This Aviation App Predicts TURBULENCE Before It Hits | Maya Shpak, SkyPath

What if technology could cut your turbulence encounters in half before you even take off? In this episode of Flight Club, host Jason Middleton sits down with Maya Shpak, CEO of SkyPath,  the crowdsourced turbulence intelligence platform transforming aviation safety for millions of passengers every day. Maya breaks down how SkyPath leverages iPad accelerometers and machine learning to deliver real-time, hyper-granular turbulence data across 40,000 flights per day, achieving a 50% reduction in moderate turbulence encounters across its entire user ecosystem. The conversation goes beyond the technology, exploring why "smooth air" data is just as critical as turbulence alerts, how knowing where the air is calm empowers pilots to make smarter routing decisions, and the honest debate around autonomous aviation and where AI may eventually surpass human decision-making in emergencies. Maya also opens up about her journey from second employee to CEO, her helicopter background as both an outsider advantage and an asset, and her leadership philosophy built on direct communication, owning mistakes, and creating a culture where people feel safe to challenge the status quo. Equal parts insightful, honest, and genuinely fun, this is an episode you won't want to miss.