Hangar Talk - An Aviation News Podcast

Drones are by far the largest growth area in aviation. For many manned pilots, the small remotely piloted aircraft remain an oddity, if not a threat. This week we meet the owner of an aerial application business. He has turned to drones to help a farmer who sees the technology as leading to better, more efficient agricultural practices. Plus tune in for the top headlines of the week.

Every pilot dreams of flying around the world, but few have succeeded. Even in this age of fast, long-range turboprops, the complexity and cost of such a trip is daunting. When flying something like a Beechcraft Bonanza, safety is also a showstopper for many. Unless you're Adrian Eichhorn. This week AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines talks to FAA AMT of the Year Eichhorn about his flight around the world. Eichhorn spent years preparing for the trip. Hear about his adventures, and the week's headlines in the latest episode.

University presidents appear to lead lives trapped in offices dealing with the numerous challenges of dealing with students, faculty, parents, and state regulators. So when we heard James Clark, the president of South Carolina State University participated in the flyover of one of his school's football games in an RV, we had to learn more. Hear Clark talk discuss his passion for aviation and the week's headlines in the latest episode.

The declining number of pilots is private aviation's biggest threat. With a smaller community comes fewer airports, fewer airplanes, and higher prices. Not to mention less influence in Washington. AOPA's You Can Fly program is aiming to tackle this difficult problem. Hear AOPA's Katie Pribyl explain what she and her team are doing to reverse the decline in the pilot population. Plus this week David and Ian debate the merits of a new type of traffic pattern.

John and Martha King are aviation legends. The husband and wife duo has produced thousands of products through King Schools, and the pair continue to delight audiences with a playful back and forth that anyone who's married can appreciate. But not only do the Kings live and work together, they fly together as well. Tune in to this week's show to hear who is the better pilot and how they keep things fun and safe in the cockpit.

If flying one Boeing jet is a joy, flying all of them must be the thrill of a lifetime. For one lucky Boeing employee, it's just another day on the job. Steve Taylor is Boeing's chief pilot, and is rated in every commercial aircraft the company makes. When he's not making a delivery flight or flying a program on the latest and greatest, he's enjoying Seattle from a GA aircraft. Hear what it's like to fly all the big iron, and catch up on the latest headlines in this week's episode.

Have you ever wanted to fly with a Red Bull Air Racer? Or learn to fly a jet? Redbird's Brittney Miculka got to do all this and more as part of the company's recent project "Winging It." The video series took Miculka around the country getting to do things most pilots only dream about. David Tulis caught up with Brittney at EAA Airventure earlier this year.

Few places evoke the romance of flying more than Africa. The vast open spaces and the feeling of being truly on your own make for a flying environment unlike any other. Much of Africa's non-airline flying is relief missions. AOPA's Julie Walker and Chris Rose recently traveled to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to learn more about Air Serv, a group that flies doctors and food to warring areas of the continent.

Think flying is expensive? It doesn't have to be. Joseph Atkins found the deal of the century, put in some hard work with a friend, and came out with an airworthy airplane for less than the cost of a bag of nice golf clubs. It's proof that if you're resourceful enough, flying can be a reasonably cost-effective hobby. Senior Editor Jill Tallman talks to Atkins in this episode, and we cover the week's headlines.

The entire country mourned. Thousands of lives were lost. 9/11 was a major turning point in the history of the United States, a day of innocence lost. Scattered among the painful stories are thousands of tales of people who banded together to pick up the pieces. Among them, AOPA's Melissa Rudinger, who pushed for weeks to reopen the nation's airspace to general aviation and all its important contributions. Melissa describes what it was like inside the FAA at the time, and the many battles to keep our freedom to fly.

You have read Barry Schiff's insights and expertise over the years in AOPA Pilot magazine. Now hear him describe his favorite airplanes, best flights, and the essence of flight. 

As if flying inverted at 100 feet above the runway on the airshow circuit weren't enough, pilot Michael Goulian also spends his days flying under bridges and within racetracks as part of the Red Bull Air Race series. Goulian is one of the nicest guys in the airshow business, and he sat down to earlier this year to charm our own Julie Walker.

You've heard of Burning Man, the counterculture festival held each year in the Nevada desert. Now experience it from another side, a temporary airport that handles hundreds of flights during the show. AOPA Editor at Large Dave Hirschman and Photographer Chris Rose share their experiences.