Shawn

A student in a high fidelity flight simulator testing out his team's design as part of the IT FLIES competition. Vintage comic book style.

IT FLIES Aircraft Design Competition, Backseat Pilot and V-Speeds

🎧 Episode Summary What if aerospace engineering students didn’t just design aircraft on paper—but actually watched real test pilots fly their creations? In this episode of The Future in Flight Podcast, host Shawn Staerker takes you inside IT FLIES, an innovative international design-build-fly competition where students bring their aircraft concepts to life in high-fidelity simulators […]

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Riverside Flight Center in Tulsa, OK has been making pilots for 25 years. To mark the occasion, they are offering a $25 Discovery Flight

Riverside Flight Center: 25 Years of Turning Dreams Into Flight Plans

🎧  Summary: In this episode of the Future in Flight podcast, host Shawn Staerker welcomes Robbie Sturdivant and Yuri Milner from Riverside Flight Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to discuss their unique approach to flight training and the success stories that have emerged over their 25 years in business. They delve into the advantages of training

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Pilot and Author J.J. Madison joins the show to talk about his Hollywood career, aviation safety and his book, "YIKES!: 100 Smart Pilots and the Dumb Things They Did Yet Lived to Tell About 'Em."

From Hollywood to the Flight Deck: J.J. Madison’s Second Takeoff

🎧 Episode Summary In this episode of the Future in Flight podcast, host Shawn Starker interviews J.J. Madison, a Harvard-educated writer, safety advocate, and author of “Yikes! 100 Smart Pilots and the Dumb Things They Did.” J.J. shares his circuitous path to aviation, which began with a childhood fascination with helicopters and eventually led him

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From the Heart of OK to Airlines Worldwide, Help Stop ADSB Abuse, and Pilot Uniforms

🎧 Episode Summary This episode of “The Future in Flight Podcast” explores Riverside Flight Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a flight school that has been quietly revolutionizing pilot training for 25 years. The episode highlights the school’s impressive 90% completion rate, cost-effective vocational program, and unique approach to training, which emphasizes real-world conditions and a strong

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Coast to Coast in 31 Hours to Raise $1M: w/Charlie Duffie & Chris Holder

🎧 Episode Summary What happens when a lifelong passion for aviation, speed, and service collides with a legendary cross-country challenge? In this episode of The Future in Flight Podcast, host Shawn Staerker sits down with Chris Holder of Concord Battery and Charlie Duffie of CJ Aviation to unpack an ambitious and heartfelt mission: a 31-hour

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Corporate Jets vs. Airliners + Learning from Pilot Mistakes with JJ Madison

🎧 Summary In this episode of the Future in Flight podcast, we explore the critical decision facing aspiring pilots: corporate aviation versus airline piloting. We compare the structured world of airline pilots flying scheduled routes with the unpredictable, customer-focused environment of corporate pilots. The episode details a typical day for each type of pilot, highlighting

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Aviation in Motion: Purpose, Props, and Safety

🎧 SUMMARY In this episode of the Future in Flight Podcast, host Shawn Staerker explores the powerful intersection of aviation legacy, cutting-edge engineering, and the vital importance of clear communication. The episode features an in-depth look at a high-speed mission to save a youth aviation program, the evolution of propeller technology for the light-sport market,

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Michelle Leon stands proudly displaying a newspaper article about Levil Aviation's success.

Servant Leadership + Breaking Barriers in Aviation w/ Michelle Leon

🎧 Episode Summary In this high-energy interview, Michelle Leon, Operations Manager at Levil Aviation, discusses the common thread that links her diverse career background: people. From her early days in hospitality and dentistry to leading operations in aviation and manufacturing, Michelle explains how the philosophy of servant leadership has guided her success. We explore how

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Cooper the Pilot & Carl Hancock from Fly with the Guys both shown in the cockpit wearing their Lightspeed Aviation Delta Zulu headsets.

Your Headset Could Save Your Life: Two Popular Creators Share Their Stories

By: Shawn Staerker Ever wonder what separates a close call from a tragedy in aviation? Sometimes it’s as simple as what you’re wearing on your head. Meet Cooper—better known as Cooper the Pilot on social media. She’s living proof that dreams really do take flight. At just five years old, she flew from Korea to

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