instruct in the MIG-29. He also likes to teach out of larger seaplanes to include the Grumman Mallard, Goose, and Albatross. Peter used his engineering knowledge to also fly as a test pilot. Peter has also raced both prop and jet aircraft in the Reno Air Races and has won 4 times, making him an Air Racing Hall of Famer. Peter is also the author of several books. The first one is Relevant and has just released the sequel called the New Cold War. Peter has also been on television shows such as Air Dogs and Aircraft Repo.

Links from the show: 

Born in Mumbai, India. Moved to New York when she was a little girl. Her first love was music and she can play 7 instruments. Audrey fell in love with aviation at 16 and started going to Embry Riddle to be an aerospace engineer. That’s where she learned she actually wanted to fly and left Embry Riddle to pursue her flying career. She did her Private and Instrument training in Cirrus SR-22. It took her about 3 years to get the 1500 hours she needed to get to ATP and around age 22 she joined a regional airline. At age 25, she then decided to transition to Part 135 flying and went from a large regional jet to a turboprop King-Air and is now a New Hire at the largest fractional ownership/part 135 operator in the country.

With her passion for music, she’s seen being a pilot as being akin to a conductor of a symphony in how everything is orchestrated together.

Welcome to the first special edition of Time In Flight. During this episode, I bring back my former flight instructor and friend, Peter Teuten, to discuss the various effects the Corona Virus (COVID-19) has had on both fractional ownership  and Part 121 commercial flying. We take a look at what we have learned and the trends that have been already changing the aviation world as we know it. We also ask some hard questions about where we see these trends leading and what some of the possible outcomes will be.

Tom Gavin grew up in Western Massachusetts and remembers during his formative school years what it was like to have his father learn how to fly in the late 1970’s but how aviation was such a strong community for him and his father for the remainder of his father’s life.  Even though Tom did not take up aviation himself, he has very fond memories of the love his father had for it and the new friends that it brought into their lives. Tom relays how the bond between him and father was improved over the years and how aviation was able to help them get through some tough times.

Tom is still fascinated by aviation to this day and wants to continue to keep his aviation quest for knowledge alive.

This episode focuses on Michael Ancel, who at age 21 is working on his commercial pilot’s license, during his freshman year in college.  

He discusses what it was like while earning his private and instrument ratings while in high school, with a full curriculum. Michael also talks about how he selected his major or Aerospace Engineering and why he chose his current college.

Finally, we talked about a trip to JFK airport in a Cessna 172 to pick up his sister from college.

Chuck began his professional life as a radio host. During that journey he discovered he loved aviation and wanted to fly. From there he figured out how to get lessons, get a job and ultimately became an aviation business owner. He has also flown for regional and cargo airlines. Now Chuck is enjoying being an instructor for new regional airline pilots.

In this episode, our guest, Rick Cahill who just changed careers into aviation discusses his story from originally being in the Marines, to working at a Sheriff’s Office full time and then deciding to go back to school at age 35 and get not only a 4-year degree in aviation but get all the aviation ratings necessary to get him a job as a regional airline pilot. All this while buying and selling his houses and having children along the way.  Rick attended Middle Tennessee State University’s aviation program where he received all his flight training as well as where he was a flight instructor. Rick is a true inspiration of being able to make the switch into aviation at a point a little later in life.

Chris Coward is a commercial pilot license applicant, as well as a college student. He discusses the trails, challenges and triumphs of what his journey on the commercial license has been. We also talk about the recent FAA changes to the commercial pilot license requirements and how training for the license has changed. We also look at the various avionics packages that he has used along the way as well as some online resources that he has found helpful in finding answers to the aviation questions he had. Chris also discusses his plans to attend the Oshkosh air show.

This episode hosts Rob Evans, who is a long time friend of mine, who, a couple of years ago was inspired to earn his pilot’s license.  He currently lives in the Settle area and had to face a host of challenges when it came to his training. This was recorded while his was a still a student pilot. This episode, which was originally recorded during Thanksgiving 2018, is being published out of order, so that it can honor Rob and his achievement of earning his Private Pilot’s License just the other week.

Rob discusses what it is like working full time and trying to get his flight lessons in only on the weekends and when weather, especially in Seattle, can hamper progress. He also discusses his study strategies on how he deals with long breaks in-between lessons and how he keeps his head in the game when it comes to ground school. He also talks about some of the unique experiences that the airspace around Seattle offers for a student pilot and discuses what is was like working with multiple flight instructors and the difference in teaching methods.

Thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the show!

If you have any comments or suggestions, please email them to: hunter@timeinflight.com

Recorded on location in Orlando, FL. Stephen Black discusses his path from being a philosophy major to now a regional airline pilot. Stephen went to large flight school where he earned most of his ratings, to where he began his flight instruction. From there, he found a great opportunity to instruct at really small grass field, which proved to be exactly opposite from what he was used to. Stephen then describes some of the major learning points that he took way from flight instructing and discusses how he decided to become a regional airline pilot by the age of 21.