Episode 26: Mirek Fatyga

Bob Thomason recounts a tense IMC approach as safety pilot for a friend facing a cancer diagnosis. When his friend panics and fights the autopilot, Bob must intervene to stabilize the aircraft. 

Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Justin Lillie shares the story of an engine failure in his Mooney during an IFR cross-country flight with his family. 

Mark Sellers shares the story of a nighttime overwater flight in his Bellanca Viking where a landing gear issue arose during approach. 

Send us a textWelcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS!In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider sits down with Daren Humphries, a seasoned helicopter pilot turned aviation insurance broker at Assured Partners. With a career spa ... Show More

Perhaps you’ve been here before — flying, not long after takeoff, when you encounter low ceilings. Before departure, your weather app indicated everything was clear...You may have just become a a victim of Green Dot Syndrome, according to our guest today. Matt Johnson flies for M ... Show More

Send us a textWelcome to The Helicopter Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS!In this gripping episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider welcomes Lee Benson, a 2025 MHM Blades of Valor Award recipient, whose 15,000-plus hours as a helicopter pilot have left a ... Show More

While on a visual approach, Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42 turboprop with 54 people on board, contacts air traffic control and disappears into a cloud. Repeated calls to the aircraft go unanswered. A pilot departing Oksibil reports seeing smoke on a nearby mountainside. The pl ... Show More

Many pilots are intimidated by Air Traffic Control, but veteran controller Kevin Plante says “we’re just another set of eyes for you.” He explains the details of ATC in this wide-ranging episode, including how he handles IFR and VFR traffic differently, what the spacing requireme ... Show More

Flight simulators boomed in 2020 and have barely slowed down since, but many pilots don’t use all the available tools for flight training. Kevin from PilotEdge has watched it all unfold over the last decade and he explains what flight sims are good for (and what they aren't). ... Show More

This week's Muse is Alex El Khawaja, commercial pilot for the Middle East Airlines.In this episode, Alex takes us behind the cockpit doors to uncover the realities of a pilot’s life, from the rigorous training and discipline required to reach the skies to the rare experiences tha ... Show More

On a crisp fall morning in 2007, a small airplane took flight over the forested town of Graham, Washington. The pilot was a detective with the Pierce county sheriff’s department, and he was flying a somewhat unusual mission. He wasn’t looking for a lost person, or chasing a fleei ... Show More

Phil, Ian, & Brett are joined by Inspiring Philosophy to discuss another plane crashing in Philadelphia, the FAA to restrict helicopter traffic near the DC airport, a US Attorney firing over two dozen J6 prosecutors, and a former federal reserve adviser being arrested & accused o ... Show More

A Passenger decides to fly the plane after the pilot goes missing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.