The Wing Wag

Celestial navigation is one of the oldest forms of navigation dating back thousands of years. It can be as simple as following the North Star or as complex as measuring the angular distances between stars and the moon to calculate what time it is. Whatever form of celestial navigation you are doing, the idea is the same; use the known positions of the heavenly bodies at a particular time to calculate your location by observing the positions of same heavenly bodies in your local sky.Join Hunter and I this week as we navigate the past, present, and future of this surprisingly effective method of navigation.

Most pilots are required to have a medical certificate. This certificate helps to verify that a pilot is healthy enough to safely pilot an airplane. While the medical certificate requirement is a very important part of aviation, it can cause pilots a lot of stress; there are a variety of medical certificates to choose from and each has its own privileges and restrictions. Not to mention that a failed medical examination can spell the end of your aviation career.Join us on this episode of The Wing Wag as we discuss the intricacies of each type of medical certificate, decide which is best for you, and give you tips for avoiding failing a medical examination.

Happy New Years!Pilots are almost trying to improve their skill. Here at The Wing Wag, we are no different. Join me this week to discuss some of the ways in which I want to improve as an aviator, an airplane owner, and a podcaster in 2026. Let's just hope that these resolutions last longer than my resolution to stop eating candy...If you have any aviation-related goals for 2026, I'd love to hear about them! Let me know in the comments.If you are interested in flight training or just want to fly with an instructor, check out Olinde Aerospace: https://olindeaerospace.com/

In this episode, I'm going to answer 5 questions that non-pilots always ask me:1. What is causing all of the plane crashes recently?2. What do you do if your engine dies in flight?3. Is turbulence really dangerous?4. How much money and time does a pilots license really cost?5. Do I seriously start my plane with my hands?Aviation crash statistics: https://www.panish.law/aviation_accident_statistics.html

Trijets, airplanes with 3 jet engines, went from the majority of jet airliners in the 1980s to basically nonexistent today. What caused their initial popularity and their drastic decline? Join us on this week's episode of The Wing Wag as we answer these questions!

Imagine that you're an airline pilot flying a standard red-eye route. You've done this route dozens of times before with very little variation, and this time looks to be no different. All of a sudden the primary flight display shows a flashing red alert and an automated voice saying "PULL UP, PULL UP, PULL UP" fills the cockpit.From experience you know that there are no obstacles on this route, but your training kicks in and you execute a high-performance climb. After a few seconds, you realize that something doesn't feel quite right; the alarm is still blaring, but at 35,000 feet and climbing, there couldn't be any terrain anywhere near the airplane.Then you notice that the GPS shows you in a place hundreds of miles from the planned route. ATC then calls you asking why you busted your assigned altitude.GPS spoofing is when a malicious actor sends a false GPS signal to a receiver leading to incorrect GPS locations and a failure of many systems in a modern aircraft. Ever since early 2024 we've seen an alarming increase in GPS spoofing. Can we do anything about GPS spoofing, or does this signal the end of GPS?Most of the information in the episode came from the "GPS Spoofing Final Report" from the GPS Spoofing Workgroup. Take a look at the full report for a very interesting, in-depth investigation on GPS spoofing:https://ops.group/dashboard/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GPS-Spoofing-Final-Report-OPSGROUP-WG-OG24.pdf

Join us this week for a chilling Halloween tale! We will be reading "The Horror of the Heights" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an early aviation horror story about the creatures that lurk beyond the clouds.Originally published in 1913, just 10 years after the Wright brothers' first flight, this story brings together aviation and science fiction terror as one adventurous pilot attempts to fly higher than any pilot has flown before.

Probably not, but maybe. Definitely don't do it without first checking to see if your plane has an auto gas STC. This episode is all about aviation gas (avgas). Why does it still contain lead when leaded auto gas was phased out 50 years ago? Why does avgas have 2 octane ratings instead of just 1? What makes ethanol so dangerous for airplanes? Join Hunter and I as we answer all of your avgas related questions!

This week, I'm flying solo through the hurricane! As pilots, we are always thinking about weather when we are flying or planning a flight. When you become an airplane owner, you have to worry about weather not only in the air, but also when the plane is on the ground. This worry is made even worse when you have an airplane that you keep outside in Florida during hurricane season! Join me as we discuss keeping you plane airworthy and shiny no matter the weather.

Welcome to "The Wing Wag"! In this episode, I will be introducing the podcast and explaining what a wing wag is.