Jeff Simon
214 episodes listed below
Hangar talk with a safety lesson.
SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl is an interview-driven aviation show built around aviation people with real stories to tell. It moves from Ingenuity and stunt flying to maintenance failures, ditching survival, accident trends, and the small decisions that keep airplanes out of trouble.
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SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl is built for aviation people who like the story behind the maneuver, the mission, or the accident report. Jeff Simon anchors the conversations with a friendly, practical curiosity that keeps guests talking in useful detail. The show has range. It can spend time with Håvard Grip on the strange precision of choosing a safe place to deploy Ingenuity. It can follow Corkey Fornof into stunt-pilot memories, test flying, and the kind of side stories that only make sense around airplanes. It can bring Barry Schiff into a nostalgic hangar-flying mood, then pivot into cockpit communication, airline procedures, and what passengers understand from the back. Safety is never far away. Episodes with Greg Feith and Mike Busch point directly at accident trends, maintenance-induced failures, and what pilots can do before a problem becomes an emergency. Survival stories sit beside systems talk. Heidi Porch's Pacific ditching story is framed not just as drama, but as experience other pilots can learn from. The show also keeps an eye on general aviation's changing hardware and rules, including Van's Aircraft, MOSAIC, RV-15 updates, drones, transponders, and experimental aircraft. It likes people who have pushed limits. Hoot Gibson's visits bring astronaut, test-pilot, engineering, and air-racing stories into the same room. That variety gives the show a broad aviation shelf, but the center stays consistent: aircraft, risk, skill, and judgment. The pacing is measured, not clipped. Guests are allowed to wander when the wandering carries useful detail. Some episodes include long sponsor reads or repeated live-show setup, so the strongest moments often come once the interview settles in. The result feels less like a polished magazine segment than an open hangar door. It is warm, specific, and technically comfortable. Pilots, mechanics, aircraft builders, and aviation-curious listeners get both the awe of flight and the sober reminder that good flying is made from small decisions. It is a show for people who still want to ask one more question before the engine shuts down.
Made for: Best for pilots, mechanics, aircraft builders, aviation students, and serious aviation fans who enjoy long-form interviews with technical detail. It also suits curious listeners who want flying stories that connect excitement to practical judgment.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by pairing aviation guests with concrete pilot takeaways. Ingenuity, stunt flying, maintenance failures, accident investigation, and survival stories all get treated as material for safer, smarter flying.
Welcome to the SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl podcasts! SocialFlight Live is an hour of fascinating discussion with some of the most inspiring people in aviation. Previous guests have included Actor Treat Williams, FAA Surgeon General Susan Northrup, AOPA President Mark Baker, EAA President Jack Pelton, NASA Astronauts David Williams and John Herrington, Cirrus Aircraft Founder Dale Klapmeier, Rod Machado, Barry Schiff, Martha King, Dan Schwinn, SR-71 Pilots, Michael Goulian, Rob Holland, Julie Clark, Kirby Chambliss, Kevin Lacey (Airplane Repo), Ariel Tweto (Flying Wild Alaska), Mikey McBryan (Ice Pilots) and many more. Register for our LIVE VIDEO WEB SHOW at www...
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Aviation stories become practical lessons as Jeff Simon connects cockpit judgment, emerging technology, accident response, and the hard-earned experience of his guests.
Jeff Simon approaches aviation through the decisions people make once machinery, rules, and judgment meet. SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl moves between interviews and safety-minded discussion, giving technical subjects enough room to become practical without stripping away the…
Mars helicopters, forced landings, and beer in a Bearcat: Jeff Simon keeps your aviation appetite airborne.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Mars flight becomes a lesson in careful mission judgment.
Social Flight Live treats the Ingenuity story as a study in judgment and procedure. It follows Hovar Grip, chief pilot of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Program, from his path into NASA and JPL through the careful deployment of the helicopter from…
A lively Social Flight Live episode that turns test-flying stories into real aviation texture.
This Social Flight Live episode stays strongest when it sticks to the flying: BD-5 testing, hauling Coors beer in the Bearcat, and the back-and-forth with Bob Stone on the taxiway.
A warm aviation conversation that turns flight stories into practical pilot lessons.
Barry Schiff gives this holiday hangar-flights conversation a steady, familiar pace, with aviation memory, practical takeaways, and cockpit stories all landing in the same place.
