The Future in Flight Podcast
Podcast Description
Ready to explore the skies and unlock your potential in aviation? The Future in Flight Podcast is your go-to weekly show for inspiration, education, and empowerment. Produced by Creative Relay Media and AviNation USA, this engaging podcast connects young adults, teens, and their families with the tools and insights they need to pursue fulfilling aviation careers and hobbies.
Each episode features captivating stories, expert interviews, and practical advice, blending family-friendly entertainment with cutting-edge industry insights. From highlighting young achievers to diving into the latest aviation technology, The Future in Flight Podcast is your roadmap to discovering the endless possibilities in the world of flight.
Whether you’re dreaming of becoming a pilot, exploring aerospace engineering, or simply curious about the aviation industry, this podcast equips you to take off toward your goals. Subscribe now and join a growing community of future aviators ready to soar to new heights!
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast features a variety of themes centered around aviation, such as individual journeys into the field, technological advancements, and environmental issues. Episodes delve into topics like sustainable aviation, as seen in discussions about hydrogen propulsion, and personal narratives like those of former military personnel transitioning into aviation careers, such as Mike Salmon's story in the premier episode.
Ready to explore the skies and unlock your potential in aviation? The Future in Flight Podcast is your go-to weekly show for inspiration, education, and empowerment. Produced by Creative Relay Media and AviNation USA, this engaging podcast connects young adults, teens, and their families with the tools and insights they need to pursue fulfilling aviation careers and hobbies.
Each episode features captivating stories, expert interviews, and practical advice, blending family-friendly entertainment with cutting-edge industry insights. From highlighting young achievers to diving into the latest aviation technology, The Future in Flight Podcast is your roadmap to discovering the endless possibilities in the world of flight.
Whether you’re dreaming of becoming a pilot, exploring aerospace engineering, or simply curious about the aviation industry, this podcast equips you to take off toward your goals. Subscribe now and join a growing community of future aviators ready to soar to new heights!
Summary
Helicopters aren’t supposed to fly upside down, but Aaron Fitzgerald flies one that way for a living. In this Story Stop episode from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Shawn visits the Lightspeed Aviation booth. Aaron, the Red Bull helicopter pilot, talks about sharing the aerobatic box with aviation legends, why airshow crowds matter, and the juggling skills he learned from his grade-school PE teacher. Lightspeed’s Eric Landry and Sarah Allen explain how ten thousand conversations a week become better headsets and stronger connections across the aviation community.
Then the show heads to Tecnam. We get a first look at the Rivale, a new airplane whose cowling opens like the hood of a sports car. Lesley Poberezny, granddaughter of EAA’s founder, explains why Oshkosh feels like a family reunion. And Pilot Doma Andreka tells the story of the Runway to Oshkosh: ten airplanes crossing the country together, a P-38 pilot named Bill, and the moment Bill found his flock.
Key Points
- Flying with ghosts: Every AirVenture performer flies in the same aerobatic box once flown by legends like Bob Hoover, and Aaron Fitzgerald doesn’t take that lightly.
- The only one right now: Aaron says he’s currently the only pilot flying helicopter aerobatics at U.S. airshows. Even after years of practice, it’s “not quite second nature.”
- Airshows plant the seed: Most pilots went to airshows as kids. Aaron sees the public-facing side of aviation as the place where the next generation gets inspired.
- Juggling for focus: Aaron learned to juggle from Mr. Zorn, his grade-school PE teacher. It’s a relaxing skill that also trains multitasking.
- Quiet cockpits are safer cockpits: Cockpit noise causes fatigue, and tired pilots miss things. Active noise reduction helps pilots hear the tower clearly and make better decisions.
- A headset that tunes itself to you: Lightspeed built a 12-frequency hearing test into its app. It saves a custom profile to the headset and helps keep pilots with hearing loss in the air.
- Connecting the dots: Sarah Allen’s approach to finding pilot stories is friendly persistence. She then builds a “Venn diagram” of people who support each other and the next generation.
- The Rivale reveal: Tecnam showed the front end of its new Rivale: a cowling that opens like a car hood, a Continental CD-300 engine and a custom MT propeller.
- Family-built airplanes: Tecnam’s family story goes back more than 80 years in Italy, and the company is still family-run, with a pilot-first approach to design.
- You don’t need a certificate to belong: Lesley Poberezny isn’t a pilot, yet she’s been part of Oshkosh since before she was born. Her grandfather’s philosophy was simple: turn every friend into family.
- Find your flock: Doma, a first-generation pilot, ferried a Tecnam across the North Atlantic in December. He also led ten airplanes on the Runway to Oshkosh, where a 2/3-scale P-38 pilot named Bill found the confidence to join his fellow warbird pilots.
Timestamps
Time
Segment
00:07
Meet Aaron Fitzgerald and the helicopter that flies upside down
01:35
“I didn’t invent any of this”: the only U.S. helicopter aerobatic airshow pilot
03:20
Aaron’s hidden talent: juggling, courtesy of Mr. Zorn
04:58
Eric Landry on 10,000 conversations and a headset that gives you a hearing test
07:04
Sarah Allen on finding pilot stories and connecting the dots
~09:20
Story Stop #2: Tecnam, plus a yellow-dot landing at Oshkosh (approximate, confirm in edit)
12:14
The Rivale reveal: an airplane you open like a sports car
14:35
Lesley Poberezny: almost born at Oshkosh
17:12
Pilot Doma: 45 hours over the North Atlantic in December
18:28
Bill and his P-38: “I found my flock”
Links
Hear the full interviews
- AviNation YouTube channel, for complete Story Stop interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@AviNationUSA
Our Story Stop hosts and guests
- Lightspeed Aviation: https://www.lightspeedaviation.com
- Aaron Fitzgerald, Red Bull athlete page: https://www.redbull.com/us-en/athlete/aaron-fitzgerald
- Tecnam: https://www.tecnam.com
- Tecnam Rivale reveal coverage (General Aviation News): https://generalaviationnews.com/2026/07/24/tecnam-unveils-rivale/
- Pilot Doma: @Pilot.Doma
More aviation
- EAA AirVenture Oshkosh: https://www.eaa.org/airventure
- AviNation USA Magazine: https://www.avinationusa.com/
Follow the show
- Subscribe to The Future in Flight Podcast wherever you listen and leave us a review!
Disclaimer
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