Aviation Deep Dives Episodes

What really happened to Air New Zealand Flight 901? 🏔️✈️ In our first "Hot Topic" episode, Tom and Mike dive deep into one of the most controversial aviation accidents in history: the 1979 Mount Erebus disaster. What was supposed to be a luxury, champagne-filled sightseeing flight over Antarctica turned into a nightmare when a DC-10 slammed into an active volcano. In this episode, we discuss: The Luxury Experience: 36 flight attendants, gourmet meals, and the legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary....

Welcome back to the Black Box Aviation Podcast, where Tom, Mike, and special guest Travis dive deep into aviation history, industry news, and the stories that shape the world of flying. In this episode, we cover two very different but equally fascinating sides of aviation—modern airline consolidation and the brutal realities of World War II bomber operations. We break down the reported Allegiant–Sun Country merger, what it means for the low-cost leisure market, and why consolidation may be...

Ladies and gentlemen — welcome aboard another adrenaline-charged episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast, where aviation gets real. In today’s episode, Tom and Mike break down the chilling story of Swissair Flight 111, an MD-11 that departed New York for Geneva in September 1998… and never arrived. What began as a routine transatlantic flight quickly turned into one of the deadliest and most defining aviation emergencies in Canadian history. We walk step-by-step through: ✈️ The mysteriou...

Welcome back to The Black Box Aviation Podcast — where we dive into aviation, travel, and the wild, unbelievable stories from the world of flying that you need and want to know. Hosted by Tom & Mike, two pilots who love airplanes and aren't afraid to get technical. On March 31st, 1992, a 28-year-old Boeing 707-321C departed Luxembourg carrying 70,000 lbs of freight. What should have been a routine climb turned into one of the most incredible saves in aviation history. ⚠️ At 32,000 feet, th...

Welcome back to The Black Box Aviation Podcast, where Tom & Mike dive into aviation, travel, and everything you need and WANT to know about the world of flying. This week is PACKED: ✈️ Breaking News — MD-11 Grounding FAA Air Directive grounding the MD-11, DC-10 & MD-10 fleet No inspection or repair guidance released yet NTSB briefing findings — CVR captured final 2 hours of audio What this means for pilots currently flying the MD-11 Simulator concerns, schedule...

In this chilling episode of The Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom and Mike take listeners back to one of the most haunting winter aviation disasters in U.S. history — Air Florida Flight 90, the Boeing 737 that crashed into the icy Potomac River moments after takeoff from Washington National Airport in 1982. This episode explores how improper de-icing, pilot error, and misjudged procedures led to tragedy — and how brave civilians and first responders turned a day of horror into a story of herois...

Tom & Mike are back in the cockpit for Episode 44 of the Black Box Aviation Podcast! We kick things off with a spooky recap of last week’s Halloween Spooktacular, featuring eerie listener stories — including one from a haunted hospital that’ll send chills down your spine. Then, we shift gears from ghosts to gusts, diving into the realities of winter flying. From the frosty ramps of Anchorage to de-icing disasters in Brunswick, we’ll break down how pilots handle snow, ice, and holdover times w...

Tom & Mike are joined by special guest Travis — an Air Force Guard pilot and major airline aviator — for a chilling flight through the paranormal side of aviation. In this spooky, story-packed episode, we share personal ghost encounters, eerie aviation legends, and real-life hauntings from the skies to the tarmac. Buckle up — this one’s got turbulence of the supernatural kind! ✈️ In this episode: Pilot Travis’s spine-tingling stories from the cockpit and beyond 👀 Personal paranorma...

This week on the Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike dive deep into aviation emergencies, strange skies, and one of the eeriest stories in airline history — the haunting of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. We start off with a quick recap of last week’s interview with Nate Ehlers, founder of TheBackseatPilot.com. Don’t forget — you can still grab 15% off your order with code BLACKBOX at checkout! Then, it’s time for: ✈️ Shoutouts from listeners — including Will’s question about the origins ...

In this special episode, Tom & Mike welcome Nate Ehlers, founder of The Backseat Pilot (thebackseatpilot.com), to get behind the scenes of how a small reference-card idea turned into one of the most trusted training platforms for flight instructors and pilots alike. Nate walks us through: His origin story: how a simple IFR/VFR reference card spawned what’s now a full suite of products and lesson plans dedicated to helping CFIs and students succeed. What The Backseat Pilot offers to...

On this episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike break down one of the most shocking aviation stories ever—FedEx Flight 705. In 1994, Auburn Calloway, an off-duty FedEx pilot, attempted to hijack a DC-10 using hammers, mallets, and even a speargun. His plan: crash into FedEx headquarters in Memphis. What followed was a brutal cockpit battle, a desperate fight for survival, and aerobatic maneuvers in a jumbo jet that were never meant to be possible. We also discuss the book Touchi...

In this powerful episode of The Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike reflect on September 11, 2001—walking through the timeline, sharing where they were in their own pilot training, and discussing how 9/11 reshaped aviation forever. We cover the hijackers’ path from Portland to Boston, the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the heroic stand of United Flight 93. We also discuss the long-term impact on flight training, passenger vigilance, and how “Let’s Roll” became a symbo...

