On Centerline

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• Proposed Changes to the CFII Check Ride 25.06.2026 31Min.

  The CFI-I check ride is designed to ensure flight instructors can safely and effectively teach instrument flying—but does the current practical test truly evaluate the skills that matter most in today's training environment? In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, I share my personal proposals for how the CFI-I check ride could be improved. We’ll discuss areas where the current evaluation process may fall short, skills that deserve greater emphasis, and potential changes that could bett...
• 5 Signs of a Professional Pilot 11.06.2026 21Min.

  What separates a professional pilot from everyone else? It’s often not the big things—it’s the small habits and skills that consistently show up in every phase of flight. In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, we discuss five telltale signs of a true professional pilot: disciplined brake usage, smooth aircraft control, exceptional situational awareness, clear and concise radio communications, and precise airspeed management. Whether you're a student pilot working toward your first cert...
• The Importance of Takeoff Briefings 30.05.2026 25Min.

  Before every takeoff, pilots brief engine failures, abort points, runway lengths, terrain, weather, and emergency plans… or at least they should. In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, we dive into the often-overlooked art of the takeoff briefing and why so many pilots either skip it entirely or reduce it to a rushed, meaningless routine. We discuss what actually makes a takeoff briefing effective, how different conditions should change the briefing, and why a one-size-fits-all script ...
• 360s in the PATTERN! 16.05.2026 25Min.

  The airport traffic pattern is one of the highest-risk environments in aviation for mid-air collisions — and non-standard maneuvering is often a major factor. In this episode of the On Centerline Podcast, we break down the dangers of performing 360° turns in the traffic pattern, especially at uncontrolled airports, and explain why these maneuvers can quickly create confusion, blind spots, and collision hazards for everyone in the pattern. We’ll discuss why 360s should never be used as a spaci...
• Additional Pilot Training (and the endorsements you'll need) 02.05.2026 40Min.

  A good pilot is always learning! These are words I live by and that's why today we will be discussing additional training you may want or NEED as you go through your aviation career! For you flight instructors out there, there will be times you will have well established and accomplished pilots come to you for additional training, and you will need to know how to best structure their training and how to properly log and endorse their logbooks. Today we discuss the experience and endorsements ...
• Do you need a medical to fly? 18.04.2026 26Min.

  With the passage of MOSAIC things have changed in a dramatic way in the world of aviation when it comes to medicals and the privileges of all pilots when it comes to not having a medical! Today we discuss these changes and talk about all the things you can do WITHOUT a medical! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut Instagram: @northwest_aeronau...
• Multi-Engine Ground School Part 3: Performance and Limitations 04.04.2026 34Min.

  Multi-Engine flying is some of the most fun and rewarding flying you can do! As multi-engine pilots it's critical to understand the performance capabilities and limitations of our aircraft. Today we discuss the performance and limitations a multi-engine aircraft and how they can differ from single-engine aircraft! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwesta...
• Multi-Engine Ground School Part 2! - VMC 21.03.2026 34Min.

  Multi-Engine flying is some of the most fun and rewarding flying you can do! As multi-engine pilots there are some key aerodynamic principles we need to understand and be proficient with handling. Today we discuss Vmc and the perils of flying on a single engine in a multi-engine aircraft! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut Instagram: @northwest...
• Multi-Engine Ground School - Aerodynamics and the Critical Engine 07.03.2026 27Min.

  Multi-Engine flying is some of the most fun and rewarding flying you can do! As multi-engine pilots there are some key aerodynamic principles we need to understand and be proficient with handling. Today we discuss the aerodynamics involved with the critical engine in our first installment of our multi-engine ground school! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/n...
• GPS Is Making Us Dumb! 21.02.2026 29Min.

  As with everything in aviation, there are no human instincts that come into play or naturally inherited traits. Flying is something that is completely foreign to human beings so everything we do in an airplane is a LEARNED trait. Unfortunately we don't always teach, or get taught the right things the right way, and these days pilots are not being taught to LOOK OUTSIDE. With the advent of GPS, ADSB and all the other pretty things we have on digital displays these days, pilots are being taught...
• Assessments - How instructors learn to teach! 07.02.2026 20Min.

