This series is all about showcasing Libsyn podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!
Q & A with Max from Aviation News Talk
When did you start podcasting?
In some ways, my whole life has been a prelude to podcasting.
I first got behind the microphone at age 14 as a ham radio operator talking over the air with other hams around the world.
In high school, I took a class on giving speeches and presentations, which led to my first part-time job in radio as a weekend DJ at a local AM radio station at age 16.
And over the next seven years, I worked at a total of five radio stations, including working full-time as a CBS employee.
But my true start in podcasting didn’t come until much later. I spent 25 years in sales in marketing at one of the largest high tech companies, and then started a second career as a flight instructor and aviation author.
My first start in podcasting came as a guest in 2006 on The Finer Points of Flying podcast, when I was interviewed about my first aviation book.
Later, I was a guest on other podcasts, including multiple appearances on the Airplane Geeks podcast, which has been running for ten years.
My second start in podcasting came nearly four years ago when Airplane Geeks invited me to become a cohost on that show.
I learned a lot by being a cohost, but knew little about the technical side until I started my own show, as producer Max Flight does all recording, editing and uploading for that show.
But my true start in podcasting came when I launched Aviation News Talk in April 2017.
It’s the first podcast for which I’m responsible for all aspects of the show, and in the first ten months I’ve produced over 50 episodes.
My show is at least the fourth podcast that has spun out of Airplane Geeks, and I’m indebted to Max Flight for all of the help and advice he offered when I started my show.
Before launching my show, I joined Dave Jackson’s School of Podcasting, which helped me learned many technical aspects of podcasting that I hadn’t learned as a cohost.
Why did you start podcasting?
I created Aviation News Talk because, while I love being a cohost on the Airplane Geeks podcast, there isn’t enough time available on that show for me to share all the information I’d like with listeners.
And, as I listened to other aviation podcasts, I wasn’t finding the kind of general aviation show I was looking for. I teach flying six and sometimes seven days a week! And often after a flight, I think, “I need to share this information with other pilots to help keep them safe.”
That’s why I started the show…to provide valuable information that might help save a life (and I’ve already been told by one pilot that something I told her saved her life!)
So I’m going to keep going until I run out of useful tips to share with pilots and student pilots
What’s your show about?
My show is about General Aviation or GA.
Most people think of GA as private pilots flying for fun, but it’s broader than that. It encompasses everything from gliders to Cessna 172s to corporate business jets, but excludes the airlines and military aviation.
Each episode includes GA news from the past week and then focuses in depth on an informational topic designed to educate and inform pilots.
The shows wrap up with listener feedback and my answers to listener submitted questions.
My goal is to deliver clear and concise, “just the facts” episodes that deliver relevant information for pilots, and student pilots who want to learn to fly, without the fluff and banter sometimes found in podcasts.
The episodes are strictly about General Aviation; when I occasionally talk about an airline story, it’s in the context of what a GA pilot can learn from it. I also interview aviation leaders in the news in separate “NewsMakers” episodes. I’ve learned from listeners that they don’t want to hear just the news. Instead, they want me to share my perspective on the news that comes from being a pilot for over forty years. So I now try to provide more perspective and not just read the news. In addition to news, I talk in depth about a pilot skill or safety issue. I spend a lot of time researching information, so that listeners can rely on what I tell them.
A typical episode takes over ten hours to produce, much of which is researching and writing up informational topics. Listeners have given me tons of feedback, and they say they find the show interesting, informative, and chock-full of relevant content and commentary.
They like that the show is to the point and doesn’t waste their time.
What’s your podcasting set-up? Hardware, software, CMS, etc.
I use an ATR 2100 microphone connected to a Mac Pro desktop computer running Hindenburg Journalist to record and edit the show.
My www.aviationnewstalk.com website is hosted at A2hosting.com using WordPress.
I use the Libsyn plugin to simultaneously upload new episodes to Libsyn and create a new page on my web site.
How have you promoted your podcast?
Fortunately, my Airplane Geeks cohosts let me mention my show, which helped it ramp up quickly. I’ve also been a guest on other podcasts, and those interviews brought additional listeners to my show.
I recently started using the social media destinations on Libsyn, so when I upload a new show, postings are automatically made on my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts.
I also have an email list from my book sales to which I occasionally announce new episodes and I need to do that more regularly.
On most shows, I conclude by asking listeners to tell their aviation friends about the show.
I also printed up a thousand business cards for the show, and I post these on bulletin boards at airports I visit and send them to listeners who agree to post them at their local airports.
This year, I plan to get back into speaking at major aviation shows, and during those presentations, I’ll mention the show.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Let me respond to this question in a different way. I now know something that I’m glad I DIDN’T know when I first started.
If I’d known how long it takes me to produce each episode, I probably wouldn’t have launched the show. But what I also didn’t know was how rewarding the show would be, both in terms of connecting with listeners and in terms of new business it has generated for me.
I also didn’t realize how much fun it would be to get back behind the microphone after leaving the radio industry more than 30 years ago. Podcasting is fun! So I no longer care how much time it takes!
I’d encourage anyone who’s thinking about starting a podcast and is passionate about a topic to just jump in and start recording some sample podcasts to see how they sound.
And if you’re one of those people who still looks up at airplanes when they fly by, come check out my show at Aviation News Talk .com, or wherever you get your podcasts.
HOW AMAZING WAS THAT??? C’mon airplane geeks, you know you wanna have Aviation News Podcast in your ears! Don’t delay and subscribe to the show!
If you have information that you feel needs to be out there in there world or a talking about a passion that you feel isn’t given enough coverage out there in the world, why not start a podcast? In case you need a bit of handholding, please sign up for our FREE Podcasting QuickStart webinar that happens each first Wednesday of the month. And if you’re ready to go, we have some awesome plans to get started with Libsyn!
