Bryan Air

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT
 
Welcome to The Bryan Air Podcast. Boardroom decisions land on your flight deck—we translate them first.
This is The Bryan Air Debrief, where we break down airline strategy, economic forces, and the business moves shaping your career. No corporate spin. Just the intelligence pilots actually need.
We asked our listeners a simple question: if you could go back and choose a different career path, cargo, corporate, regional, international—would you? The responses hit harder than we expected. One pilot says he'd leave aviation entirely. A 40-year veteran says chase hard currency as fast as humanly possible. A bush flying legend says slow down and enjoy the ride. And one captain loved the job so much he'd almost fly for free. Six pilots, six radically different answers—and buried in all of them is a truth about what this career actually demands versus what Instagram makes it look like. Plus, trade war rhetoric reaches the flight deck as Trump threatens to decertify Canadian jets, the FAA furloughs 10,000 workers during a government shutdown, a new rule means everything you say on the flight deck gets recorded for 25 hours, and we introduce you to AI agents that could change how you prepare for every flight. The question that lingers: are you flying because you love it, or because you haven't stopped to ask yourself honestly?
 
⏱️ TIME-STAMPED FLIGHT PLAN
00:00 Introduction and What's Coming This Week
00:30 Listener Responses: "Would You Choose a Different Path?"
01:40 Gavin Pretorius: "I'd Leave Aviation Entirely"—The Entrepreneurial Case Against Flying
04:03 Mike Mason: Bush Flying, Patience, and Why You Shouldn't Rush Your Career
08:38 Willem van der Merwe: 40 Years In—Why He'd Chase Hard Currency First
13:31 Walter Waldeck: From C-130s to F-27s to SAA—A Legendary Career Spanning Decades
18:03 Jaco Bester: Are Student Pilots Getting Into Aviation for the Instagram?
23:49 Roland Raible: "I Loved My Job So Much I'd Almost Do It for Free"
28:23 The Magic of a Good Crew—And What Happens When It's Not There
29:36 Choosing a Career Path: Begin With the End in Mind
30:46 Trump Threatens to Decertify Canadian Jets—Playground Tactics With Real Consequences
33:20 FAA Furloughs 10,000 Workers During Government Shutdown
34:07 25-Hour Cockpit Voice Recorders: Privacy Concern or Safety Necessity?
37:46 Air India Grounds Dreamliner Over Fuel Switch Defect Linked to Fatal Crash
39:04 Boeing Predicts 2.37 Million New Aviation Jobs by 2044
41:49 Captain's Announcement: AI Agents Are Here—Meet Open Claw
50:30 Super Brew Formula One Challenge: The Bryan Air Prediction League Is Coming
52:02 Conclusion and Sign-Off
 
💼 FEATURED DIGITAL PRODUCTS
✈️ Kaizen and the Art of Command & The Kaizen Command AI Mentor
Leadership under pressure. Clear thinking. Calm execution. A practical framework for pilots and professionals who want to sharpen judgment and improve their command presence. The full product suite includes the Kaizen and the Art of Command course, micro-lessons, downloadable briefings, and the Kaizen Command AI Mentor.
👉 Get All Products Here(Course, AI Mentor, and more) → https://stan.store/bryanair
 
❤️ A NOTE TO OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
Your support genuinely keeps this show airborne. Every contribution helps us improve the podcast, upgrade our gear, and create more value for the aviation community. Thank you—we're incredibly grateful for every single supporter.
 
