The Pilots Pandemic

In this episode, we were joined by Veteran JTAC and Pilot, Shannon Cruz. Shannon has an impressive 3700 flight hours, multiple combat decorations, and 21 years of military service. Despite this, Shannon has been fighting to get back his medical and hard-earned pilot's licenses for over two years. Unfortunately, he is 1 of 5000 pilots involved in the VA record pull by the FAA. To help support a...

We have returned from our break… but with very somber news.

This week’s guest is an honorary favorite of The Pilots Pandemic Podcast, Cargo Pilot, Fareed Guyot. Fareed has been an ardent supporter of mental health reform in aviation and shared our message of mental health advocacy on EAA radio at Osh Kosh last year as well as most recently on his local news network. Fareed has successfully navigated the Special Issuance process for generalized anxiety and...

We are solo this week and recapping all of our highlights after attending the NGPA winter warm up expo in Palm Springs, CA. From the cholla garden to the club and everything in between. Listen now to hear more… If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. SOCIAL LINKS- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/thepilotspandemic https://instagram.com/...

Our guest this week is Zack Friedman. Zack is an incredibly outspoken aeromedical reform advocate who we connected with on LinkedIn. In 2022 after seeking his medical for flight training he hit a road block for disclosing treatment for anxiety and acne. Zack has been waiting to get back in left seat for almost 2 years. On this episode he walks us through his experience so far, which highlights the...

TW: Suicide. This past week the aviation community lost two more pilots to suicide, one being our former guest and friend of the podcast… Jon Dvorak. We are absolutely heartbroken & devastated by this news and our deepest condolences go out to everyone involved. The very same day we learned about Jon we also found out about Logan Timothy James. The instrument rated Private Pilot in Paris, TX who t...

Our guest this week is Tony Stewart. Tony is a pilot, outdoor enthusiast, musician, and Coast Guard veteran. He is currently fighting to get his medical back after seeking mental health care through the VA. Tony’s story is a perfect example of the broken nature of the FAA’s aeromedical system and how it affects pilots and their wellbeing. Listen now to hear more… If you or a loved one is strugglin...

Our guest this week is Laila Stein. Laila is a graduate of Western Michigan University, PMHC Board of Directors, and aviation researcher. She has published the groundbreaking study “Mental Health in Aviation: A Study of Aviation Students on Their Perceptions of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Rules Governing Mental Health” that was highlighted at the recent NTSB mental health roundtable. Lai...

Solo dolo rolling in the New Year with some aviation news that’ll make you question the FAA’s very own decision making process. Maddie & Emma dive into the juicy details of Trevor Jacob’s license & medical; Trevor is the aviator who jumped from his plane for clout on social media. He has been sentenced to 6 months in prison. We also share our thoughts on the Boeing Max faulty door plug and put the...

It’s our end of the year episode and we’re taking a reflective dive into our podcasting journey, celebrating the milestones and highlights of the past year. From our impactful experience at the NTSB Pilot Mental Health Summit to our achievement of being published in The Washington Post — we're sharing our most significant moments and insights. We owe immense gratitude to our dedicated supporters w...

This week we are solo and discussing the NTSB pilot mental health roundtable in DC, which we are attending; as well as some of the awesome quotes from NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy. Listen now to hear more! • https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20231130A.aspx#:~:text=%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8BWASHINGTON%20(Nov,concerns%20in%20the%20aviation%20community. • If you or a loved one is strug...

Our conversation this week is with Shannon from @aviationconversations on instagram. Shannon created Aviation Conversations to help pilots address their well-being through her unreportable resource, coaching. Her platform provides customized classes and one-to-one coaching, starting with Stress Management for pilots. Listen now to here more about Shannon and head to www.aviationconversations.com &...

Our guest this week is Brian Bomhoff. His family history in aviation combined with his own personal FAA medical experience and a career in political organization has birthed the creation of his 501c4 Pilot Mental Health Campaign. Brian shares his personal experience with the FAA in regards to mental health as well as his reasons for creating the organization and why raising awareness on these issu...

