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Flight Department Show

Flight Department Show

By: Dr. Chris Broyhill
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The only business aviation show that will make you a better leader…so you make more money, get your people treated fairly, and stay in the business you love. We have a leadership crisis in business aviation. But through conversations with Aviation Directors, leaders and experts, you'll come away with practical, actionable steps to become the leader you were meant to be. From inside secrets to managing up your internal reporting executive…and simple steps to handle change more effectively…to powerful insights to setting a culture of belonging in your flight dept. You'll also learn how to uncover hidden pay raises… avoid dinner-table mistakes that make you look irresponsible to your partner or spouse… and how to walk into your next comp review armed with an approach HR respects and responds to. This show has one mission - make you a better Business Aviation Leader. Because when you're a better leader, you're better equipped to stay in the business you love.2026 Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Employment Law Questions Every Aviation Director Should Be Asking w/ Mike Nichols

    Employment Law Questions Every Aviation Director Should Be Asking w/ Mike Nichols
    Jul 2 2026
    Employment regulations are one of those leadership responsibilities aviation directors know they cannot ignore. But knowing they matter is not the same as knowing where the real risks are. A flight department can be highly disciplined about FAA compliance, safety, training, maintenance, and operational standards, but still have blind spots. These can be around how employees are classified, how overtime is handled, whether a salaried role is truly exempt, or whether a job description still matches what someone actually does every day. That is where employment law becomes more than an HR topic. It affects compensation, retention, employee trust, legal exposure, and the way the company evaluates the professionalism of the flight department itself. It also forces aviation leaders to confront a reality many were never formally trained for: leading a flight department means understanding the business and people systems around the operation, not just the aircraft and the mission. In this episode, Mike Nichols returns to unpack the employment regulations aviation leaders most need to understand, from FLSA and OSHA to age discrimination and retirement policies. What You'll Discover in This Episode Why employment law belongs in the aviation director's leadership toolkit, not buried in the background as a purely HR function The FLSA misconception that can create real risk: assuming a salaried aviation employee is automatically exempt from overtime Why job titles are not enough and how what someone actually does day to day can matter more than what their position is called The classification challenges that show up around pilots, maintenance professionals, schedulers, and dispatchers in Part 91 flight departments How irregular schedules, after-hours calls, holiday travel, and "availability to fly" complicate the way aviation work fits inside corporate HR systems Why OSHA still matters for small flight departments, including the misunderstood "rule of 10" and where FAA jurisdiction begins How mandatory retirement policies can become legally risky when aviation leaders apply airline assumptions to corporate flight departments Why the strongest move for aviation directors is not trying to know everything, but building the right relationship with HR, legal counsel, and internal business partners About the Guest Mike Nichols (CAM, CAE, IOM) is the founder of Flieger Strategies, a consulting company serving non-profit organizations, private/business aviation companies, and aircraft owners/operators. Flieger's primary client is the Piper M-Class Owners & Pilots Association (PMOPA) and the PMOPA Safety & Education Foundation, where Mike serves as CEO. Nichols was a senior executive at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), where he worked for 18 years. During his tenure at NBAA, Nichols advocated for the business aviation industry on FAA rule-making committees, effectively preventing the implementation of onerous regulations while facilitating those that enhance safety and operations (among many other accomplishments). He is also an active instrument-rated private pilot and owns a Grumman Tiger aircraft. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn. About Your Host Dr. Chris Broyhill is the industry's most respected authority on business aviation compensation. An industry veteran with over 43 years of aviation experience, Dr. Broyhill has led several scientific research projects on personnel retention, compensation, and leadership for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) since 2017. Dr. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Aviation and has published two books that feature the results of his work. He's also an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Fellow, and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). Resources Get the Data, Win the Negotiation, Stay in the Business You Love. To get your compensation report, visit AirCompCalculator.com. We have a range of options for different scenarios and budgets, from validating a specific job offer, to packages for entire departments. Check out this episode on our website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more leaders in business aviation. Thank you!
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    56 mins
  • The Flight Departments That Win Talent Before They Need It w/ Sheryl Barden

    The Flight Departments That Win Talent Before They Need It w/ Sheryl Barden
    Jun 18 2026

    Flight departments often feel the pressure of hiring only after someone leaves. But by then, the real work may already be overdue.

    In business aviation, attracting and retaining talent is no longer just about compensation, type ratings, or filling an open seat.

    The strongest departments are thinking much earlier: Why is this role open? What does the team actually need? What kind of culture are people walking into? Are current employees becoming advocates for the organization, or warning signs?

