Ben leads the crew through a heartfelt discussion on the power of aviation community, proving that even "internet pilot buddies who are somehow both extremely wise and definitely unsupervised" can create something meaningful together. While Brian emerges from his five-week "gateway drug situation" of nonstop testing (having "forgotten how to function as a normal human being"), the episode explores how pilot communities support each other through the challenges of midlife aviation.

From anonymous confessionals about night landing requirements to the wisdom of "Fly what you want, log what you need," this episode showcases why the Midlife Pilot community has become "one of the great joys" for pilots navigating their aviation journeys. Ted chimes in from Portlandia while Ben reminds us that aviation community - whether in Discord, at fly-ins, or through podcast connections - provides the essential support network that keeps us all flying safely.

Plus: Why we probably need "at least one service bulletin requiring post-podcast cranial inspections," and Ben's words of wisdom about truth vs. lies in our connected world.

Mentioned on the show:

* AGI: advanced ground instructor

* IGI: instrument ground instructor

* FOI: fundamentals on instruction

* Thaden Invasion: https://midlifepilotpodcast.com/thadeninvasion

* Seth Lake on VBT-Thaden airspace: https://arflightsafety.com/VBT.html

To send feedback, support the show, get merch, and more, visit www.midlifepilotpodcast.com

Like George Costanza pulling a golf ball from a whale's blowhole, Ben emerges from a harrowing 3.5-hour IMC flight through icing conditions with quite the tale to tell. Our intrepid Atlanta pilot finds himself wondering "did I get away with one? This sparks a deep dive into normalization of deviance, expanding personal minimums, and whether Ben just wrote "the first line of his NTSB report."

Brian continues his quest to become qualified to "give bad information for small amounts of money" as an instrument ground instructor, while Ted battles the "Mississippi River pointed at the Northwest" and installs stripped hex screws.

The crew tackles thoughtful listener feedback about pre-flight anxiety and the existential dread of pursuing aviation as what outsiders might call "the Midlife Crisis Podcast." Plus, planning continues for "The Thaden Invasion" fly-in at KVBT - a very GA-friendly airport that's excited to host the podast and community... for now.

Mentioned on the show:

* Wikipedia - List of social generations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation#List_of_social_generations

* Beresford Research - Generations defined by name, birth year, and ages in 2025: https://www.beresfordresearch.com/age-range-by-generation/#:~:text=Generations%20defined%20by%20name%2C%20birth%20year%2C%20and%20ages%20in%202025

* Side view of The Hollywodo Squares: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059995/mediaviewer/rm648494848/?ref_=tt_ov_i

* The Finer Points on the Oscar pattern for IFR flying: https://www.learnthefinerpoints.com/articles/the-oscar-pattern

* Checkmate Aviation IFR, Oscar pattern on back: https://www.checkmateaviation.com/products/checkmate-ifr

* Oscar pattern graphic: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/13hnvzo/oscar_pattern_graphic/

* Flight Insight, the VOR Flower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm7XxyzZFh0

* EP36 - CFI Jeff Ramsey, Frequency Change Aviation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgaNuf5gCCo

* Seinfeld, "The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3TZC69tSg

* Psych Safety - The Challenger Disaster: Normalisation of Deviance: https://psychsafety.com/normalisation-of-deviance/

* Blancolirio on the N2345R Montana fatal icing encounter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkSM531bYzs

* Ben's video, "Pushing the Envelope" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cvl1LJV1Y

* Big Bird was nearly on the Challenger: https://www.history.com/articles/big-bird-challenger-disaster-nasa-sesame-street

* Performance Pilot by Ross Bentley and Phil Wilkes : https://bookshop.org/p/books/performance-pilot-skills-techniques-and-strategies-to-maximize-your-flying-performance-phil-wilkes/1d2cd7f443b0d5ca

* The Calm Cockpit podcast: https://calmcockpit.com/

* Tammy Barlette's Crosscheck mental performance training course: https://www.crosscheckmentalperformance.com/

* Crosscheck training course and group: https://www.skool.com/crosscheck/about?ref=f15fa026369c49dfaf275891f87f1f26

Join us on Patreon, get event info, merch, and more:

www.midlifepilotpodcast.com

1DullGeek casually announces he's signed a contract for a Czech-built TL Sparker and will spend a month in Prague building it – because apparently "24 cubic feet of cargo space" (more than his compact SUV!) justifies international aircraft construction. The only minor detail? He has absolutely nowhere to hangar this composite beauty that "costs more than his house." Cue the deep dive into "Hangar Hell" – where waiting lists stretch to 2038, car detailing businesses occupy hangars, and Mark realizes he's been "a wholesale menace in every capacity to an airport." Meanwhile, Brian's gone full on into written tests, knocking out instrument ground instructor and fundamentals of instruction in two weeks because "the sponginess of my brain is kind of working at the moment." Plus: heated seats, cup holders, and the eternal question of whether N633K (a.k.a. "N-GEEK") will ever see the inside of an actual hangar.

• 
  

• Upcoming Event:

  • The Thaden Invasion Fly-In - March 13-15, 2026, Bentonville, Arkansas (VBT)
  • RSVP at midlifepilotpodcast.com - "If half the RSVPs show up, we're gonna have a real good time. If more than half show up, it'll be a disaster."

  Support the Show:

  • Patreon Community
  • Merch Store
  • Website: midlifepilotpodcast.com

  Mentioned on the show:

  * Mark's new plane, TL Sparker: https://tlsportaircraft.com/sparker/

  * Risen Aircraft: https://www.flyrisen.com/

  * Roy "Deacon" Qualls, Pilot's Edge: Think, Train, and Fly Like a Pro: https://amazon.com/dp/B0FY26ZJJM

  * CGI, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Girardeau_Regional_Airport

  * Garmin GNC355: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/689774/