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Pilot to Pilot: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Justin Siems
Pilot to Pilot Podcast is your go-to destination for aviation inspiration, insight, and real talk from the cockpit and beyond. Pilot to Pilot aims to support all pilots who fly from students to professionals and recreational flyers. The show includes genuine discussions with pilots who work in all aviation sectors including airline captains and bush pilots to share their experiences of flying.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 6 days ago1h 13m
E362: A Career Changer's Road from Orchestra Halls to the Airlines
Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 002 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/magSponsors — please support the people who support the show: • Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Textron Aviation — Built for lifelong aviators. Plan your next chapter at txtav.com/stepup • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Learn the Finer Points — Save 10% off your first year at learnthefinerpoints.com/justin. You plan for everything when you fly. But have you planned for life after the cockpit? Download the free guide from Allworth Airline Advisors https://allworthairline.com/justin.His uncle flew F-18s in the Marines before becoming a UPS MD-11 captain. His dad plays organ. His twin sister teaches choir in Texas. And David spent the better part of a decade as a professional tuba player before a global pandemic, a family hotel, and one YouTube rabbit hole set him on an entirely different flight path. In this episode, David traces every step of a career change that most people would have talked themselves out of — the 141 versus 61 debate, the flight school that felt like family, the stage check that became his most memorable moment as a CFI, and the three-to-five-minute orchestra audition that taught him everything he needed to know about showing up prepared. His advice is simple, honest, and hard-won: don't chase the end goal. Just be the best version of wherever you are right now.
- 2 weeks ago1h 3m
E361: Electric Planes, Forest Fires & Vancouver Island: A Canadian Pilot's Unconventional Path
Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 002 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/magSponsors — please support the people who support the show: • Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Textron Aviation — Built for lifelong aviators. Plan your next chapter at txtav.com/stepup • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Learn the Finer Points — Save 10% off your first year at learnthefinerpoints.com/justin. https://allworthfinancial.com/airlines/lp/runway-for-retirement-webinar?utm_campaign=airlines+-+more+runway+for+retirement?lmls=Partner+Channel&lmld=Pilot+to+Pilot&ad_version=SocialCanadian pilot Mike Andrews has never taken the direct route — and that's exactly what makes his story worth hearing. Growing up in Southern Ontario, Mike got his start through Canada's Air Cadet program, earning a glider license at 16 and a private pilot license at 17 before nearly going the Canadian Armed Forces fighter pilot route. A heart murmur medical delay, a backpacking trip to New Zealand, and a hard reset later, he found himself building a flight school from scratch on Vancouver Island with one airplane and a jacket that said "ask me about flying."Now based on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Mike is one of Canada's leading instructors on the Pipistrel Velis Electro — the country's first electric aircraft approved for primary flight training — and he's about to embark on a brand new chapter as a bird dog pilot doing aerial wildfire fighting in BC's rugged mountain terrain.In this episode, Justin and Mike dig into the Canadian pilot training system, what it's actually like to fly and teach in an electric airplane, the unique aviation culture of the Pacific Northwest coast, and what draws a variety-hungry pilot to a career where low-level mountain flying meets public service. Plus — Mike shares what it was like to nearly make it into Canadian fighter pilot selection before a three-day paperwork deadline changed everything.Topics Covered:Canada's Air Cadet program and glider scholarshipsCanadian vs. American pilot training and instructor rating systemsFlying the Pipistrel Velis Electro — Canada's first electric flight trainerElectric aviation: where it works today and where it's headedAerial wildfire fighting and the bird dog roleBuilding a sub-base flight school on Vancouver Island from the ground upThe TBM 960's "Home Safe" emergency automation featuresWhy variety — not the airlines — has driven Mike's entire career
- 4 weeks ago53 min
E360: No Pilot's License, No Problem: How Marci Veronie Climbed to the Top of Aviation Without Ever Leaving the Ground
Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 002 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/magSponsors — please support the people who support the show: • Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Textron Aviation — Built for lifelong aviators. Plan your next chapter at txtav.com/stepup • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Learn the Finer Points — Save 10% off your first year at learnthefinerpoints.com/justin. https://allworthfinancial.com/airlines/lp/runway-for-retirement-webinar?utm_campaign=airlines+-+more+runway+for+retirement?lmls=Partner+Channel&lmld=Pilot+to+Pilot&ad_version=SocialMarci Veronie is the Senior Vice President of AVEMCO Insurance, and she's one of the most fascinating people in aviation — not because she's a pilot, but because she's spent nearly four decades watching what happens when things go wrong. Landings. Taxiing. Overconfident airline pilots in light sport aircraft. She's seen it all, and she's got the data to back it up.In this episode, Marci opens up about her wildly unexpected path from a Pittsburgh girl chasing a paralegal certificate to becoming the first non-pilot sales underwriter at AVEMCO — and eventually SVP. She talks about the calls she dreads taking on Monday mornings, what separates a superior pilot from a scary one, and why 60% of pilots are leaving real money on the table every single year.She also gets candid about being a woman in a male-dominated industry for decades, her work with Women in Aviation International, and what it actually takes to build a 39-year career at one company.Whether you fly a J-3 Cub or a 737, this episode will change how you think about risk, training, and what it means to truly be a safe pilot.\Happy Flying,Justin
- May 7, 202651 min
E359: The End of Spirit Airlines: What Happened, What's Next, and What It Means for Pilots
Spirit Airlines officially ceased operations on May 2 at 3am, and in this episode Justin sits down with Jim Higgins, Professor of Aviation at the University of North Dakota, to unpack what happened and what comes next.They dig into the chain of events that brought one of the country's most recognizable low-cost carriers to a halt — from a business model under pressure, to two Chapter 11 reorganizations, to the spike in oil prices that finally pushed Spirit past the point of recovery. Jim breaks down why the federal bailout package fell apart, why no other airline stepped in to acquire Spirit despite multiple asks, and how $9 billion in debt made a merger virtually impossible.The conversation also turns to the roughly 2,000 Spirit pilots now entering an already active hiring market. Justin and Jim talk through how the majors are likely to respond, what this means for regional pilots and pilots holding CJOs, and why Spirit aviators have a strong reputation among hiring departments across the industry. They also cover the resources available through ALPA, the importance of leaning on the aviation community, and the often-overlooked mental health side of losing a job you loved.Whether you're a Spirit pilot, a regional pilot watching the hiring landscape shift, or simply someone trying to make sense of what just happened to a 34-year-old airline with an impeccable safety record, this episode offers context, perspective, and a reminder that the industry takes care of its own.If you know a Spirit pilot, reach out. A letter of recommendation, a connection, or just a conversation can go a long way.
- Apr 28, 20261h 5m
E358: Spirit Going Under? United-American Rumors & 2026 Pilot Hiring Forecast — Jim Higgins Returns
🎙️ Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 002 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/magSponsors — please support the people who support the show: • Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Textron Aviation — Built for lifelong aviators. Plan your next chapter at txtav.com/stepup • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Learn the Finer Points — Save 10% off your first year at learnthefinerpoints.com/justin State of the Industry!Spirit's on the brink, Scott Kirby is publicly floating a United–American merger, and the entire airline industry feels like it's holding its breath. Welcome to silly season.Jim Higgins, professor of aviation at the University of North Dakota and former MEC chair, returns to the Pilot to Pilot Podcast to break down everything happening across the majors right now — and what could happen next.In this episode, Justin and Jim dig into:• Where pilot hiring actually stands in 2026 (and the FAPA numbers that tell the real story) • What verbiage in earnings calls and press releases signals trouble before furloughs hit • Fuel prices, the Strait of Hormuz, and how a war on the other side of the world hits your paycheck • The Spirit situation and what bankruptcy vs. liquidation would actually mean • The United–JetBlue rumors — and whether "merging with American" was a smokescreen • Seniority list integration, ALPA merger protocols, and why Southwest hired an M&A law firm • What Delta, Alaska, and Southwest would HAVE to do if a United mega-merger goes through • The Allegiant–Sun Country deal nobody's talking about • Could Delta go international by buying foreign carriers outright?Drop a comment with YOUR merger prediction. We'll be wrong together.