    Sheryl Barden of Aviation Personnel International has spent her career inside these questions. Her chapter in The Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence looks at talent through the full lifecycle: recruiting, hiring, onboarding, retaining, and even supporting people through difficult transitions when departments downsize or close.

    In this conversation, Sheryl explains why recruitment has become a 24/7 leadership responsibility, how culture shapes retention, and why the departments that become true employers of choice are the ones best positioned for the decade ahead.

    What You'll Discover in This Episode

    • Why recruitment in business aviation has to happen before there is an open position, not after the team is already under pressure

    • How to diagnose whether a job opening is a healthy growth, a natural transition, or a warning sign of deeper retention problems

    • Why turnover is not just expensive — it disrupts culture, strains the remaining team, and can introduce new risk into the safety environment

    • The difference between hiring for credentials and hiring for true organizational fit

    • Why "hire slowly" does not mean dragging out the process, but doing the strategic work before candidates ever enter the pipeline

    • How weak communication around problem employees can create its own damaging narrative inside a flight department

    • Why aviation leaders need HR as a real partner, not just a compliance function they call when something goes wrong

    About the Guest

    Sheryl Barden is a workforce strategist and the CEO of Aviation Personnel International (API), the longest-running HR consulting and recruiting firm in business aviation. A visionary leader and respected HR professional, Sheryl helps Part 91 aviation organizations create transformative teams and workplace cultures that elevate performance, retain top talent, and strengthen service excellence. A trusted thought leader and monthly AINsight columnist for Aviation International News, Sheryl is frequently invited to speak and write about compensation, mentorship, retention, and workforce trends. She offers practical, creative solutions that help business aviation operators become an "employer of choice."

    About Your Host

    Dr. Chris Broyhill is the industry's most respected authority on business aviation compensation. An industry veteran with over 43 years of aviation experience, Dr. Broyhill has led several scientific research projects on personnel retention, compensation, and leadership for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) since 2017.

    Dr. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Aviation and has published two books that feature the results of his work. He's also an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Fellow, and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).

    Resources

    Get the Data, Win the Negotiation, Stay in the Business You Love. To get your compensation report, visit AirCompCalculator.com. We have a range of options for different scenarios and budgets, from validating a specific job offer, to packages for entire departments.

    Check out this episode on our website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more leaders in business aviation. Thank you!
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Flight Dept Leadership Isn't Corporate Leadership With Airplanes w/ Matt Johnson

    Flight Dept Leadership Isn't Corporate Leadership With Airplanes w/ Matt Johnson
    Jun 4 2026

    Leadership in business aviation carries a weight most corporate leaders never have to think about.

    Aviation directors aren't simply managing schedules, aircraft, people, and budgets. They are leading an operation where poor decisions can have life-and-death consequences, while often reporting to executives who may not fully understand aviation at all.

    That creates a unique leadership challenge. The aviation leader has to translate technical complexity into business language, manage up with clarity, build trust across departments, and shape a culture where people understand what matters long before pressure hits.

    In this episode, I'm joined by our podcast producer and CEO of MicroFamous, Matt Johnson, for a discussion around Chapter Two of The Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence. We explore why leadership had to appear early in the book, what makes aviation leadership different from other corporate roles, and why culture is not built through slogans.

    What You'll Discover in This Episode

    • Why leadership in business aviation carries an "unlimited liability" that separates it from most corporate functions

    • How aviation directors can educate executives without overwhelming them with technical language or industry acronyms

    • Why managing up starts with understanding how the executive team really views the flight department

    • The difference between military authority and civilian leadership

    • How authenticity, integrity, and emotional intelligence show up in practical leadership moments, not just leadership theory

    • Why culture is shaped by small visible decisions: who gets praised, promoted, resourced, or corrected

    • The "near rocks, far rocks, check six" framework for separating management from leadership

    About Your Host

    Dr. Chris Broyhill is the industry's most respected authority on business aviation compensation. An industry veteran with over 43 years of aviation experience, Dr. Broyhill has led several scientific research projects on personnel retention, compensation, and leadership for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) since 2017.

    Dr. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Aviation and has published two books that feature the results of his work. He's also an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Fellow, and a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).

    Resources

    Get the Data, Win the Negotiation, Stay in the Business You Love. To get your compensation report, visit AirCompCalculator.com. We have a range of options for different scenarios and budgets, from validating a specific job offer, to packages for entire departments.

    Check out this episode on our website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more leaders in business aviation. Thank you!
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
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