Mike In The Front

Do you dream about flying? Ever wanted to become a pilot? “How do I become a pilot?” is a question professional pilots get all the time. Whether you want to become a professional pilot or just fly for fun, getting your Private Pilot Licence (PPL) is where most start! In this episode, Mike and his good friend Melissa talk about how to go about getting your flight training started, finding the right flight school and instructor, the steps your training will take, equipment you might need and other advice to make you successful. Some notes from the show: • The Familiarization (Fam) Flight is also commonly called the Discovery Flight • A PPL student is trained to be a visual flight rules (VFR) pilot. This means they have to have reference to the ground at all times, not the horizon. Although when learning to fly, the horizon is used as your reference point for the attitude of the aircraft. • Minimum flight hours required to hold a PPL is 45 hours which shall include a minimum of 17 hours dual, 3 hours dual cross country, 5 hours instrument, 17 hours solo, of which 5 hours must be solo cross country. • On average, most students will take an average of 60-80 hours or more to complete their flight training. This is due to weather delays, instructor or aircraft availability, frequency of flight lessons, commitment to training etc. • 40 hours of ground school must be completed before writing the Transport Canada written exam • A Category III medical is required to hold a PPL • To acquire a PPL, the candidate must be at least 17 years of age. This means they must be 17 to hold the license, but can fly solo at 14 years old. Contact your local flight school for more information about learning to fly! Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review! Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion

Nav Canada is Canada's air navigation service provider. They deliver air traffic services, design and maintain essential airspace systems, and ensure the safe movement of aircraft. How? with skilled and dedicated air traffic controllers like Adam Berrill. Adam is an arrival and departure controller for Toronto Pearson International Airport and handles everything from small business jets to super heavy Airbus A380s. Listen to Mike and Adam chat about how Adam got started, what it's like to be an air traffic controller, and how to join Nav Canada's team. For up-to-date information on becoming an air traffic controller, visit: https://www.navcanada.ca/en/careers/air-traffic-controller.aspx Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review! Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion  

A life well lived in airplanes. Mike sits down to talk with his tailwheel mentor retired Captain Ted Climenhaga. Listen in as Ted recounts his flying career from 1960s RCAF flying in the CF-100 Canuck and CF-101 Voodoo during the Cuban Missile Crisis to flying most of the classic airliners of the new jet age, including the Boeing 747. Ever heard of a 747 doing a touch and go? Ted has done it!   Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront   Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com   Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion

Red eye to Rome anyone? Mike chats with Steve Zago from Lost Aviator Coffee about how two furloughed airline pilots started a business by pivoting to roasting coffee in the face of a global pandemic. Now, almost six years later, with two locations in Guelph, Ontario, Lost Aviator serves coffee infused with the passion for aviation to the local community and all over the world. For 10% off coffee and merchandise visit Lostaviatorcoffee.com and use code “MIKEINTHEFRONT” on checkout. Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion

Mike sits down with his friend and experienced aviator, Bill McBride to talk about Bill’s experience in flying almost 50 different types of aircraft. Bill shares his experience as a warbird pilot, ferry pilot, airshow organizer, and volunteer. Bill and Mike also discuss what it means to volunteer in your community and Bill gives his advice for those who are looking to get involved. Bill has checked out in close to 50 aircraft and flown in over 70 types. Here’s a list of some of the aircraft that are discussed, flown in, or flown by Bill himself: Fleet Canuck, Piper: PA-12 Super Cruiser, PA-18 Super Cub, PA-22 Tri Pacer, PA-25 Pawnee, PA-28 Cherokee/Arrow, PA-31 Navajo, Stinson 105 Voyager, Fairchild 24, Fairchild Cornell, DHC-1 Chipmunk, T6 Harvard, P-47 Thunderbolt, Fairey Firefly, Avro Anson, Beech 18, Rockwell Aero Commander, McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. Safe to say Bill is an experienced aviator! Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion

Welcome to Episode 03 where we discuss how Mike accomplished a career long goal of getting checked out in the North American T6 Harvard. This was a journey that was over a decade in the making and introduced Mike to some of his most influential mentors in the warbird world. Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion  

In episode 02, Jason Rosewell joins us from Infinite Flight to talk about the world of mobile flight sim, airplane ownership, and the humbling experience of learning by making a mistake.  Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion  

In our first episode, Mike introduces himself, the origin of "Mike in the Front", the goals of the podcast and what to expect as he shares his passion for aviation Follow us on Instagram at @mikeinthefront Questions or comments about the podcast? Contact us at mikeinthefrontpod@gmail.com Please consider leaving us a rating and/or review! Edited & Produced by Jason Rosewell Music intro by Tyler Wilson Artwork by Achilles Concepcion