Greg Brown: Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet
Greg Brown, “the story-teller-poet-laureate of aviation”
Ride along with renowned aviator, writer, and photographer Greg Brown in his light airplane, the "Flying Carpet," as he searches behind clouds for the real America, experiencing countless aerial adventures along the way.
A former National Flight Instructor of the Year, Greg is author of five books, a former Barnes & Noble Arizona Author of the Month, and longtime aviation adventure columnist for AOPA Flight Training magazine. Some reviewers have compared his book, "Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane," to sixties road-trip classics like "On the Road," and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."
Says aviation author and humorist Rod Machado: “Greg thinks with the mind of a pilot, questions with the curiosity of a philosopher, and sees with the eyes of a poet.”
Observes Nina Bell Allen, former “Readers Digest” Asst. Managing Editor, "You don't have to be a pilot, or even a frequent flyer, to soar with Greg Brown in [his] Flying Carpet."
So buckle in and join Greg for the ride!
Website: GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com/podcast
Episodes
44 episodes
Nabbed!
Perils of a Dream Pilot Job"When the police first came up I asked 'em 2-3 times, ‘you’re joking, right?’ But about the time they put me in handcuffs and locked me in the police car… well, I don’t know the law, but ...
In Search of Lost Time
The Magic of Being a Pilot!Where the heck is my watch? I wondered, upon checking my wrist for the current time. Jean and I were dining with aviation author and humorist Rod Machado, h...
Best Landing Anyone Ever Made
I recently had occasion to remember my dad on what would’ve been his 100th birthday. He was a cool guy with an impressive aviation background who lived some memorable flying adventures, so I decided to honor his memory through this episode....
Lessons & Landmarks
Lessons & Landmarks; Cross Country Odyssey During the ATC StrikeDuring the recent longest ever US government shutdown, airline traffic was restricted at 14 major airports around the country. But you may not know that those sam...
Best "1st Flying Lesson" Ever!
Any pilot will tell you that learning to fly an airplane is a challenging endeavor. So when you fly with someone who demonstrates a natural knack for it, that's a special occasion. Well, I recently experienced the best ...
Runaway Autopilot!
Runaway Autopilot! (Misadventures of a Corporate Pilot)Happily I've experienced only a handful of scares over decades of piloting. But this one was a biggie!So climb aboard my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelt, and prepare f...
Kentucky Belle
"This might as well be Oz," I thought, upon clearing the clouds approaching Paducah, Kentucky. I wouldn’t have been surprised to experience supersaturated sunshine, and perhaps a golden brick runway. <...
Bowling Alley Hot Dogs
Flight instructing offers some of the most rewarding flying there is. We experience the joy of fulfilling our students’ dreams of flight, become better pilots ourselves in the process, and develop lifelong friendships with many of those we teac...
Flying Saucer!
There's been lots of news lately about possible extraterrestrial visits from other planets, other galaxies. And whether the government has been covering it up. In particular, many reports have revealed sightings from airplane cockpits.So...
The Day GPS Went Away!
How many pilots have seriously considered the safety implications of unexpectedly losing GPS navigation in flight? Well it happened to us, in clouds over remote and rugged terrain, and as you'll hear, the risks are thought-provokin...
"Waterbeds by the 1/2 Hour"
Grab your logbook, 'cause it's time for one of my wackiest flying adventures ever!So climb into my Flying Carpet, buckle up your seatbelts and prepare to take off on today’s episode, “Waterbeds
Perils of an Off-Airport Takeoff!
Cowboy Flying Lesson! Perils of an Off-Airport TakeoffYou may remember meeting my buddy Baldy in previous Flying Carpet Podcasts,
Time Travel
One thing I love about flying is that there are so many dimensions to it. It might be as simple as going from point a to point B... For a meeting... Or a "hundred-dollar hamburger." But sometimes piloting takes you mystica...
Eclipse!
As I record this, we’re just two weeks away from the 2024 total solar eclipse that will come up through Mexico and cross much of the Midwest and eastern United States. I suspect that many of you plan on flying to see this eclipse, b...
iPads, Icing, & Restricted Airspace!
One thing I’ve learned over many years of piloting is that rarely can we plan a flight, take off, and then not need to worry about anything until we reach our destination.More often than not, circumstances arise before takeoff and en rou...
Cowpunchers Reunion: Rough Flight Home
You may remember meeting my cowboy buddy "Baldy" way back in Flying Carpet Podcast Flight #2, “Cowboy Pilot,”<...
Bad Omen
There are many dimensions to piloting adventure: some are scary, most are educational, but all are memorable!
Lobe Plays Sedona; Skies Filled with Music
“Lobe Plays Sedona; Skies filled with music.” Along with cockpit thrills and challenges, plenty of piloting adventure arises from where flying can deliver us, both physically and spiritually. That’s what today’s episode is about.
Vertigo!
Some Lessons a Pilot Never Forgets"So this must be vertigo." I thought. Nausea circled my gut like the snowflakes orbiting my propeller. I peered out the windshield for landmarks, but snow obscured all but a tiny spot of gr...
Red Sports Car for a Day
Ride along on Greg's youthful adventures in airplanes and automobiles!
Fifty Years Aloft
I was recently awarded the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, for 50 years of safe piloting. It’s mind-boggling to consider how short the history of aviation is, that I should have personally flown ...
Talking Spirits
Piloting is a sophisticated activity that requires a good deal of training, hand-eye coordination, planning, and application of judgment.But today’s episode focuses more on spiritual aspects of flying--that is, why we do it, rather than...
Captain Midnight
As you’ve likely heard, the final Learjet was recently delivered following almost 60 years of production. I was a kid when the Lear 23 was first introduced in 1964. Although a few other corporate jets were flying by then, most comp...
Backstory: Flight Instructor Hall of Fame
Every aviator develops mutually rewarding relationships with the flight instructors delivering his or her wings. Well, here’s the backstory of one of those relationships, that over 22 years led to the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. ...
