When an airline collapses overnight, somebody has to move the airplanes.

This week on Cockpit Casual, we finally tell the full story behind the unprecedented 8-day operation that began the moment Spirit Airlines ceased operations. What followed was absolute chaos: 24 aircraft, 5 lessors, planes scattered across the country, time closing in, legal uncertainty, operational pressure, and a race against time to reposition a fleet of Airbus A320s and A321NEOs into long-term storage in the Mojave Desert.

For eight straight days, the team at Nomadic Aviation Group operated around the clock coordinating one of the largest and most complex airline repossession efforts in recent history. Ferry crews launched with almost no notice. Dispatchers and planners worked through constantly changing logistics. Airplanes were moved from active airline service directly into preservation storage as the industry watched in real time.

The story exploded into the national spotlight, with coverage from The Wall Street Journal, NPR, CBS News, CNBC, and countless aviation outlets — but this episode is the first time the entire operation has been told from the inside by the people actually running it.

From the midnight phone calls… to the FAA and regulatory confusion… to the scramble for crews… to the surreal sight of abandoned airliners arriving one after another in the California desert — this is the complete play-by-play of one of the wildest weeks in Nomadic history.

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens after an airline dies, this is the episode.

This week on Cockpit Casual: The Podcast, we take a different route.

After a quick discussion on current aviation happenings, the conversation shifts toward something that has quietly become one of the defining elements of Cockpit Casual itself: the music.

Joining us is Steve Giordano Sr. — lifelong Philadelphia jazz musician, composer, and the man behind much of the original score woven throughout the series. For the first time, we do a deep dive into the music that gives Cockpit Casual its emotional identity.

We explore the meaning of jazz, improvisation, and what it means to create music over the course of a 60-year professional career. From the origins of the legendary Philadelphia jazz fusion group Symbiosis to stories from decades in the music world, this episode becomes something far bigger than just aviation or music alone.

We also discuss the parallels between flying and jazz improvisation — decision making in real time, trusting instinct, discipline hidden beneath freedom, and the pursuit of mastery in endlessly variable environments.

If you’ve ever wondered why music plays such a central role in Cockpit Casual, this episode explains it better than any we’ve done before.

A conversation about art, flying, creativity, aging, passion, identity — and the soundtrack behind a life lived in motion.

Want to talk Jazz with Steve SR? Shoot him an email! Seriously! jzguru@gmail.com

Coming Soon: stevegiordanojazz.com

Terje's Channel which features Steve Giordano Sr's Music:

@nordichelicopteraviators - Head over and Subscribe on YouTube! Cool Stuff

Find us on the web: cockpitcasual.com

Episode 9 kicks off with a really in-depth conversation on Spirit Airlines—what’s actually going wrong financially, why the ULCC model is struggling in 2026, and why a $500M government bailout probably isn’t the solution.

Then—finally—we’ve got something people have been asking for forever: We bring on Nomadic’s flight planning and dispatch team (Wes Gardner, Mark Lawrence, and Chris Fochuk) to talk about what goes into planning long-haul ferry flights, how chaotic it can get behind the scenes, and how each of them ended up at Nomadic.

If you’ve ever wondered how these trips actually come together… this is the episode. Meet the gang!

Episode 8 opens on a sentimental note as we say goodbye to our Westwind — an airplane that’s been part of the Nomadic story for several years. The episode begins with an 8-minute farewell as the jet prepares to leave the hangar for a pre-buy inspection and, hopefully, a new chapter with its next owner. (Youtube version is a Video!)

From there, it’s back to the usual unfiltered conversation. Bob and Steve dive into the latest on airline mergers, rising fuel prices, and what it all means for the industry right now. The conversation then shifts into something more personal — a look back at the early days of their flying careers, the uncertainty, the setbacks, and the reality of building a life in aviation.

It’s an honest discussion about the cyclical nature of this industry — the highs, the lows, and everything in between — from two guys who’ve lived it for decades.

