Midlife Pilot Podcast

You can have a flying machine or you can have a project. Sometimes you get both whether you wanted them or not.
This week, 1DullGeek aka Mark lays out why he's leaving the certified world behind and building a TL Sparker — a Czech experimental that burns half the fuel, costs a fraction to maintain, and was designed after his children were adults (unlike the Cherokee 235, which predates his parents).
Brian is staying in the museum business for now, flying a 1967 Cherokee 180 and embracing his identity as a steward of vintage aviation history, whether he likes it or not. Ted is flying a Special Light Sport that is certified, experimental-adjacent, and philosophically its own thing — much like Ted himself.
Along the way we get into what it really costs to own old iron, why parts availability in the certified world will break your soul, what MOSAIC means for the future of sport pilot, and whether two weeks of coursework is actually enough to maintain your own airplane (spoiler: probably not, but it's a useful warning label).
Also in this episode: a debrief from the Thaden Invasion fly-in including a NASA report we won't elaborate on, a $25 ramp fee at JWN that costs less than a tank of avgas but somehow hurts more, a surprise night power-off 180, and a birthday calculation that required community intervention.
Listener Sierra Victor from Surprise, Arizona (yes, that's a place) writes in about sport pilot gatekeeping and gets some straight talk: the aerodynamics don't care what certificate you hold, and neither should you.
Mentioned on the show:
* UCY - Union City Tenn: https://www.airnav.com/airport/UCY
* Full Stop Aviation: https://fs-aviation.com/
* AOPA - PAPA bill: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2026/march/11/pr-support-grows-for-bills-banning-ads-b-misuse
* Coleal interpretation: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/practice_areas/regulations/interpretations/Data/interps/2009/Coleal-Bombardier%20Learjet_2009_Legal_Interpretation.pdf
* LSRI, LSRM courses: https://rainbowaviation.com/courses/
* Dunning-Kreuger effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
* Fly Eagle Sport: https://flyeaglesport.com/
Support the podcast: www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast

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Recorded live at Legends Air Center, Bentonville Municipal Airport (KVBT)
We pulled it off. Forty-six planes, 76 humans, one carbon cub with a suspiciously placed trim switch, and a weather forecast that went from "perfect VFR" to "tornado watch to snowstorm in 24 hours." Episode 172 is the live recording from the Thaden Invasion fly-in — and it did not disappoint.
Ben, Brian, and 1DullGeek filling in for Ted who attempted to get here from Portland via Delta and was defeated by the commercial aviation gods. We called him anyway. He answered!
IN THIS EPISODE:
🛫 The Instrument Rating Spite Train
✈️ The Race to Union City — Ben attempts to bribe a Memphis Center controller via Venmo. The controller provides his Venmo. "Ready to copy."
🛩️ The Convergence Incident — Mark's GPS-autopilot handshake goes sideways mid-flight, resulting in an unannounced formation maneuver.
🌩️ The Forecast Nobody Asked For — Our new friend Bruce, a multi-decade professional meteorologist, delivers a pre-show weather briefing that sends everyone scrambling for early departures. Tornadoes by noon. Snow by evening. Perfect fly-in weather.
📞 We Call Ted — He answers. It's lovely. He didn't miss anything at Game Bird. Those planes are ugly. The formation flights were nothing. (They were incredible. Ted knows.)
🎙️ Community Moments — Keith's story of stepping away from aviation and finding his way back. Captain Todd's first cross-country with his girlfriend (she asked where the car was). The anonymous question about an all-wives episode (immediately shot down). Erica Gilbert, CFII and weather guru, knitting quietly in the back like an aviation safety angel.
MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
🏆 Legends Air Center at Bentonville Municipal Airport (KVBT) — Home of the Thaden Invasion and quite possibly the only FBO where you can fish off one end and tour an aerobatic manufacturer off the other.
✈️ Game Aerospace — The manufacturing facility that had our crew high on carbon fiber fumes and ambition. Shoutout to Derek and the team.
📋 Checkmate Aviation — Sponsor of our beautiful lounge space. Barry bought the company by accident (sort of). Custom checklists. Real story.
🎙️ Midlife Pilot Podcast on Patreon — The thing that keeps this ad-free and human. The reason we can afford microphones and index cards (when Ted is here).
🐦 Plane Places Adventures (YouTube) — Check out the channel. Virgil always has something.
🎙️ Airline Pilot Guy Podcast — AJ's co-hosting home. Captain Jeff. Good people. Good aviation.
📘 Helen Thaden — Aviation Pioneer — The namesake of the invasion. Bentonville's own. Look her up if you don't know the name yet.
🌤️ 1800wxbrief.com — FAA Aviation Weather Briefings — For those of you who don't have Bruce's number.
📖 Make Small Corrections by Brian Siskind Essays on flying, legacy, and midlife transformation. Brian's book. Read it.
QUOTE OF THE EPISODE:
"A beef Wellington is just a corn dog from a different socioeconomic background."

