“Captain Midnight,” Greg Brown’s Flying Carpet Podcast #21

Ride along with renowned aviator, writer, and photographer Greg Brown in his light airplane, the Flying Carpet, as he searches behind clouds for the real America, experiencing countless aerial adventures along the way.


Listen to “Captain Midnight” Greg Brown’s Flying Carpet Podcast Flight #21

As youโ€™ve likely heard, the final Learjet was recently delivered following almost 60 years of production. I was a kid when the Lear 23 was first introduced in 1964.

Although a few other corporate jets were flying by then, most companies still motored around in relatively slow, unpressurized piston airplanes, many of them repurposed WWII-era bombers and freighters.

The Lear was so sleek, sexy, and fast in comparison that it seemingly arrived from the future, revolutionizing air travel as evidenced by some 3,000 aircraft delivered over so many years.

Todayโ€™s episode is a tribute to the Learjet via “Captain Midnight,” Frank Rosenstein, one of the modelโ€™s early captainsโ€” the most dashing pilot I’ve ever known, who along the way inspired me and other enthusiastic kids to earn their wings, following in his footsteps.

If you enjoy this podcast, please share with friends!

Greg

See associated photos below! (Photos courtesy Nancy Rosenstein, and by Barry Schiff as noted.)

Podcast music by Hannis Brown.

PS: Find all Greg’s Flying Carpet Podcast episodes here!


Subscribe here to follow Greg’s latest posts, photos, and podcasts!


Listen and subscribe via your favorite podcast directory:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsStitcherTuneInPocketCastsCastroPodchaserPodcast AddictDeezerListen NotesRSSiHeartRadioPandoraAmazon Music

Podcast Episode #21 Photos

Click gallery photos to view at full size.


If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love Greg’s book, Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane. Autographed copies available!


Please support Gregโ€™sย Flying Carpetย Podcast, Blog, &ย Student Pilot Pep Talkย Facebook Group!

Make a one-time donation, or better yet, subscribe your ongoing support. Thank you! Greg



Greg’s Aviation Books, Fine Art Aerial Photo Prints, and Pilot Achievement Plaques!


Greg’s Aviation Books

Greg’s “Views from the Flying Carpet” Aerial Fine Art Prints

Greg’s Pilot Achievement Plaques


“Backstory: Flight Instructor Hall of Fame,” Greg’s Flying Carpet Podcast #20

Ride along with renowned aviator, writer, and photographer Greg Brown in his light airplane, the Flying Carpet, as he searches behind clouds for the real America, experiencing countless aerial adventures along the way.


Listen to “Backstory: Flight Instructor Hall of Fame,” Greg’s Flying Carpet Podcast #20

Every aviator develops mutually rewarding relationships with the flight instructors delivering his or her wings. Well, hereโ€™s the backstory of one of those relationships, that led over 22 years to the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. But while todayโ€™s episode formally targets CFIs, itโ€™s a story every pilot will appreciate.

If you enjoy this podcast, please share with friends!

Greg

Podcast music by Hannis Brown.

PS: Find all Greg’s Flying Carpet Podcast episodes here!


Subscribe here to follow Greg’s latest posts, photos, and podcasts!


Listen and subscribe via your favorite podcast directory:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsStitcherTuneInPocketCastsCastroPodchaserPodcast AddictDeezerListen NotesRSSiHeartRadioPandoraAmazon Music

Podcast Episode #20 Photos

Click gallery photos to view at full size.


About Greg

A former National Flight Instructor of the Year, Greg is author of five books, a former Barnes & Noble Arizona Author of the Month, and recently completed twenty years as aviation adventure columnist for AOPA’s Flight Training magazine. Some reviewers have compared his book, “Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane,” to sixties road-trip classics like “On the Road,” and “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

โ€œGreg thinks with the mind of a pilot, questions with the curiosity of a philosopher, and sees with the eyes of a poet.โ€ — Rod Machado, aviation author and humorist

“You don’t have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in [his] Flying Carpet.” — Nina Bell Allen, former Assistant Managing Editor, Readers Digest

So buckle in and join Greg for the ride!


Please support Gregโ€™sย Flying Carpetย Podcast, Blog, &ย Student Pilot Pep Talkย Facebook Group!

Make a one-time donation, or better yet, subscribe your ongoing support. Thank you! Greg


For more guidance on this topic, download Greg’sย The Savvy Flight Instructor 2nd Edition ebook.


