Captain Kevin Kay is the first former Fighter Pilot to join us on Talking Flight. Kevin took an unusual path to become a USAF pilot. He was accepted to Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) after applying through the Air National Guard. Kevin tells us about how he built a network of connections at Air National Guard units around the country to help him figure out what it took to be selected for the program. This is a great story about how hard work and perseverance helped Kevin to Achieve...
Nov 07, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 41
We sit down with writer Beth Ruggiero York and talk about her new book Flying Alone, a memoir . Beth's aviation journey begins in the mid-1980s when she started taking flying lessons and started a job as a line person at the local airport. Her book takes us on a wild ride that shows the exhilaration of flying airplanes and the dangers of having to work for a few unscrupulous aviation companies. Beth shares her story with a striking level of honesty. She was not afraid to write about some of the ...
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Today's episode is an interview with Alaska Airlines Captain Ron Limes. He is one of the two Chief Pilots at the Seattle Pilot Base. Captain Lines shares his story about growing up in New York City, and how his 5th grade teacher got him interested in flying airplanes. It was his High School Guidance Counselor who told him how to get his aviation dreams off of the ground. Captain Limes also had a brilliant career in the USAF Reserves, ultimately commanding a C-17 squadron....
Aug 29, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Mr. Nigel Sargent is the Director/Flight Simulation at Alaska Airlines. He is considered to be one of the foremost experts in the field of Flight Simulation. Mr. Sargent grew up in England and worked on Simulators all over the world before joining Alaska Airlines. He started his career right after high school when he landed an intern position with the British company, Redifon. The company later changed its name to Rediffusion Flight Simulators. Nigel tells us about his career and the exciting ch...
Jul 24, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Captain Phil Pope joined Alaska Airlines in 1964. He started in Ground Operations and worked his way into becoming a Flight Engineer on the Lockheed Super Constellation. He later flew the Lockheed C-130, the Boeing 727 and the Boeing 737. Phil tells us about his part in helping to build Alaska Airlines into the Major Carrier that it is today.
Jun 10, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Captain Mike Swanigan talks about how he helped his Niece get through a stressful day. He would sometimes use the same strategy near the end of a long day of flying.
Apr 18, 2019•8 min
We sit down for a long-form conversation with Mr. Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines. Brad tells us about his life journey that eventually lead to him to become the Chief Executive Officer at Alaska Airlines. We learn about how Brad approaches leadership, and how his late Father still has a profound influence on how he solves problems that come up at the airline. Brad shares some excellent advice on how to be successful in business and life.
Apr 05, 2019•1 hr
Captain Phil Parrish tells us about his amazing journey to become Captain for Alaska Airlines. (Previously released in 2014).
Mar 20, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Captain David Mets is presently one of the two Seattle Base Chief Pilots for Alaska Airlines. David tells us about his career as a USAF Pilot and about his transition to a Pilot career at Alaska Airlines. We also learn that he had a three-year stint serving as Rocket Scientist at Cape Canaveral. Several events that initially appeared to be disappointments, turned out to be some wonderful opportunities for Captain Mets and his family.
Mar 11, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 35
This is this first in a series of short Voice Blogs from Mike Swanigan. Don't worry, we will still feature our usual long-form interviews. This is an added feature to our Talking Flight Podcasts. A lot of people gave me some great advice during my career. I am trying to pay it forward by recording these Voice Blogs. If it helps just one person, it will be well worth the effort. If you find any of this to be helpful, please pass it on. Be Excellent to Each other...
Feb 22, 2019•5 min
Captain Kevin Nigbur is the first Horizon Air Pilot to appear on Talking Flight. He is currently flying the Embraer 175 Regional Jet on Horizon's route system. Kevin earned an Aviation Degree in College, but he had to put his flying dreams on the back burner when he was needed in his family business. Captain Nigbur tells us the amazing story of how he restarted his flying career after the age of 40.
Feb 18, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 34
One of the most complex pieces of running an airline is making sure that that qualified and rested pilots are available to fly the airplanes. We rarely hear about the men and women who are behind the scenes working to make sure that your flight is flown by a crew of qualified and rested pilots. On this episode, we sit down with Ms. Trish Barney. She is the Duty Manager Pilot Scheduling for Alaska Airlines. Trish tells us the background story of how she got into the pilot scheduling world and she...
