Talking Flight

What does it take to go from college flight student to the flight deck of a jet? In this episode of Talking Flight, we sit down with First Officer Billy Kitchen, a 2024 graduate of Arizona State University's flight program who is now flying professionally with JSX. Billy gives us a firsthand look at what it's like to begin an aviation career in today's rapidly changing industry. Billy takes us inside the ASU aviation program, sharing the challenges, expectations, and determination required to successfully complete both the academic and flight-training portions of the program. He talks candidly about some of the obstacles he faced, the mindset that helped him push through the difficult moments, and why he chose to give back by mentoring students coming up behind him. We then follow Billy from the university environment into the cockpit at JSX. He explains what makes JSX different, how he made the transition from flight training to professional aviation, and what it was like to learn to fly a jet for the first time. For anyone considering a career as a professional pilot—or simply curious about how the next generation of airline pilots is being trained—Billy's story provides a timely and inspiring look at the journey from student pilot to First Officer.

Welcome to another episode of Talking Flight. Our guest today is Captain Ed Robertson, a retired Alaska Airlines Captain whose aviation journey spans military service, airline leadership, and a lifelong passion for flying. It's a story of perseverance, service, opportunity, and leadership. Please join me in welcoming Captain Ed Robertson to Talking Flight.

On this episode, Mike Swanigan brings together three highly experienced airline captains for a behind-the-scenes look at  what it takes to get the job done. Frontier Airlines Captain Michael Pittman, retired Delta and Northwest Airlines Captain Heidi Porch, and retired Alaska Airlines Captain Michael Hendrix each share firsthand accounts of how they dealt with some of the unusual situations that they faced on one of their trips.  

Akaska Airlines Captain and YouTube creator Brendan ODonnell joins us on Talking Flight to share his story of growing up in Oregon and pursuing his dream of becoming an airline pilot. His path ito aviation took several unexpected turns, but he stayed focused and never gave up. It all paid off, and today Brendan his living that dream, flying Boeing 737s for Alaska Airlines. Also, a video project that he started as a side gig to help with the family budget during the early part of his career has transformed into the popular YouTube series "The Pilot Life".

In this episode of Talking Flight, we sit down with retired Delta A330 Captain Heidi Porch. She began flying at 16 and quickly found herself ferrying small aircraft across the Pacific. One of those flights ended in a dramatic ocean ditching 500 miles off the coast of Hawaii — a harrowing experience she recounts in her gripping new book, Ditching the Sky. Captain Porch shares the highs and lows of her journey from teenage pilot to the left seat of a wide-body jet, and what it truly takes to succeed in the airline world.