  Learning to be an effective flight instructor can be TOUGH. They say the best way to learn something is to TEACH it and that is what proper assessments can help us to do! Today we discuss the different kinds of assessments and how we as flight instructors can actually use our own students to teach us to be better educators! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/nor...
• Do you know the THREE types of weather reports? 23.12.2025 18Min.

  If there is one thing all pilots struggle with UNIVERSALLY, it's WEATHER! Today we discuss the THREE types of weather reports available to us, and try to gain a better understanding of how to compare and contrast these reports to one another to gain the most vivid picture of what the weather is doing for a given flight. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/n...
• How to train a Helicopter Pilot - Advanced Endorsements 13.09.2025 29Min.

  As a flight instructor not everyone you will be working with are student pilots. There will be times you will have well established and accomplished pilots come to you for additional training, and you will need to know how to best structure their training and how to properly qualify them for their check ride. Today we discuss the experience and endorsements required to train an established helicopter flight instructor for their single-engine airplane add-on. Send us Fan Mail Support the...
• Endorsements for Student Pilots 06.09.2025 49Min.

  Learning to be an effective flight instructor is hard enough for most people as it is. Add to that all the regulatory requirements and record keeping you have to do and it can become overwhelming for many people! Endorsements are typically one of the things new flight instructors struggle the most with when it comes to the "paperwork" side of being an instructor, and they can also have some of the most severe consequences if you get them wrong! Today we discuss the endorsements needed to get ...
• Certificates VS. Ratings - What's the Difference!? 30.08.2025 18Min.

  In aviation, communication is critical for safety. Being sloppy with our words can have unintended consequences that can lead to accidents and incidents. So it's imperative we are always using the right words to refer to the right things at the right times. When it comes to the difference between a pilot certificate and a pilot rating, we may not be talking about life and death, but nonetheless we should not only know the difference between the two, but we should be using these terms properly...
• CFI Intervention! HOW and WHEN to take control! 23.08.2025 18Min.

  Knowing HOW and WHEN to intervene as a flight instructor is one of the hardest things for new CFIs to learn and even harder for any CFI to master. Today we discuss the different types of intervention we can utilize and when we should utilize them. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut Instagram: @northwest_aeronaut TikTok: nw_aeronaut Websit...
• Pass your ATP Oral Exam - ACS Breakdown - Aircraft Systems 26.07.2025 58Min.

  The ATP check ride is a little different than most other check rides, yet the way we study for it is exactly the same! Join me as I do my own self-study, going through the ATP ACS one line item at a time as I prepare for my own ATP check ride! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut Instagram: @northwest_aeronaut TikTok: nw_aeronaut Website: www.nor...
• I MESSED UP! - DON'T make this MISTAKE! 12.07.2025 23Min.

  I did the one thing I swore to myself that I would NEVER do. . . I sent a student to a check ride who wasn't qualified and they got turned away. Anyone who knows me knows I am always extremely diligent and will go the extra mile to make sure my students are knowledgable and prepared before they go to any check ride. However, I am still human (I guess) and therefore I am susceptible to mistakes at times. Today I discuss one of the biggest mistakes I've made in recent memory. This mistake...
• The "5 Ts" of Instrument Flying 05.07.2025 8Min.

  Staying ahead of the airplane during an instrument flight is not only one of the most critical things for a pilot to do, but can also be one of the hardest things - especially for new instrument pilots. Today we discuss a tool that can assist you with staying ahead of the plane and avoid missing critical events during an instrument flight. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtub...
• Passenger Vs. Crew Safety Briefings - How to brief passengers on an airplane 28.06.2025 13Min.

  Proper safety briefings before flight are not only required by the regulations, but imperative for the safety of everyone on board and the general flying public. Today we discuss how we should be differentiate between briefings for passengers vs. briefings for other pilots. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Receive early access to all episodes and support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182804/support Youtube: www.youtube.com/northwestaeronaut Instagram: @northwest_aeronaut TikTo...