Host Mike Bush sits down with John Torode, founder of Dynon Avionics and Vashon Aircraft, for a wide-ranging conversation that runs from vacuum-tube computers and the birth of the PC to the $2,200 glass panel that upended general aviation. Along the way: GPS jamming, the brutal economics of FAA certification, what AI is really doing to software, the end of Moore's Law, and why getting an engine built may be harder than designing the avionics.

Two MIT/Dartmouth classmates of '66, both born in 1944, compare notes on careers that ran startlingly in parallel — and on the cost problem that could decide whether the next generation ever gets to fly.

⏱ Chapters

0:26 — Meet John Torode & two parallel lives

3:38 — MIT, physics & collecting five degrees

6:21 — Learning to fly on $300 a month

8:10 — Vacuum tubes, the IBM 650 & Minsky's AI prophecy

15:36 — Designing chips, networks & the Cypress years

22:20 — Founding Dynon: the quest for affordable avionics

24:19 — GPS is everywhere — and dangerously easy to jam

34:17 — The $2,200 glass panel that broke the mold

40:40 — Aviation's volume problem & dying semiconductors

42:11 — Going certified: the FAA, the STC & DO-178

48:22 — Will AI rewrite (and certify) the code?

1:04:46 — From Apollo's computer to the end of Moore's Law

1:20:07 — Buy today's avionics, not tomorrow's

1:23:04 — Telemetry, the cloud & "there is no privacy"

1:30:19 — Vision Aircraft: building a plane and an engine

1:40:13 — Closing: keeping aviation affordable for the next generation

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From the flawed criteria behind Airworthiness Directives to the erosion of Designated Engineering Representatives, and from PMA approval delays to the disappearance of the Small Airplane Directorate's collaborative processes, Jimmy pulls back the curtain on how the system is supposed to work, where it breaks down, and what it costs aircraft owners and the GA community.

This is a candid, experience-driven conversation with one of the most knowledgeable engineers in piston aviation — essential listening for anyone who owns, operates, or maintains a GA aircraft.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction & Jimmy's Background

03:00 – What Is an Airworthiness Directive & How Are They Triggered?

07:00 – The Two-Variable Framework: Frequency vs. Severity of Failure

11:00 – Why AD Analysis in GA Lacks Formal Criteria

17:00 – FAA Reorganization: The Loss of Directorates & Senior Engineers

21:00 – The ECI Cylinder AD: Head-to-Barrel Separations & Overreach

28:00 – Corrective Actions That Ignore Supply Chain Reality

31:00 – Short-Wing Piper Rudder AD & the Vintage Aircraft Association Fight

36:00 – Cessna 402 vs. 414 Spar Strap AD: When Scope Goes Too Far

41:00 – What Is an AMOC & How Can It Help Aircraft Owners?

43:00 – The Global AMOC: Continental's V-Band Clamp Solution

47:00 – The Airworthiness Concern Sheet: A Better Way That's Now Gone

53:00 – Twin Cessna Exhaust AD: How Industry Input Saved the Fleet

57:00 – DERs, ODAs & the 2025 Policy Shift Affecting Designee

1:05:00 – The PMA Approval Process: Slower & More Cumbersome Than Ever 

1:10:00 – Why PMA Parts Are the Lifeline for Aging GA Aircraft 

1:19:00 – The NORSEE Process: A Rare Bright Spot in FAA Approvals 

1:22:00 – The Need for Young Engineers & the Future of the Aging Fleet 

1:27:00 – Final Thoughts: Lobbying for a Better AD Process

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From his early days as a Cessna demo pilot to pioneering simulator training at FlightSafety, leading accident investigations at the NTSB, and analyzing the future of automation in aviation, Bruce shares hard-won insights that every pilot, owner, and aviation professional needs to hear. 

This episode covers single-engine emergencies in twins, the value of realistic training, accident investigation philosophy, weather-related crashes, the promise and pitfalls of automation, and why learning from past mistakes is the key to staying alive in aviation.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: 40 Years of Friendship & Aviation Safety

03:00 – The Reality Check: Twin Engine Failures in the Simulator vs. Real Life

08:00 – Growing Up in Washington DC & Getting Into Aviation

12:00 – Vietnam, Air Force ROTC & Learning to Fly at College Park

18:00 – From Psychology Major to Professional Pilot

23:00 – Cessna Aircraft Company & Selling Fleets to Flight Schools

28:00 – The 310 Demo Flight That Changed Everything

35:00 – Moving to FlightSafety & The Revolution in Simulator Training

42:00 – Why Simulators Teach What Aircraft Can't

48:00 – Transitioning to AOPA & The Air Safety Foundation

55:00 – Building the ASI: Philosophy, Programs & Outreach

1:02:00 – JFK Jr.'s Fatal Crash: What Really Happened

1:09:00 – Spatial Disorientation, VFR Into IMC & The "What Was He Thinking?" Question

1:17:00 – Joining the NTSB: From Advocacy to Investigation

1:25:00 – Inside NTSB Accident Investigations: Process, Politics & Public Perception

1:33:00 – The Colgan 3407 Crash: Fatigue, Training & Industry Change

1:42:00 – Weather Accidents: Why Smart Pilots Still Fly Into Storms

1:49:00 – Icing, Convective Weather & The Role of Get-There-Itis

1:56:00 – Automation in Aviation: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2:03:00 – Tesla Autopilot, AI & What Aviation Can Learn from Automotive

2:09:00 – The Future: Flight Data Monitoring for GA Aircraft

2:15:00 – Learning from Icarus: Writing the Book & Key Takeaways

2:21:00 – Where to Get the Book & Final Thoughts

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🔗 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Bruce Landsberg's Book: Learning from Icarus – https://learningfromicarus.com/
• Email: learningfromicarus@gmail.com

• Books by Mike Busch: https://www.savvyaviation.com/resources/#books

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?

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🔗 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Vyzerion AI  —https://vyzerionai.com/

Savvy Aviation — savvyaviation.com

NTSB Aviation Accident Database - https://carol.ntsb.gov/

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

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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

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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

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✈️ Forward-looking discussions about where general aviation is headed

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