John Zimmerman

What are the most revolutionary aviation products of the last 25 years? If you immediately thought of a glass panel or a new airplane, Doug Ranly wants you to think again. As the director of new products at Sporty's Pilot Shop, he's seen a lot of technology come and go, and he believes portable products have the biggest impact because they affect the most pilots. In this gear-focused episode, he names his top four products, shares some less successful inventions, and describes his process for evaluating a new gadget. Doug also talks about his first experience with active noise reduction headsets (in Iraq, not in an airplane), what products he'd like to see invented, and what product he wishes companies would stop inventing. In the Ready to Copy segment, you'll hear why Doug loves the RV-12, his pet peeve about flashlights, and what he learned as a carny.

Bruce Williams had a front row seat to some exciting developments in flight simulators, working at Microsoft as their program grew from a simple DOS program to a visually stunning virtual world. He offers some practical tips for using a sim for home training (have a plan, don't stress about the controls) and weighs in on the "game vs. simulator" debate. Bruce is also a longtime flight instructor, so he shares his tips for flying long cross-country flights, how to master glass cockpits, and learning aerobatics. In the ready to copy segment, Bruce tells us his favorite preflight weather tools, why pilots should use the autopilot more, and his favorite author.

People come to Oshkosh for the airplanes, but they stay for the people. That's according to EAA Chairman Jack Pelton, who explains why the culture at AirVenture is so unique, why America needs more of this spirit in everyday life, and his favorite place to visit at the big show. He also shares the organization's big plans for the 30th year of the Young Eagles program, why experimental airplanes are so popular right now, and what his top priorities are for the FAA. In the Ready to Copy segment, Jack explains why you can't build a new Cessna 172 for $100,000, shares his favorite vintage airplane, and identifies some underrated aviation museums.

During the month of July, Sporty’s will be hosting a celebration of general aviation across our website, social media, at Oshkosh, and at our store in Batavia, Ohio—what we're calling Fly July. The goal is to get out and fly this summer, whether it's to start flight training, get current, or take that big cross country you've been dreaming of. Sporty's has the gear and tools to help you achieve your goals and have fun.

How well did you fly your last traffic pattern or instrument approach? Most pilots will respond with something vague: “pretty good” or “the outcome was never in doubt.” That might be enough for a quick logbook entry, but with some new tools it is now possible to be much more data-driven in your post-flight debriefing sessions. The result is improved pilot skills and safer flights. 

ForeFlight is one of aviation's biggest success stories, growing from a hobby to an industry-leading business in less than a decade. Tyson Weihs was there at the beginning, and in this episode he shares some early memories and some lessons learned about aviation and business. He also explains how he uses ForeFlight both for pre-flight planning and for in-flight navigation, plus tips for using datalink weather to stay safe. In the Ready to Copy segment, he opines on everything from his favorite app feature to what emerging technology he's watching to the best tennis player.  

As one of Hollywood's top aerial coordinators, Kevin LaRosa has been around plenty of big budget movies—but Top Gun: Maverick was a completely different experience. He takes us behind the scenes to explain how they got all those incredible shots, including fighter jets flying at 600 knots through narrow valleys. The equipment, including the unique CineJet platform, makes some of these scenes possible, but the key to staying safe is planning and practice. Kevin also describes how the actors all took flight training to prepare for the movie, what he's learned from flying a huge variety of aircraft, and how he landed a helicopter on a moving train.

Last week we published the 26th edition of our Pilot’s Discretion podcast, marking one full year of episodes. This biweekly podcast brings you fast-paced and thought-provoking interviews with some of the world’s most interesting pilots, discussing everything from the latest technology to practical tips for safer flying. To celebrate, we thought we would look back over the last year and highlight some of our favorite episodes. 

After a lifetime of flying on space shuttles and Air Force jets, Mike Mullane believes that “humility keeps you alive,” whether you’re an astronaut or a student pilot. He shares the hair-raising experiences that taught him that lesson, and explains what normalization of deviance means in the context of aviation safety. Mike's son Patrick, a new private pilot, also joins the podcast and explains what makes flight training weird for older students and what earning an MBA taught him about flying. This is a back-and-forth episode about aviation families, risk management, and flying dreams.

Since being reintroduced in 2020, Microsoft Flight Simulator has reinvented the flight simulator world. With stunning graphics, live weather, and incredibly life-like cockpits, the latest generation of this storied franchise is winning thousands of new fans every week. To make it more than a game, though, you'll need the right hardware. Here are our top picks for yokes and rudder pedals, any of which can transform MSFS into a valuable training tool. All of these work with X-Plane as well as Micorsoft, and they can be mixed and matched to create the perfect system.