Runaway Autopilot!

Runaway Autopilot!

Author: Greg Brown, “the story-teller-poet-laureate of aviation” July 12, 2025 Duration: 24:06

New! Text or Voicemail Greg!

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 for takeoff on today's episode, "Runaway Autopilot!"

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There's a particular magic to seeing the world from a few thousand feet up, where highways become threads and landscapes unfold like detailed tapestries. Greg Brown: Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet captures that precise feeling, transforming each flight into a narrative journey. Hosted by Greg Brown, hailed as the story-teller-poet-laureate of aviation, this isn't a technical manual or a dry discussion of aerodynamics. Instead, it's an invitation into the cockpit of his light airplane, the "Flying Carpet," to share the view and the stories that begin where the runway ends. Greg’s background as a National Flight Instructor of the Year and an author of five books informs a perspective that is both deeply knowledgeable and wonderfully human. When you listen, you’re along for the ride as he searches behind the clouds for the real America, encountering unexpected characters, forgotten history, and moments of sheer beauty that are only visible from the air. Each episode feels like a chapter from a well-loved travelogue, woven with the sounds of flight and Greg’s reflective, engaging storytelling. The podcast delves into the culture of places seen from above and the society of those who inhabit them, making it about far more than just aviation. It’s about connection, curiosity, and the perpetual adventure that awaits when you leave the ground. Listeners will find themselves transported, experiencing the quiet solitude of a sunrise over the desert, the challenge of navigating a sudden storm, or the warmth of a small-town diner discovered from the air. This is a series for anyone who dreams of travel, appreciates a well-told tale, or simply wonders what secrets the landscape holds.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 43

Greg Brown: Cockpit Adventures from the Flying Carpet
Podcast Episodes
In Search of Lost Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:52
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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, his wife D…
Best Landing Anyone Ever Made [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:29
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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 d…
Lessons & Landmarks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:18
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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. B…
Best "1st Flying Lesson" Ever! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:59
New! Text or Voicemail Greg! 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 re…
Kentucky Belle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:03
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!"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…
Bowling Alley Hot Dogs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:52
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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 dev…
Flying Saucer! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:32
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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…
The Day GPS Went Away! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:48
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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'…
"Waterbeds by the 1/2 Hour" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:24
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!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, “Waterbed…
Perils of an Off-Airport Takeoff! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:34
New! Text or Voicemail Greg!Cowboy Flying Lesson! Perils of an Off-Airport TakeoffYou may remember meeting my buddy Baldy in previous Flying Carpet Podcasts, Flight #2, "Cowboy Pilot," and Flight #29, "Cowpuncher's Reuni…