The Fearless Flyer
Our podcast is for people who have a fear of flying or, an anxiety associated with being in an aircraft. In our first series (S1), we will take you from the basics about how an aircraft works with an insight as to what is happening and why during a flight, to the stuff you don't see behind the scenes. The aim is to remove the myth of flying and arm you with the knowledge to make you into a Fearless Flyer. We then run a mini-series S2, the first episode is "Going on a Flight," explaining the preparation you should c...
S3 E23 Boeing cargo door going
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Hello Fearless Flyers, Stefan joins us again as a guest host to discuss the Boeing 747 which he flew for many years. Using his knowledge, we delve into the loss of a Boeing 747 forward cargo door climbing out of Hawaii.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
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S4 E6 Al interviews Mark Part 1
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Hi Fearless Flyers, welcome to, "There I was... with Al." In this episode, part 1, I talk to Mark about his aviation career involving helicopters, his initial flying experiences and what he has experienced throughout his career, this will be part one of a two-part episode with Mark and the second part will be about his fixed wing career.
So join me, Allan, in the middle of every month for a new journey into the fascinating careers of everyday individuals who you rarely get to interact with behind that locked flight deck d...
S3 E22 Cargo door not looking good
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Hello Fearless Flyers, welcome back to part 2 of the DC10 cargo door fiasco. Stefan also joins us to continue with second part as we try to understand why it was allowed to happen.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
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S4 E5 Al interviews Shorty Part 2
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Hi Fearless Flyers, welcome to my new series on the Fearless Flyer Podcast, "There I was... with Al." In this episode, part 2 of talking to Shorty about his aviation career, his brushes with the poison, tree branches and what he has experienced throughout his career, the lessons he had learnt and finally asking Shorty, "what makes a good pilot?"
So join me, Allan, in the middle of every month for a new journey into the fascinating careers of everyday individuals who you rarely get to interact with behind that locked flight...
S3 E21 Cargo door looks good? Part 1
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Hello Fearless Flyers, we welcome Stefan onto this episode to discuss what happens when a new aircraft design is pushed too fast by an aircraft manufacturer.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A request for help from Apple podcast users: Our podcast does not register in the fear of flying search options for Apple podcast users, the only way it can get recognised is with Apple f...
S4 E4 Al interviews Shorty Part 1
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Hi Fearless Flyers, welcome to, "There I was... with Al." In this episode I talk to Shorty about his aviation career, initial flying experiences and what he has experienced throughout his career, this will be part one of a two-part episode talking to Shorty.
So join me, Allan, in the middle of every month for a new journey into the fascinating careers of everyday individuals who you rarely get to interact with behind that locked flight deck door.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social med...
S3 E20 Non-precision approaches no more
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Hello Fearless Flyers, we welcome Charlie onto this episode to discuss what was going to be done about all those non-precision approaches that were the cause of many accidents that categorised as controlled flight into terrain.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A request for help from Apple podcast users: Our podcast does not register in the fear of flying search options for Apple podcast users, t...
S4 E3 Al interviews Hennie
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Hi Fearless Flyers, welcome to my new series on the Fearless Flyer Podcast, "There I was... with Al." In this episode I talk to Hennie about his aviation career, initial flying experiences and what he has experienced throughout their career, the lessons he had learnt and finally asking Hennie, "what makes a good pilot?"
So join me, Allan, in the middle of every month for a new journey into the fascinating careers of everyday individuals who you rarely get to interact with behind that locked flight deck door.
As pe...
S3 E19 EGPWS saves the day Part 5
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Hello Fearless Flyers, we finish our discussion with Adrian about the GPWS with how the Enhanced GPWS saved a flight from disaster.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A request for help from Apple podcast users: Our podcast does not register in the fear of flying search options for Apple podcast users, the only way it can get recognised is with Apple folk providing reviews. Therefore...
S4 E2 Grant interviews Al.... payback!
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Hi Fearless Flyers, welcome to Al's new series on the Fearless Flyer Podcast, "There I was... with Al." Grant will be interviewing Al about his aviation career, his flying experiences and what he has experienced throughout his career, the lessons he has learnt and finally asking Al, "what makes a good pilot."