👉 Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair
🎧 LINKS
🌐 Bryan's Website → https://www.bryanroseveare.com/
⭐ All Digital Products (Courses & AI Mentor) → https://stan.store/bryanair
✈️ Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@BryanAirPodcast
❤️ Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT
Welcome to The Bryan Air Podcast. Boardroom decisions land on your flight deck, we translate them first.
This is The Bryan Air Debrief, where we break down airline strategy, economic forces, and the business moves shaping your career. No corporate spin. Just the intelligence pilots actually need.
When people ask what it takes to become a pilot, they're usually thinking about one thing—the flight deck. But the flight deck is just the beginning of a much bigger question: whose flight deck, and on what terms? This week we dig into career strategy that actually works: begin with the end in mind, then reverse engineer the flying career that gets you there. We also unpack why who you fly with matters more than what you fly—a lesson the industry rarely teaches. Then it's into the news: the NTSB clears the CRJ crew in the DC tragedy, UPS retires its entire MD-11 fleet after last year's crash, Southwest ends 55 years of open seating, and the FAA creates no-fly zones that move with ICE convoys. Plus, a rant about economy cabin behavior that every pilot will recognize.
 
⏱️ TIME-STAMPED FLIGHT PLAN
00:00 Welcome: Boardroom Decisions Land on Your Flight Deck
00:43 Career Paths Decoded: Cargo, Corporate, Regional—Which Suits You?
02:56 Begin With The End In Mind: Reverse Engineering Your Aviation Career
04:37 The New Generation vs. Ours: How Pilot Opportunities Have Changed
10:15 Who You Fly With Matters More Than What You Fly
16:24 PSA Airlines Crash: NTSB Clears the CRJ Crew Completely
21:03 FAA's New ICE No-Fly Zones: Penalties for Drone Operators
22:00 55 Years Gone: Southwest's Open Seating Policy Is Dead
25:00 Delta Orders 31 New Widebodies: The Premium Push Continues
26:12 India's Self-Reliance Play: Building Regional Aircraft Locally
27:02 EasyJet Called Out: The Truth About "Cheap" Bag Fees
28:19 The Economy Cabin Rant: Overhead Lockers, Body Odor, and Bad Behavior
34:59 Closing Thoughts and How to Support the Show
 
💼 FEATURED DIGITAL PRODUCTS
✈️ Kaizen and the Art of Command & The Kaizen Command AI Mentor
Leadership under pressure. Clear thinking. Calm execution. A practical framework for pilots and professionals who want to sharpen judgment and improve their command presence. The full product suite includes the Kaizen and the Art of Command course, micro-lessons, downloadable briefings, and the Kaizen Command AI Mentor.
👉 Get All Products Here (Course, AI Mentor, and more) → https://stan.store/bryanair
 
❤️ A NOTE TO OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
Your support genuinely keeps this show airborne. Every contribution helps us improve the podcast, upgrade our gear, and create more value for the aviation community. Thank you—we're incredibly grateful for every single supporter.
👉 Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair
 
🎧 LINKS
🌐 Bryan's Website → https://www.bryanroseveare.com/
⭐ All Digital Products (Courses & AI Mentor) → https://stan.store/bryanair
✈️ Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@BryanAirPodcast
❤️ Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT
Welcome to the Bryan Air Podcast, your weekly dose of real aviation talk. No PR polish. No corporate spin. Just pilots breaking down the stories shaping the skies: airline chaos, crew culture, decision-making, flight deck leadership, and the conversations you only hear at 38,000 ft.
 
The pilot hiring market just shifted from emergency mode to sustainable growth—if you've been waiting for your shot, this is it. Meanwhile, the EU Parliament just voted to keep your flight delay compensation at three hours (airlines wanted four), and United's about to take delivery of more wide bodies than any US carrier since 1988. Plus: a nose wheel departure in Orlando, a wifi hotspot bomb hoax, and the fake pilot who perfected the art of the jump seat con. Are you positioned for what's coming next?
 
