Aviation News Recap
Dan Millican & Christy Wong 79 episodes Oct 28, 2026
Dan Millican and Christy Wong, along with Baylee Ward, discuss all aspects of aviation, including air disasters, plane crashes, flying techniques, and training. The podcast aims to help listeners become better pilots and better people.
Episodes
Pilots Can Adapt or Die
As a pilot gains experience, they are faced with choices. They can keep thinking they’re invulnerable, super pilots who can do no wrong, or they begin to have a better view of the reality. If you don’t adapt, you can easily die in this high risk industry. Dan and Chelsea talk about the ways they’ve changed as pilots as they’ve gained more experience.
Flutter: The Early Killer
Flutter is one of aviation’s most dangerous aerodynamic problems—and in the early days of flight, pilots and engineers learned about it the hard way. In this episode of In The Hangar, Dan Millican sits down with A&P/IA Chelsea Smith to talk about control surface flutter: what causes it, why it can become destructive so quickly, and how decades of engineering and hard-earned lessons have helpe
Is Rotax Better Than a Turbine
In this episode of the In The Hanger Podcast Dan and Chelsea discuss is Rotax is better than a Turbine .
WORST Flight Ever?
What was your WORST Flight ever? What was your best? Dan and Chelsea look through their logbooks to talk about the best and worst flight they done.
Meet Chelsea!
Has Chelsea Smith’s last name changed yet? Why did she become an aircraft mechanic? Dan introduces Chelsea to the In The Hangar audience to get to know her.
Air India 171 Report Deadline & Other Aviation News
India’s AAIB is supposed to release the report on the tragic Air India 171 crash by June 12. A month ago they were on schedule. Now they’re saying they won’t have the final in time. Also, a helicopter crash kills a new groom and the pilot and seriously injures the bride. A Lufthansa 787 has a nose gear collapse in Frankfurt. The NTSB still has some docket cases down. And Dan Fordice dies in a
Why Are the Victims Suing the UPS MD-11 Pilots? & More Aviation News
In this weekly aviation news recap podcast, Dan discuss the fail at the Sydney drone show, the removal from the boarding area of a family with a 13 year old Tourettes son, the crash of a WWI triplane replica Fokker in Texas, the collision between the paraglider and the Cessna in Austria, the attempted hijacking of a United flight in the US, and an explanation as to why victims families would sue
United Whistleblower Fired? Why the NTSB Docket System Disappeared & More
Aviation news for the week. The NTSB holds a two day hearing on the UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville– what we learned from it. A United captain was fired for allegedly whistleblowing. A Minnesota man claims that crows was what he was shooting at, not aerial firefighting airplane. A sinkhole closes a runway at LaGuardia. Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter in Air France 447 crash
Dramatic Sea Rescue! Passengers to Sue Denver Airport & MoreDramatic Sea Rescue! Passengers to Sue Denver Airport & More
Weekly aviation news recap– Fedex has returned the MD-11’s to service after the tragedy in Louisville last fall. United CEO Scott Kirby in the news again, this time for flying American Airlines. Sporty’s founder Hal Shevers passes away. 11 People rescued after their KingAir 300 lost engines and avionics and ditched in the Atlantic. FAA has announced initiative to h
#74 Nothing the Pilots Could Do
Dan and Christy discuss the crash of Air Midwest 5481 that took 21 lives on January 8, 2003 at Charlotte International Airport. And now another 1900D has crashed in South Sudan just a few weeks ago.
#73 Christy Changes Jobs?
Dan and Christy talk about new career opportunities for her as an airline pilot, and also what the lifestyle is like working flying the big jets.
#72 Talking Behind the Scenes of In The Hangar
Dan and Christy pull the veil back on what it’s like to film the studio talk show “In The Hangar” and recall their favorite moments so far. Season 9 to record on March 7-8 2025.
#71 Mike and Mark Patey – Origin Story
: From the Archive, Dan and Christy, in the early months of Covid were able to meet Mike and Mark Patey for the first time and talk to them about how they got started.
#70 Will FAA Medical Changes Impact You?
FAA is implementing a couple new changes to the airman medical certificate, including different procedures for testing color blindness and classification of medicals that are deferred to the FAA for guidance. Dan talks with Aviation medical Examiner Dr. Drew Sambell to talk about the changes and other medical questions.
#69 VFR Flight Plans
Dan and Christy talk about VFR Flight Plans and why they’re hardly used for today’s General Aviation pilot in the US.
