Cockpit Casual: The Podcast

It's been a wild few weeks, so Bob and Steve kick things off with a recap of everything happening at Nomadic Aviation—from ferry flights and aircraft deliveries to life behind the scenes running a global aviation business. We then break down the viral Boeing 777 low-pass at Horseshoe Bay, looking beyond the headlines to discuss what actually happened, why the margin was so small, and the decisions...

After a short hiatus brought on by what may have been the busiest week in Nomadic Aviation Group's history—followed by a well-earned vacation for Steve—the Cockpit Casual Podcast is back. We kick things off by discussing the latest Cockpit Casual documentary covering the Spirit Airlines aircraft repossession operation, which exploded past one million views during its first week on YouTube. Steve s...

When an airline collapses overnight, somebody has to move the airplanes. This week on  Cockpit Casual , we finally tell the full story behind the unprecedented 8-day operation that began the moment Spirit Airlines ceased operations. What followed was absolute chaos: 24 aircraft, 5 lessors, planes scattered across the country, time closing in, legal uncertainty, operational pressure, and a race aga...

This week on  Cockpit Casual: The Podcast , we take a different route. After a quick discussion on current aviation happenings, the conversation shifts toward something that has quietly become one of the defining elements of  Cockpit Casual  itself: the music. Joining us is Steve Giordano Sr. — lifelong Philadelphia jazz musician, composer, and the man behind much of the original score woven throu...

Episode 9 kicks off with a really in-depth conversation on Spirit Airlines—what’s actually going wrong financially, why the ULCC model is struggling in 2026, and why a $500M government bailout probably isn’t the solution. Then—finally—we’ve got something people have been asking for forever: We bring on Nomadic’s flight planning and dispatch team (Wes Gardner, Mark Lawrence, and Chris Fochuk) to ta...

Episode 8 opens on a sentimental note as we say goodbye to our Westwind — an airplane that’s been part of the Nomadic story for several years. The episode begins with an 8-minute farewell as the jet prepares to leave the hangar for a pre-buy inspection and, hopefully, a new chapter with its next owner. (Youtube version is a Video!) From there, it’s back to the usual unfiltered conversation. Bob an...

This week’s episode covers a lot of ground. We open with our usual Bob-and-Steve hang for the first half hour — talking about the pending sale of the Westwind, what we’re considering as a replacement, and a deep dive into the current state of the single-engine turboprop market. We talk through real-world tradeoffs between aircraft like the TBM, Meridian/M600 class, and PC-12 — cost of entry, missi...

This week’s episode opens with something a little different — a 12-minute, behind-the-scenes segment from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where you join us for lunch on a recent trip. It’s raw, cutting-room-floor footage from the upcoming  Cockpit Casual  series dropping this summer. Fair warning: this segment is definitely better experienced on video — you can watch it on our YouTube version — but it still...

EP 5 – From the Hangar Floor to 1.4M Followers: A Deep Conversation with Max Comer We open this week with a brief discussion on the recent fatal crash at LaGuardia, reflecting on the realities of risk in aviation and the perspective that comes with experience. From there, we shift gears into one of our most compelling conversations yet—an in-depth interview with A&P mechanic and social media p...

This week we’re all over the place—in a good way. Bob’s fresh off a trip to Uzbekistan, which turns into a conversation about some of our old Russia flying days. We get into what’s happening behind the scenes on the next  Cockpit Casual , and tell a story about shutting down an engine in a 757 on the way into Guam. Then we’re joined by Scottie Bateman—BA captain, filmmaker, and now author—to talk...

Steve and Bob kick off the episode with an update on the rapidly evolving situation with Iran. From there, they catch up on a particularly busy week at Nomadic Aviation Group, moving airplanes around the world and navigating the usual mix of logistics, maintenance quirks, and last-minute surprises that come with ferry flying. In this week’s  Side Schtick , the conversation takes a lighter turn as...

Episode 2 drops early as Bob and Steve head back into the skies for a packed week of flying. We break down the early stages of the Iran conflict and what it actually means for civilian aviation — airspace closures, reroutes, risk assessments, and how professional flight crews and operators plan around geopolitical hotspots in real time. If you’ve ever wondered how airlines and ferry crews decide w...

On the debut episode of  Cockpit Casual: The Podcast , ferry pilots Steve Giordano and Bob Allen pull back the curtain on the world of moving heavy airliners around the globe. This week we cover: • A look at the current aviation cycle and why the ferry market has slowed • Two recent China trips — including some memorable food and catering moments • What ferry pilots actually do, and why airlines a...