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PODCAST

Midlife Pilot Podcast

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

leisure aviation

All Episodes

01:09:28

EP169 - You Can't Fix the Mind With the Mind - with...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/02/24

Gita Brown came to flying the hard way: through crippling fear, a discovery flight, and one moment where she grabbed the controls and something just flipped. Now she's a student pilot marching toward her checkride, a yoga instructor, a music therapist, and the co-host of the Calm Cockpit Podcast. She also teaches fear-of-flying courses in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, which means she has professionally helped hundreds of people do the thing she herself was terrified to do two years ago. She

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01:02:23

EP168 - How The Turn Tables... Brian's Turn to...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/02/18

You've watched our Patreon community members sit down with 1DullGeek after their checkrides and lay it all bare — the nerves, the near misses, the lessons learned the hard way. Private, instrument, commercial, glider, ATP. We've heard it all.This week, one of us is in that chair.Brian Siskind — your co-host, 800-hour VFR pilot, and the guy who just knocked out five FAA written exams in 32 days — just passed his instrument rating. Ben and Ted give him the questions 1DG usually asks, and the

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01:06:48

EP167 - Cockpit Tetris and Mess Management

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/02/10

Episode 167 tackles the challenge of cockpit organization with real solutions from three very different flying setups.Brian's still battling the conspiracy to prevent his instrument checkride (spoiler: UPS trucks and snow banks are involved), while Ted shares wisdom from his Miata-sized cockpit about 3D-printed organizers, strategic cup holder placement, and why everything needs "ONE home." Ben discovers that big game hunting expos are surprisingly good aviation networking venues.From

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01:03:18

EP166 - Information Whiskey: Flat Tires and IFR...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/02/03

Time to kick back and catch up with the gang in our first "information whiskey" episode of the year. After starting 2026 with our Ultimate Guide series and that marathon session with Dr. Paul Craig, we're taking a breather to hang out, share some flying stories, and tackle your feedback.Ben kicks things off with a tale of terrible timing - how a flat nose tire and an MD-88 pilot who was "stuck" (but not really stuck) turned a simple night cross-country into an evening of

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01:48:16

EP165 - The Killing Zone Returns: Why 50-350 Hours...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/01/27

Aviation legend, educator, instructor, and author Dr. Paul Craig joins the gang to discuss the highly anticipated third edition of The Killing Zone - the book that's basically scripture for midlife pilots everywhere.With new publisher ASA, Paul's back with fresh data from 12,406 general aviation accidents proving that yes, the 50-350 hour zone still has significantly higher accident rates.We dive deep into his data-driven approach to accident analysis, explore how technology is creating

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01:06:17

EP164 - The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/01/20

EP164 - The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife Pilot - Part 3: Safety, Community & Your Aviation LegacyThe Ultimate Guide trilogy concludes with safety mindset, community support, and creating your aviation legacy. While Ben dodges Delta jets over Atlanta ("I pulled my throttle - first time I've ever had to slow down for a jet"), Brian demonstrates textbook emergency procedures after his engine starts shaking violently on takeoff: "I didn't pull all the power, I just

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00:59:34

EP163 - The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/01/14

EP163 - The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife Pilot - Part 2: From Dream to CheckridePart 2 of our Ultimate Guide tackles the training ecosystem from CFI selection to checkride reality. While Brian demonstrates "evasive maneuvers" on instrument approaches, the crew covers milestone moments and why your bank account will never forgive you.Key Training Insights:Find a CFI you can "poorly do things" with - you're the boss, they work for youFirst solo memory outlasts

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01:01:06

EP162 - The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2026/01/06

The crew has just released their comprehensive Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife Pilot - a 23-page PDF packed with community wisdom from hundreds of pilots who started flying at 40, 50, 60, and beyond. Download it FREE at midlifepilotpodcast.com!This is the first episode in a three-part series walking through this game-changing resource that answers the question every aspiring midlife pilot asks: "How do I actually get started?" No more scattered advice - this is your roadmap from dream

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01:08:06

EP161 - Information Whiskey Year End Spectacular

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/12/31

Join the gang as they toast to 2025's greatest hits: Ben earning the coveted "you are a badass MF" landing review from his wife, Brian discovering his Cherokee is indeed "the Toyota Camry of the skies" when loaded with three dudes and camera gear, and Ted conquering his first real Rockies crossings. Plus, the moment we've all been waiting for - The Thaden Invasion is officially happening March 13-15, 2026 in Bentonville, Arkansas!Expect the usual "personal

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01:01:41

EP160 - The Importance of Community

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/12/24

Ben leads the crew through a heartfelt discussion on the power of aviation community, proving that even "internet pilot buddies who are somehow both extremely wise and definitely unsupervised" can create something meaningful together. While Brian emerges from his five-week "gateway drug situation" of nonstop testing (having "forgotten how to function as a normal human being"), the episode explores how pilot communities support each other through the challenges of