A clear look at BVLOS drones, part 108, and why low altitude visibility matters.
Social Flight Live stays with a real airspace problem: commercial drones moving into the lower sky that general aviation aircraft already use.
A grounded discussion of accident response, reportability, and the safest next move after things go wrong.
This Cockpit to Cal conversation stays with the awkward stretch after an accident or forced landing, when the only real question is what happens next.
Real flying stories, told pilot to pilot.
Aviation safety talk that plays like ground school.
Working pilots retrace the road from discovery flight onward.
Jeff Simon opens the show with an out-of-this-world premise.
Jeff Simon opens the show and lets the conversation settle into familiar aviation shop talk with a guest who worked for Beattie, tested BD-5s, and split time between South Louisiana and the flight line.
Jeff Simon welcomes Barry Schiff for a New Year’s holiday hangar-flying session on Social Flight Live.
This episode features an interview with Marc Cook, former Kit Planes editor and current Van's Aircraft media manager, discussing updates on the RV-15, Mosaic rules, and the world of experimental and certified aircraft.
This episode features former NTSB investigator Greg Feith discussing whether flying is becoming more dangerous, analyzing recent accidents, safety trends, and practical tips for pilots.
Host Jeff Simon interviews legendary astronaut and test pilot Hoot Gibson on SocialFlight Live.
This episode discusses maintenance-induced failures in aviation and how to improve flying safety through education and FAA credit programs.
An interview with Captain Heidi Porte about her career as a ferry pilot and her survival after ditching in the Pacific Ocean.
This episode of Cockpit to Cal discusses general aviation safety topics from the perspectives of flight instructors, pilots, and mechanics.
Host Jeff Simon interviews former AOPA President Darren Pleasance about general aviation, encouraging listeners to fly and use SocialFlight resources.
Social Flight Live opens with a talk about commercial drone operations and the safety questions they raise for general aviation.
Jeff Simon and Brian Schiff focus on what happens after a forced landing, with the conversation centered on reportable damage, off-airport landings, and the judgment calls that follow.
A podcast discussing general aviation safety topics from the perspectives of flight instructors, pilots, and mechanics.
This episode begins with a sponsored ad for Mood cannabis and Ottawa hospital, then introduces the aviation podcast SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl.
Flight instructors discuss general aviation safety topics from pilot and aircraft perspectives.
Host Jeff Simon interviews F-15 fighter pilot Colonel Don 'Mast' Yates about his aviation story, combat readiness lessons, and the Electra UltraShort takeoff aircraft.
Flight instructors and a mechanic discuss fuel management and safety in general aviation.
Host Jeff Simon interviews Todd Simmons from Cirrus Aircraft about aviation stories and technology, while promoting upcoming events and giveaways.
This episode discusses general aviation safety topics from the combined perspective of flight instructors, pilots, and mechanics.
A podcast exploring general aviation safety topics from the perspectives of flight instructors, pilots, and mechanics.
Host Jeff Simon interviews Tracy Curtis-Taylor about her epic flights tracing paths of trailblazing female pilots.
A podcast discussing general aviation safety topics from the combined perspectives of flight instructors, pilots, and mechanics.
Host Jeff Simon interviews pilot and actor Robert Hayes from the movie Airplane on the SocialFlight Live aviation talk show.
Flight instructors and a mechanic discuss autopilot systems and their impact on aviation safety.
Hosts Jeff Simon and Brian Schiff discuss general aviation safety topics and share a travel experience flying with an air taxi in Jamaica.
Jeff Simon hosts a live aviation talk show featuring guest Juan Brown discussing aviation stories and responsible accident reporting.
Flight instructors and a mechanic discuss and debunk common aviation safety myths to improve pilot knowledge.
This episode introduces an upcoming aviation education variety show called The Schiff Show, sponsored by Avemco Insurance, aimed at enhancing safety and reducing accidents in general aviation.
This episode discusses the FAA's controversial MOS interpretation that could disrupt general aviation maintenance practices and provides updates on its current status.
This episode discusses the importance of trust in aviation safety, focusing on a pilot's personal story about questioning air traffic control instructions during a flight to Mexico.
This episode of Cockpit2Cowl features hosts Jeff Simon and Brian Schiff discussing aviation safety topics and personal updates, including Brian becoming a grandfather.
Two experienced aviation professionals launch a podcast to share their educational conversations on general aviation safety from pilot and mechanical perspectives.