In The Hangar Podcast with Dan and Chelsea

As a pilot gains experience, they are faced with choices. They can keep thinking they’re invulnerable, super pilots who can do no wrong, or they begin to have a better view of the reality. If you don’t adapt, you can easily die in this high risk industry. Dan and Chelsea talk about the ways they’ve changed as pilots as they’ve gained more experience.

Flutter is one of aviation’s most dangerous aerodynamic problems—and in the early days of flight, pilots and engineers learned about it the hard way. In this episode of In The Hangar, Dan Millican sits down with A&P/IA Chelsea Smith to talk about control surface flutter: what causes it, why it can become destructive so quickly, and how decades of engineering and hard-earned lessons have helped make modern aircraft safer. In this episode:

• What control surface flutter actually is
• Why excessive airspeed can trigger flutter
• The importance of properly balanced ailerons, elevators, and rudders
• Why trim tabs and worn hinges deserve attention
• How painting or repairing a control surface can change its balance
• Why drain holes matter more than you might think
• Flutter considerations in experimental aircraft
• What pilots should know about VNE and aircraft modifications
• Chelsea’s firsthand experience with questionable maintenance practices
• How manufacturers test aircraft for flutter

In this episode of the In The Hanger Podcast Dan and Chelsea discuss is Rotax is better than a Turbine .

What was your WORST Flight ever? What was your best? Dan and Chelsea look through their logbooks to talk about the best and worst flight they done.

Has Chelsea Smith’s last name changed yet? Why did she become an aircraft mechanic? Dan introduces Chelsea to the In The Hangar audience to get to know her.

India’s AAIB is supposed to release the report on the tragic Air India 171 crash by June 12. A month ago they were on schedule. Now they’re saying they won’t have the final in time. Also, a helicopter crash kills a new groom and the pilot and seriously injures the bride. A Lufthansa 787 has a nose gear collapse in Frankfurt. The NTSB still has some docket cases down. And Dan Fordice dies in a P-51 crash.

In this weekly aviation news recap podcast, Dan discuss the fail at the Sydney drone show, the removal from the boarding area of a family with a 13 year old Tourettes son, the crash of a WWI triplane replica Fokker in Texas, the collision between the paraglider and the Cessna in Austria, the attempted hijacking of a United flight in the US, and an explanation as to why victims families would sue the estates of the UPS MD-11 pilots.

Aviation news for the week. The NTSB holds a two day hearing on the UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville– what we learned from it. A United captain was fired for allegedly whistleblowing. A Minnesota man claims that crows was what he was shooting at, not aerial firefighting airplane. A sinkhole closes a runway at LaGuardia. Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter in Air France 447 crash. And this is why the NTSB pulled down the docket system.

Weekly aviation news recap– Fedex has returned the MD-11’s to service after the tragedy in Louisville last fall. United CEO Scott Kirby in the news again, this time for flying American Airlines. Sporty’s founder Hal Shevers passes away. 11 People rescued after their KingAir 300 lost engines and avionics and ditched in the Atlantic. FAA has announced initiative to have vehicles at busy airport supplied with transponders. A lawyer is saying he’s filing a suit against the City of Denver on behalf of three passengers because of their traumatic experience watching a person hit by the engine of their Frontier flight. And a piper cherokee crashes into a house in Akron killing the two pilots. Finally, we cover some details on the prelim report from the Cessna 421C crash near Wimberley, Texas.

Slips and Skids: https://youtu.be/RKfG3lWCZ80?si=GbLvb_zkENzALxmh

NTSB Interview: https://youtu.be/L4xPWbpvWmM?si=IlyyAWtmA_AOhRMM

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Dan and Christy discuss the crash of Air Midwest 5481 that took 21 lives on January 8, 2003 at Charlotte International Airport. And now another 1900D has crashed in South Sudan just a few weeks ago.

Dan and Christy talk about new career opportunities for her as an airline pilot, and also what the lifestyle is like working flying the big jets.

Dan and Christy pull the veil back on what it’s like to film the studio talk show “In The Hangar” and recall their favorite moments so far. Season 9 to record on March 7-8 2025.

: From the Archive, Dan and Christy, in the early months of Covid were able to meet Mike and Mark Patey for the first time and talk to them about how they got started.

FAA is implementing a couple new changes to the airman medical certificate, including different procedures for testing color blindness and classification of medicals that are deferred to the FAA for guidance. Dan talks with Aviation medical Examiner Dr. Drew Sambell to talk about the changes and other medical questions.

Dan and Christy talk about VFR Flight Plans and why they’re hardly used for today’s General Aviation pilot in the US.

Merry Christmas from the TakingOff Team! Bryan Turn of JustPlaneSilly joins Dan and Christy to talk about how becoming a pilot has changed no pilot things in everyday life.

Dan and Christy talk updates in their lives, including what took Christy off flight status for a month and how you can teach an old dog new tricks as Dan learns something new and challenging in aviation.

Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals is announced as the 3034 Roberto Clemente Award Winner. We go back to 1972 and examine the plane crash that took the life of MLB Great Roberto Clemente. The Roberto Clemente Award is given to the MLB player that best represents the game through Character, Community Involvement, and Contributions.

Dan and Christy talk about the list of celebrity pilots, beyond the very commonly known ones, there are quite a few you might be surprised to learn are pilots. How many did you know? And yes, we left out Alton Brown and several others.

From the In The Hangar archives, Dan and Christy interview DPE Joe Casey about the physiology of Spatial Disorientation and how easy it is for a person to get upside down and never realize it. The condition has led to many airplane crashes, notably Kobe Bryant’s helicopter pilot and more recently the crash of a Kingair off Maui in December of 2022.

Watch on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ziJAsrlPkc