#68 How Being a Pilot Impacts Daily Life
Merry Christmas from the TakingOff Team! Bryan Turn of JustPlaneSilly joins Dan and Christy to talk about how becoming a pilot has changed no pilot things in everyday life.
#67 Christy Can’t Fly
Dan and Christy talk updates in their lives, including what took Christy off flight status for a month and how you can teach an old dog new tricks as Dan learns something new and challenging in aviation.
#66 Clemente
Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals is announced as the 3034 Roberto Clemente Award Winner. We go back to 1972 and examine the plane crash that took the life of MLB Great Roberto Clemente. The Roberto Clemente Award is given to the MLB player that best represents the game through Character, Community Involvement, and Contributions.
#65 Did You Know THIS Person Is A Pilot
Dan and Christy talk about the list of celebrity pilots, beyond the very commonly known ones, there are quite a few you might be surprised to learn are pilots. How many did you know? And yes, we left out Alton Brown and several others.
#64 These Pilots Died UPSIDE DOWN
From the In The Hangar archives, Dan and Christy interview DPE Joe Casey about the physiology of Spatial Disorientation and how easy it is for a person to get upside down and never realize it. The condition has led to many airplane crashes, notably Kobe Bryant’s helicopter pilot and more recently the crash of a Kingair off Maui in December of 2022.
Watch on YouTube – https://www.youtube
#63 Safe to Drive Than Fly?
Dan and Christy sort through the data to determine if it is indeed safer to fly versus drive. To come to the correct conclusion, you must separate commercial airline travel from General Aviation. The data comes from the McSpadden Report and an article done by the Pilot Institute: https://pilotinstitute.com/is-flying-safer-than-driving/
#62 Garmin vs Everyone Else
Garmin or Aspen/Genesys? Dan and Christy talk about whats new, including upgrades to avionics in both of their planes and Dan’s upcoming helicopter training.
#61 Tribe STOLE His Plane
William LeBaron recounts his story of landing on an airstrip owned by a Tribe in Arizona.
LONG: Dan talks with William LeBaron about his experience landing at a private airtrip on a Reservation in Arizona, believing he had permission. Even after getting second permission, the Tribe’s Fish and Game officials impounded his Mooney M-20 and threatened to take it apart to move it.
#60 The Most AMAZING Plane Crash Survival Story
Dan Bass, a single pilot on a small plane, passed out because of carbon monoxide poisoning while flying. He awoke crashed in a snowy field. His story is riveting. Dan and Christy talked to him first in studio, then got an update on location at EAA Airventure. This podcast combines both interviews.
#59 Why Did This ATR Crash?
With the recent Brazil crash of an ATR-72, Dan and Christy look back to 1994 and discuss the American Eagle Flight 4184 that crashed near Chicago on Halloween. The plane had been put into a hold in icing that overran the plane’s anti-icing ability and affected the airflow over the control surfaces.
#58 Joey Johnson DPE
Is the DPE shortage getting worse? Designated Pilot Examiner and Major Airliner Line Check Airman Joey Johnson joins Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy for a talk about life as a DPE and as a Line Check Airman. Joey also talks about his non-profit foundation to help veterans transition into the aviation field.
#57 YouTuber’s CURIOUS Path To Airlines
Dan and Christy talk with Bryan Turn @JustPlaneSilly about his leaving the IT field and in his middle-age, making a career shift to airlines. But what is his path? What are his struggles? Is the Pilot Shortage over or did it even exist?
#56 Airventure Tips and WIN TICKETS
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk about EAA Airventure 2024 of what to see and what to do AND they have a pair of weeklong passes to give away. Just leave a comment below answering why you’re deserving. The team will read and vote on who receives them and announce it this Sunday evening (July 14th).
#55 EAA Airventure Tips
From the archive, one of the very first episodes of In The Hangar, Christy hosts some OshKosh veterans about their best advice for attending EAA Airventure whether you’re a first-timer or an experienced Osh-goer, something for everyone!
#54 Jump Debrief
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy sit down for a debrief of the much anticipated skydiving jump in honor of the 100,000 subscribers achievement. Did Christy freeze at the door? Did she pull the chute or did her instructor? Let’s find out what went right and what went wrong.
#53 Jump Preview
It’s T-Minus Two Days before the big jump. Two years ago, Dan and Kerry ambushed Christy on camera at Airventure and Christy declared she would jump when the channel hit 100K in subscribers. That has now happened and Christy is getting ready to depart a perfectly good airplane. How does she feel about? Let’s find out.