Jan 09, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Our Guest today is Alaska Airlines Captain JP Wilson. He flies the Boeing 737 out of Alaska's Portland Oregon pilot crew base. In addition to his Captain duties at Alaska Airlines, JP is now the Manager of Pilot Development at Alaska's sister airline, Horizon Air. He works with Colleges and Flight Schools on developing the next generation of airline pilots for Alaska and Horizon. JP tells us the story of how followed his dream to become a pilot for a major airline. He also shares a few suggestio...
Oct 15, 2018•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Captain Tom Crank tells us about his life as a Military and Commercial Aviator. Tom tells us about his struggles at the USAF Academy, and how he unexpectedly became an Air Force Pilot. Captain Crank began his airline career at Eastern Airlines, and he flew the Boeing 727 until the airline started to fail as a result of financial difficulties. After Eastern Airlines, Tom headed west and went to work for Alaska Airlines. Tom also tells us how he handled some leadership challenges that he had as a ...
Aug 18, 2018•1 hr 30 min
One of the most feared aspects of being a pilot is the requirement to pass an FAA Physical exam to keep your license active. Doc Greenblatt is a Senior FAA Aeromedical Examiner, and he has conducted thousands of medical exams on pilots. He has a successful Family and Sports Medicine practice in Bellevue Washington. A family tragedy changed his life forever, and his path to becoming a Physician was not always easy. But he never gave up, and he has been a vital source of support for his patients. ...
Aug 01, 2018•54 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Mary Kesselring joins Captain Mike Swanigan to tell our audience about her 34-year career with the Airline. Mary grew up in an Airline family. Her dad was a Veteran Captain and Check Airman for United Airlines. He Mom was a former "Stewardess" (that is what they were called at the time) for United. When she was in College, the realization came that she was about to reach the age where she would lose the travel benefits from her Dad's employment at United Airlines...
Jul 30, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 29
We sat down with Captain Debbie Waingrow two days before her retirement flight at Alaska Airlines. Captain Waingrow made history at Alaska Airlines by becoming the first Woman to be selected as a Check Captain to train, evaluate, and certify her fellow pilots. Debbie comes from a family with deep roots in aviation. As a child, she was always at the airport hanging around with her cousin, Jill Richardson, who also later became an Alaska Airlines Captain. They spent a lot of time riding horses nea...
May 31, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 28
Captain Rick Jones is the first Corporate Pilot to appear on Talking Flight. I first met Rick when I was working as a Flight Engineer Instructor for Alaska Airlines. We were in Vancouver, British Columbia, and we were using the B727 Flight simulator at Canadian Pacific Airlines. My good friend, Captain Dick Jones was the Captain Instructor, and he brought his 12 year old son, Rick, along to watch us at work training flight crews. We became very good friends, and I began to mentor Rick towards a ...
Feb 19, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Our Guest today is Retired American Airlines Captain Greg Jones. He is the first pilot from American Airlines to join us on Talking Flight. Greg's interest in aviation began when he flew with his family on a Martin 404 from Ohio to New Jersey when he was just 5 years old. His fascination with airplanes continued when he began building and flying model airplanes as a teenager. When he was in High School, he joined the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, and learned more about airplanes, navigation, a...
Feb 02, 2018•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Today we are visiting with my longtime friend, Captain Barry Copeland. Barry and I were hired into the same Alaska Airlines Pilot Class in April of 1980. It was the beginning of a long friendship as we both progressed through our careers. We learn how Barry started his work life as a Electronics Salesman in Southern California after graduating from The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in Asian Studies and Business. Barry became interested in Aviation during his transi...
Dec 15, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 25
Today's program is an interview with Alberto Arroyo. He is a Senior Program manager for Microsoft and has had a long and distinguished career in the Software Business. A couple of years ago, Alberto was inspired to persue his Private Pilot's license. Most people begin their flight training in a basic airplane like a Cessna 152. But he fell in love with the Cirrus SR20 and decided that he would start his training in that airplane. The SR20 is a high performance single engine airplane with a very ...
