From the folks at the Student Pilot Cast, here is a demo of AOPA’s Flight Training Advantage, or AFTA. This is video episode 9 of the Student Pilot Cast. This episode is also published in higher resolution on our YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg5YQ6CoeUM

In audio episode 65 I had a chat with Dan Justman from AOPA at Oshkosh 2022 about AFTA and some of the details of the product. Here is the SPC audio episode 65 with more information about AFTA from the interview with Dan Justman: https://studentpilotcast.com/spc65

AOPA is trying to tackle what is likely part of the reason so many people quit pilot training before achieving their certificate by organizing the flight training process and making it more transparent and predictable, even in a part 61 setting. With their AOPA Flight Training Advantage program, or AFTA, they are hoping to make flight training more enjoyable for both the student and the CFI, and make the process a little bit easier, more predictable, and more streamlined…thus saving time, money, and hopefully helping a few additional people earn their certificate. I hope you enjoy this one.

More information about AFTA can be found here: AOPA Flight Training Advantage – AOPA

The famous Bell 47 helicopter ride at Oshkosh brought to you in its full, 4-minute glory by the folks at the Student Pilot Cast. Here’s a quick bonus feature from OSH22. This is video episode 8 of the Student Pilot Cast. This episode is also published in 4K on our YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/3L31zewMx7U

For this episode I got a chance to talk to Nick Smith from Part Time Pilot, an online private pilot ground school that packs a lot of personalized value into a rather inexpensive service. Learn about how he’s taking a more personal approach to online training and also learn how to get a discounted price on Part Time Pilot which will last a lifetime.

For the tricks on discounts check this out from Nick:

• If just getting started and wondering how to do it we have the step by step 5 day challenge to get started as a student pilot:  https://bit.ly/3dJH5sX
• If already started and getting into your ground training or flight planning we have a free step-by-step cross-country planning guide:  https://bit.ly/3wgosmG
• Once you opt-in to either of those you will immediately get an email with your free content. For the free cross-country guide your 1st couple emails will have the links in the email to get the $50 off. For the 5-day challenge the link will be in the Day 5 email. 

This is the video version of the audio podcast episode 64 which can be found here: https://studentpilotcast.com/spc64

A higher resolution version of this video can be found on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/6GCDOrB7cwY

Find out more about the service:

• On the web: https://parttimepilot.com/.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/part.time.pilot/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parttimepilot
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parttimepilot

In this episode we get a quick demo of Infinite Flight from Jay during our chat at Airventure 2022.

The video can also be found in higher resolution on our brand-new YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/qK2fmjvJdxo

Infinite Flight can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for your tablets and phones.

Also, more information on Infinite Flight here:

• Web: https://infiniteflight.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/infiniteflight
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/infiniteflight
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/infiniteflight
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/infiniteflight

You can find out more about the Student Pilot Cast here:

• Web: https://studentpilotcast.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/billwil
• Audio RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.org/rss
• Video RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.com/video-rss

This is the video version of the Student Pilot Cast Audio Episode 63 which can be found here: https://studentpilotcast.com/spc63/. A high-resolution version can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/-GhDPNoQcj4

In this episode I get to talk to Mark Palm, the CEO and Co-Founder of Samaritan Aviation, a humanitarian organization who help people out in Papua New Guinea. Mark gives us a bit of the history or the org, the operations, and a quick tour of the aircraft they are using.

Samaritan Aviation can be found on the web here: https://samaritanaviation.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samaritanaviation

Instagram: https://instagram.com/samaritanaviation/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SamaritanAviation_

You can find out more about the Student Pilot Cast here:

Web: https://studentpilotcast.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/billwil

Audio RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.org/rss

Video RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.com/video-rss

The state of Oklahoma has gotten serious about aviation, STEM education, and the whole aeronautics industry. I talk here briefly with Grayson Ardies, Director of the Oklahoma Aeronautical Commision, about what the state is doing to further aviation education and aeronautics in general in the state. This is the video version of the audio podcast episode 62 which can be found here: https://studentpilotcast.com/spc62/

This video can also be found on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/FhNjxBVpZU4

The State of Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission website is here: https://oac.ok.gov/

The state of Oklahoma has gotten serious about aviation, STEM education, and the whole aeronautics industry. I caught up with a High School teacher in Oklahoma, Chris Eckler, to talk about what he’s doing in his school district with regard to Aviation Education and how he fell in love with Aviation in the process. He caught the bug and trained to be a pilot himself just ahead of his students.

This is the video version of the audio podcast episode 61 which can be found here: https://studentpilotcast.com/spc61/

This video episode can be found on our new YouTube channel in higher resolution here: https://youtu.be/wJN44tWHDto

The State of Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission website is here: https://oac.ok.gov/

You can find out more about the Student Pilot Cast here:

• Web: https://studentpilotcast.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/billwil
• Audio RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.org/rss
• Video RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.com/video-rss

In this episode I have an impromptu conversation with Celia Oakley of Opener. We had been hearing about their electric STOL aircraft but hadn’t planned on doing a feature on it until my crew took a spin in their 3D simulator and we found the evolution and the atypical flight characteristics of the BlackFly interesting…so we started asking some questions, and with the permission of Celia, got a bit of the conversation here.