#52 Mike Patey and Cory Robin
Dan (@TakingoffDan) was heading out to do an exciting backcountry trip with aviation superstars Mike Patey (@MikePatey) and Cory Robin (@flycory) when they got the sad call– Two young men were missing out on Utah Lake and they were needed to conduct search and rescue. The two aviators have been volunteering for years to go out on Search and Rescue missions.
#51 Captain Upgrade
Christy has made the move from right seat, First Officer at Envoy to the left seat as Captain. She talks about the struggles and joys of making the move and how sim training and IOE went.
#50 Jimmy’s World
Jimmy, from Jimmy’s World chats with Dan and Christy about cars, planes and auctions.
#49 Is the FAA Out To Get Us?
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk with FAA Regional Administrator Rob Lowe about the FAA and how they work with pilots on issues of safety. They also take questions from a studio audience.
#48 Learn to Fly US when International
Learn to Fly US when International join Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotCHristy for this weeks Taking off podcast.
#47 Aviation Accidents / This Day in History
On this episode of The Taking Off Podcast, we talk to the creator of the Aviation Accidents / This Day in History Facebook page.
#46 Flying Clubs with Bryan Turner
From the ARCHIVES Flying Clubs with Bryan Turner
Are Flying Clubs a possible answer to the high cost of purchasing an airplane? How do Flying Clubs work? Bryan Turner from @JustPlaneSilly sits in the Host chair and asks the questions from two different Flight Club organizers, Christy Wong (@PilotChristy) of the Aerovalley Flying Club and Gary Larsen from the Nate Abel Flying Club. Visit Bryan&
#45 Taking Off… Weight UPDATED
Updated
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk about the struggles, victories and defeats in their battle with weight loss. In flying General Aviation, weight is an important issue on these airplanes, and besides the obvious of being more healthy, weight can make a difference in the cockpit
#44 Path to Pilot
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy play the game of posing certain situations for Christy to advise on best possible paths to become an airline pilot. If you would like Christy to possibly address your own situation, go to the YouTube page for this podcast and leave a comment with your scenario.
#43 Single vs Twin
Dan @TakingOffDan is joined by Joe Casey and Robert Johnson to investigate the theory that twin engines are better than one. Is it safer? Do two engines double what you can carry?
#42 In The Hangar Memories
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy reminisce about their favourite and most memorable episodes fo the aviation talk show “In The Hangar.”
#41 Secret to Patey’s Success
From the Archives, Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk to Chandra Patey and Suzy Patey about being married to aviation superstars Mike and Mark Patey. Captured on location at Stearman Field in Kansas.
#40 Crash of PSA 182
It was the deadliest US crash with the Boeing 727 collided with a small Cessna 172 in San Diego and resulted in some big changes in air travel and in the way air space is controlled. Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotCHristy talk about the crash the its aftermath.
#39 Jamaica
LONG: Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk about Christy’s extraordinary chance to be the first officer on an Envoy test flight to a Jamaica Airport that has never had an airliner land on it! Sounds like the perfect job for the Embraer E-175.
#38 State of the Channel
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy update the listeners to whats happening at the TakingOff Channel — and what’s going on in each others life.
#37 Small Airports
Small airports are the backbone of General Aviation, but what kind of obstacles and problems do they face? And are they dying? Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk with Sharlette Wright of the Cleburne Municipal Airport and Brad Stanford of the Dublin, Texas airport to learned more about what drives small airports in the United States.
#36 Christmas Pilots Podcast
Listen in as Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk about what life is like during the holidays for airline pilots.
#35 Christy’s 145 Video
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk about the back story on her Envoy E-145 video about the venerable regional jet’s last flight for Envoy and retirement to the desert. She takes a look at how groundbreaking the jet was.
Watch the YouTube video here
#34 Aviation Maintenance
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk with James Spearman of Spearman Aircraft to talk about the shortage of airplane mechanics for General Aviation and also the benefit of the electronic ignition.
#33 Aeroverse
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy sit down with Charles Cook, the founder of a new aviation video network, Aeroverse. The new network will have over 300 aviation titles covering everything flying from lighter than air to the trip to the moon.