Greg’s Aviation Books, Fine Art Aerial Photo Prints, and Pilot Achievement Plaques!


Greg’s Aviation Books

Greg’s “Views from the Flying Carpet” Aerial Fine Art Prints

Greg’s Pilot Achievement Plaques


Should Flight Instructors charge for Ground Instruction?

“We instructors seem to have some deep-seated hesitation about asking our students to invest in anything besides airplane rental.”

โ€œGround instruction is an important part of pilot training,โ€ observes Pilot Examiner Jason Blair, โ€œand to train effectively in the air, proper ground training must also be completed. I suspect weโ€™d all agree that an aircraft cockpit with the engine running is not the best place to brief new maneuvers. This also means that ground training is an appropriate service for which to properly charge.โ€

We instructors seem to have some deep-seated hesitation about asking our students to invest in anything besides airplane rental. As a result, we tend to undercharge, or worse yet, not charge at all for ground instruction. That turns out to be a double whammy, because along with not earning any money for your expertise, when youโ€™re teaching for free thereโ€™s less incentive for your students to study.

It may feel painful to our customers at times, but paying for ground instruction can actually save them moneyโ€”by properly preparing for lessons they complete their training more quickly than if we must consume lesson time teaching material they could have learned at home. Unless you somehow incorporate the charges into other aspects of training, you simply must charge for ground instruction. Otherwise youโ€™re demeaning our profession by cheating yourself, your flight school (if relevant), your customers, and other CFIs around you.

Greg


For more guidance on this topic, download Greg’sย The Savvy Flight Instructor 2nd Edition ebook.


“The Endurance,” terrific non-fiction adventure book

The most incredible and inspirational true story I’ve ever read.

By now you’ve likely heard about the rediscovery of Ernest Shackelton’s legendary ship, “The Endurance,” which sank over 100 years ago in the Antarctic under nearly two miles of water and ice.

To survive, Shackelton’s crew conducted one of the greatest feats in human history, and this non-fiction book documenting their ordeal remains the most exciting adventure book I have ever read, non-fiction or fiction.

Don’t miss reading it, or listen to the audio book!!!

Greg

The book is The Endurance; Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition, by Caroline Alexander, and details Ernest Shackleton’s unbelievable ordeal trapped in Antarctic ice with 27 other men from 1914-1916.

After 17 months locked in the ice incommunicado with the rest of the world, and with their ship ultimately crushed by the ice and sunk, Shackelton’s men  journeyed over ice and water in open boats to a barren Antarctic island, following which he and five others sailed a modified lifeboat 800 miles across the notoriously treacherous South Atlantic in dead of winter to a remote whaling station for help.

The text is masterfully composited from diaries of the men onboard, and not only is the story gripping (all 28 men survived!) but the book is profusely illustrated with superb but haunting photographs shot by the expedition photographer โ€”ย the glass plates were rescued from the sinking ship and soldered into tin containers to be carried along on the long journey to rescue!

This is why I’m a non-fiction fan โ€”ย no one could possibly write a novel more breathtaking or suspenseful than this. And amazingly,ย it’s all true!

ยฉ2009, 2023 Gregory N. Brown

Grand Canyon by “Flying Carpet”

Hey, Fellow Pilots: Can you believe we get to do this??!!

Relive ‘Grand Canyon by โ€œFlying Carpetโ€’

“Ghost of Christmas Flights Past,” your Audio Holiday Card from Greg’s Flying Carpet Podcast

Ride along with renowned aviator, writer, and photographer Greg Brown in his light airplane, the Flying Carpet, as he searches behind clouds for the real America, experiencing countless aerial adventures along the way.


Listen to “Ghost of Christmas Flights Past”

It’s been a mighty tough year, between pandemic, politics, and world problems, so from our family to yours, we hope this little audio card from the Flying Carpet might brighten your holiday season, whatever your heritage or faith. May the coming year mark happier times for all of us!

Greg & Jean

Music by Hannis Brown.

Find all of Greg’s Flying Carpet Podcast episodes here.


Subscribe here to be notified of Greg’s latest posts and podcasts!


