I had to share this while editing - Meantime, can you help us out by signing a petition to keep one of our major projects at the museum going? Link here and in the latest FlightChops Instagram Story: https://canadianaviationmuseum.ca/museum/lancaster-fm-212 It takes 30 seconds and would be a huge help. (feel free to skip the prompt that asks for a change dot org donation) Thanks!

We are super excited to be attending FSExpo this year at LoneStar Flight Museum in Houston, TX - June 23-25th. We’ll have the Flight Chops RV-14 on display next to Microsoft, so come and check us out. More than just the actual aircraft, we’ve got a simulator powered by a custom PC from Flying Magazine. We’ve also actually replicated nearly the entire Avionics setup in the cockpit with incredible partners Stay Level Avionix, RealSimGear, Sim Innovations, Simworks Studios, Thrustmaster, and Virtual-Fly. This means the exact same Displays, GTN750 NAV/COM, and GFC500 AutoPilot controller that I have in the actual airplane can also be simulated from the comfort of my home studio, continuing to build proficiency when I can’t get out to fly. We even have the RV-14 Model from SimWorksStudios and GTN750Xi from TDS. Both compatible with Microsoft Flight Sim (MSFS). Our Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition replicates the stick in the RV-14 vs. a traditional yoke, and they’ve been a partner for many years (This is legitimately the best sim stick controller I’ve ever used). We’ll be doing a BIG GIVEAWAY with their products, and look out for some exciting product launches from Thrustmaster this week at the Expo! We’ve selected the Virtual-Fly TQ3+ for its incredible Hall effect sensors, superb all-metal build quality, and three lever setup giving full authority of engine manifold pressure, propellor RPM, and fuel mixture. Lastly, we can’t thank Stay Level Avionix enough for bringing it all together with their incredible custom avionics panels. John from Stay Level is a Flight Instructor in Chicago, so we are going to journey down in the RV14 from Toronto - Chicago - Houston. Tag along for some awesome CRM, navigating storms, and using all available planning resources to make this journey not too eventful. We’ll see you at FSExpo!

Next week I’m flying the @vansaircraftinc RV-14 down to Houston, Texas to be a part of Flight Sim Expo 2023 @flightsimexpo The aircraft will be on display next to the @msfsofficial @booth! The avionics will be powered up to compare to a sim set up beside it, running Microsoft Flightsim with hardware that matches much of the actual onboard avionics. It will be a great opportunity to capture more operation IFR flying content on the trip there; but a big part of the theme here is exploring the closing gap between real world aviation and home flight sim. At this point the hardware available from companies like @realsimgear and @tmthrustmaster and @staylevelavionix (to name just a few that we are working with directly) have done an amazing job emulating actual avionics equipment and flight controls such that home sims can be built to incredible levels of detail and realism. Thanks to our partners we’ll be giving away a bunch of sim hardware - details about how to win it coming soon! More info in the link pasted in today’s story, or try to copy/paste this link to my latest mailer somehow :) https://tinyurl.com/3c6k3ed3

Dunno how it happened... but it's been 10 YEARS since I started Flight Chops. I was flying aerobatics in wildfire smoke on June 7th, and then did an IFR trip on the actual anniversary (the 10th) without realizing it. (although finding the Disney channel on @siriusxm_aviation music that day hit me in the feels, with a track from WALL-E. (yes I "favorited" that channel :) Today is my birthday and I was reminded that I had decided to create the channel as my birthday was approaching a decade ago... I was tired of working on TV shows that never quite got into the meat of the subject because they were aimed at the lowest common denominator / mainstream audience. There wasn't something that did a deep dive into flying content for aviators. I wanted to make that, and didn't care if it was paid work or not; I just wanted to create the content I wanted to see. Huge thanks to all the supporters on Patreon - that was the FIRST consistent revenue stream (and continues to be the largest single pillar) which made the project sustainable back in 2014. Now I am proud to be working with major partners like @foreflight , @boseaviation , @vansaircraftinc and many others. (I enjoyed the cake and morning report from @garminaviation confirming I was well rested for a big edit day today) Thanks for being a part of the ride. Steve "Flight Chops" Thorne

My training for the IAC Sportsman Aerobatic Sequence has been challenging - First it was just terrible constant storm systems then it was some maintenance issues, now Wildfire smoke for a solid week!? My coach Luke @harvsairinverted suggested I be prepared to compete with an obscured horizon, as contests can and will go ahead in VFR conditions that are less than beautiful. The METARs and TAFs this week have been inaccurate at best attempting to quantify the smoke. Shout out to @foreflight for the handy ruler tool; among other things, it really helps confirm what visibility you’ve really got up there. Full episode coming soon.

This video is dedicated to Sherm, and all those who fought. For the full episode search “D-Day Flightchops” on YouTube.

Friends don’t let friends fly without @siriusxm_aviation weather data! :) Seriously - I’m proud to have them as a supporter of the #FlightChops channel. @harvsairinverted (Luke Penner) has many big trips planned in his Extra 330 SC, but with such a bare bones panel I wanted to lend him my GDL-52 (portable receiver) to use with @foreflight for the added layer of safety. It takes the stress out of all aspects of flying to have such rich data onboard. In the RV-14 I have a built-in receiver, and I don’t have any trips planned in other aircraft, so I didn’t need my portable unit in the short term. Follow along as I share the story of various adventures Luke will be getting up to this season, including competing with @teamcanadawaac at the World Advanced aerobatic championships in Vegas! #sponsored

We met Ryan @kaha.aerosports in the air today, and loitered around his “box” while he worked on his sequence today - He did not disappoint. Follow for more awesomeness as we trace the journey to the world advanced aerobatic contest this season.

I learned something new on a recent night IFR flight, and I was inspired to share it. #Sponsored For every flight, be it Aerobatics, or IFR, I’ve got the iPad mounted with @foreflight delivering everything from checklists, charts, and the current weather thanks to @siriusxm_aviation data. It took a while to figure out exactly where I wanted the iPad to live, and this accidental discovery is one more reason confirming my choice was good! Happy and safe flying everyone! Steve “Flight Chops” Thorne, out.

Ryan had almost no time to pull off a forced landing in a very tough spot. That airplane flipped in the soft mud, but he was ok. The full debrief is live on the Flight Chops YouTube channel.

Well, Ryan (and his Sukhoi 26) had a bad day, but he is OK! He had three cameras capturing this incident, which happened only a few days before he was meant to come out to work with Luke and I for a week of competitive aerobatic training. (Luke is the captain of the Canadian Advanced Aerobatic team and Ryan is one of 7 other members). Ryan still came, sans airplane, and we filmed a solid debrief of his accident to intercut into the footage. I had the privilege of getting him back up in the air for the first time since his crash (He enjoyed trying out my @boseaviation A30 headset :), and he offered great moral support while I was training with Luke. This all happened over the past couple weeks, so it's been a bit nuts getting everything done. The public episode should be published later today. I'll be sharing an exclusive / raw version of Ryan's talk with Luke, for supporters on Patreon in the coming days. The Flight Chops Content Pipeline is really full these days! Next up, I get back to the Sweden content, and a solo IFR episode!

What was your guess? (No cheating 🤓) They are not just pretty, but also a legit performance design feature. @vansaircraftinc wheel pants! Also shout out to @lycomingengines and @hartzellprop for all the power this airplane generates. And the data available when flying behind @garminaviation avionics is unmatched. Thanks to all the sponsors and partners behind this project and the content I’m creating around it!