#32 Why Christy Doesn’t Want Captain
LONG: Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk about what’s going on at the TakingOff YouTube chanel and Christy talks strategy as to why she’s delaying as long as possible the move to the Captains seat. Also, a new sponsor is testing out the channel to see if it would be a good partnership—so check out Abingdon Watches and use TakingOff for 10% off! https://abingdonco.com/?ref=takingoff
#31 Commercial Pilot
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk to Seth @CommercialPilotinCommand who is a Commercial Pilot in Florida and makes his living from his certificate. From ag flying to banner towing, there are a lot of jobs for pilots in which to make a living these days without necessarily going to the airlines.
#30 Lynyrd Skynyrd Crash
October 20, 1977, a Convair crashed while transporting the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt and 5 others were killed while 20 survived. Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk about the crash and what led to the plane going down.
#29 Second Acts
Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy, are joined by aviation funnyman Bryan Turner @JustPlaneSilly to talk about career changes, or “second acts.” Bryan has worked in IT all his adult life and is considering the change to becoming a professional pilot.
#28 Talking to ACT
Many pilots find it intimidating to talk over the radio with ATC. Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy talk with Center Controller Scott Pinkerton and Tower Controller Matt Wells about the issue and how best to communicate with ATC and get over the fear factor.
#27 thoughts on Richard McSpadden and other news
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk about the recent rash of general aviation crashes, including the gut punch of the Richard McSpadden accident in the Cardinal out of Lake Placid, NY. The two also talk about what’s coming next for the channel.
#26 Airline Pilot Schedule
The Pros and Cons of the Airline Pilot Schedule—Christy @PilotChristy talks to Dan @TakingOffDan about the good and the bad of the schedule airline pilots have to keep in order to get the job done, balancing work and home for the best possible mix.
#25 Gimli Glider
An Air Canada 767 experiences fuel exhaustion due to paperwork mistakes at over 40,000 feet. The airplane has to glide to a safe landing and the only place in reach is an old shut down military base that the first officer used to fly out of. Unfortunately, this day, it was being used for go-karts. The story of the Gimli Glider, with Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy)
#24 Multi DeBrief
AviatorAir in Grand Prairie, Texas, providing their Baron multi engine plane and instructor Reagan so that Dan Millican @TakingOffDan, Bryan Turner @JustPlaneSilly, and Colten Mortgage owner Brant Phillips could try a full immersive week of multi engine training culminating in their checkride. Starting late on Monday, with checkrides scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the trio couldn’t afford to
#23 FAA Out To Get Us
FAA Regional Administrator Rob Lowe joins Dan @TakingOffDan and Christy @PilotChristy for an indepth talk about the FAA and its role in General Aviation today. Is the FAA truly a kindler/gentler agency than in the past?
#22 All About Overhauls#22
From the Archives! The head engineer from Superior Cylinders joins A&P’s John Efinger and Bill Goebels to discuss airplane piston engine overhauls with Dan MIllican (@TakingOffDan).
#21 Taking Off… Weight
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk about the struggles, victories and defeats in their battle with weight loss. In flying General Aviation, weight is an important issue on these airplanes, and besides the obvious of being more healthy, weight can make a difference in the cockpit.
#20 Payne Stewart Crash
In 1999, famed golfer Payne Stewart was at the top of his game and third on the money list. He and his team boarded a Learjet 35 in Orlando, Florida for a flight to Dallas Love Field. On the climb, ATC lost communication with the jet and it continued to climb erratically before eventually running out of fuel over South Dakota. Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk about the crash a
#19 Osh Tips with Aviation101 Josh Flowers
Dan and Christy welcome via phone Josh Flowers from Aviation101 to talk about the best tips and tricks for arriving and enjoying EAA Airventure, held at Whitman Field in OshKosh, Wisconsin. If you’re flying in, make sure you read the NOTAM (NOTICE)! Josh’s video on flying in to OSH: https://youtu.be/rAvONg32TEg
#18 Ups & Downs of Airline Pilot Life
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) sit down for a conversation about the roller coaster life of an airline pilot. What can be so hard about a life of bus driving in the skies? Christy breaks down the lifestyle and the impact pilot life has on a person’s quality of living.
#17 Learn to Fly!
Dan Millican @TakingOffDan and Josh Minze, founder of Fort Worth Flight Schoolhttps://fortworthflightschool.com/ talk about first steps to learning how to fly. Fro taking thatdiscovery flight to trying to find the right instructor or school for you and the differencebetween FAA’s part 61 and part 141 flight training.
#16 Just Plane Silly Conversation with Bryan
Long: Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) call up their friend Bryan Turner (@JUstPlaneSilly) to talk about his videos and a discussion into his commercial pilot training. The group also discusses the upcoming EAA Airventure in OshKosh at the end of July.