DPE, airline pilot, C-130 instructor, and VSL Aviation founder Seth Lake drops in from his car outside a North Little Rock hangar to help pilots get ready for the real thing. He previews his enhanced pre-flight safety seminar happening Saturday morning at Thaden Field — think less checklist theater, more popping cowlings and actually looking at stuff — and breaks down the honest threat picture at a busy uncontrolled airport: why flight following isn't optional, why calling traffic "in sight" is a commitment you'd better mean, and why hope is not an arrival strategy.
Plus: the case against the emergency descent maneuver, what midlife pilots actually have going for them on check rides, a surprise Miller's Ale House field recording, and the Bentonville roundabout that has claimed at least one dignity so far.
Seth's enhanced pre-flight seminar is Saturday at 9AM in the exhibition hall. Register at faasafety.gov for WINGS credit.
See you on the ramp.
Mentioned on the show:
* Nashville Bravo reclassification: https://www.reddit.com/r/nashville/comments/1q6ixd5/bna_to_be_upgraded_to_bravo_airspace/
* Erica's Aerosafe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AeroSafe
* Erica's Aerosafe weather briefing checklist: https://www.gilbertaviation.com/aerosafe
* Aviation Weather Handbook: https://www.faa.gov/regulationspolicies/handbooksmanuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-28a-aviation-weather-handbook
* Charles Taylor master mechanic award: https://www.faasafety.gov/content/mastermechanic/default.aspx
* Airline Pilot Guy: https://airlinepilotguy.com/
* Bob Hoover's aileron roll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9pvG_ZSnCc
* Seth Lake's VSL ACE guide: https://vslaviation.myshopify.com/products/vsl-ace-guide
* Seth's WINGS/EAA seminar on STCs at ORK (N Little Rock): https://www.faasafety.gov/spans/event_details.aspx?eid=141995&caller=/spans/events/eventlist.aspx
* How to fly an emergency descent: https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/aerodynamics/emergency-descent-aerodynamics-how-to-fly-them-safely-high-to-low/
* VBT airspace briefig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJldTQ8LhM
* Fayetteville airport: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayetteville_Regional_Airport
* 2025 DCA crash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Potomac_River_mid-air_collision
* Seth on setting up Foreflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFLxF8uciT8
* Crystal Bridges museum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Bridges_Museum_of_American_Art
* Pinnacle Hills Promenade: https://www.pinnaclehillspromenade.com/en/
* Buffalo National River: https://www.nps.gov/buff/index.htm
* Pinch Hitter course for nonpilots: https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/pinch-hitter
* Seth/Midlife Pilot Enhanced Preflight WINGS course: https://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_publicregistration.aspx?eid=141537&type=1
* Josh at Free Pilot Training: https://www.youtube.com/c/FreePilotTraining