Then episode 3 onwards, join Allan, in the middle of every month for a new journey into the fascinating careers of everyday individuals who you rarely get to interact with behind that locked flight deck door.
As per usual, you...
S3 E18 Situational Awareness on an island Part 4
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Hello Fearless Flyers, we continue our discussion with Adrian about the disastrous effects of when flight crew lose their situational awareness, this time the aircraft had GPWS installed but it was still using the basic GPWS, new technology that was available had not yet been mandated into the industry to save this particular flight. This accident led the industry to implementing Don's more advanced version of the GPWS with more urgency.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @F...
S4 E1 Al interviews Grant
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Hi Fearless Flyers, welcome to my new series on the Fearless Flyer Podcast, "There I was... with Al." I will be interviewing pilots about their aviation careers, their initial flying experiences and what they have experienced throughout their career, the lessons they have learnt and finally asking them what makes a good pilot.
So join me, Allan, in the middle of every month for a new journey into the fascinating careers of everyday individuals who you rarely get to interact with behind that locked flight deck door.
As per usual, yo...
S3 E17 Situational Awareness around mountains Part 3
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Hello Fearless Flyers, we continue our discussion with Adrian about the disastrous effects of when flight crew lose their situational awareness, this time the aircraft had GPWS installed but it was still using basic GPWS, new technology that was available had not yet been mandated into the industry to save this particular flight. Let's listen to what happened as Don and his team that developed the GPWS probably looked upon this particular accident in frustration, in that the regulators were slow to implement their new technology.
As per usual, you can c...
S3 E16 Situational Awareness CFIT part 2
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Hello Fearless Flyers, we continue our discussion with Adrian about the disastrous effects of when flight crew lose their situational awareness, the good news however was that the regulators had sat up and mandated that new technology be applied to reduce this ongoing issue. And a brilliant avionics engineer Don Bateman and his team would ultimately come to the rescue.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A...
Series 4 is coming, "There I was... with Al"
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Hello Fearless Flyers,
We have a new host joining the Fearless Flyer, bringing his own series to the podcast, "Series 4, There I was.... with Al." Al is a Boeing 777 Captain and also a Crew Resource Management (CRM) instructor. In his series he will be chatting to experienced pilot's about their careers, interesting events that had occurred and what was learnt from them and, what gems they can pass on to a new generation of pilots.
We plan to drop a new episode on the 15th day of every month starting January 2025...
S3 E15 Situational Awareness CFIT part 1
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Hello Fearless Flyers, in this and the next four episodes we are going to be discussing the disastrous effects of when flight crew lose their situational awareness, the good news however was that a brilliant avionics engineer would ultimately come to the rescue. We are fortunate enough to have Adrian back with us for these episodes, so we hope you enjoy them.
As per usual, you can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod<...
S3 E14 Zero Flight Controls
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Hello Fearless Flyers, in this episode we welcome Al as a guest host, Al has a special interest in CRM and in this particular episode, the pilots used those skills to land an aircraft with absolutely no flight controls.
Click here to watch a short video on testing a jet engine and see what happens when a fan blade is intentionally separated whilst the engine is running at high speed.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The F...
S3 E13 Miracle on the Levee
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Hello Fearless Flyers, in this episode we chat about an aircraft that had a complete engine failure and, how the pilots managed to get the aircraft onto the ground in one piece without any injuries or damage to the aircraft itself.
A request for our Apple Podcast listeners, if you get the chance could you please write us a small review on apple podcasts reviews. Thank you from James and Grant.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook...
S3 E12 The World's Largest Glider
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James and Grant welcome guest host Stefan to discuss what happens when what the largest aircraft in the world turns into the largest glider in the world mid-flight.
Click this link to look at the Flight Engineers lament, a humorous 3:30 video about the Flight Engineers position that is no longer part of today's modern aircraft.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please also tell us.
If you want us to talk about a particular aviation event, then please d...
