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.