The Old Fly Guy Network
Our mission is to provide a platform to engage with leaders in the general aviation marketplace. Exploring the background of these leaders and how their journey in general aviation began. Discover what drives these aviators to share their knowledge. Learn what these aviators see for the future in aviation. Discuss the lighter side of aviation and be inspired to take to the skies to follow our dream of flying.
Episodes
33 episodes
No Parts Exist for This Aircraft… So They Make Their Own
Go deeper inside the restoration hangar at the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum as the volunteer restoration team tackles some of the most difficult challenges in bringing a legendary Douglas SBD Dauntless back to life.In this epi...
What It Really Takes to Restore a Warbird
Step inside the restoration hangar at the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum and meet the people bringing aviation history back to life.In this first episode of our restoration series, we introduce three passionate volunteers workin...
More Than a Museum: The Air Zoo Experience!
Step inside the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan—one of the most immersive aviation and space museums in the United States, where history, engineering, and education come together in a truly unique experience.
From Passion to Pressure: Aviation Careers!
In the second half of our conversation with the next generation of aviators at Rocky Mountain Flight School, the story shifts from inspiration… to reality.What does it actually take to build a life in aviation?From financial pressur...
What’s Iran’s End Game?
In this Old Fly Guy – Virtual Flightline episode, combat aviators Rusty O’Brien and Mace Carpenter break down one of the most complex and dangerous realities in today’s Iran conflict—a war you can’t easily see… and can’t easily win.Draw...
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Three Pilots. Three Paths. One Beginning (Part 1)
In Part 1 of our Rocky Mountain Flight School series, we turn from experience to the next generation of aviators — but this is only the beginning of their story.In this first half, we sit down with three early-career pilots whose paths ...
How Great Pilots Are Really Made
In this episode of Old Fly Guy Network, we reconnect with seasoned flight instructor and mentor Matt Beyer at Rocky Mountain Flight School to explore a side of aviation that often gets overlooked — the power of mentorship, community, and the jo...
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AirPower over Iran: Precision Persuasion
In this Old Fly Guy Episode – Virtual Flightline episode, F-111 combat veterans Rusty O’Brien and Mace Carpenter bring decades of real-world experience to one of today’s most complex and dangerous conflicts—Iran.Drawing from their time flyi...
The F-111F and Flying The Desert Storm Mission!
In Part B of this two-part Old Fly Guy episode, the conversation with F-111F aviators Rusty O’Brien and Mace Carpenter moves from preparation to execution—focusing squarely on Desert Storm and how the F-111F delivered decisive results. With dec...
Cold War Roots, Desert Storm Impact: F-111F!
In Part A of this two-part Old Fly Guy episode, we return to the cockpit with F-111F aviators Rusty O’Brien and Mace Carpenter to focus on why the F-111F was so critical during Desert Storm. With more than 60 years of combined military service,...
Inside the F-111F: The Jet That Owned the Night
The F-111F Aardvark was built for missions few aircraft could survive—and even fewer could execute with precision. In this first episode of a new Old Fly Guy series, we sit down with two of the men who flew it into history. Rusty O’Brien (27 ye...
The Airfield Cafe Built on Family, Flight, and Community!
Tucked along the runway in North Hampton, New Hampshire, the Airfield Cafe is more than a place to eat — it’s a story of family, perseverance, and community that spans generations.In this Old Fly Guy Network episode, we sit down with Sc...
New York Airspace! What It Takes to Keep Millions of Passengers Safe Every Day, Expect Nothing Less
In this episode of the Old Fly Guy Podcast, we flip the script and explore aviation from a side most pilots and aviation fans rarely get to see — the people who shape the skies from the ground. Wade sits down with Ralph Tamburro, a highly respe...
SR-71 Mission Control: The Minds Behind the Blackbird Flight Plan!
In the fourth episode of the Old Fly Guy Network’s SR-71 Blackbird series, we go behind the curtain to explore the operational heart of the SR-71 program — the teams who turned intelligence requests into successful Mach 3 missions.While pil...
The Men Who Owned the SR-71 Blackbird!
In this episode of the Old Fly Guy Network, we dive deep into the unsung heroes of the SR-71 Blackbird program, the maintenance and technical teams. While the pilots “rented” the aircraft, the crews who maintained and engineered it truly owned ...
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SR-71 Blackbird: Secrets from the Trainers......The Real Behind The Scenes!
In this second episode of our four-part SR-71 Blackbird series, we step into the world of the men who trained the fastest pilots on earth. Legendary instructors Jerry Glasser, Buz Carpenter, and BC Thomas share how they prepared new SR-71 crews...
Inside the SR-71: Untold Stories from the Fastest Pilots Alive!
Step into the cockpit of the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet ever built. In this first episode of our SR-71 series, we sit down with three pilots who flew at the very edge of space: Al Joersz, Ed Yeilding, and Noel Widdifield. Togeth...
The Woman Who Brought Mooney Back to Life
In this episode of the Old Fly Guy Network, we sit down with Gretchen Jahn, whose career spans from IT leadership to the helm of Mooney Aircraft, and decades of competitive air racing. Gretchen shares how her aviation journey began later in lif...
Safety, Mountains, and Mentorship: A Pilot’s Journey
In this episode of the Old Fly Guy Podcast, Wade sits down with Denver aviator and flight instructor Matt Beyer, a lifelong pilot with a passion for mountain flying, safety, and community service. Matt shares his journey from childhood airshows...
Alaska Through the Eyes of a Pioneer
In this episode of the Old Fly Guy Network, we sit down with Robert Gerlach — a true pioneer of the Alaskan frontier. After venturing to Alaska in the early '70s in search of freedom and adventure, Robert carved out a life in the wilderness nor...
Wings Over Alaska: Joe McAneney’s Bush Flying Journey
In this inspiring episode, we head north to the wilds of Talkeetna, Alaska, with bush pilot Joe McAneney. From humble beginnings in Western New York to soaring over glaciers in Denali, Joe shares his unique path to becoming a pilot in one of th...
How Did One Pilots Dream, Turn A Remote Runway Into A Community?
Join us on the Old Fly Guy Network as we take flight with Jonathan Kotwicki—airline pilot turned aviation entrepreneur—who left the skies of commercial aviation to carve out a one-of-a-kind flying haven in the heart of Alaska. From bush flying ...
How Josh Campbell Is Making Pilot Training Free for Everyone!
In this inspiring episode of the Old Fly Guy Network, we feature Josh Campbell, military aviator and host of the "Free Pilot Training" YouTube channel and podcast. Josh opens up about his powerful aviation journey—from believing flying was out ...
From Flight Line to Virginia Department of Aviation Director, Meet Greg Campbell
Come along for the ride with Greg Campbell, the Director of the Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV), while he tells us of his aviation journey in the Commonwealth of Virginia. His roots are deep in Virginia and started with a passion to fly ...
Sun ‘n Fun 2025 – Oh What Wonderful Aircraft! (Part 2)
Sun N Fun 2025 Part 2The Sun and Fun Aerospace Expo while known for its static and aerobatics displays, has a rich culture and history of aviators who travel across the country with their vintage aircraft. They not only want to share the...