Talking Flight

Latest Episodes:

Episode 53: Horizon Seattle Base Chief Pilot Captain Kisa Wiley Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

Captain Kisa Wiley is the Chief Pilot at the Seattle Base of Horizon Air.

Horizon Air is a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group, and the airline coordinates its schedules and traffic feed with Alaska Airlines.

Captain Wiley is a third-generation pilot. Her Dad, retired Captain Jim Wiley, had a long career with Alaska Airlines. Her Grandfather, the Late Colonel Jim Wiley, was a Tuskegee Airman who flew combat missions in Europe during World War 2.

Kisa had no interest in becoming a pilot until she was in college. Then, one day, her younger sister, Ali, talked her into attending private pilot ground school. Kisa fell in love with flying, and the rest was history.

Episode 52: Pilot Hiring Boards Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

Getting hired by a Major or Regional Airline is often a difficult and drawn-out process. The most intimidating part is facing a Pilot Hiring Board (Sometimes called a Captains Board).

Mike Swanigan asked Captains Mike Dibello, George Boslinski, and Michael Hendrix to join this episode to discuss the pilot hiring process.

If you are aspiring to be a Major or Regional Airline Pilot, there is a lot of helpful information on this program.

Episode 51: Alaska Airlines Captain Millison "Mill" Fambles Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Alaska Airlines Captain Millison Fambles joins us on this episode of Talking Flight.

Millison is from Longview, Texas and he was awarded a college scholarship from the Lady Bird Johnson Foundation. Lady Bird was the wife of President Lyndon Johnson, and she served as First Lady of the United States from 1963 unit January of 1969.

When her Foundation awarded this scholarship to Millison, they had no idea that Mill would ultimately step up and mentor hundreds of inner-city children, and change their lives forever.

Captain Fambles had to endure a period of racial discrimination while he attended USAF Pilot Training, but he prevailed and ultimately became a C-141 Aircraft Commander.

After leaving the USAF, Millison got a tip about a great airline headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Of course, that Airline was Alaska Airlines. He applied, and before he knew it, he started class as one of Alaska's newest pilots. 29 years later, He is now a senior Captain. Mill has built a reputation as a great pilot, but he is better known for his success in starting a flight camp for inner-city children.

Episode 50: Retired Alaska Airlines Captain David "D.R." Smith Apr 24, 2021

Show notes

Captain David "D.R." Smith is the second guest on our podcast named David Smith. There were two pilots named David Smith at Alaska Airlines, so we called this particular David Smith "D.R." to minimize the confusion of which David Smith that we were referring to.

David "D.R.," tells us about growing up in a small town in West Texas and that some of his earliest memories were about his dream of becoming a pilot. The dream was solidified when a small plane landed on the family farm, and the pilot asked for enough gas to continue to his destination.

After college, David entered the USAF and attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Randolph AFB, Texas. He flew the KC-135Q, which was the only aircraft type equipped to refuel the SR-71.

David eventually became a pilot for Alaska Airlines, where he had a distinguished career as a pilot. He played a pivotal role in helping the Airline develop one of the best safety cultures in the Airline Industry.

Episode 9: Alaska Airlines Captain Blake Gibson Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

This is one of my favorite Talking Flight Episodes. It was released in 2013, but it was lost due to storage problems on my podcast platform. We are thrilled to rerelease it to share with our listeners who may not have heard it.

Blake is one of the most respected pilots at Alaska Airlines. He is a Check Airman and an FAA Aircrew Program Designee. He tells how he achieved his childhood dream of becoming an Airline Pilot.

This a great story, and I hope you enjoy it!

Episode 49: Retired Alaska Airlines Captain Michael DiBello Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

Talking Flight is proud to present this interview with Retired Alaska Airlines Captain Michael (Dibs) Dibello.

Mike is a former Navy Squadron Commander, and he later served as the Boeing 737 Fleet Captain at Alaska Airlines. His first exposure to aviation came when his father took him to Boston's Logan International Airport to watch airplanes take off and land.

High School and College did not come easy for him, but after some Navy ROTC advisors' counseling, he improved his study habits and got his degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He was accepted into US Navy Flight Training and went on the fly the A-7 attack jet.

Captain DiBello tells us how the Navy trains pilots to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

He later became one of the most respected pilots at Alaska Airlines.

Episode 48: Retired Alaska Airlines Captain David J. Smith Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

Our guest on this episode is Retired Alaska Airlines Captain David J. Smith.

I first met David Back in 1983, when he began training as a newly hired pilot at Alaska Airlines. That meeting resulted in David becoming my longtime friend. David has an interesting story about our first meeting, which I will neither confirm or deny.

David was one of the small numbers of civilian pilots who were able to break into the airlines back in the late 1970s. At that time, more than 70 percent of the pilots hired by US Airlines had a Military background. A few years after David joined Braniff Airlines, the company fell into financial hardship. David was furloughed, and the company later went out of business.

His second chance to land an Airline job came when someone told him that a small company named Alaska Airlines was hiring pilots. David did well at the hiring interview, and the rest was history.

Episode 47: Captain Michael Hendrix Returns to Talking Flight Nov 14, 2020

Show notes

Captain Michael Hendrix joins us on this edition of Talking Flight. He was our very first guest when we started the podcast. At the time, he was a First Officer at Alaska Airlines. He subsequently upgraded to Captain on the Boeing 737 and he retired in January of 2020.

Michael made the decision to become an airline pilot at age of 40. At the time, people advised him that he was too old to be successful in getting hired by a major airline. Fortunately, he decided to go for it anyway.

Captain Hendrix tells us about the various training events that he went through during his career. When he upgraded to Captain at Alaska Airlines, he was shocked at how it differed from the world of being a First Officer.

Episode 46: Air Wisconsin First Officer Hunter Bevis Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Our guest today is Air Wisconsin First Officer Hunter Bevis. Hunter is the son of one of our previous guests, Mr. Bob Bonkukian, former Director of Flight Control at Alaska Airlines. Even though he grew up in an airline family, Hunter did not start his flight training until age 35.

Before flying, Hunter was a US Army officer, and he tells us how his service as a Tank Commander later helped him as he transitioned into the world of aviation.

Hunter is the host of the podcast Time In Flight.

Episode 45: Mr. Stefan Holt, WNBC Anchor and Private Pilot Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Stefan Holt is one of the News Anchors at WNBC Television in New York City. He is also a Private Pilot with an Instrument Rating.

Stefan tells us about his lifelong interest in aviation, and how he worked as a busboy in New York City to earn money for his flying lessons.

His experience as a pilot has helped him in his televisions news career to report on aviation stories with a higher level of insight and accuracy.