⏱️ TIME-STAMPED FLIGHT PLAN
00:00 Last Week's Misstep: The ATNS Apology That Needed to Be Made
00:54 Pilot Hiring 2026: From Post-COVID Chaos to Sustainable Growth
03:51 EU Flight Delay Compensation: Why Three Hours Still Matters
05:57 5G vs. Radio Altimeters: Who Pays the $4.5 Billion Bill?
08:05 United's 20 Boeing 787s: The Biggest Wide-Body Delivery Since 1988
10:03 A321 Neo Loses Nose Wheel at Orlando—Hard Landing or Structural Failure?
12:24 "I Have a Bomb" WiFi Hotspot Forces Emergency Landing in Barcelona
13:19 ForeFlight Layoffs: What Pilot Job Cuts Mean for App Quality
15:27 Indonesian ATR 42 Crash: First Fatal Accident of 2026
17:26 Elon vs. Mark O'Leary: The Ryanair Starlink Standoff Gets Personal
20:02 Ryanair's Marketing Team Fires Back—Social Media Gold
20:25 Kaizen and the Art of Command: Decision-Making Systems They Never Taught You
21:39 US Seizes Anti-Submarine Trainers Bound from South Africa to China
23:41 Riyadh Cargo's Bold Move: 122 Wide-Bodies to Challenge the Gulf Giants
24:52 The Fake Pilot Who Perfected Jump-Seating—Lessons from Frank Abagnale Jr.
27:45 AI Video Production: Why McDonald's Experiment Took Longer Than Just Filming
29:28 Changi Airport Hits 70 Million Passengers—China's the Fastest-Growing Market
31:03 Cargo vs. Passengers: Why Flying Freight Might Be the Better Gig
32:03 UFC at the White House and Formula One Super Bru Returns
35:02 Leave a Review, Help the Algorithm, Support the Show
 
💼 FEATURED DIGITAL PRODUCTS
 
✈️ Kaizen and the Art of Command & The Kaizen Command AI Mentor
Leadership under pressure. Clear thinking. Calm execution. A practical framework for pilots and professionals who want to sharpen judgment and improve their command presence. The full product suite includes the Kaizen and the Art of Command course, micro-lessons, downloadable briefings, and the Kaizen Command AI Mentor.
👉 Get All Products Here (Course, AI Mentor, and more) → https://stan.store/bryanair
 
❤️ A NOTE TO OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
Your support genuinely keeps this show airborne. Every contribution helps us improve the podcast, upgrade our gear, and create more value for the aviation community. Thank you—we're incredibly grateful for every single supporter.
👉 Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair
 
🎧 LINKS
🌐 Bryan's Website → https://www.bryanroseveare.com/
⭐ All Digital Products (Courses & AI Mentor) → https://stan.store/bryanair
✈️ Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@BryanAirPodcast
❤️ Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT
Welcome to the Bryan Air Podcast, your weekly dose of real aviation talk. No PR polish. No corporate spin. Just pilots breaking down the stories shaping the skies: airline chaos, crew culture, decision-making, flight deck leadership, and the conversations you only hear at 38,000 ft.
 
The 2026 aviation year kicked off with a brutal reality check for South African operators: a single sick call at OR Tambo was enough to push the entire ATC system over the edge. But this isn't just about delays; it's about a system running on margins so thin they no longer exist. In this episode, we break down the operational risks of the ATC crisis, why maintenance test flights are becoming a lethal blind spot, and the truth about Kenya Airways' massive expansion plan. Plus, we look at why the FAA is terrified of passengers grabbing their bags during evacuations and why a poster at the gate won't stop them.
 
⏱️ TIME-STAMPED FLIGHT PLAN
 
00:00 Welcome Back: The 2026 Reality Check
01:57 South Africa's ATC Crisis: How ONE Sick Call Triggered Chaos
06:43 Floods and Mudstrips: The Lowveld Charter Nightmare
10:26 Amsterdam's De-Icing Meltdown & The €600 Compensation Reality
12:47 Why Maintenance Test Flights Are More Dangerous Than You Think
16:42 Kenya Airways' Bold Plan: 59 Aircraft by 2032—Can They Do It?
19:23 Tech Update: Starlink's Expansion & Nvidia's Role in Aviation
20:48 AI in the Flight Deck: Decision Support or Dangerous Dependency?
21:37 The Reality of AI for Complex vs. Simple Pilot Tasks
22:31 How AI Will Change Operational Decision Making by 2028
23:32 Leveraging Tech Without Losing Your Command Instincts
27:37 Boeing Delivered 600 Aircraft in 2025—Here's What It Means
32:44 FAA's New Evacuation Rule: Why Passengers Will Still Grab Their Bags
37:27 The US Ban on DJI Drones: What It Means for Pilots
39:05 Off-Duty: Rugby, UFC, and F1 Predictions
40:44 Final Approach & What's Coming This Season
 