Our guest this week is student pilot & dietitian, Erin Casey. Erin sought out her private pilot license this year. Not long after applying for her third class medical she received a letter back from the FAA to review her case for the use of the approved SSRI, Lexapro. Erin shares her opinion on the FAA’s outdated aeromedical policies as well as a negative experience she had at her first flight sch...

To quote the great flying mag “Death by Time Builder”. This weeks episode we focus heavily on the recent news of two fatal crashes, both involving the use of Snapchat. In particular, the CFI that insulted and complained about his student over Snapchat posts. “McKellar’s Snapchat story begins with him talking to the camera and shaking his head along with the caption, “me and this student would not...

Our guest this week is Kam Majd. With an impressive 44-year tenure in the aviation industry, including 35 years at American Airlines as a Boeing 777 Captain, Kam brings a wealth of experience to our discussion. Kam was born in Iran and has traveled all over the world for education and his career. We invited Kam to come on to discuss his career and experience as a seasoned airline pilot and his opi...

We are solo and covering all the recent aviation news highlights. Focusing specifically on the recent Washington post article “5,000 pilots suspected of hiding major health issues. Most are still flying.” A shock that may come to some… except our audience. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/27/faa-pilots-health-conditions-va-benefits/ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/2...

This week we speak to Jake Nelson known as @flyjake on instagram. Jake is an airline pilot, instructor, as well as an incredible singer. We wanted to talk to Jake because he has been outspoken about his sobriety online and what that journey entails for a pilot. Listen to hear how Jake recovered and what his thoughts on the hims program are. • If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available....

This week we are joined by Lauren Pitts, Aeromedical Researcher & reform advocate. When Lauren ran into complications with her medical she realized why some aviators are not disclosing medical issues with the FAA and/or have healthcare avoidance. Her two years in the special issuance process and the tragic passing of UND student pilot, John Hauser, inspired her to take a closer look at the issue;...

When our guest Mary suddenly lost two loved ones she opted to seek therapy to talk about her loss. She decided with her doctor to start taking Wellbutrin and grounded herself from flying. When Mary was ready to get back in the left seat she sought out her special issuance medical. Little did she know it would be an ACL surgery from highschool that would hold her up from doing so. After providing t...

This weeks episode is all about some major life updates including Emma’s Birthday trip to WA, Emma’s Engagement, Flying over the San Juan’s together, and Maddie’s new plane! We also cover some HUGE aeromedical updates being spoken about at EAA’s Oshkosh Mental Health Forum straight from the FAA’s aeromedical office. • https://www.reddit.com/r/ATC/comments/15ak4r7/went_to_the_faa_talk_on_mental_hea...

TW: This weeks episode contains topics such as suicide and suicidal ideation. • Our guest this week is Cody Jackson. Cody’s is a pilot who drives trucks for a living… that is until he reaches his dream of flying for the airlines. Recently Cody lost his friend Lando, who also shared a passion for flying. The two met at the airport and became close after bonding over their similarities. Cody shares...

This week we are also and covering a wide array of topics… from Emma’s horse girl era, Maddie’s flight training, another white woman/pax freak out and skin walker appearances; we guarantee this one will be entertaining. If the above doesn’t excite you don’t fear we also dive into some hot av goss surrounding a recent article from Liveandletsfly.com that reveals a not so pretty picture at United Av...

This weeks episode we speak to Dr. Brent Blue, Senior AOPA AME Advisor, HIMS AME & Pilot. Brent is an aeromedical reform advocate and forward thinker surrounding mental health in aviation. Our listeners might remember us speaking about this talk at the mental health in aviation forum @ OSH 2022; Brent shared his nonscientific survey on pilot healthcare aversion which had striking similarities with...

This week we spoke to Sagi Kaiser, a CFI native to Israel. When Sagi came to the states he started and finished flight school at a 141 program. He later took a teaching opportunity at a 61 school and realized fun, flying & education can exist together without the rigorous syllabus. Join us this week to find out what kind of training works best for you… side note we recommend 61. • SOCIAL LINKS- In...