This is the video episode, but you can find the audio version which is almost the same but in audio only, in the audio podcast feed (our main feed). This video can also be found in higher resolution on our brand-new YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/cijxyS4E1HE

More information on Opener and the BlackFly aircraft can be found here: https://opener.aero.

You can find out more about the Student Pilot Cast here:

• Web: https://studentpilotcast.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/billwil
• Audio RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.org/rss
• Video RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.com/video-rss

In this episode I catch up with Laura and Jay of Infinite Flight to talk about their flight simulator. We cover what it is, how it started, is it a tool or a game, and what’s coming next. This is a fun discussion about something I hadn’t really been keeping up on the last decade or so; the flight sim world, and what I love about Infinite Flight is how easy it is to get started and use it wherever you might be. It’s a far cry from the traditional desktop sims which require big, expensive computers and big, expensive accessories. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The video can also be found on our brand new YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/cijxyS4E1HE

The Audio version of this episode is here: SPC #59 – OSH22 – Infinite Flight – The Student Pilot Cast

Infinite Flight can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for your tablets and phones.

Also, more information on Infinite Flight here:

• Web: https://infiniteflight.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/infiniteflight
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/infiniteflight
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/infiniteflight
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/infiniteflight

You can find out more about the Student Pilot Cast here:

• Web: https://studentpilotcast.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/billwil
• Audio RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.org/rss
• Video RSS Feed: https://studentpilotcast.com/video-rss

Okay everyone.  I’m finally releasing a quick video covering how I record cockpit audio.  This is my most frequently asked question.  The video does not tell the whole story, so I’m doing that here on the website as well in this post.  I may make it a permanent feature on the site as well.

So take a look at the video, but here are some more details.  The first thing to understand is that what you record to doesn’t really matter.  I use a digital audio recorder, but recording to a video camera, an mp3 player, or even an old fashioned tape recorder is the same thing.  The trick is getting the audio from the plane to a level that can be recorded by one of these devices correctly.

The Levels.  Whatever your method of recording, you will likely be using the Microphone (Mic) input jack of some sort of recorder.  The levels that a Microphone puts out are much lower than the levels that are needed to drive headset speakers, which is why just plugging a headphone output directly into the Mic input on a recorder will likely not work well.  The audio will be overdriven and garbled.  So, the first issue is to reduce the levels coming out of the plane’s audio system to a mic level that can be recorded.  There are several ways to do this, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

The Jacks:  The other issue is much more straightforward; you have to use adapters and cables that allow the different jacks for headsets and recording devices to be connected.  This is a simple physical plug problem which can be addressed with various adapters.

The Solutions:  There are probably many more ways to do this, and I welcome comments from readers/listeners for more ideas, but I’ll likely cover most of the common ways to accomplish the same thing; record audio in the cockpit.  Here are various solutions in no particular order.  I will list pros and cons for each solution.

