The Midlife Pilot Podcast hosts the Big Texas Send fly in at T82 in Fredericksburg, TX and  lands with a thud (but "didn't dent the runway") at the gorgeous TAC Aero hangar. Ben, Brian, and Ted swap harrowing journey tales involving everything from Brian's "measured scud running" to Ted mysteriously ascending to 15,000 feet in a light sport ("Try a German-engineered plane built in Ukraine!"). While celebrating their adrenaline-junkie passenger Hope flying with Ted and  losing a bird-strike battle with Ted's wheel pants ("Suicidal Sparrow would be a good band name"), the crew raises their glasses to those who made the toughest decision of all—not flying. As Brian says about the fly-in pressure, "We never actually have to fly anywhere, ever...except for this Sunday because we don't have hotels anymore." Between "advanced VFR flying" (which apparently means "leave the day before") and zip-tie engineering miracles, episode 127 captures why aviation friendships are "like meeting family for the first time, except you like them."

Locations Mentioned:

• TAC Aero - Tail wheel training academy at T82 in Fredericksburg, TX ("This is heaven, this is Tail Wheel Academy")

• Hangar Hotel - Aviation-themed hotel at T82

• Fredericksburg Brewery - Meetup location for the group

• Cooper's Barbecue - Lunch spot in Llano

• Lockhart BBQ - Another BBQ destination visited by attendees

Aviation Resources:

• Checkmate Aviation - Custom checklists offered by Barry (including the upside-down emergency checklist)

• Freedom Aviation Network - Anti-human trafficking organization supported by the podcast

Thanks To:

• Chris and the TAC Aero team

• Hope from the Hangar Hotel (the adrenaline junkie who survived Ted's wheel pants departure)

• Erica Gilbert for her weather briefings

• Richard (Yankee 88) for his safe no-go decision ("congratulations on not flying here")

• Mike (Alpha Golf) for his safe no-go decision

• Louis for his safe aircraft choice (opting for A/C over his shiny new Carbon Cub)

Get Connected:

• Midlife Pilot Podcast Patreon - Join for $1/month or $12/year ("Friends with Benefits program")

• Email: midlifepilotpodcast@gmail.com

• Website: midlifepilotpodcast.com

• Live on YouTube Mondays at 8PM Eastern (or "sometimes in Texas at weird times")

Words of Wisdom: "Real pilots use the rudder. Tail wheel pilots worship it."