Support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast

An Information Whiskey edition where Ben loses his Sears and Roebuck HSI in the clouds and flies a partial panel ILS into McCollum like it's just another Tuesday, Brian takes his first solo IFR flight and discovers "the tape hiss of saturation" that nobody tells you about, and Ted goes up in an Arrow where the gear lights have a mind of their own. The Thaden Invasion is 12 days out and the weather looks terrible — which is exactly how we want it.
Listener emails from a student pilot in Frederick and a "chef" who soloed at 53 remind us why we do this, and a five-star review from Scotland teaches us the word "scunnered." Also: a spirited debrief on whether Ben should have declared an emergency, and what the whiskey compass is actually good for.Mentioned on the show:
* Seth Lake's Thaden/VBT arrival notes: https://arflightsafety.com/VBT.html
* FLY OZ VBT Airspace Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJldTQ8LhM
* Seth's podcast on VBT airspace: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0r3rDFPNyUdYtYEfbVBqyl?si=as-NYQ99R5-F9qgAhSSoig
* WINGS registration for Enhanced Preflight seminar: https://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_publicregistration.aspx?eid=141537&type=1
* Game Aero, gamebird aerobatic plane: https://game.aero/gb1-gamebird/
* Thaden Invasion event page: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/thadeninvasion
* Air Safety Institute, 178 Seconds to Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7t4IR-3mSo
* Infamous drivers ed scare film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HAv1pfJqgU
* Sandel HSI: https://avweb.com/features_old/sandel-avionics-sn3308-electronic-hsi-efis-becomes-affordable/
* Sandel teardown video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjWIXHL0G1M
* Blairsville Airport - DZJ: https://www.airnav.com/airport/DZJ
* Angel Flights: https://www.angelflightsoars.org/
* SWTEE "sweet tea" arrival: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2602/00469SWTEE.PDF
* OVPEW fix: https://opennav.com/waypoint/US/OVPEW
* RYY's ILS 27 approach: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2602/06424IL27.PDF
* Garmin GPSMAP 296 on Ben's yoke: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/6399/
* MPP's Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Midlife Pilot: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/#guide
Patreon: www.patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast
YouTube (Live Monday nights at 8 PM): www.youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast
Website (events, merch, blog, and more): www.midlifepilotpodcast.com
Email: [email protected]
Freedom Aviation Network (10% of Patreon donations): www.freedomaviationnetwork.org

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 joined us from a snowbound cabin in Maine, mid-blizzard, fully caffeinated, and ready to explain why your brain is failing you in the cockpit and what you can actually do about it. Spoiler: it starts with electrolytes, ends with meditation, and somewhere in the middle involves not eating grapes.
Mentioned on the show:
* Calm Cockpit Podcast: https://calmcockpit.com/
* MGM - Montgomery Alabama: https://www.airnav.com/airport/MGM
* SISKIND - Time building vs Time HAVING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFw9CpSqwHA
* Lovefly - fear of flying courses: https://www.lovefly.co.uk/
* Seth Lake - VSL Aero: https://vsl.aero/
* Seth Lake's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAQS8w0x9swAMJRMhLY_P5g
* Fly Oz - gateway to the Ozarks: https://www.flyoz.com/
* LMNT electrolyte drink mix: https://drinklmnt.com/
* Insight Timer app: https://insighttimer.com/
* Baraka (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraka_(film)
* Koyaanisqatsi (full fiml): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOA_dOrm_Mk
* SISKIND - DO EASY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqsg-iW3KBw
* Qigong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong
* Koyaanisqatsi, Hopi word for "life out of balance": https://bureauoflinguisticalreality.com/portfolio/koyaanisqatsi/
* The Deep Magic of Daily Consistency: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G6FJQSGW
* Scott Manley - Explaining Why NASA's Starliner Report Is So Bad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L96asfTvJ_A
Midlife Pilot Podcast
Website: midlifepilotpodcast.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast
Patreon: patreon.com/midlifepilotpodcast