Pilot Talk by OSM Aviation

Thomas and Erik started their pilot education as part of the very first class at OSM Aviation Academy's training location in Arendal, Norway. The aviation industry was booming when they started their education, but as they came close to graduation it was crippled by a global pandemic. In this episode, we are going to explore what it feels like to graduate in the middle of a pandemic, how they dealt with the evolving situation and their strategies for making sure that they are ready once recruitment starts back up again. This conversation tells the story of challenges, uncertainty, and friendship.

Darwin Triggs was enticed when he saw airplanes fly over the farm where he grew up in Canada. He applied for the Canadian armed forces, where he crossed paths with Michel Treskin over 30 years ago. After traveling the world while serving in the Canadian airforce he decided to become a flight instructor, and share his knowledge and experience with his students. When he transitioned from the military world to the civilian world he started flying the BAe 146 as a regional pilot for Air Canada, before he moved on to the Bombardier Dash-8 as a First Officer. Today Darwin is the Chief Pilot of a large airline, and in this episode, we explore the decisions he has made throughout his career to arrive at where he is today. We also discuss some of the challenges and rewards that come with the position of being a Chief Pilot, and learn a few lessons on leadership along the way.  If you are a pilot, student pilot, or aviation professional, make sure you head over to www.crewassist.aero and check out the newest initiative from OSM Aviation to support our industry colleagues through the pandemic and beyond. Stay relevant, stay sharp, and be ready! 

When thinking about a business jet pilots typically think about the likes of Global Express, Learjet, and Citation. Today's guest Sam is a VIP pilot flying a substantially larger executive aircraft, the Airbus A340. In this episode, Sam will take us along on his journey in aviation. We will discuss how he got into aviation, what is what like flying F-18's in the Marine Corp, and how his transition to the civilian world was like after 10 years in the military.  Sam has a tremendously interesting journey and has flown everything from fighter jets to turboprop aircraft, regional jets, and all the way up to the Airbus A340 and A380 (Super Heavy). He also used to work as the Chief Pilot of MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  Make sure to check out CrewAssist, an online community for aviation professionals and aspiring aviators. Access tons of great resources that will help you secure your next job and register for FREE at www.crewassist.aero.

We sit down with Niclas and Jesper Eriksson who are both Flight Instructors at OSM Aviation Academy to talk about their exciting journey from Independence, Kansas to Arendal, Norway. They picked up two of the brand new Cessna 172's from the Cessna factory and flew them to Norway, a journey that requires meticulous planning, flexibility, and endurance. We discuss the different challenges that surfaced along the way, the importance of proper planning to prevent poor performance (the 5 P's), and the not-so-common destinations they explored along the route.  Head over to OSM Aviation Academy's YouTube channel for the complete video series from their trip - or read about it in our blog! Don't forget to follow @thepilottalkpodcast on Instagram for the latest updates and news about our podcast. 

Pyrotechnics, wing walking, and choreographies between wing-mounted lasers and music are not the typical words you use when talking about aviation - But for Jacob Holländer and his team at Scandinavian Airshow, this is part of their daily operations. In this episode, we explore the thrilling and interesting world of airshows and aerobatics together with Jacob Holländer. We will dive into how to run an airshow operation, how Jacob branched into this part of aviation, and where this journey has taken him throughout the years. Jacob is also an airline pilot, and we will uncover the differences and likenesses between the airline and the airshow world. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you head over to Scandinavian Airshow's Facebook page and follow their journey there.

In this episode, we sit down with Captain Robert Anderson and Captain Grey Cooper to talk about ferry flying. Ferry flights take place when a new aircraft is delivered from the factory, when it is being moved to another base, or when an aircraft is relocated for maintenance, repairs, or long-term parking. Although they have many things in common, ferry flights differ from scheduled airline operations in many ways. Grey and Robert will explain these differences and bring us along on their latest journey, moving two Airbus A321 aircraft for OSM Aviation from Toronto, Canada via Keflavik in Iceland, and all the way to Ljubljana, Slovenia.  You can also read about their journey in this story: https://osmaviation.com/ferry-flights/

Lilium has set out to achieve an air mobility revolution with its All-Electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (EVTOL) 5-seater Lilium Jet. When this episode was recorded they were 5 years into the development of their concept with another 5 years to go. They represent the leading edge in this part of the aviation industry and have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. As reported to TechCrunch, they have secured $35M from Baillie Gifford, the storied Scottish VC that has backed the likes of Tesla and SpaceX, Spotify, and Airbnb, among others.   In this episode, we have the pleasure of discussing Lilium's progress with Oliver Walker-Jones, Communications Lead @ Lilium, who will let you in on the challenges and opportunities that can be found in this entirely new segment of commercial air travel. Oh, and make sure you check out the video of the Lilium jet on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qotuu8JjQM) to witness one of their milestones. 