Listen and subscribe via your favorite podcast directory:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsStitcherTuneInPocketCastsCastroPodchaserPodcast AddictDeezerListen NotesRSSiHeartRadioPandoraAmazon Music

About Greg

A former National Flight Instructor of the Year, Greg is author of five books, a former Barnes & Noble Arizona Author of the Month, and recently completed twenty years as aviation adventure columnist for AOPA’s Flight Training magazine. Some reviewers have compared his book, “Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane,” to sixties road-trip classics like “On the Road,” and “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

โ€œGreg thinks with the mind of a pilot, questions with the curiosity of a philosopher, and sees with the eyes of a poet.โ€ — Rod Machado, aviation author and humorist

“You don’t have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in [his] Flying Carpet.” — Nina Bell Allen, former Assistant Managing Editor, Readers Digest

So buckle in and join Greg for the ride!


Please support Gregโ€™sย Flying Carpetย Podcast, Blog, &ย Student Pilot Pep Talkย Facebook Group!

Make a one-time donation, or better yet, subscribe your ongoing support. Thank you! Greg


If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love Greg’s book, Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane. Autographed copies available!


Greg’s Aviation Books, Fine Art Aerial Photo Prints, and Pilot Achievement Plaques!


Greg’s Aviation Books

Greg’s “Views from the Flying Carpet” Aerial Fine Art Prints

Greg’s Pilot Achievement Plaques


Download “The Savvy Flight Instructor 2nd Edition” e-book!

The Savvy Flight Instructor โ€“ Secrets of the Successful CFI

My book, The Savvy Flight Instructor, has long been the go-to classic for how to succeed in the flight training business. The current Second Edition, introduced in 2016, contains everything a CFI or flight school needs to know about motivating flight students, keeping them flying to earn their ratings, marketing flight training services using modern social media methods, and succeeding financially in this sometimes challenging business. (See more details below.)

The Savvy Flight Instructor 2nd Edition (along with most of my books) is instantly downloadable in multiple ebook formats, including from ASA, Amazon Kindle, and Apple iBook. I mention this both for convenience, and because the publisher has suspended stocking the print edition. However, this popular text will continue to be available in ebook formats.

Be sure to download the up-to-date 2nd Edition with clouds on the cover, which is vastly expanded from the original 1998 edition.

Thanks to all, for your many years of continuing support for this and my other books!

Greg


The Savvy Flight Instructor 2nd Edition

Youโ€™ve mastered the CFI study materials, passed your toughest-ever oral exam, and can now talk and fly simultaneously from the right seat. You can write lesson plans, enter mysterious logbook endorsements, and explain the details of a lazy eight. Thatโ€™s all you need to know to flight instructโ€ฆor is it?

THE SAVVY FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR; Secrets of the Successful CFI! is designed to help with all those โ€œotherโ€ flight instructing questions, like how to recruit new flight students and keep them flying, conduct successful intro lessons, and optimize your studentsโ€™ checkride pass rates.

New in the current 2nd Edition

This 2nd Edition edition adds 20 years of additional knowhow to the networking, pilot training, and customer support concepts that made the original edition required CFI reading, plus lots of important new material you wonโ€™t want to miss.

A dedicated section for aspiring flight instructors explains why and how to become a CFI, and how to get hired.

Instructors at all levels will learn how to sell todayโ€™s pilot prospects via online marketing and social media, and how to outsell competing activities beckoning from a finger-touch or mouse-click away.

Seasoned flight instructors and flight school managers will learn how to systematize customer success and satisfaction, price and structure their services to fit todayโ€™s markets, and implement flight instructor professionalism.

The “finer points” from industry experts: Learn how todayโ€™s flight training innovators promote their services and serve their customers in Heather Baldwinโ€™s case-studies chapter. Discover how flight school owner and marketing guru Dorothy Schick crafts customer service policies to put clients first. Longtime DPE Jason Blair shares insights on checkrides and CFI specialization opportunities.

Ever wonder how the big private and collegiate fight academies operate so efficiently? Then donโ€™t miss Ben Eichelbergerโ€™s flight training standardization chapter. And no one’s better qualified to project future flight training trends than renowned aviation writer and editor Ian Twombly.

In short, this book shows how to use your instructing activities to surpass student expectations, achieve business success, promote general aviation, and advance your personal flying career all at once. (Peek inside the book, here.)

DOWNLOAD YOUR E-BOOK NOW from ASA, Amazon Kindle, and Apple iBook!