S3 E11 Psycho Automation
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In this episode James and Grant discuss what happens when a computer takes control of an aeroplane.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please also tell us.
If you want us to talk about a particular aviation event, then please do not hesitate to contact us at any of the contact details below here.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
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S1 E7A Turbulence Special Update
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Hi Fearless Flyer podcast listeners, following two recent turbulence events, I wanted to give you a special update to our original turbulence episode.
In this special episode we cover what causes high level turbulence, what g forces are, discuss the preliminary report of SQ321 and a few other events, Grant's views on turbulence when you are not in your seat and some more turbulence statistics.
I would also suggest you listen to S1 E7 Turbulence if you have not heard it before listening to this special episode.
I hope this e...
S3 E10 Pull Down, Pull Down
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In this episode James and Grant have a guest host Adrian joining them to discuss an accident which was too similar to the previous episode on Air Fance 447. Some operators just didn't want to incorporate the lessons learnt from AF447, however we finish on another incident that had a positive outcome, indeed most operators had taken the lessons on board.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please also tell us.
If you want us to talk about a particular a...
S3 S9 Chaos.. confusion.. chaos Part 2
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James and Grant are your hosts along with Dave as our special guest host for part 2 of Air France flight 447. Investigators were very good at finding out what happened but with no witnesses and without the flight and cockpit recorders, there was no information about how the tragedy happened. Now with the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, we find out how the tradegy unfolded.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please also tell us.
If you want us t...
S3 E8 Chaos.. confusion.. chaos Part 1
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James and Grant are your hosts along with Dave as our special guest host for the next two episodes. In this and the next episode we will be talking about Air France flight 447. Investigators were very good at finding out what happened but with no witnesses and without the flight and cockpit recorders, there was no information about how the tragedy happened.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please also tell us.
If you want us to talk about...
S3 E7 Random fuel motion
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James and Grant talk about the first time the flight data recorders were used in the United Kingdom, to help pinpoint the cause of an accident that had investigators initially quite baffled as to what had happened.
Click here to watch an excellent black and white BBC North documentary from 1968 that runs 49 minutes regarding the Stockport crash and how the investigators carried out their analysis as to what happened.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please also t...
S3 E6 Vermilion Boxes
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Hello Folk,
Our Series 3 Insights, happy 2024 is in order as it was launched on 1 January 2024. Here we chat about historical accidents or incidents, what we learnt from them and how this learning has made the aviation industry safer.
If you are enjoying our podcast, please leave a short review. If you are not enjoying it, then please tell us.
If you want us to talk about a particular aviation event, then please do not hesitate to contact us at any of the contact details below here.
You can contact...
S3 E5 Unstable Gyro
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Hi Folk, we are back with our third series called Insight. We are going to be taking a look at historical accidents and incidents that shaped the aviation industry and, how these events changed the course of the industry leading to what is in essence, a very regulated and safe form of mass transport that we experience today.
In this episode we will be discussing the "whirl mode effect," something no one knew anything about during the development of the L188 Electra. The lessons learnt would be implemented into aircraft designs of...
S3 E4 Lightning strikes once
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Hi Folk, we are back with our third series called Insight. We are going to be taking a look at historical accidents and incidents that shaped the aviation industry and, how these events changed the course of the industry leading to what is in essence, a very regulated and safe form of mass transport that we experience today.
In this episode we will be discussing the only recorded time lightning has been the sole culprit for an aircraft accident, then we will finish our discussion on some facts about lightning.
If yo...
S3 E3 Unseen metal fatigue
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Hi Folk, We are back with our third series called Insight. We are going to be taking a look at historical accidents and incidents that shaped the aviation industry and, how these events changed the course of the industry leading to what is in essence, a very regulated and safe form of mass transport that we experience today.
In this episode we will be discussing a Boeing 707 accident that hardly any of you would have heard about. For had it not happened to this particular aircraft and the unfortunate crew, then it...