In May 2020 we sat down with Maria the pilot and Viktor, two Alumni from OSM Aviation Academy who are First Officers on the Boeing 737. They live together in sunny Spain and have a tremendous following on Instagram and YouTube. In their channels, they share videos with insights about what it is like to work as a pilot, as well as fantastic tutorials on how professional pilots operate a jet. In this episode, we focus on their story, from when they first met in high school, through their time at flight school and into the airline world. We also made sure to ask them all of the fantastic questions you guys submitted before this episode was recorded, so this one is sure to become an all-time favorite. If you like this episode we recommend that you follow Maria (@MariaThePilot) and Viktor (@ViktorFors) on Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel (Mr. & Mrs. Pilot). You will definitely learn a lot about flying and the lifestyle of a pilot. 

Join us as we speak to Robert DeLaurentis, a noted aviation speaker and author of "Flying Thru Life" and "Zen Pilot". Robert is currently circumnavigating the earth for the second time. The first time he flew along the equator, this time around he has decided to go from pole to pole. Robert was born in Salamanca, New York, grew up in the San Fransisco Bay Area until he was 10 years old, before he left with his family to move to Indonesia. He has now settled in San Diego and is flying around the globe to inspire others and share the magic of aviation. He is also supporting scientific research and promoting STEM for children as he explores the globe from his Turbine Commander 900 aircraft. Discover the fun, adventure, and freedom of flying as we join Robert on a mental journey around the earth. You can also follow his journey at poletopoleflight.com.

Petter Hörnfeldt is a type rating examiner and line-training Captain on the Boeing 737 and did his initial flight training at OSM Aviation Academy in Västerås, Sweden. Petter is also known as 'Mentour Pilot', the name of his YouTube channel where he has close to 600,000 subscribers. In addition to flying and creating videos on the topic of aviation, Petter runs a website https://mentourpilot.com/ and has developed an app called 'Mentour Aviation'. Petter has created a massive community built around insightful and helpful information about the pilot profession and the aviation industry.  In this episode, we talk about what sparked Petter's interest in aviation, his path towards becoming a pilot, and the ups and downs of the aviation industry. We also discuss the challenges our industry is facing today and some of the initiatives we are seeing from airlines, governments, and individuals to ensure that aviation will continue to connect people around the world. 

In today's episode, we are going to explore the future of electric aviation together with George Bye, the CEO of Bye Aerospace, and Tony Thompson, the President of Quantum. George Bye is spearheading the development of the eFlyer2 and the eFlyer4 together with his team at Bye Aerospace. He has a background as a military pilot and a Flight Instructor in the US Air Force, and George has previously worked with Raytheon and Boeing where he was deeply involved with the development of military trainer aircraft.  Tony Thompson has a background from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has been an aviation enthusiast since he was a young boy. When he identified electric aviation as "the next big thing" this led him to get engaged in the electric segment of the aviation industry together with his team at Quantum. Quantum has set out to solve the mobility challenge that major cities are facing.  Join the conversation as we explore the future of electric aviation together with these industry-leading pioneers. 

This episode will focus on the COVID-19 situation as it relates to the aviation industry. Stein and Michel will discuss the current state of affairs, IATA and ICAO data for historical development in aviation, and some of the likely effects this coronavirus will have on air travel moving forward. This is the first episode we have recorded remotely, and also the first episode with video! Head over to our brand new YouTube channel by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpikH4lgWQIQcwKjxuz6wtQ - or simply search for "The Pilot Talk Podcast" on YouTube. 

In this podcast episode, we have the privilege of having Therese Oswaldson as our guest in the studio. Therese graduated from OSM Aviation Academy in 2007, just as a severe financial crisis impacted our global economy. In this episode, you can listen to her inspiring story of resilience, as she fought her way through the crisis and even built a solid foundation for an impressive career. Therese worked as a Flight Instructor at OSM Aviation Academy during the financial crisis, she has formerly held the role of Safety Manager at regional Swedish airline, and today she works as a Compliance Monitoring Manager (CMM) and is a Captain flying the Cessna Citation XLS. Therese has taken it upon herself to engage with new projects throughout her career and has grown with every challenge. There are many great lessons to be learned from this episode, from how you can survive and thrive through challenging times, to raising children and finding balance when both parents are pilots. 

