EP144 - It's Easier to Build an Airplane Than Get My A&P

Episode 144 of the Midlife Pilot Podcast podcast, hosted by Midlife Pilot Podcast, titled "EP144 - It's Easier to Build an Airplane Than Get My A&P" was published on September 2, 2025 and runs 62 minutes.

September 2, 2025 ·62m · Midlife Pilot Podcast

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Summary

1DullGeek drops the bombshell that building beats bureaucracy, while keeping his aircraft shortlist more classified than Area 51 (spoiler: Ted's in on the secret). Brian discovers that flying tailwheel means surrendering all control to achieve actual control, and that Cherokee muscle memory doesn't translate to delicate Cessna 140s. Ben's multi-engine journey continues with nose-diving revelations and the humbling realization that "dead foot, dead engine" logic fails spectacularly under pressure.The crew dives deep into Mosaic's game-changing LSRI certification that's about to turn every EAA chapter into inspection central, while insurance companies lurk in the shadows as aviation's true overlords. Plus, why builder-assist programs range from "comprehensive education" to "glorified observation," and Ted casually flexes 45 nautical miles per gallon because apparently his egg runs on good intentions and Pacific Northwest vibes.Mentioned on the show:Tailwheel CFI Ben Lehman, Drift Aviation: https://www.driftaviation.com/XNX, Music City Executive Airport: https://www.musiccityexecutiveairport.com/skywatch.ai, renters insurance on a daily basis: https://www.skywatch.ai/aircraft-renters-insuranceTransair Flight 810, getting the failed engine wrong and landing in the ocean near Hawaii: https://apnews.com/article/plane-ditches-ocean-hawaii-7ec8d9d33b42ec6b7cefe0ea94aa74b7Ted's video, sunset burger flight up the columbia river gorge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8o4es8puSAMark's video, Climbing Thru a Thin Broken Layer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxxULQhMZ5ECanard Boulevard: Mosaic: The Huge Gift from the FAA for Experimental Owners That Nobody Is Talking About: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS9GY_9-t6cMoonies, aka Unification Church: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_ChurchGhost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Dog:_The_Way_of_the_SamuraiAng Patriot: https://veloceplanes.com/ang/Porto Risen: https://www.flyrisen.com/TL Sparker: https://tlsportaircraft.com/sparker/Sling TSi: https://slingaircraft.com/aircraft/sling-tsi/Erin & Paul's airplane build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6X4IZVEXoAviation101 Sling build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_QRqLhUq0&list=PLZUuXpwtz5yDL3fELSX72zGl6IaTL7usESupport the Show:Join the best midlife pilot community and support the podcast on Patreon, browse our aviation merch collection, send us your feedback, and connect with fellow pilots at ⁠https://midlifepilotpodcast.com⁠. We're grateful for your support in making this the positive aviation community we all love to be part of.

Episode Description

The crew dives deep into Mosaic's game-changing LSRI certification that's about to turn every EAA chapter into inspection central, while insurance companies lurk in the shadows as aviation's true overlords. Plus, why builder-assist programs range from "comprehensive education" to "glorified observation," and Ted casually flexes 45 nautical miles per gallon because apparently his egg runs on good intentions and Pacific Northwest vibes.

Mentioned on the show:

Tailwheel CFI Ben Lehman, Drift Aviation: https://www.driftaviation.com/
XNX, Music City Executive Airport: https://www.musiccityexecutiveairport.com/
skywatch.ai, renters insurance on a daily basis: https://www.skywatch.ai/aircraft-renters-insurance
Transair Flight 810, getting the failed engine wrong and landing in the ocean near Hawaii: https://apnews.com/article/plane-ditches-ocean-hawaii-7ec8d9d33b42ec6b7cefe0ea94aa74b7
Ted's video, sunset burger flight up the columbia river gorge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8o4es8puSA
Mark's video, Climbing Thru a Thin Broken Layer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxxULQhMZ5E
Canard Boulevard: Mosaic: The Huge Gift from the FAA for Experimental Owners That Nobody Is Talking About: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS9GY_9-t6c
Moonies, aka Unification Church: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Dog:_The_Way_of_the_Samurai
Ang Patriot: https://veloceplanes.com/ang/
Porto Risen: https://www.flyrisen.com/
TL Sparker: https://tlsportaircraft.com/sparker/
Sling TSi: https://slingaircraft.com/aircraft/sling-tsi/
Erin & Paul's airplane build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6X4IZVEXo
Aviation101 Sling build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_QRqLhUq0&list=PLZUuXpwtz5yDL3fELSX72zGl6IaTL7usE

Support the Show:Join the best midlife pilot community and support the podcast on Patreon, browse our aviation merch collection, send us your feedback, and connect with fellow pilots at ⁠https://midlifepilotpodcast.com⁠. We're grateful for your support in making this the positive aviation community we all love to be part of.