Castuner

Aviation Mentors

Brandon Martini & Carson Vasquez

🚀 We are The Aviation Mentors, a weekly podcast dedicated to creating an amazing space where we aviators can hang out and enjoy a wide range of conversations about anything aviation. We're aviators, we're mentors, and we're entrepreneurs. Whether you're a student pilot, professional pilot, general aviation enthusiast, or just an AV Geek like us, this is the podcast for you! 🌎 Join us every Friday as we share our passion for flying! Sponsored by Stratus Financial www.stratus.finance

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Episodes

246 episodes

  1. Questions Flight Schools Hope You Won’t Ask Before You Enroll 18:53
  2. Tesla’s Flying Roadster: What It Means for Pilots 21:39
  3. Why Student Pilots Stall on FAA Regulations and How to Actually Learn Them with Caressa Bray 23:34
  4. Don't Change Your Fuel Plan Mid-Flight: Why I Regretted It Twice in One Weekend (Part 2) 21:58
  5. Fuel Planning in an Unfamiliar Airplane: Why the Owner's 5 GPH Estimate Was Wrong 26:48
  6. What Actually Happens in a 2-Year Flight Review, From Stalls to Steep Turns 21:13
  7. How Much Fuel Reserve Do You Actually Need? 19:18
  8. Plan for the Unexpected: A Real-World Cross Country Flight in a New Light Sport Aircraft 25:21
  9. Flight School Rate Hikes, Checkride Delays & Crosswind Limits: Pilot Q&A 21:39
  10. From Glider Pilot to Flight Test Engineer: Adriana on Soaring Records, Gulfstream, and the FlyORKA App 29:10
  11. Can AI Get You Through Your Checkride? 19:25
  12. When There's No Runway: Beaches, Golf Courses, and the Huntington Beach Mayday 19:11
  13. Buying or Selling a Plane? Here's the $50,000 Mistake to Watch For 23:06
  14. What It's Really Like to Fly Into Oshkosh and Camp Under Your Wing 24:19
  15. Part 107 Drone Rules Every Pilot Needs to Know in 2026 34:37
  16. You Failed Your Checkride. Now What? 21:46
  17. What Is the Pentagon's 1260H List and Why Is Cirrus On It? 17:57
  18. Cirrus Is a Chinese Company? Plus CO Risk and DPE Shortage 22:08
  19. The State of Flight Training in 2026: Hiring, Pipeline, and What the Data Actually Shows 29:38
  20. Can You Fly Without Aviation Insurance? Skywatch Answers for Students, CFIs, and Flight Schools 37:27
  21. AeroSummit 2026 Recap: AI Caught the Instructor Breaking Planes and a $10,000 Scholarship Is Open Now 35:29
  22. Why Student Pilots and CFIs Should Attend AeroSummit 2026 28:04
  23. Runway Incursions and Airline Collapses: What Happens to Your Pilot Career? 15:39
  24. Is an Aviation Degree Still Worth It? Plus Drones and Flight Fear 26:53
  25. The Smelly Cockpit Problem 26:45
  26. War, Fuel Prices, and GPS Spoofing 21:37
  27. Are Pilots AI-Proof? Answering Your Biggest Flight Training Questions 33:15
  28. Pizza Delivery to Phenom 300: Shaun Dawson's Pilot Story 42:07
  29. Flight Training Is Hard: Here's How to Handle the Obstacles Most Students Face 27:55
  30. Mayday in a Warzone: When ATC Can't Save You 28:42
  31. From $7,300 in 9 Months to $100K: The Real Airline Pilot Salary Story 38:19
  32. The Real Reason 80% of Student Pilots Never Finish Training 27:17
  33. Do You Actually Need an ATP to Fly Commercially? The Answer Might Surprise You 27:52
  34. Is the DPE Shortage a Myth? PilExOS CEO Adam Shimmens Reveals What's Really Happening 43:36
  35. You Know You're A CFI When... (Part 5) 40:08
  36. Listener Questions (Part 13) 32:58
  37. FAA Medical Certification with Dr. Daniel Monlux: What Every Student Pilot Needs to Know 45:46
  38. Garmin Autoland's First Real Emergency: Right Decision or Dangerous Precedent? 21:17
  39. Captain Curt's Journey: From Working 3 Jobs to Flying Gulfstreams | Aviation Success Story 38:37
  40. Winter Flying Safety for Pilots: Frost, Icing, FIKI Aircraft, and IFR Considerations 31:06
  41. Listener Questions (Part 12) 26:40
  42. The Aviation Side of Pearl Harbor: Surprises, Warbirds, and GA Takeaways 28:57
  43. Listener Questions (Part 11) 22:09
  44. Overlooked Aircraft Cleaning Tips That Improve Safety 17:52
  45. Ep 201 - The Hidden Risks in Flight Schools—and How to Fix Them Before You Scale 25:02
  46. Celebrating 200 Episodes – Aviation Mentors Reflect on Growth, Stories & the Journey Ahead 43:34
  47. S02E63: VFR Safety & IFR Traffic Awareness – Non-Towered Airport 23:44
  48. S02E62: Hidden Airplanes, Tailwheel Flying & The Real Cost of Aircraft Ownership 12:04
  49. S02E61: Reacting to Your Comments Part 1: MOSAIC, GA Costs & Burbank Tower 25:11
  50. S02E60: Back in the Left Seat – Carson’s First Flight in Two Years 27:05