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01:05:38

EP159 - The Sky Was Angry That Day, My Friend

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/12/16

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

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00:59:42

EP158 - Dire Pragmatism with Absolute Lunacy

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/12/09

1DullGeek casually announces he's signed a contract for a Czech-built TL Sparker and will spend a month in Prague building it – because apparently "24 cubic feet of cargo space" (more than his compact SUV!) justifies international aircraft construction. The only minor detail? He has absolutely nowhere to hangar this composite beauty that "costs more than his house." Cue the deep dive into "Hangar Hell" – where waiting lists stretch to 2038, car detailing businesses

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01:00:52

EP157 - Information Whiskey: A Countable Number of...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/12/02

The spotted cow tradition lives on as the crew discusses building instrument flows (Wendy's "source-morse-course" wisdom), why updating flows is harder than you think (law of primacy), and the great EFB pricing debate (Sky Demon €120 vs ForeFlight $370+ in Europe). Plus: celebrating no-go decisions as bigger accomplishments than completing flights, Ted's minimalist wedding where the Uber driver waited outside, and why being in aviation has made Ted realize there's a countable

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01:10:42

EP156 - Checkride Prep Reality Check with CFII Erica...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/11/25

Checkride prep reality check with CFII Erica Gilbert! Brian passes his instrument written ("a solid grilled cheese sandwich with slightly better ingredients than Kraft singles"), Ben confesses his multi-engine notice of disapproval after chasing the CDI below the glide slope—then passed two days later—and Erica reveals her 100% initial pass rate secrets: mock orals should be 3-4 hours of pain, Day One starts with defining PIC, and exact FAA phraseology matters on every rating. Plus:

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00:50:44

EP155 - “This Guy Never Saw Me" - A Pattern Predicament

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/11/18

Pattern predicament! Discord member Dom shares audio and flysto.net data from a close call at an untowered airport—100 feet of separation, spotty ADS-B, garbled radio calls, and the eternal question: turn right to avoid or stay predictable in the pattern? The non-CFI crew looks at 14 CFR 91.113, Wild West untowered airports, and why sometimes you just need to GTFO. Plus: Thaden Invasion updates, icing on the vegetables origin story, and why "show your belly" might not be the best

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01:02:35

EP154 - "You've Got to Find Something Else to Do"

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/11/11

Airplane down! Not a crash—just 65 days and counting of repair purgatory. Special guest 1DullGeek (Mark) joins to talk about what happens when your plane is out of service for months, Keith C's emotional feedback about avoiding aviation altogether, and the reality of airplane ownership. Plus: Brian's IFR long cross-country with C-130s and blown approaches, Ben's icing adventure to Cincinnati, and the Cherokee 235 that "totally spoiled" Mark's wife. The Thaden Invasion

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01:02:06

EP153 - Information Whiskey: "I've Studied My Brain...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/11/04

Information Whiskey strikes again! BIG NEWS: The Thaden Invasion is official—March 13-15, 2026 in Bentonville, Arkansas! Brian confesses his Sheppard Air conversion after weeks of IFR written torture ("The FAA told you to look at figure 71, but you have to memorize it's actually figure 24"), his wife solves compass errors in 8 seconds ("Here, idiot"), and Ted's fuel gauge crisis leads to the ultimate "It's Always Fuel" moment. Plus: Ben kills another twin,

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01:00:52

EP152 - "Into the Wilds of GA": MOSAIC Day...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/10/28

("One Fifty Two") Ted celebrates Mosaic Day by breaking free from the "walled garden" of light sport aviation and "soloing" both a purple lightning-bolt Cessna 152 and a 172. As our friend Dominic eloquently writes, sport pilots are now "loose upon the natural wilds of general aviation," discovering that some planes "require you to hold the yoke one-third to the right just to fly straight and level. It's a feature." Ted's conclusion: "I

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01:01:26

EP151 - 2nd Chances at 46: Motion Sickness, Legacy,...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/10/21

Listener Chris T. writes in with a powerful story about his WWII pilot grandfather, a 25-year-old discovery flight that ended in motion sickness, and the question: Is it too late to try again at 46? The crew tackles motion sickness remedies, finding the right CFI as a midlifer, and realistic training schedules for busy adults. Plus: Ben celebrates 28 years of marriage ("She's said 'You Are Right' twice—that's now a thing"), Ted does his first Special VFR, and the fly-in

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01:00:03

EP150 - The Garmin 430 Is That Friend Who Peaked in...

Midlife Pilot Podcast ·

2025/10/14

Episode 150! Ben has a hilarious ATC mix-up flying into Nashville at night ("The other controller told me it was two zero...I could hear him laughing in the background"), Ted gets stuck at an abandoned airport for five hours, and the crew dives deep into avionics upgrades. From hoarding Garmin 430s like Beanie Babies to debating engine monitors, this is real talk about the joys (and financial pains) of panel upgrades.In this episode:Ben's ATC comedy: vectored past his approach,

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