💼 FEATURED DIGITAL PRODUCTS
✈️ Kaizen and the Art of Command & The Kaizen Command AI Mentor
Leadership under pressure. Clear thinking. Calm execution. A practical framework for pilots and professionals who want to sharpen judgment and improve their command presence. The full product suite includes the Kaizen and the Art of Command course, micro-lessons, downloadable briefings, and the Kaizen Command AI Mentor.
👉 Get All Products Here (Course, AI Mentor, and more) → https://stan.store/bryanair
 
❤️ A NOTE TO OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
 
Your support genuinely keeps this show airborne. Every contribution helps us improve the podcast, upgrade our gear, and create more value for the aviation community. Thank you—we're incredibly grateful for every single supporter.
👉 Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair
 
🎧 LINKS
 
🌐 Bryan's Website → https://www.bryanroseveare.com/
 
⭐ All Digital Products (Courses & AI Mentor) → https://stan.store/bryanair
 
✈️ Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@BryanAirPodcast
 
❤️ Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT
 

Welcome to the Bryan Air Podcast your weekly dose of real aviation talk. No PR polish. No corporate spin. Just pilots breaking down the stories shaping the skies: airline chaos, crew culture, decision-making, sport banter, and the conversations you only hear at 38 000 ft.
 
 
We're closing the hangar doors on 2025 with the ultimate cockpit debate: If the pay is the same, do you fly Boeing or Airbus? While the media hates on Seattle, we're taking a hard look at the A320's recent "solar radiation" nose-dive, toxic fume lawsuits, and why real pilots might still prefer the old-school metal. Plus, we breakdown the new $70M "no find, no fee" bounty on MH370, a $120k parking ticket for a "lost" 737, and why South African visa rules are a total dog show for business aviation.
 
 
⏱️ TIME-STAMPED FLIGHT PLAN
 
00:00 Welcome to the Bryan Air Podcast

00:20 Season Finale Reflections

02:15 Boeing vs. Airbus Debate

04:04 Airbus A320 Issues

13:57 Tourism Challenges in South Africa

21:06 Emirates' New Airbus A350

23:20 FAA Investigations and Airline Fines

25:10 Forgotten Boeing 737 Found

26:18 The Beast: MI-26 Helicopter

26:49 MH370: The Search Continues

29:08 Amazon Drones in Waco, Texas

35:21 Cirrus Aircraft Trade-In Program

37:01 US-India Tensions Over 787 Crash

38:16 Springboks' Rugby Success

43:18 F1 Championship Showdown

45:28 Thank You to Our Supporters
 

💼 FEATURED DIGITAL PRODUCT
 
✈️ Kaizen and the Art of Command
 
Leadership under pressure. Clear thinking. Calm execution.
A practical framework for pilots and professionals who want to sharpen judgment and improve their command presence.
 
Includes micro-lessons, downloadable briefings, and the Kaizen Command AI Mentor.
 
👉 Enroll for $147 at https://www.kaizencommand.com/
 
❤️ A NOTE TO OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
 
Your support genuinely keeps this show airborne.
Every contribution helps us improve the podcast, upgrade our gear, and create more value for the aviation community.
Thank you for backing us we're incredibly grateful for every single supporter.
 
👉 Join the Patreon Crew → https://www.patreon.com/bryanair
 

🎧 LINKS
 
🚀 Digital Products → [https://www.kaizencommand.com/

✈️ Watch on YouTube → [https://www.youtube.com/@BryanAirPodcast

❤️ Join the Patreon Crew → [https://www.patreon.com/bryanair