Forever on the Fly

What to say, what to say about our next guest. She was the very first African American female Black Hawk pilot for the North Carolina National Guard. But not only is she a trail blazer, she's someone that exudes her love for aviation in everything she does. She’s the definition of a leader through and through. 

Not only has she displayed immense courage and leadership commanding and coordinating helicopter rescue miss...

Wow what to say about our next guest! 
He is an Aviation Hall of Famer and 4X Air Racing Gold Champion.  He's flown over 23,000 hours in more than 270 aircraft types, flight-tested over 685, and even built 3 of his own! He has been to every country in the world...except one! Listen in to find out which. He likes to live on the edge and is a living example of what it takes to be a true leader. 

Peter’s company, High Performa...

Have you ever wondered what your life would look like as a utility helicopter pilot flying in Alaska? What kind of a schedule could you have? What challenges you would face? What is it like to drop off a group of heli skiers on a snow covered mountain top? Well…you have come to the right episode my friends. 

Today we are bringing to you a pilot who found his path with Pathfinder, an Alaskan based helicopter company who fli...

What is up Av Nerdation!

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 8 of the Forever on the Fly Podcast! Jose is back and joins in for a special interview with helicopter pilot Mike Tomlinson. Mikey goes way back with Jose and Diane to their Papillon days. He was their lead pilot and colleague who has now flies the AW109 in support of transporting Columbia River Bar boat Captains (otherwise known as bar pilots) out to cargo ships in the...

John Gray and Jeff Ratkovich, hosts of the Hangar Z Podcast, join me for a brutally honest conversation about important subjects like mental health and how it is perceived in the aviation industry, the pros and cons of how some law enforcement agencies run their aviation departments as to raise awareness and hopefully spark a positive change in the industry. We also discuss the importance of Just Culture, and how companies should b...

A million words come to mind when describing our next guest….leader, aviatrix, inspirer, maaaajorly awesome human being! With over 1500 hours in the F16, including 163 combat hours over Afghanistan in support of Operation Resolute Support and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, there’s no doubt that this woman is a true hero and patriot. 

She’s Currently flying her second season with the USAF’s Thunderbirds, paving the way  as L...

Whaaaats up AV Nerds! I can't believe we are already on SEASON 2 EPISODE 5! Mind bloowwn away with so many amazing guests, and our next one is no exception. 

Are you a helicopter pilot? Are you thinking about making the switch to the airlines? Well this episode is for you! We're here to chat with Scott Gendron; USCG rescue swimmer veteran, former helicopter pilot, previous Skywest Captain,  and current 747 new hi...

This week our guest joins us from Valdez, Alaska with her story! She has flown everything from Robbies, Hughes 500s , 412s, AS350s, to most recently her personal Bell 505. She’s here to share her journey from traveling the world as a pro snowboarder, to how she developed in the aviation world beginning in Hawaii to starting her own utility helicopter company based in Valdez, AK. 

In this episode we dive into bush flying in Alaska, a...

Our next guest had a super unique introduction into the helicopter world. You guys ever seen Whale Wars? Yeah he was that dude flying the MD500 off the back of the Sea Shepherd's vessel assisting in whale conservation efforts from the North Atlantic, Galapagos, Gulf of California, all the way down to Antarctica. After his stint with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, he worked his way up from flight instructing in Robinson...

Our season opener starts off strong with our next guest who joins us all the way from Australia! She’s a leader in aerospace innovation, holding the title CEO of iJetPack. This real live iron woman will have you believing that literally anything is possible. 

She’s here to share her life journey from building her career in digital innovation in the corporate space, her helicopter experience, to then starting her own jet suit company...

Today we give the floor to our good friend Scott Booth. On February 10, 2018 Scott survived a fatal helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon. The NTSB determined the cause of the accident to be loss of control likely due to Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness. For more information please refer to the official NTSB report. On this episode we wanted to give Scott the ability to share his story. It is one of courage, survival, and mental res...

Self proclaimed "normal every day helicopter pilot" Falko Baguhl,  takes us through his absolutely not normal pilot journey. From flying the Alouette, the S55T, the Bell 204, to now flying the AW169 in support of offshore windmill farms off the coast of Emden, Germany. 

In this episode we cover a variety of topics from discussing his path, day in the life of a windmill pilot and its unique challenges, his transit...

The lady of the hour, Stacy Sheard, currently sits as Chair of the board for HAI (Helicopter Association International). Her passion for uniting the international VTOL community, and her imagination for the possibilities that the future holds for this industry makes her an invaluable visionary for the AV family. She brings her extensive experience to the table as an Army veteran with time flying a wide range of helicopter platforms...

Our guest this week is an aviation Youtube star and F35 Pilot that not only has explored how fast, but how high he can fly! In this episode, Justin "Hasard" Lee takes us through his journey of becoming an F35 fighter pilot for the Air Force, going supersonic, the centrifuge, and G-lock. Justin is an avid educator, and he gives us his pointers on better decision making, the importance of a good debrief, and Jose and I just...

Here at the Forever on the Fly podcast we not only celebrate pilots, but the men and women behind the curtain. The ones turning wrenches, keeping our aircraft flying, and keeping us safe in the skies. Melvin Williams not only is a pilot, but an instructor B737 Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A&P ) for Delta. Mel is here to share his incredibly unique journey on his path to Delta, how he made his plan to finance his flight tra...

If you don't know who @iflyheli is on Instagram, you better get on the app and look him up ASAP. I always say the one thing I love most about aviation is its ability to bring good people together. York Galland is just one of those people you meet along the way in the industry that shines his love for helicopters through and through, and has a passion for sharing the experience of helicopter flight with others. He joins us toda...

Isaac Etherington takes us through his journey to becoming an EMS, or what is now called Helicopter Air Ambulance (HAA),  pilot.  He has flown HAA from the badlands of the Dakotas, to the mountains of Yellowstone, to the beautiful state of Oregon. His unique range of experience makes for an exciting episode where we dive into the life of a medical pilot. In this episode we cover juicy subjects such as Crew Resource Management (CRM)...

This week's guest hails all the way from the fjords of Norway! He is a very talented utility pilot, safety manager, and photographer. On this episode, Tom shares his unique journey to becoming a utility pilot in Norway, and the benefits of working as a load master for a few years prior to getting into the right seat on complex utility missions. We all know flying helicopters is not a typical job, and we operate them in risky e...