#15 Q&A With Aviation101, Martin Pauly and Cory Robin
(@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) bring Josh Flowers (@Aviation101), Martin Pauly (@martinpauly) and Cory Robin (@FlyCory) onto the set of a live IN The Hangar to answer questions from the audience in studio and at home watching.
https://www.instagram.com/takingoffdan/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/pilotchristy/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKALXb2rTLNwVgH9DHVVPLw
#14 Worst Crash that NEVER Happened
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) discuss the Worst Accident that NEVER Happened! In 2017, around midnight, Air Canada 759 misstook the taxiway for the runway, in which 4 airliners, all loaded with passengers waited their turn to the runway. Only at the last moment, with feet to spare, did Air Canada realize their mistake and implement a go around. Several key best practices has
#13 EAA Airventure OshKosh 2023
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk to EAA’s Director of Communications Dick Knapinski about the upcoming EAA Airventure July 24-30, 2023. They discuss the Notice (or NOTAM) for flying in, what’s new this year and what can be expected at this year’s fly-in.
https://www.instagram.com/takingoffdan/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/pilotchristy/?hl=en
#12 Checkride Talk with DPE
Dan Millican (@TakingOffDan) and Christy Wong (@PilotChristy) host In The Hangar with Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) Joe Casey. He answers Dan and Christy’s questions, gives tips and techniques, and then they open it to questions and answers from the studio audience. If you have a checkride in your future, this is a “must listen” podcast.
#11 Worst Aviation Crash EVER!! Tenerife#11
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) discuss the darkest day ever for commercial aviation—March 27, 1977. On the Canary Island of Tenerife, a KLM 747 and a Pan Am 747 had been diverted to the Los Rodeos airport after a bomb went off at the intended airport on Gran Canarais. After sitting at the airport for several hours, the planes began to move to take off, as a fog settled quickly
#10 Emergency Highway Landing!
From the In The Hangar series, Dan Millican hosts Cameron Morrison, less than a week after his emergency landing in his Piper Comanche, with his wife and baby on board. With nerves of steel, Cameron keeps his head cool when his engine suddenly stops working. He declares a mayday and tries to make an airport but can’t get there. Listen to his story as he has to put the plane down off field.
#9 Brad Student Pilot
Brad Herbert (@bradvr4) has worked with Dan (@TakingOffDan) for over 20 years. And he’s always wanted to learn to fly. Brad has started taking flying lessons and recently solo’d. While on a trip from North Carolina to Texas in Dan’s Cessna 210, they take a few minutes out of the flight training to chat about Brad’s experiences as a student pilot.
https://www.instagram.com/bradvr4/?hl=en
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#8 The Worst Crash in US History
Dan (@TakingOffDan) and Christy (@PilotChristy) talk about the deadliest airplane crash in the United States—the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 at Chicago O’Hare on May 25, 1979.
The fully loaded jumbo jet experienced the separation and loss of the left engine right as the plane rotated on takeoff. The pilots did everything correctly by the book at that time, but it wasn’t
#7 Fighter Pilots
In one of our first In The Hangar shows, Dan Millican sat down with F-4 Phantom pilot Gary Pfleiger and F-18 fighter pilot Jason Gustin. Hear their stories about raids over the jungles, tricky carrier takeoffs and landings, and how Gary moved from fighter pilot to the CIA.
From our In The Hangar shows https://youtu.be/vVSDXcJ5n08
Find this and other ‘In The Hanger’ episodes on
#6 JustPlaneSilly Secret Revealed
@TakingOffDan is in the plane for this podcast with @JustPlaneSilly doing the flying and his wife Eren in the back. They catch up on happenings at SUN’nFUN, the journey there and back, and most importantly, where Bryans best ideas actually come from. There will be Air Traffic Control chatter going on the background as it was the Sunday, last day for the airshow and everyone is heading home, so
#5 Christys New Series – Pilot Life
Christy (@PilotChristy) and Dan (@TakingOffDan) talk about how the new series “Pilot Life” came about and how long it took to get permission from Envoy and why Christy was reticent to film it. Christy talks about how hard it is to shoot video while being an airline pilot and what’s planned for the future with the new series.
#4 InFlight Emergencies
From the very first In The Hangar, join hosts Dan Millican (@TakingOffDan) and Christy Wong (@PilotChristy) as they interview general aviation pilots who’ve had actual inflight emergencies. They share their stories of engines dying, emergency landings and more. Learn what it takes to survive an emergency while flying.
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