Hosted by Mike Busch, Aviation Masters features in-depth conversations with the innovators, engineers, mechanics, and visionaries shaping the future of general aviation.
Each episode dives into how these leaders got their start, what drives their work, and the breakthroughs transforming how we fly, maintain, and think about airplanes.
Tune in for:
✈️ Expert insights from aviation pioneers and industry leaders
✈️ Deep dives into aircraft technology, maintenance, and engineering
✈️ Candid conversations about leadership, innovation, and problem-solving in aviation
✈️ Forward-looking discussions about where general aviation is headed
Subscribe so you never miss a conversation.
Who’s Buying GA? Bill Alderman on Private Equity in General Aviation
Host Mike is interviewing Bill Alderman, founding partner of Alderman & Company, about private equity's growing influence and future impact on general aviation.
2 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Mid-Air Collisions, Alien Life, & Light Sport Aviation: Dr. Paul Shuch's Remarkable Journey
Host Mike Busch interviews engineer and educator Dr. H. Paul Shuch about mid-air collision math, alien life searches, and light sport aviation.
4 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Inside the Race to 100 Octane Unleaded AvGas : Chris D'Acosta of Swift Fuels:
Swift Fuels CEO Chris D'Acosta discusses the complex journey and current status of achieving 100-octane unleaded avgas for general aviation.
7 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
From the Constellation to the U-2: TWA Legend Barry Schiff Tells All
Host Mike Voltaggio interviews aviation legend Barry Schiff about his extensive career, aircraft maintenance, and the future of general aviation.
6 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT
Dynon Founder John Torode on Cheap Avionics, AI & the Engine Problem
Host Mike Bush interviews physicist and Dynon founder John Torode about making aviation affordable through innovative avionics and tackling the industry's engine challenges.
5 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Airworthiness Directives, Designees & the PMA Crisis: A Candid Look at GA Regulation with Jimmy Tubbs
Host Mike Busch interviews legendary aeronautical engineer Jimmy Tubbs about the critical flaws in general aviation regulation, offering insights into improving the system for aircraft owners.
1 May 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Future of Flight Safety: Automation, Training & Hard-Won Lessons with Bruce Landsberg
Host Mike Busch interviews Bruce Landsberg, former NTSB Vice Chairman, about nearly 50 years of aviation safety lessons, automation, and future flight.
3 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Aviation with John Sipple
In this episode of Aviation Masters, Mike Busch sits down with Dr. John Sipple — machine learning professor at George Washington University, former Boeing Phantom Works engineer, Google AI veteran, and Diamond DA40 owner — for one of the most forward-looking conversations in the show's history.
From tracking ballistic missiles with Kalman filters to training neural networks at Google to building AI-powered diagnostics for GA aircraft, John brings a uniquely deep and practical perspective on where artificial intelligence is headed in aviation. The conversation covers everything from how to certify ML models with the FAA, to why technicians struggle with troubleshooting, to the Diamond DA40 oil pressure failures that inspired John to found Vyzerion AI.
If you own, maintain, or fly a piston aircraft, and especially if you've ever wondered what AI can actually do for GA safety, this episode is essential listening.