In this episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike kick things off by answering listener hotline questions: What is ETOPS flying? And how do pilots use the Great Circle Route? Plus, an update on the tragic NYC helicopter crash. From there, it’s stories from the road: Mike flies his family for the very first time — only to end up deplaning them after an APU failure 😬. We also cover an unexpected sidewalk emergency in Santa Monica, a flight from LAX to Newark with six horses onboard,...

Even pro travelers make rookie mistakes — Tom forgot to pack underwear. 🧳✈️ Mike won’t let him live it down as the Black Box Aviation Podcast takes off with stories from the road. This episode dives into the world of fuel dumping: why airlines do it, FAA rules, and what happened when Delta Flight 89 dumped thousands of gallons over Los Angeles, showering neighborhoods and schools below. Tom and Mike share their own experiences with emergency fuel dumps in the P-3 and MD-11, breaking down the ...

In this Hot Topic Briefing episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike dive into the fascinating world of drones — past, present, and future. We trace drone flight from its surprising beginnings in 1849 unmanned balloons to modern military UCAVs, kamikaze drones, and modified commercial UAVs. We also look at the civilian side: FAA regulations, Part 107 licensing, and how drone pilots can turn their skills into an $80K career. But it’s not all smooth flying — we cover drone near-m...

In this episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike take a deep dive into one of the most shocking tragedies in modern aviation: the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash. On March 24, 2015, an Airbus A320 was intentionally brought down by its first officer, killing all on board. We break down the timeline, the cockpit voice recordings, and the critical lessons learned from this heartbreaking event. But that’s not all—we also explore: ✅ The State of Mental Health in Aviation New researc...

In Hot Topic #9 of The Black Box Aviation Podcast, Tom & Mike dive into the haunting story of Northwest Orient Flight 2501, a DC-4 lost over Lake Michigan in 1950 during a violent storm—becoming the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history at the time. With chilling similarities to modern incidents, and a 75-year mystery that ends not with discovery, but with surrender, this episode explores low-level icing, microbursts, and the limitations of vintage aviation tech. We’ll also touch on the...

It’s a jam-packed episode of the Black Box Aviation Podcast with Tom & Mike, where we talk aviation, airlines, travel chaos, grilling food, and the wild world of airline policy. This week we dig into everything from 4th of July cookout trends to TSA controversies, historic crashes, and whether Southwest Airlines is losing its soul. Here’s what’s on the flight plan: 🌭 4th of July Food & Fireworks Mayhem From baby back ribs to flying bratwurst — and a reminder that 14,700 people landed in th...

Welcome back to the Black Box Aviation Podcast with your hosts Tom & Mike, where we dive into all things aviation, travel, and the stories that come with life in the skies. This week we kick things off with our review of the Netflix documentary “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds” — our takeaways, the behind-the-scenes reality of these elite aviators, and how this film stacks up to the Blue Angels docs we've seen before. Spoiler alert: the “ThunderChickens” nickname made the cut, and yes, we laugh...

Strap in for Hot Topic #7 on the Black Box Aviation Podcast with Tom & Mike! This week, we’re going back to basics with a beginner-friendly walkthrough of a standard traffic pattern—something every pilot in training will experience on their first flight toward earning a Private Pilot License (PPL). With Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Mike sharing real-world insights from thousands of instructional hours, we break down the entire first flight experience—from taxiing out, taking off, and ent...

In Hot Topic #7, we dive into the future of flight: Sustainable Aviation. From contrails and carbon to biofuels and bizarre theories, this episode explores what’s really going on up there. We break down: ✈️ How much aviation contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions 🌫️ Why contrails matter more than you think 🛢️ What sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is—and who’s actually using it 💡 Airline efforts from United to Delta and FedEx to JetBlue 🚀 A shoutout to one of our buddies working on high...

In this week’s Hot Topic, we’re revisiting one of the most tragic and influential accidents in U.S. aviation history: American Airlines Flight 191, the catastrophic DC-10 crash just moments after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare on May 25, 1979. This wasn’t just a terrible accident—it was a turning point. In this episode, we dive deep into: ✈️ Personal Memories – Flying the DC-10, the 727, and now the MD-11 🧰 The Maintenance Misstep – How a shortcut during engine removal led to catastrophic failur...

In this high-flying episode of The Black Box Aviation Podcast, we’re diving into one of the most mysterious unsolved cases in aviation history—the legend of DB Cooper. On November 24, 1971, a man in a modest suit boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 in Portland, Oregon. He handed a note to a flight attendant, claimed he had a bomb, demanded $200,000 in cash, parachutes, and a flight to Mexico... and then disappeared—literally—into the night sky over the Pacific Northwest. We’ll break do...

In this powerful Hot Topic Briefing #4, we mark the 29th anniversary of ValuJet Flight 592, which tragically crashed into the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996, killing all 110 souls aboard. This episode dives deep into the accident, the systemic failures behind it, and how its legacy reshaped aviation safety forever. We’ll explore: ✈️ The story of ValuJet, the ultra-low-cost airline that cut corners to stay profitable 🔥 How illegally loaded oxygen generators led to a catastrophic cargo fire...