EP149 - Information Whiskey: Why Does This Plane Smell Like Grandpa?

It's Information Whiskey time - the crew's monthly no-format format where they "chew the fat" and see what happens. Brian accidentally became a Cherokee salesman at an air show ("I turn around, there's basically a queue forming"), Ben's on a night-flying mission to 1,500 hours, and Ted's been landing on Oregon beaches and flying 4,000 feet in ground effect. The guys also get serious about planning the Spring 2026 fly-in. In this episode: Brian's weekend: Muscle Shoals barbecue diplomacy ("if you come back with barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs...that goes a long way"), becoming an unwitting static display, and escaping a TFR with one minute to spare The accidental GA ambassador: helping kids sit in the plane until "I realized this is not good" Ben's race to 100 hours of night time: "Turn on your lights. If you don't like it, turn your lights back off" Ted gives midlife eagle flights, lands at Boeing Field, and masters the art of the 4,000-foot ground effect taxi Ryan K's thoughtful case for returning to Tango 82 for the spring fly-in Flying wisdom: "Night IFR is one of the best arguments for a parachute system" "Learning to fly: horizon is steady, but your confidence isn't" On night engine failures: "Choose a place to land, turn on your lights. If you don't like it, turn your lights back off" Important announcement: If you have fly-in location suggestions, send them NOW. Brian's sounding the alarm. Mentioned on the Show: Bunyan's Barbecue - Muscle Shoals, AL (MSL) Luke's Landing: Flying to the Best Hot Dog - Luke's video about Bunyan's 2I0 Madisonville Airport - Wings Over Western Kentucky location Wings Over Western Kentucky Air Show Music City STOL - Oct 10-11, XNX Gallatin, TN T82 - Gillespie County Airport - Fredericksburg, TX Hangar Hotel at T82 - Previous fly-in location Kentucky Lake/Lake Cumberland Regional Airport - Potential fly-in location 2I3 Rough River Airport - Kentucky fly-in option Blue Grass Airport (LEX) - Lexington, Kentucky option Cali Beach (S16) - Oregon coast beach landing strip CheckMate Aviation - Barry's checklist company (1 year anniversary!) MyAeroGlass - Tim/Banjo Pilot's METAR displays Gilbert Aviation - Erica Gilbert's IFR training FAA Color Vision Testing Flowchart - Recent changes discussed Freedom Aviation Network - Anti-human trafficking efforts Support the Show: Join the Patreon community for Discord access, exclusive content, and check ride debriefs: Patreon.com/MidlifePilotPodcast Visit MidlifePilotPodcast.com for merch, feedback, and discount codes URGENT: Send fly-in location suggestions to midlifepilotpodcast@gmail.com Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe and catch us live most Monday nights at 8 PM ET: youtube.com/@midlifepilotpodcast 10% of Patreon proceeds support Freedom Aviation Network's anti-human trafficking efforts