Episode 15: Mike Swanigan - Alaska Airlines Captain, Retired

Time in Flight

In this episode, Captain Mike Swanigan describes his entry into to flight training and how he began his amazing career at Alaska Airlines. Mike discusses the challenges of not only having a challenging first solo course, but also with his not-so-straight-forward entry into Air Force flight training. He talks about how he was able to achieve his goals by not giving up and building relationships within the aviation community. Mike also discusses the lessons he learned from his pilot mentors, as well as the lessons he was able to pass on those the trained. He reflects on the ‘day he grew up as a captain’ and ‘what’s right versus whose right’.

Mike flew on all crew positions on the Boeing 727 and 737 respectively.

Mike also runs an aviation Podcast called 'Talking Flight'