⏱ Chapters
00:49 – Introducing Dr. John Sipple
05:30 – Boeing Phantom Works: Missile Tracking & Kalman Filters
09:30 – From Big Data to Machine Learning: The Career Pivot
11:45 – AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning: Defining the Terms
14:00 – How Neural Networks Work & Why 2012 Was a Turning Point
18:00 – Applying ML to Telemetry: From Missiles to Aircraft Engines
26:00 – What Is Explainable AI (XAI) and Why It Matters in Aviation
36:00 – Anomaly Detection in Piston Engines: How It Works
47:00 – Project Spark: Savvy Aviation's AI Diagnostics Initiative
53:00 – Training vs. Inference: Why the FAA Draws a Hard Line
55:00 – How You Certify an ML Model for Aircraft Use
59:00 – Why Tesla FSD Couldn't Happen in Certificated Aviation
1:00:00 – Experimental Aircraft as the Path to AI in the Cockpit
1:05:00 – Three Lines of Defense for AI in Mission-Critical Systems
1:09:00 – The Vision for Self-Diagnosing Airplanes
1:13:00 – Why Mechanics Struggle with Troubleshooting (And How AI Fixes It)
1:18:00 – Project Squawk: Training an LLM on Aviation Maintenance Data
1:19:00 – The Data Funnel: Small Models → Explainability → LLM Reasoning
1:24:00 – The Cadillac Index & Why GA Affordability Is Getting Worse
1:25:00 – Autonomous Aircraft vs. Autonomous Cars: Why Is GA So Far Behind?
1:27:00 – Vyzerion AI: Smarter Diagnostics, Healthier Aircraft, Safer Flying
1:28:00 – The Diamond DA40 Service Bulletin & In-Flight Oil Pressure Failures
1:35:00 – Broader AI Fears, Regulation & the Elevator Analogy
1:48:00 – Multimodal AI & the Future of Richer Diagnostics
1:49:00 – Using LLMs to Query the NTSB Accident Database
1:51:00 – Annual Inspections: Are They Helping or Hurting Safety?
📍 Subscribe to Aviation Masters for more long-form conversations with the people shaping the future of GA.
🔗 Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Vyzerion AI —https://vyzerionai.com/ (https://vyzerionai.com/)
Savvy Aviation — (https://savvyaviation.com)savvyaviation.com (http://savvyaviation.com)
NTSB Aviation Accident Database - https://carol.ntsb.gov/ (https://carol.ntsb.gov/)
6 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Future of General Aviation with George Braly
In this in-depth episode of Aviation Masters, Mike Busch sits down again with George Braly to tackle some of the most urgent issues facing general aviation today.
From aging aircraft fuel system failures to the FAA’s draft unleaded fuel transition plan, and from certification gridlock to PMA delays, this episode dives deep into what aircraft owners, mechanics, and industry leaders need to understand right now.
If you own, maintain, or operate piston aircraft — this conversation affects you.
⏱ Chapters
03:00 – Elastomers, O-Rings & Why Old Seals Are Causing Fires
07:00 – Upgrading to Modern FKM (Fluorosilicone) O-Rings
11:30 – Why Fuel Leaks Don’t Always Show Up During Inspections
18:00 – FAA Draft Plan to Transition to Unleaded Avgas
21:00 – The Risks of Modifying Engines for Lower-Octane Fuel
26:00 – How Retarded Timing Impacts Horsepower & Twin Safety
33:00 – Is There Already a True Drop-In Replacement for 100LL?
41:00 – FAA Reorganization: Why Certification Is Slower Than Ever
48:00 – DERs, ODAs & Why Delegation Keeps Aviation Alive
57:00 – PMA Parts, OEM Shutdowns & The Parts Supply Crisis
1:04:00 – Is Certification Still Worth the Cost?
1:08:00 – What Aircraft Owners Should Do Now
📍 Subscribe to Aviation Masters for more long-form conversations with the people shaping the future of GA.
6 Feb 2026
Six Decades of Aviation Engineering with Jimmy Tubbs
In this episode of Aviation Masters, Mike Busch sits down with legendary aeronautical engineer Jimmy Tubbs for a deep, wide-ranging conversation that spans more than six decades of aviation experience.
From military engineering and piston engine innovation to PMA certification battles and the future of autonomous flight, this episode is a masterclass in how general aviation has evolved and where it may be headed next.
Jimmy shares the untold engineering stories behind cylinder design, chrome vs. nickel processes, engine certification challenges, and the hard lessons learned while building some of the most influential piston engine components in modern aviation.
This is a candid, technical, and deeply human conversation with one of the quiet architects of how we fly today.
