Free Daily Podcast Summary
Plane Tales: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Capt Nick
The View from Our Side of the Cockpit Door
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago19 min
RAF Form 414, Volume 39
With the influx of new Airbus airframes, Virgin needed more pilots and not just to occupy the right hand seat… there were opportunities for promotion to Captain much earlier than had been the norm. When I joined the time to command was about 8 years. Looking back I did my first sector with Virgin in July 1994 and it was now November 96, 2 years 4 months later and I was already starting my pre-command training.   A typical month of Tornado flying might accru 25 hours in 15 sorties. As an airline pilot I could easily do that in 2 sectors!   Who wouldn’t want an expenses paid trip to a tropical island?   We were headed to the fabled island home of the extinct Dodo   The result of a Flight Management computer issue was commonly the PLEASE WAIT message   When the Kai Tak IGS approach wasn’t available, we would usually get a VOR approach over Chung Chau and Stonecutters island   <a hr
- 1 weeks ago19 min
RAF Form 414, Volume 38
And my heart went! Thump, thump, thump; thump, thump! I was lying in the King Edward the 7th hospital imagining Phil Collins playing drums on my heart while watching the monitor and wondering how I was going to support my family after I’d been permanently grounded with this condition that had come right out of the blue. The specialist had confirmed my GP’s diagnosis of…   Digoxin was a plant extract from Foxgloves used as far back as Roman times!   Good old Cookie.   The brilliant Professional Pilot’s Rumour Network   JFK in the snow   The fleet of snow ploughs   <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14870" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-14870 size-large" src="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PT-A340-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="5
- Apr 23, 202615 min
Basam Aggad Interview
We last spoke to Basam when he was doing his Jet Upset Training but now that he has his dream job it was appropriate that we should chat again on one of his London layovers. In particular, he is flying around a war zone which presents additional challenges to a civil airline pilot.   Basam in London near St Paul’s Cathedral   Post interview    
- Apr 23, 202618 min
RAF Form 414, Volume 36
A flock of seagulls had chosen that moment to break ground from the grass beside the runway and fly across our path. They disappeared under the nose as we climbed away and cleaned the aircraft up… no noise of an impact but then we noticed the No 2 engine’s N1 vibration number was pulsing and reading a bit high. So starts another Tale from my flying logbook.   Marauding seagulls at Shannon   The A340 Cockpit   Setting the landing flaps to Config 3   JFK VOR to 22L   The route LHR to HKG   <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14768" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-14768 size-large" src="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PT-LANDING-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PT-LANDING-980x551.jpg 980w, h
- Mar 19, 202616 min
RAF Form 414, Volume 37
The next tale from my RAF Logbook, albeit now being filled with civilian flights for Virgin Atlantic Airways…   A Virgin A340-300 going round the checkerboard at Kai TAk airport, Hong Kong.   The checkerboard approach from the flight deck.   The treasured Hong Kong landing authorisation card.   The A340 fuel tank layout.   The result of the Air France ground fire.   <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14716" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-14716 size-large" src="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PT-IQALUIT-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PT-IQALUIT-980x551.jpg 980w, https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PT-IQALUIT-480x270.jpg 480w"
- Mar 19, 202620 min
Fast Jets on the Front Line, Part 2
The second part of an interview with Alan Munro, retired RAF pilot and Cold War warrior, where we talk about his book… Fast Jets on the Front Line. A 19 Sqn F4 Phantom   A 228 OCU F4 Phantom   An RAF Chinook helicopter   The back seat of a Phantom   Berlin’s infamous Checkpoint Charlie   <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14709" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-14709 size-large" src="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PT-WSS-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PT-WSS-980x551.jpg 980w, https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PT-WSS-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 9
- Feb 3, 202619 min
Fast Jets on the Front Line
In this tale we listen to part of an interview with author Alan Munro who talks about his recent book, Fast Jets on the Front Line.   Interviewing Alan     The Gloster Javelin   A 29 Sqn F4 Phantom   The RAF’s Harrier GR1   Images are shown under the Creative Commons licence with thanks to the RAF, Alan Munro, Hawker Siddeley and Nick Anderson.
- Feb 3, 202620 min
What’s in a Name?
A tale that might have been forgotten but here it is from APG670! This tale isn’t about me operating into the massive aviation hub of Chicago O’Hare Airport but of how it got its name. For that, I’m going to take you back into Chicago’s seedy past to the days of Prohibition and the notorious gangster, Al Capone. Enjoying a beer in Chicago!   Destroying beer during Prohibition.   Al Capone and Easy Eddie   Capone’s mug shot   The murder of Easy Eddie   <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14626 size-large" src="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PT-BATTLESHIP-1024x576.jpg" alt="Easy Eddie's son, Edward" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PT-BATTLESHIP-980x551.jpg 980w, https://airlinepilotguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PT-BATTLESHIP-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (min-wid
About Plane Tales
The View from Our Side of the Cockpit Door
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Plane Tales in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Plane Tales daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Plane Tales as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Plane Tales podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Plane Tales product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Capt Nick.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Plane Tales release new episodes?
Plane Tales publishes monthly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Plane Tales cover?
Plane Tales covers topics including Leisure, Comedy, Aviation, Culture, Society & Culture, Travel, Places & Travel. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Plane Tales summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.