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Talking Flight: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Mike Swanigan
Alaska Airlines Captain Mike Swanigan interviews the interesting people he has met during his flying career.
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- 1 weeks ago54 min
Episode 74: Lt. Col. Art Whitten, Vietnam Era Med Evac Pilot
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Art Whitten is our guest, and he's the first recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross to appear on Talking Flight. Art shares his firsthand experiences flying medevac missions in Vietnam, the challenges and dangers he faced, and the remarkable stories that came out of those missions.
- Sep 23, 202649 min
Episode 73: JSX First Officer Billy Kitchen
What does it take to go from college flight student to the flight deck of a jet? In this episode of Talking Flight, we sit down with First Officer Billy Kitchen, a 2024 graduate of Arizona State University's flight program who is now flying professionally with JSX. Billy gives us a firsthand look at what it's like to begin an aviation career in today's rapidly changing industry. Billy takes us inside the ASU aviation program, sharing the challenges, expectations, and determination required to successfully complete both the academic and flight-training portions of the program. He talks candidly about some of the obstacles he faced, the mindset that helped him push through the difficult moments, and why he chose to give back by mentoring students coming up behind him. We then follow Billy from the university environment into the cockpit at JSX. He explains what makes JSX different, how he made the transition from flight training to professional aviation, and what it was like to learn to fly a jet for the first time. For anyone considering a career as a professional pilot—or simply curious about how the next generation of airline pilots is being trained—Billy's story provides a timely and inspiring look at the journey from student pilot to First Officer.
- Jun 20, 20261h 2m
Episode 72: Retired Alaska Airlines Captain Edward Robertson
Welcome to another episode of Talking Flight. Our guest today is Captain Ed Robertson, a retired Alaska Airlines Captain whose aviation journey spans military service, airline leadership, and a lifelong passion for flying. It's a story of perseverance, service, opportunity, and leadership. Please join me in welcoming Captain Ed Robertson to Talking Flight.
- May 2, 202647 min
Episode 71: Flight Situations
On this episode, Mike Swanigan brings together three highly experienced airline captains for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get the job done. Frontier Airlines Captain Michael Pittman, retired Delta and Northwest Airlines Captain Heidi Proch, and retired Alaska Airlines Captain Michael Hendrix each share firsthand accounts of how they dealt with some of the unusual situations that they faced on one of their trips.
- Nov 16, 202557 min
Episode 70: Alaska Airlines Captain and YouTube Creator Brendan ODonnell
Akaska Airlines Captain and YouTube creator Brendan ODonnell joins us on Talking Flight to share his story of growing up in Oregon and pursuing his dream of becoming an airline pilot. His path ito aviation took several unexpected turns, but he stayed focused and never gave up. It all paid off, and today Brendan his living that dream, flying Boeing 737s for Alaska Airlines. Also, a video project that he started as a side gig to help with the family budget during the early part of his career has transformed into the popular YouTube series "The Pilot Life".
- Jul 6, 20251h 26m
Episode 69: Captain Heidi Porch
In this episode of Talking Flight, we sit down with retired Delta A330 Captain Heidi Porch. She began flying at 16 and quickly found herself ferrying small aircraft across the Pacific. One of those flights ended in a dramatic ocean ditching 500 miles off the coast of Hawaii — a harrowing experience she recounts in her gripping new book, Ditching the Sky. Captain Porch shares the highs and lows of her journey from teenage pilot to the left seat of a wide-body jet, and what it truly takes to succeed in the airline world.
- Mar 3, 20251h 16m
Episode 68: Captain Tad Santino
Retired Captain Tad Santino joins us on this episode of Talking Flight. He shares the story of his journey from being a gate agent for a regional airline to becomming a Captain for Alaska Airlines. Tad had many adventures along the way and tells us how hard work, solid relationships, and a positive attitude provided the fuel for a fantastic career.
- Oct 18, 202448 min
Episode 67: USAF Academy Cadet Jaylen Palmer
We're excited to have US Air Force Academy Cadet Jaylen Palmer on Talking Flight to share his journey to earning admission to the prestigious Service Academy. At just 20 years old, Jaylen is our youngest guest yet. His aviation career started early—before even graduating high school, he had already earned his Private Pilot's License, Instrument Rating, and Commercial Pilot's License. Jaylen's story is a testament to what a motivated and focused young person can achieve, with the added support of an amazing family! If you are a student who is interested in attending the Academy, Jaylen gives us some great advice on how to make it happen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Talking Flight as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
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Talking Flight covers topics including Leisure, Aviation. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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