S3 E2 Comet part 2
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Hi Folk, We are back with our third series called Insight. We are going to be taking a look at historical accidents and incidents that shaped the aviation industry and, how these events changed the course of the industry leading to what is in essence, a very regulated and safe form of mass transport that we experience today.
Part 2 of the Comet issues, we look at how these new pressurised cabins affected metal fatigue.
James and Gant will once again be your hosts, we will also have some guest hosts along...
S3 E1 Comet part 1
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Hi Folk, We are back with our third series called Insights. We are going to be taking a look at historical accidents and incidents that shaped the aviation industry and, how these events changed the course of the industry leading to what is in essence, a very regulated and safe form of mass transport that we experience today.
In this episode we discuss the takeoff issues of the very first passenger jet aircraft ever produced.
James and Gant will once again be your hosts, we will also have some guests along...
S2 V2 Going on a flight
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Hi Guy's.
Due to some great feedback, we've updated this episode of Going on a Flight, the main changes are the addition of some of the noises you will hear. The time markers have been amended accordingly.
In this episode we take you on a flight, well more to the point we talk to you about the flight you are going to go on. We will explain our thoughts on the preparation in the days before, talk to you as your flight day progresses with what is going on and give y...
S3 Insights
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James and Grant want to welcome you to Series 3 Insights from the Fearless Flyer. This is where we will be discussing historical accidents and incidents and, how these events changed the course of the aviation industry, thereby making it safer for the travelling public today.
As per usual we welcome your feedback and ideas, you can get in touch with us at any of the media options below:
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Going on a flight
In this episode we take you on a flight, well more to the point we talk to you about the flight you are going to go on. We will explain our thoughts on the preparation in the days before, talk to you as your flight day progresses with what is going on and give you some top tips to think about.
We have included 12 chapter markers with the chapters here as well so you can easily go to the segment time in minutes and seconds of the episode that relates to where you are on your journey.
0:38 Pre...
S1 E40 Summary of Series 1
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Hi Folk,
We've come to the end of series one of the Fearless Flyer. In this episode James and Grant discuss some of the statistics of the most listened to episodes to date in this series, look at some of the issues going on in the industry at the moment and, we finish up with what our plans are for the next two series of our podcast.
A big thanks to all our guest's and, you the listeners who have participated even by simply listening or sharing our podcast with other...
S1 E39 Regulatory stuff and crazy measuring units
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We discuss The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and why it is more of a guide to aviation policy rather than policing aviation, IATA which is a group of aviation businesses involved in influencing aviation policy. We chat about all the different units of measurement used in aviation, talk about the airborne motorway system across the north Atlantic and finish talking briefly about airport design.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
S1 E38 Media Sensationalism
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In this episode James and Grant talk to Al and Dave about their experiences and views on the exaggeration and sensationalism that occurs in the media. The conversations led us "off-piste" on some interesting statistics and a great discussion ensued on why we sometimes have to break off the landing.... the go-around.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPodt!
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S1 E37 Terrorism & Pesky passengers
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In this episode James & Grant discuss terrorism, pilot suicide and pesky passengers.
As per usual feel free to contact us, if you are enjoying the podcast then please leave us a review.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A request for help from Apple podcast users: Our podcast does not register in the fear of flying search options for Apple podcast users, the only way it can get recognised...
S1 E36 Maintaining My Aircraft
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In this episode we discuss aircraft maintenance, and we were fortunate enough to have Glenn join us who has many years experience as an Aircraft Engineer.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A request for help from Apple podcast users: Our podcast does not register in the fear of flying search options for Apple podcast users, the only way it can get recognised is with Apple folk pro...
S1 E35 Jet-lag & Crew Limits
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In this episode James and Grant discuss jet lag and go on to discuss the flight time limitation scheme (FTL) that is in place to reduce crew fatigue.
You can contact us on email or social media at:
Email: contactus@thefearlessflyer.net
Twitter: @FearlessFlyPod
Facebook: The Fearless Flyer
Instagram: FearlessFlyPod
A request for help from Apple podcast users: Our podcast does not register in the fear of flying search options for Apple podcast users, the only way it can get recognised is with Apple folk providing...
