Podcasts about captain mike swanigan

Captain Mike Swanigan tells us the story of the most memorable trip of his career.  In June of 1991, Alaska Airlines started service from Anchorage, Alaska to the former USSR (Russia) flying a specially-equipped Boeing 727-200.  Mike was selected to be on the crew of the inaugural flight, and he learned that flying in the former Soviet Union (Russia) presented some unique challenges.

Mike Swanigan is his own guest on Talking Flight. His longtime friend, Tom Clark, interviews him on this podcast. Tom is a veteran broadcaster and he is the voice on the intro to Talking Flight. He is presently serving as the Commissioner of the South Carolina Film Commission. Mike tells us how his aviation dream was almost derailed when he was a 16-year-old High School Student, and how he overcame many obstacles in his quest to become an airline pilot.

Captain Mike Swanigan talks about how he helped his Niece get through a stressful day. He would sometimes use the same strategy near the end of a long day of flying.

In this episode, Captain Mike Swanigan describes his entry into to flight training and how he began his amazing career at Alaska Airlines. Mike discusses the challenges of not only having a challenging first solo course, but also with his not-so-straight-forward entry into Air Force flight training. He talks about how he was able to achieve his goals by not giving up and building relationships within the aviation community. Mike also discusses the lessons he learned from his pilot mentors, as well as the lessons he was able to pass on those the trained. He reflects on the ‘day he grew up as a captain’ and ‘what’s right versus whose right’. Mike flew on all crew positions on the Boeing 727 and 737 respectively. Mike also runs an aviation Podcast called 'Talking Flight'

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Mary Kesselring joins Captain Mike Swanigan to tell our audience about her 34-year career with the Airline. Mary grew up in an Airline family. Her dad was a Veteran Captain and Check Airman for United Airlines. He Mom was a former "Stewardess" (that is what they were called at the time) for United. When she was in College, the realization came that she was about to reach the age where she would lose the travel benefits from her Dad's employment at United Airlines. Mary decided to solve that problem by entering the airline career field and began applying for Flight Attendant positions at United Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Alaska hired her, and the rest was history.  This interview is a wide-ranging discussion about Mary's journey and the rewards and difficulties of being in the Flight Attendant field.

Captain Mike Swanigan sits down with Captain Carlos Zendejas to talk about his life and his career. Carlos moved to the Untied States from Mexico with his family when he was a 5th grader. Spanish was his first language,but he found out by accident that he could speak and read english. Their new home was in the traffic pattern of Laughlin AFB Texas, and he was amazed by the T-37 jets flying over him. He decided then and there that he was going to figure out a way to fly them. In this podcast, Carlos tells us about the hard work that it took for him to get through USAF Pilot Training, and what it was like to be the Aircraft Commander on KC-10 refueling mission.  Carlos inherited his parents amazing work ethic and applied it to all areas of his life. Carlos is now one of the Seattle Base Chief Pilots for Alaska Airlines. He serves the 1000 Alaska Airlines pilots based in Seattle Washington. We get an inside look at what it takes to keep an airline operation running smoothly and safely. I came away from this interview inspired and amazed by this amazing person.  

It is just Captain Mike Swanigan on today's episode. He offers some training tips to help the beginning pilot. This Podcast is a close cousin to Ace Your Next Check Ride. That program was designed to help the advanced aviator get through military or airline training. This Podcast is designed to help newer pilots ease the learning process, and to advance through their beginning flight lessons at a faster rate. Mike's theory is that you can learn some of the hardest parts on the ground while "chair flying". We hope that our brnad new pilots will find this podcast to be helpful

Captain Mike Swanigan visits with his boss, Alaska Airlines Chief Pilot, Captain John Hornibrook. They have a great conversation about John's aviation journey, and what it takes to become a pilot for Alaska Airlines. John shares his adventures as a young pilot flying for Great Lakes Aviation in the upper midwest of the USA. We learn about the people who mentored John, and we talk about the importance of relationships in aviation.  

Captain Mike Swanigan interviews Alaska Airlines Flight Simulator Engineer DeMarco Best about his journey into the world of Flight Simulation. It all began on a 6th grade field trip to the JFK airport in New York. Demarco tells us what he had to do to overcome his initial difficulties in getting through the challenging USAF training environment.  Later, they talk about the upcoming shortage of Simulator Engineers and Simulator Technicians. "In Technology, you have to keep learning, or you will be left behind." DeMarco Best.