About this episode

The episode features a lunch segment from Tashkent, discussions on Passover traditions, changes to the United Airlines MileagePlus program, and a listener Q&A.

This week’s episode opens with something a little different — a 12-minute, behind-the-scenes segment from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where you join us for lunch on a recent trip. It’s raw, cutting-room-floor footage from the upcoming Cockpit Casual series dropping this summer. Fair warning: this segment is definitely better experienced on video — you can watch it on our YouTube version — but it still holds up if you’re along for the ride on audio. From there, Steve shares a bit about his Passover traditions before we get into a big industry topic — the latest (and not-so-great) changes to the United Airlines MileagePlus program. This week’s Side Schtick turns into a fun one: if you could fly with any celebrity pilot, who’s in your cockpit? That conversation, naturally, takes a detour into the legendary Piper Aerostar. We wrap things up with a solid listener Q&A session — some great questions in this one. And if you haven’t yet — check out this episode on YouTube for the full Tashkent segment as it was meant to be seen.

People in this episode

Hosts: Steve, Robert Allen

Topics covered

• lunch in Tashkent
• Passover traditions
• United Airlines MileagePlus changes
• celebrity pilots
• listener Q&A

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Airlines

Products: MileagePlus, Piper Aerostar

Books & works: Cockpit Casual

Places: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

More episodes of Cockpit Casual: The Podcast

• EP9 - Let Spirit Burn! & Guest Segment: the Nomadic Dispatch and Planning Team (Finally) · April 24, 2026 · 1h 37m
• EP8 - Farewell to Nomadic One, Merger-talk, and Bob and Steve's Humble Beginnings in Aviation · April 17, 2026 · 1h 6m
• EP7 - The Aviation Therapist, Selling the Westwind, and What Comes Next · April 10, 2026 · 1h 31m
• EP5 - Airplane Facts with Max Comer! · March 25, 2026 · 1h 37m
• EP4 - Ramblings from the Road, War Stories, & Scottie Bateman talks Jumbo Jets · March 20, 2026 · 1h 29m
• EP3 - A Busy Week for the Nomads, Airport Lounges, and an On-Aircraft Interview with Pat Lewis · March 13, 2026 · 1h 13m

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