This week’s episode covers a lot of ground. We open with our usual Bob-and-Steve hang for the first half hour — talking about the pending sale of the Westwind, what we’re considering as a replacement, and a deep dive into the current state of the single-engine turboprop market.

We talk through real-world tradeoffs between aircraft like the TBM, Meridian/M600 class, and PC-12 — cost of entry, mission capability, and what actually makes sense for how we fly.

Then we shift gears into something very different.

In the second half, we sit down with Dr. Abigail Powell, an aviation-focused therapist known online as @theaviationtherapist.

We dig into the mental health side of aviation — the parts that usually don’t get talked about in cockpits, group chats, or on layovers. From the pressures of performance and the stigma around seeking help, to hyper-vigilance, compartmentalization, and the unique psychological demands of aviation careers, Dr. Powell brings a grounded and honest perspective that every pilot — professional or recreational — will recognize.

We cover:
• Why mental health challenges in aviation are often hidden
• How stress and anxiety show up differently in high-performance flying environments
• Why compartmentalization is both a survival skill and a long-term risk
• The realities of asking for help in a career where “weakness” can feel like a liability
• Practical tools pilots can use to manage stress and stay mentally sharp

This one goes places we don’t usually go — and it’s worth the listen.

Guest:
Dr. Abigail Powell
Instagram: @theaviationtherapist
Website: theaviationtherapist.com

As always — if you fly, work in aviation, or just love hearing real conversations from inside the industry, this episode is for you.

This week’s episode opens with something a little different — a 12-minute, behind-the-scenes segment from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where you join us for lunch on a recent trip. It’s raw, cutting-room-floor footage from the upcoming Cockpit Casual series dropping this summer. Fair warning: this segment is definitely better experienced on video — you can watch it on our YouTube version — but it still holds up if you’re along for the ride on audio.

From there, Steve shares a bit about his Passover traditions before we get into a big industry topic — the latest (and not-so-great) changes to the United Airlines MileagePlus program.

This week’s Side Schtick turns into a fun one: if you could fly with any celebrity pilot, who’s in your cockpit? That conversation, naturally, takes a detour into the legendary Piper Aerostar.

We wrap things up with a solid listener Q&A session — some great questions in this one.

And if you haven’t yet — check out this episode on YouTube for the full Tashkent segment as it was meant to be seen.

EP 5 – From the Hangar Floor to 1.4M Followers: A Deep Conversation with Max Comer

We open this week with a brief discussion on the recent fatal crash at LaGuardia, reflecting on the realities of risk in aviation and the perspective that comes with experience.

From there, we shift gears into one of our most compelling conversations yet—an in-depth interview with A&P mechanic and social media powerhouse Max Comer.

What starts as a conversation about turning wrenches quickly expands into something much bigger.

We cover the growing mechanic shortage and why it matters, what a career in aircraft maintenance really looks like, and the often-misunderstood relationship between pilots and line mechanics. Max gives us a look inside heavy maintenance, the realities of the job, and how the next generation can find their way into the industry.

But this episode goes well beyond aviation.

We talk about everything from Lord of the Rings to music, to building a massive online following—and then into something far more personal. Max reflects about personal tragedy and loss, raising two kids as a single parent, and how creating content became a lifeline during the most difficult chapter of his life.

It’s raw, honest, and unexpectedly powerful.

We close the episode with one of Max’s original tracks "Reason".

This week we’re all over the place—in a good way. Bob’s fresh off a trip to Uzbekistan, which turns into a conversation about some of our old Russia flying days.

We get into what’s happening behind the scenes on the next Cockpit Casual, and tell a story about shutting down an engine in a 757 on the way into Guam.

Then we’re joined by Scottie Bateman—BA captain, filmmaker, and now author—to talk about his new book Jumbo and his path through aviation and media.

Find Scottie's latest book on Amazon UK (from anywhere) and check out the Video Pod on YouTube with some gross footage of Bob and Steve diving into some Balut in the Philippines (ya had to be there)...