• Probably the simplest and least expensive solution from an equipment perspective is to use a simple attenuating cable that can be found at many audio and electronic parts stores, including Radio Shack, like this one.  This type of cable is special because it has electronics built in that will “attenuate” the higher speaker audio signal coming out of the plane down to a lower signal suitable for recording from a Mic input on your recording device.  The one I’ve linked here attenuates 90 dB if I remember correctly, which is about right for this application.  Notice also that the cable is a mono 1/8 inch male to mono 1/8 inch male plug.  That means you’ll have to buy adapters to match the output and inputs that you’ll need.  In most situations, that will be a 1/4 inch male (stero or mono depending on your plane’s audio panel…mono being safest) to 1/8 inch mono female adapter.  The 1/4 male plug would plug into an unused headset port in the plane.  Pros: Cheap, simple, parts likely locally obtained. Cons: Requires an unused headset port in the plane (i.e. in a four seat airplane, you can’t have 4 people with headsets plugged in), doesn’t record ambient noise.
• Another solution would be to build on the attenuating cable solution into a pass-through attenuating cable.  Using the solution above you can add additional adapters and cables to allow the contraption to pass through the audio while attenuating and splitting the audio to a recording device.  This would necessitate some additional splitters and adapters that can likely be found at local or online parts retailers such as Radio Shack and PartsExpress so that you would split off the audio from the airplane’s audio panel into two paths, attenuate the one to the recorder, and pass through the one to the headset.  This would allow a jack that is in use by a passenger to be used to record as well.  I have not used this setup myself.  Pros: Parts likely locally obtained, can use an in-use jack and works with any headset.  Cons: Solution getting complicated with many wires, adapters, etc., doesn’t record ambient noise, and is starting to get expensive with all of the adapters.
• The purpose-built patch cable solution is probably the most simple and the hardest to screw up.  It is not necessarily the cheapest of the solutions, but isn’t too expensive.  This is the solution that I have used for the vast majority of my recordings.  I have chosen this because it is simple, reduces clutter in the cockpit (least amount of wires), and reduces the likelihood of missing audio because of batteries, wires coming unplugged, etc.  This solution simply involves purchasing a purpose built cable for recording in cockpits and plugging it in between the audio panel plug and your headset.  This solution works with virtually any standard airplane and any headset, and is the solution outlined first in the accompanying video.  It is essentially a pass through attenuating cable that is packaged into a small and simple cable.  Various versions of this type of cable can be purchased through aviation audio specific resellers and manufacturers, including Marv Golden, Barnstormer Audio, Aircraft Spruce, and probably others.  I personally use the one from Barnstormer, but they all do the same thing, and will likely cost somewhere between $30 and $40.  Pros: Simple and foolproof, can use an in-use jack and works with any headset.  Cons:  More expensive, doesn’t record ambient noise.
• A lavalier microphone (lav mic) solution can be used as well.  This is a more organic solution for recording the audio in the cockpit because it doesn’t interface with the airplanes audio system directly.  I touch on this near the end of the accompanying video, and I have used this method personally with success a few times.  You simply use a lav mic that can be obtained from many places, including this one from Radio Shack, and you simply plug it into your recording device and put the small microphone into an ear cup of your headset.  Electret type microphones will give better results, but require batteries.  You’ll need to play with the levels a bit to get it right, but this method does work, and will record some ambient noise as well…something many people desire.  It is more like the sound of actually being there, but does require having extra wires dangling from your headset and of course does not work with in ear headsets such as the Clarity Aloft.  Pros:  More organic sound recording, doesn’t use an audio jack in the airplane, relatively inexpensive (especially if you already have a lav mic or another need for one).  Cons:  Works only with “over the ear” headsets (most of them), increases clutter and wires in the cockpit, could require additional batterries in the mic, could be uncomfortable with some headsets.
• The poor-mans lav mic solution is simply a variation of the lavalier microphone solution outlined above.  Everything is exactly the same, but instead of using a real lav mic, some people have had success using a set of cheap earbud style headphones (like those that come with an iPod for example) as a microphone.  Simply stick the earpieces in your headsets earcups and the other end into the mic jack of your recording device, play with the levels, and cross your fingers.  I have actually tried this for giggles, and it does work, but the levels and sound quality are nowhere near that of a good electret microphone, or one of the other solutions listed here.  With the right combination of earbuds and recording device (with various levels of input), there is nothing wrong with this, but you will have to experiment a little.  Once you find a combination and settings that work, it shouldn’t be a problem and should produce results similar to the lav mic solution above, but do your testing.  Pros and Cons are the same as above besides the extra testing mentioned here. 

Okay…there’s the rundown.  For what I personally do, as I mentioned, most of the time a use the Barnstormer purpose-built cable for audio.  As I record video, though, I’m trying different things, including splitting the audio coming from the cable to my audio recording device AND the video camera, or using the splitter cable for the audio only device, and using the lav mic solution for the video camera.  This gives me the best of both worlds as far as audio goes (more organic audio with the video and more pristine audio with my audio recorder).  This is an especially useful scenario if I have a passenger who is willing to put the lav mic in their earcup, that way it keeps the extra cable away from me and reduces the chance of it interfering with my PIC duties.  The Barnstormer cable and other solutions like it are absolutely bullet-proof…I’ve never had a failure or forgotten anything, etc.  There are no batteries to change, no extra cables into my earcups to deal with, etc.  I just leave the splitter cable attached to my headset and carry it in my headset bag as if it were part of the headset.  Works out well.

Hopefully this post and video answers this question for everyone.  I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as I could, but I’ve missed anything or made any mistakes, please let me know through the comments (so others can see as well).  Happy flying (and recording).  Can’t wait to hear everyone’s cockpit audio.

I’m back with video!  I’ve been sitting on this footage for almost two years now, so I’m very excited to get this one published.  In this episode I take you on a flight with me over Hana, Hawaii on Maui with Armin from Hang Gliding Maui.  Armin is a CFI, and took me for me first microlight ride, and it couldn’t have been in a better setting.

This flight was one of the experiences that finally got me doing something about my dream of learning to fly.  Within 6 months of this, I was preparing to start my own training.  I hope you enjoy it.  As always, I would love to get feedback from you on this.

NOTE: I have encoded this video at a higher quality than I usually do because the content deserves it, and it is a shorter video, so the file size wouldn’t be too massive.  It could, however, prove problematic on some hardware players.  I have tested on iPhone, both classic and new Zune’s, and Xbox 360, and all work great.  I couldn’t get my hands on a regular iPod to test, but I think it should work.  It may not work on older iPods though (pre G5).  In any case, please let me know if you run into any problems so that I can continue to improve my process.