Ground Effect Aviation Podcast Parimal Satyal

In episode 6 of the Ground Effect podcast, we speak to a pilot whose international career is as diverse as it is surprising. Between island-hopping in the Carribean, flying in an active warzone in Afghanistan and doing medevac in Canada, Troy has more than a few stories to share. (This episode was recorded last year, in May of 2020).

In episode 5, we go back to the European general aviation and speak with Tom, a newly-certificated private pilot in the Arcachon region in southwestern France. We talk about how he discovered aviation, what his flight training and PPL checkride were like, the unique way they celebrate a first solo at his aéroclub, a few tips for the student pilot and his plans for the future.

In episode 4, we speak with Neha Puri, who recently transitioned from flying a twin-engine turbo-prop on domestic routes in Nepal to flying the A320 to international destinations. This is the second of two interviews recorded in the summer of 2018 in Nepal, which I took forever to edit and put out (sorry Neha and my listeners!). But here it is, it's a really fun episode and we hope the wait will have been worth it!

Holiday mountain flying special! In episode 3, we speak to senior Nepalese mountain flying captain Binod Puri right after he flies me to Lukla, the "world's most dangerous airport". Tenzing-Hillary airport is an exceptional altiport: a one-way 1.729ft (527m) sloped runway at an altitude of 9.2000ft (2800m) with an 11.7% gradient, a cliff on one end and a stone wall on the other, towering mountains on all sides and unpredictable, fast-changing weather.

In our second episode, we speak to my flight instructor Frédéric. I've been flying with Frédéric for a couple of months now and this episode was a chance to learn more about what made him want to change careers and become a pilot relatively late in life, what it's like to teach someone else how to fly and what his own goals are as a pilot. If you're considering flight training but aren't sure where to start, Frédéric has some tips for you.

In our first episiode, we speak to Antoine, an A320 pilot, a French-language aviation podcast host and previously an air traffic controller in Switzerland. We talk about pilot training in Europe, his own journey from air traffic controller to pilot, the notion of personal minimums, the differences of private flying in the US vs Europe and his desire to share his passion for aviation.