John Zimmerman

Slowly but surely, the big screen in your living room has evolved from an old fashioned tube to a powerful computer, capable of running thousands of apps. Sporty’s Pilot Training app is a great example: for 2022, we’re proud to announce support for five different smart TV platforms, covering more than 95% of Americans. It’s truly a cross-device app—from your iPhone to your Android tablet to your Amazon Fire TV, Pilot Training is there to help you become a better pilot. If you haven’t tried it on your TV yet, now is the perfect time. In fact, watching flying videos on your 4K TV is probably the best way to absorb complicated aviation topics.

Weather geeks, this episode is for you! Dr. Scott Dennstaedt, a former National Weather Service meteorologist and an active flight instructor, joins the podcast to talk about his preflight weather briefing routine, why you can't simply learn weather from the left seat, and how datalink weather has changed flying. He also offers tips for avoiding VFR-into-IMC accidents, what his favorite weather books are, and his opinion on more obscure weather products like Skew-T log-p and MOS forecasts. Whether you're a student pilot or an experienced pro, there are plenty of tips here to make your next flight safer and more comfortable.

If you're shopping for a mount or kneeboard you'll quickly have to answer the question, "which iPad do I have?" It's not as simple as it might sound, so if you're not sure which model you have, you're not alone. Please note that we loathe the naming convention Apple has chosen for the iPads as much as you do. It’s difficult to be sure which iPad you have but if you need to look that information up here’s how you do so.

Buying an aviation headset is a surprisingly personal decision. There is no "right answer" for every pilot—it depends on the type of flying you do, what airplane you fly most often and your personal preferences. Here are a few things to consider as you compare models.

Why are flight simulators so hot right now? Can pilots use them for real training or just for fun? What are the pros and cons of the different simulator software options? Chris McGonegle, a Commercial Pilot who heads the flight simulator department at Sporty's, answers all these questions and more. If you're thinking about adding a home flight simulator to your training toolkit, this podcast will give you the information you need to save money and avoid frustration. Chris also shares his tips for avoiding the "rusty pilot" label, suggestions for making passengers comfortable on first flights, and his pick for best aviation book. 

Sporty’s courses have helped over 100,000 pilots learn to fly, and are famous for their relentless pace of innovation. Every year, we add new content, new training tools, and technological enhancements. This year is no exception, with a host of upgrades that make training more engaging and more efficient. Here’s a look at some highlights.

Thank you for joining Pilot Training+ from Sporty’s. You’re now a member of an exclusive club, with aviation’s best library of training courses, free shipping on thousands of products, exclusive savings, and so much more. We know you’re excited to get started, so here’s how to take advantage of all your member benefits.

As Editor-in-Chief at Flying magazine for 20 years, Mac McClellan flew just about every new airplane delivered after 1976. In this episode he shares his favorite ones and some that he wished he'd never flown. As a keen observer of general aviation trends, Mac also explains why pilots are flying fewer cross countries (except for Cirrus owners), why personal flying inevitably means tradeoffs between safety and efficiency, and what the future holds for urban air mobility/eVTOL proposals. In the "ready to copy" segment, Mac shares why he thinks personal minimums are a bad idea, the best places to fly in Michigan, and what sailing and flying have in common. You might disagree with some of Mac's opinions, but he'll definitely make you think.

Mark Glassmeyer has a simple plan for his student pilot son: "We’re gonna talk about aviation for the rest of our lives." He understands the power of these multi-generational connections because his grandfather, a B-24 pilot in World War II, first introduced him to aviation at age 7 with a trip to Oshkosh. But even with that memorable start and some lessons as a teenager, it would take more than 25 years for him to actually earn his license. In this episode, he explains why shaking the rusty pilot label meant he had to get a little selfish and take control of his life. Other topics include: why aviation can look surprisingly affordable compared to youth sports, how being a pilot helped him overcome a learning disability, and why Flight Outfitters' tagline is "pilot your own adventure."

"A real adventure is never just roses... it's a genuinely challenging experience." That's what JP Schulze (aka the_candourist on YouTube) believes, and he should know—he's flown around the world with over 2 million people watching live, he's biked across the United States solo, and he grew up flying in Africa. In this wide-ranging episode, he explains what he learned from his around-the-world adventure, why he's doing it again in an experimental airplane, and what it's really like to make YouTube videos. He also shares why being a pilot can make you a more self-aware person, his favorite place to fly, and what he thinks about the future of general aviation.