- Apr 23, 20261h 26m
E357: Evan Davis - How Flying Saved My Life
NEW SPONSOR ALERT!! Truly honored to have Avemco as new sponsor for the podcast. save 5% on your aircraft insurance by with Avemco. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit www.avemco.com/4297-owner - www.avemco.com/4297-nonowner!Subscribe to the Pilot to Pilot Magazine This is one of the most raw, honest, and inspiring aviation stories you'll ever hear. Evan Davis didn't take a traditional path to becoming an Alaska pilot—he fought through addiction, FAA scrutiny, and personal demons to get there. His story proves that your past doesn't define your future, and that the aviation community has room for second chances when you're willing to do the hard work. Evan Davis was eight hours into his flight training when his AME asked the question that changed everything: have you ever struggled with alcohol? He told the truth — and the FAA grounded him before he ever soloed. More than a decade later, Evan is a PC-12 medevac captain based in Wasilla, Alaska, flying out of Kotzebue two weeks a month, north of the Arctic Circle. In this conversation, he walks Justin through the whole arc: getting honest on his medical application, a Valentine's Day slip two months into sobriety, the HIMS program, and the year of breathalyzers, AA meetings, and flight simulator hours that rebuilt his life. From there, it's the flying story pilots come here for — a 90-hour trip into the Frank Church, a Cessna 182 used to commute to work, a chance resume drop in Homer that turned into a job offer, and eventually Bettles, the Brooks Range, and medevac work on the western coast of Alaska. Evan talks honestly about the weather that moves differently above the Arctic Circle, why saying "no" is the most important skill in the cockpit, what four months of darkness does to you, and why the pilots who make it in Alaska are almost always the ones who can live with other humans in a village for two weeks at a stretch. A story about addiction, second chances, and what it actually takes to fly in one of the last wild places left.Happy Flying, Justin
- Apr 14, 20261h 13m
E356: From SWAT to Corporate Jet Pilot - How Josh Changed Careers and Built a Life in Aviation
NEW SPONSOR ALERT!! Truly honored to have Avemco as new sponsor for the podcast. save 5% on your aircraft insurance by with Avemco. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit www.avemco.com/4297-owner - www.avemco.com/4297-nonowner!What does it take to walk away from a two-decade law enforcement career — including 13 years on SWAT — and start over as a pilot? Josh Schirard did exactly that, and in this episode he breaks down every step of the journey.Josh is now a corporate pilot flying Hawker 800s and Lear 60s, a professional skydiver with the REMAX Skydive team, and the author of the upcoming book Burn Your Boats. He's also one of the most thoughtful guests we've had on the show when it comes to the mindset side of aviation.In this episode we talk about:How skydiving pulled him back into aviation after years awayHis ATP flight training experience — the good, the hard, and what he'd do differentlyHow SWAT-level decision-making and crew resource management overlap more than you'd thinkBuilding flight time as a jump pilot and why he skipped the CFI routeHow he landed his first corporate gig through pure networkingWhether the airlines are in his future — and why he keeps his options openHis philosophy on personal minimums, comfort zones, and why you need to push the gap between the twoWhether you're thinking about a career change into aviation, grinding through your ratings, or already flying professionally and wondering what's next — this episode is for you.Happy Flying, Justin
- Mar 3, 20261h 9m
E355: From 9/11 to Special Ops: Flying Secret Missions
Most pilots dream of smooth 10,000-foot runways. Tyler Flagg trained to land a 30,000-pound aircraft on a 25-foot dirt strip… in total darkness. After 9/11 changed his life trajectory, Tyler went from zero aviation background to flying Special Operations missions around the globe. With minimal information and maximum responsibility, he deployed into multiple combat theaters — moving elite teams into places most people will never see on a map. In this episode: The unconventional path into Air Force Special Ops What it feels like to deploy with barely 250 flight hours Flying through Saharan fuel-risk zones and Pacific icing The culture differences inside military aviation Why humility matters more than ego in elite units Building a company after walking away from a “dream job” This one is raw, honest, and packed with perspective. Sign up today The Flying Company
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About Pilot to Pilot
Pilot to Pilot Podcast is your go-to destination for aviation inspiration, insight, and real talk from the cockpit and beyond. Pilot to Pilot aims to support all pilots who fly from students to professionals and recreational flyers. The show includes genuine discussions with pilots who work in all aviation sectors including airline captains and bush pilots to share their experiences of flying.
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