ยฉ2021 Gregory N. Brown

Designing “tomorrow’s” electronic flight displaysโ€ฆ back in 1976!

Ever wonder how today’s incredible digital flight displays and simulators developed?

Well as a relatively new private pilot back in 1975, I was enlisted to participate in a new-technology experiment to test the feasibility of using electronic flight displays for instrument flight and training.

The technology of the day allowed me to “fly” a simulator employing an ~8″ CRT (read “old-TV set”) driven by a roomful of computers delivering half a dozen moving lines to convey flight data.

I was intrigued by the experience, and as a University of Illinois Industrial Design grad student, applied to my grad committee to participate as a display designer on the project, which was being conducted by U of I’s Aviation Research Lab (ARL) under US Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsorship.

My assignment was to address symbology and human factors design for some future time when computers became compact and powerful enough to drive more sophisticated displays like today’s.

Well yesterday I came upon my following 1976 presentation slides from that project, which I predict you’ll find interesting. (Click the first image to see it full-size, and then advance using the left-right arrows.)

Let me know what you think!

Greg

PS: That simulator pilot appears to be my fellow grad student, Bruce Artwick. You may be familiar with a personal side-project he was working on at the time, now known as MS Flight Simulator!

“Share Your Gift of Flight!” Greg Brown’s Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet Podcast #19

Ride along with renowned aviator, writer, and photographer Greg Brown in his light airplane, the Flying Carpet, as he searches behind clouds for the real America, experiencing countless aerial adventures along the way.

!

Pilot tips and tricks for introducing family and friends to general aviation flying. (Including some hysterical stories about how NOT to do it!)

This episode addresses tips and tricks for treating your family and friends to their critical first airplane ride, to ensure that they enjoy the experience and want to fly with you again. 

Heads up that this is a live recording of a talk given at AirVenture (Oshkosh) several years ago, meaning audio quality is somewhat variable. But if youโ€™ll stick with me I promise some great tips, along with some fun stories pilots at every experience level will appreciate.

Okay, everyone, hop aboard my Flying Carpet, snug up your seatbelts, and prepare for takeoff on todayโ€™s adventure, โ€œShare your Gift of Flight!โ€

Greg

Podcast Music by Hannis Brown.


Find all Gregโ€™s Flying Carpet Podcast episodes here!


Subscribe here to be notified of Greg’s latest posts, podcasts, and photos!


Listen and subscribe via your favorite podcast sources:

Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsStitcherTuneInPocketCastsCastroPodchaserPodcast AddictDeezerListen NotesRSSiHeartRadioPandoraAmazon Music

About Greg

A former National Flight Instructor of the Year, Greg is author of five books, a former Barnes & Noble Arizona Author of the Month, and recently completed twenty years as aviation adventure columnist for AOPA’s Flight Training magazine. Some reviewers have compared his book, “Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane,” to sixties road-trip classics like “On the Road,” and “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

โ€œGreg thinks with the mind of a pilot, questions with the curiosity of a philosopher, and sees with the eyes of a poet.โ€ — Rod Machado, aviation author and humorist

“You don’t have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in [his] Flying Carpet.” — Nina Bell Allen, former Assistant Managing Editor, Readers Digest

So buckle in and join Greg for the ride!



Please support Gregโ€™sย Flying Carpetย Podcast, Blog, &ย Student Pilot Pep Talkย Facebook Group!

Make a one-time donation, or better yet, subscribe your ongoing support. Thank you! Greg


If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love Greg’s book, Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane. Autographed copies available!


Greg Brown inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame

We piloted our Flying Carpet to the 2021 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention in Las Vegas this week, for my induction into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. (See Greg’s Hall of Fame credentials.)

Kudos to John Niehaus and the National Association of Flight Instructors for coordinating the judging and execution of this national award. And what an honor to be inducted alongside legendary flight instructors John and Martha King.

Special thanks to my longtime friend, airline Captain Christopher Sis, who nominated me to the Hall of Fame. (Read my 1999 column about how Chris first nominated me as a 16-year-old!)

Thanks also to my friends who provided reference letters and videos supporting me for this honor, and to those who posted messages of support on my web page, which I shared with the judging committee.

Finally, I appreciate your many congratulatory messages! 

Greg


ORDERย The Savvy Flight Instructor 2nd Edition eBookย viaย ASA,ย Amazon Kindle,ย Apple iBookย or your favoriteย pilot supply source.