Happy New Years!

Pilots are almost trying to improve their skill. Here at The Wing Wag, we are no different. Join me this week to discuss some of the ways in which I want to improve as an aviator, an airplane owner, and a podcaster in 2026. Let's just hope that these resolutions last longer than my resolution to stop eating candy...

If you have any aviation-related goals for 2026, I'd love to hear about them! Let me know in the comments.

If you are interested in flight training or just want to fly with an instructor, check out Olinde Aerospace: https://olindeaerospace.com/

Santa apologists, sometimes called full-flighters, have long held the belief that Santa himself delivers all the Christmas presents during a single flight around the entire world. My brother Matthew and I set out to prove that this is not possible for a variety of reasons such as the distance of the trip, the number of stops, and the fuel requirements. As we got further into our research, we began to see that maybe the Santa apologists were right after all.

Sources supporting the full-flighter argument:

• https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map
• https://www.altogetherchristmas.com/music/ISawMommyKissingSantaClaus.html
• https://www.altogetherchristmas.com/music/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer.html
• https://www.adirondack.net/holiday/top-songs/grandma-got-run-over/
• https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43171/a-visit-from-st-nicholas

In this episode, I'm going to answer 5 questions that non-pilots always ask me:
1. What is causing all of the plane crashes recently?
2. What do you do if your engine dies in flight?
3. Is turbulence really dangerous?
4. How much money and time does a pilots license really cost?
5. Do I seriously start my plane with my hands?

Aviation crash statistics: https://www.panish.law/aviation_accident_statistics.html