Aug 29, 2017•36 min
Our guest today is Retired Alaska Airlines Captain David Crawley, MD. David folllowed his mother's advice and spent years in school preparing to be a Doctor. He finished school and started his working career as a Medical Doctor, practicing Emergency Medicine and Aeromedical Medicine. But a childhood adventure had a profound effect on David. A visit to his Grandmother's house planted a dream that would not go away. Grandma's neighbor, Braniff Airlines Captain Warren Larsen invited David to join h...
Apr 07, 2017•1 hr 40 min
One of the best kept secrets in the Airline Industry is the Aircraft Dispatcher career field. These are the men and women who do the preliminary work of planning your next airline flight. They go to work hours before flight time analyzing the factors that will lead to a safe and comfortable flight. The FAA requires that the Dispatcher and the Captain agree that a flight can be operated safely and conform to Federal Air Regulations. Both the Captain and the Dispatcher must certify that they are i...
Feb 05, 2017•1 hr 6 min
John Steinnes almost flunked out of The University of Washington. His Dad was very worried. He encouraged John to enroll in the Air Force ROTC program that was offered by the University. He was hoping that the ROTC program would motivate John to do better in his studies. It turns out that Father knows best, and John turned his performance around and began to excel. After graduation from college, John entered the USAF and went to Air Force Pilot Training at Randolph AFB near San Antonio, Texas. H...
Jan 30, 2017•56 min
We visit with Retired American Airlines Vice President/Corporate Communications John McDonald. His fascination with airplanes started when he was a boy spending summers with his family in Cape Cod. He hung around the airport watching airplanes come and go, while waiting for this father to return from business trips. John started his airline career as a Flight Attendant with TWA. After a few years on the line, he became a Flight Attendant Supervisor and ultimately worked his way into the TWA Corp...
Jan 11, 2017•1 hr 14 min
Captain Mike Swanigan sits down with Captain Carlos Zendejas to talk about his life and his career. Carlos moved to the Untied States from Mexico with his family when he was a 5th grader. Spanish was his first language,but he found out by accident that he could speak and read english. Their new home was in the traffic pattern of Laughlin AFB Texas, and he was amazed by the T-37 jets flying over him. He decided then and there that he was going to figure out a way to fly them. In this podcast, Car...
Dec 15, 2016•1 hr
It is just Captain Mike Swanigan on today's episode. He offers some training tips to help the beginning pilot. This Podcast is a close cousin to Ace Your Next Check Ride. That program was designed to help the advanced aviator get through military or airline training. This Podcast is designed to help newer pilots ease the learning process, and to advance through their beginning flight lessons at a faster rate. Mike's theory is that you can learn some of the hardest parts on the ground while "chai...
Nov 22, 2016•20 min
Our guest on this Podcast is Garin Tentschert. He is the Seattle Base Chief Pilot for Alaska Airlines, and he is currently serving as a Colonel in the USAF Reserve. Garin shares his remarkable journey that started when he was a "Surfer Dude" in Southern California. He mistakenly enrolled in an Aviation class at San Diego State University. On the first day of school, he realized that the class was actually an Air Force ROTC course. He immediately knew that he was going to drop that class as soon ...
Sep 23, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Bob Bonjukian joins us on Talking Flight and introduces our audience to the Airline Dispatcher and Flight Control Career Field. He just finished an amazing career at Alaska Airlines. Bob dreamed of becoming a pilot when he was in High School, but life got in the way. So he found a workaround and entered the prestigious field of Airline Dispatching and later became one of the "Field Generals" who makes the critical minute to minute decisions to keep the Alaska Airlines operation running smoothly....
Dec 04, 2015•1 hr
Captain Mike Swanigan visits with his boss, Alaska Airlines Chief Pilot, Captain John Hornibrook. They have a great conversation about John's aviation journey, and what it takes to become a pilot for Alaska Airlines. John shares his adventures as a young pilot flying for Great Lakes Aviation in the upper midwest of the USA. We learn about the people who mentored John, and we talk about the importance of relationships in aviation.
Oct 08, 2015•1 hr 4 min
