Carson Stilson built his own Zenith Super Duty kit plane in two and a half years and about 1,200 hours, then flew it to Oshkosh. He shares what building an experimental aircraft really takes.

Carson never planned to build an airplane in his thirties. He did it anyway, while working full time and raising two young kids. He explains why he chose a Zenith over a tailwheel kit, why he did most of the build himself, and how he kept going through the slow stretches. One of those stretches came a few weeks in, when he accidentally threw away half his airplane's skins.

In this episode:

• Why Carson chose a Zenith: STOL performance, cost, and no ground-loop worries
• How the Zenith rudder workshop led him to buy the kit
• Builder Assist vs. building it yourself, and when to get help with the engine and avionics
• "90% done, 90% to go": wiring, final assembly, and the last six months
• Putting a Lycoming IO-390 on a Super Duty for high-density-altitude backcountry flying in Utah
• The DAR inspection, the first flight on July 4th, and flying to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
• Why experimental and kit aircraft, along with MOSAIC, could be the future of personal aviation
• Carson's dream fleet: a bush plane, a 200-knot family hauler, and a show plane

Thinking about building a kit plane? Send this to the friend who keeps saying "someday."

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A Designated Pilot Examiner shares 5 tips to pass your checkride, plus the story of his engine failure and landing on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive at 3 PM on a Friday.

Johnny Ginley, a young DPE and fellow Ohio State aviation alum, explains what examiners see from the other side of the table. The advice applies to private, instrument, commercial, CFI, ATP, and type-rating checkrides. Many checkrides end before they even begin because of missing flight time, a bad endorsement, or aircraft paperwork that can't prove airworthiness.

In this episode:

• Logbook mistakes that disqualify applicants, and why airlines still want clean logbooks years later
• Proving airworthiness: inspections, ADs, and why a printed status sheet isn't enough
• "Know your numbers": why cruising at 2,300 RPM needs a reason behind it
• Don't force the flight: making a go/no-go call when the wind picks up on checkride day
• Don't force the landing, and the one maneuver where a go-around now counts as unsatisfactory
• Average checkride pass rates and how the ACS changed the CFI oral
• The throttle cable failure that put Johnny on Lake Shore Drive, and how he got back in the cockpit afterward

Got a checkride coming up? Send this episode to someone who needs it. You can read Johnny's full article in Pilot to Pilot Magazine.

Pilot to Pilot Magazine
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Our Sponsors
Please support the companies that support the show.

Aero Tow: The Aero Tow T2 moves tail draggers and medium twins up to 15,000 lbs. Pilot to Pilot listeners get $100 off with promo code PILOT100 at https://amigoaerotow.com

Textron Aviation: Owner support from the people who built your aircraft. Learn more at https://txtav.com

Avemco Insurance: Pilot to Pilot listeners save 5%. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit:
Aircraft owners: https://avemco.com/4297-owner
Non-owners: https://avemco.com/4297-non-owner

Garmin: Plan, file, fly, and log with the Garmin Pilot app.

Allworth Airline Advisors: Watch "The Hot Seat," an on-demand webinar where airline benefits experts answer pilots' open enrollment questions. Register at https://allworthairline.com/justin

Steve Giordano left a senior captain seat at Allegiant to build Nomadic Aviation Group, one of the most trusted ferry operations in the business. He breaks down how a ferry flight actually gets quoted and flown — lessors, permits, DARs, tankering fuel at $18 a gallon — what trips really cost, the margins behind them, and what he looks for when contracting pilots. Plus the Alice Springs COVID runs, Equatorial Africa thunderstorms, and the operational failure in Korea he still calls his worst.

Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 003 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/mag

Sponsors — please support the people who support the show:

• AeroTow — $100 off an AeroTow T2 for Pilot to Pilot listeners. Use promo code PILOT100 at amigoaerotow.com

• Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-nonowner (non-owners)

• Textron Aviation — Built for lifelong aviators. Plan your next chapter at txtav.com/stepup

• Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app

• Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at https://allworthfinancial.com/airlines/lp/runway-for-retirement-webinar?utm_campaign=airlines+-+more+runway+for+retirement&lmls=Partner+Channel&lmld=Pilot+to+Pilot&ad_version=Social