What better way to celebrate, salute and cherish the many amazing women in our industry, than recording a podcast episode at the 31st Women in Aviation Conference? Many thanks to all of the inspiring role models we met in Lake Buena Vista, Florida who made this such an extraordinary and outstanding event! In this episode, you will be able to hear about the trials and tribulations of student pilots as they chase their dreams of earning their wings. You will also learn about the engaging story of how the Women in Aviation conference came to be, told by no other than the founder herself, Dr. Peggy Chabrian. On top of that, you will get to hear the stories of Christine Becerra, who has flown pretty much every commercial aircraft there is to fly, and Chris, currently a Black Hawk test pilot.  A special thank you to Lexie the Flight Instructor (@flywithlexie on Instagram) for teaching us how to solve a Rubik's cube and for co-hosting this fantastic episode!  Blue skies and safe landings our pilot friends! 

Captain Owen Sims is a renowned public speaker and a passionate lifelong student of human factors and psychology. He is a Type Rating Examiner, an experienced instructor, and a Crew Resource Management (CRM) trainer. In this episode, we dive deeper into one of his areas of expertise, the startle effect, and talk about how pilots can counteract potentially detrimental instincts during situations where fear and surprise join forces to throw us off guard. When this episode was recorded, Captain Owen Sims was employed with FlyBe, a UK airline that unfortunately no longer exists. We know many of the wonderful men and women that used to work for FlyBe, and would like to express our sincerest gratitude for the fantastic airline you were a part of - along with our deepest sorrow over the fact that FlyBe has ceased to operate. We wish all of our industry colleagues at FlyBe the best of luck with your future endeavors.

We are tremendously moved and thankful for the level of engagement and involvement we have experienced from our fans and listeners. Seeing as the Pilot Talk podcast is meant for YOU, the listener, we have collected all feedback, suggestions, and questions that you have submitted, in the hope of being able to create an episode like this one. So sit back, enjoy and let us take you on a journey through the most frequently asked questions that we have received. We hope that you find our answers useful and enjoyable, and please, keep your questions and feedback coming our way. We love to hear your opinion and we listen carefully to your suggestions for upcoming topics and guests.  Remember to follow us on Instagram for behind the scenes material and send us a DM if you want to get in touch.  All the best,  Stein & Michel

In 2019 one of our Flight Instructors Soltani decided to set out on an expedition to conquer Mera Peak in Nepal. Sebastian Soltani wanted to challenge himself physically and mentally, and he also started a fundraising campaign to raise money for cancer research. This episode focuses on Sebastian's journey, the challenges that came with it and the many lessons he and his fellow adventurers learned along the way. OSM Aviation Academy is a proud sponsor of Sebastian's endeavor and his coworkers were following Sebastian's journey closely, cheering him along as the expedition progressed. Tune in to episode 11 of the Pilot Talk podcast to get the full story. 

In this episode (recorded 8th of January 2020) we discuss the first runway excursion of an aircraft from Pegasus Airlines. Since this episode was recorded another excursion has taken place by the same airline at the same airport (5th of February). The most recent event is not the one being discussed in this episode but makes the topic all the more relevant to discuss. Unfortunately, the most recent runway excursion resulted in the loss of lives. This episode will also give you our updated perspective on the re-certification process of the Boeing 737 MAX and recent events within the Boeing company. You can also listen to us discussing the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight, which crashed shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital Tehran on 8 January, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. When we discussed this accident it was not known that the aircraft had been shot down by accident. 

In episode 9 of the Pilot Talk podcast, we explore the vast experience that Michel Treskin holds after a long career as a pilot selection specialist and recruiter. Our two hosts pick each other's brains to help you understand how you can minimize your chances of failure at your next airline interview and they will give you advice on how you can set yourself up for success when preparing to land your next pilot job. 

In this episode of the Pilot Talk Podcast, Stein and Michel discuss turbulence, wake turbulence, wind shear and the MCAS system on the Boeing 737 MAX. Since the episode was recorded, the name of our Instagram page has changed from @osmpilottalk to @thepilottalkpodcast. Make sure you check out our Instagram page for behind the scenes material, cool aviation photos and a direct line of communication to our show where you can ask questions and give us feedback. There will also be cool giveaways and competitions, so head over to Instagram and follow us for the latest updates!