⏱ Chapters
03:00 – From Small-Town Texas to Aeronautical Engineering
07:00 – Military Aviation, Engineering Labs & Learning to Fly
12:00 – Inside ECI: Cylinder Reconditioning & Early PMA Work
17:00 – Channel Chrome vs. Nickel Cylinders: What Really Matters
27:00 – Building New Cylinders & The Birth of Titan Engines
36:00 – TBO, On-Condition Maintenance & FAA Certification Reality
42:00 – The Titan Cylinder AD: What Actually Happened
53:00 – Engine Monitoring, CHT Management & Pilot Responsibility
01:05:00 – Life After ECI: PMA Consulting & Supply Chain Challenges
01:19:00 – Diesel Engines, Automation & The Future of General Aviation
01:30:00 – Final Reflections on Innovation, Aging Aircraft & Passion for Aviation
📍 Subscribe to Aviation Masters for more long-form conversations with the people shaping the future of GA.
9 Jan 2026
George Braly on Lean-of-Peak, G100UL, Certification Battles, and Why Aviation Myths Die Hard
If you have ever been told, “That’s just how piston engines work,” this episode of Aviation Masters might make you raise an eyebrow and then start asking more questions.
In this episode, host Mike Busch sits down with George Braly, one of the most influential (and unapologetically analytical) minds in modern general aviation.
Braly is an inventor, trial lawyer, entrepreneur, and the co-founder and chief engineer of General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAMI)—the company behind GAMjectors, Tornado Alley Turbo systems, and the FAA-approved high-octane unleaded avgas G100UL.
This is not a surface-level conversation. It is a deep, technical, and refreshingly honest look at how innovation actually happens in aviation and why it is often resisted at every step of the way.
⏱️ Chapters
01:17 — Meet George Braly
02:53 — Early Aviation Roots in Oklahoma
04:51 — Learning IFR the Hard Way
07:09 — From Aerospace Engineering to Law School
08:59 — Buying a Bonanza and Returning to Engineering
10:43 — Founding GAMI and Balanced Fuel Injectors
12:29 — Calling the FAA Certification Bluff
15:24 — Lean-of-Peak: Where Angels Fear to Tread
17:10 — Fuel/Air Balance and Engine Monitor Insights
19:01 — Validation from a Continental Engineering Legend
22:05 — Building the Aircraft Engine Test Cell
25:04 — Teaching Thousands of Pilots How Engines Work
28:47 — Manufacturer Pushback on Lean Operations
30:23 — Airline History Confirms Lean Mixture Operations
35:11 — Tornado Alley Turbo and System Improvements
38:08 — Flying a Turbo Cirrus SR22 at Altitude
42:57 — Cirrus Adopts the Tornado Alley System
46:02 — FAA Rule Changes and Engineering Workarounds
49:19 — The Long Fight for Unleaded Avgas (G100UL)
53:16 — Political Resistance Inside Certification
58:15 — Restarting the Fuel Certification Effort
01:02:31 — Detonation Testing at the Edge of Failure
📍 Subscribe to Aviation Masters for more long-form conversations with the people shaping the future of GA.
3 Dec 2025
About Aviation Masters
Meet Mike Busch & Aviation Masters.
Tune in for:
✈️ Expert insights from aviation pioneers and industry leaders
✈️ Deep dives into aircraft technology, maintenance, and engineering
✈️ Candid conversations about leadership, innovation, and problem-solving in aviation
✈️ Forward-looking discussions about where general aviation is headed
Subscribe today & never miss an episode!
Inside a recent episode
Who’s Buying GA? Bill Alderman on Private Equity in General Aviation
Published 6 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And I do think that becoming an A&P has very good job prospects in this world of AI displacement. The problem is that most of those new A&Ps are going to go to work for the airlines. Because they can make a lot better money and get a lot better benefits than they can working as GA mechanic. […]
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