Wil ❤️ APG (Airline Pilot Guy)

Today on Pod, Actually, Wil takes us somewhere unexpected: the cockpit.

His favorite podcast is Airline Pilot Guy, a show that blends aviation nerdery, technical deep dives, listener mail, and a whole lot of camaraderie. And yes, even if you’ve never set foot on a plane (other than 23B, middle seat), this one might surprise you.

Wil talks about:

• Why expertise is attractive (even when you don’t understand every word)
• The comfort of ritual and recurring segments
• How niche podcasts build deeply loyal communities
• And what it feels like to love a show that most of your friends have never heard of

It’s an episode about obsession, professionalism, and the quiet thrill of listening to people who really know what they’re talking about.

Because sometimes your favorite podcast isn’t the buzziest.  It’s the one that feels like home at 30,000 feet.

🔗 Links

• Listen to Airline Pilot Guy: https://airlinepilotguy.com/
• Read the companion piece on Substack: https://podactually.substack.com
• Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PodActually
• Follow Pod, Actually on Instagram: www.instagram.com/podactuallypodcast

📩 Tell us about the podcast you love: podactuallypodcast@gmail.com

Transcript

2026 01.26 Wil Bagg APG

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello, I'm Catherine and welcome to Pod Actually, a podcast about people's favorite podcasts. Today I'm talking with Will, a financial executive from Melbourne, Australia, by way of South Africa and then the United States. And Will has a real passion for aviation. Let's dive in. Will, what is your favorite podcast?

SPEAKER_01 0:29

I listened to a few, but I would say my favorite one, and the one that I look forward to, it's called the APG Show, which stands for Airline Pilot Guy, but that's referred to as APG.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

APG.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

APG.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Hello, my name is Jeff Nielsen, also known as Captain Jeff, and I'm the host of the Airline Pilot Guy Show.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

And I'm here. And what's it about? It's about aviation, uh, nothing else. It's totally aviation-centric, and that's all that's covered is the aviation industry. There's two main hosts, and they have a couple of guest hosts that appear as well, but generally they're all pilots, either active or retired, and they cover everything to do with aviation. So that could be airplanes, it could be helicopters, sometimes hot air balloons, it could be general aviation, it could be the airline industry. It's very wide-ranging. Aviation just really covers everything.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

And what is it that you enjoy about it?

One

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Well, the the reason I enjoy it is because, firstly, well, the reason is I am very interested in aviation, always have been. It's almost like a passion. And I enjoy their their in-depth coverage and their discussion of what's happening on a current basis, you know, because it comes out every week. So it's very topical and very relevant. So if something happens this week, it will be addressed in the very next podcast. So it gives a lot of in-depth analysis and their insights and goes behind the scenes to give a a lot more of what you might just get from reading the newspaper or watching it on TV.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

And is there a structure or a shape to the show?

SPEAKER_01 2:32

There is, actually. They start off with just a general introduction, especially if they're guest hosts. So they'll introduce them and then they'll get into what they call news. And the news just basically covers recent events or activities or developments in the prior week. They'll then seek into what they call a getting to know you section, where the hosts get personal and talk about anything interesting that they've been up to.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

So what sort of things would they talk about?

SPEAKER_01 3:05

They would talk about what's going on in their lives, which aren't always necessarily aviation related, because a few of the hosts are actually retired. So it's just personal insights and background. That in fact could be totally unrelated to aviation. But it doesn't take long. It's just a catch-up, if you will. And then the final section is what they call feedback. And in feedback, they address questions or comments that have been sent in by their listeners. And that feedback could come via email, or sometimes there'll be some audio feedback. It just depends. So the last part of the show is devoted to addressing feedback from listeners.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

And what sort of questions do people ask?

Insert

SPEAKER_01 3:53

They might ask for advice as to how to progress their own aviation careers, like what should they do next, how to get an interview at a major airline. They might have been on a flight themselves and noticed something that's interested them, and it there wasn't uh an explanation as to why it happened. So they'll pose that question to the hosts, and the hosts will give their views as to as to what might have occurred. And uh it's it's just interesting. Well one of the other uh things that I really like about the show is that it goes very much behind the scenes as well. So they they also provide a lot of resources. So if they've discussed something in one of the segments, if you will, they also have something called show notes that they make available. And in those show notes will be uh links to an actual article that's in more depth or to a video or to a report. So if you want, if if that particular segment is of interest to you and often it is, then you can go to the show notes, find the link, and actually delve even further into what was being discussed. And I think that's a real good benefit that that you get out of this podcast, too.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

So it's a real portal into that world. They really allow you to get involved as much as you want to.

Two

SPEAKER_01 5:15

It's a good way of putting it. It's really a gateway or a portal into a ton of information.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

You said that you've always been interested in aviation, that it's a passion of yours. Take us inside that passion. What is it that really gets you excited about aviation?

SPEAKER_01 5:34

I've had it since I was a kid, Catherine. It's just there, it's in your blood and it and it doesn't leave. But I I guess I'm fascinated by the fact that something like Boeing 747 can actually get into the air, a structure that weighs hundreds of tons. How does it get airborne? It just never ceases to amaze me. And uh I could I could watch it all day. It's not an airplane that flies over that I don't look up just to have a look at what direction it's going, what size is it? It's just always been there for me.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Is it the technical aspects of flight that particularly interests you?

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Yeah, the challenge, the technical aspects of flight definitely challenged me. You know, the the ability to climb into an aircraft and get it off the ground and then get it back on safely. And I did have a pilot's license. So I did learn to fly and I was able to fly. And I understand how to do it, but still, you know, the original people, the Wright brothers that that figured out the mechanics of lift and the effective airflow over the wings that will enable anything from a light aircraft to, as I said, a 747 works on the same principles. To actually get into the air and stay there is just incredible. And I have great admiration for pilots. It's not easy. You have to be very skilled, it takes a lot of expertise, and I have a great amount of respect and admiration for any for anyone that can do that.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Did you ever fly commercial aircraft?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Not myself. I was what's known just as a private pilot. So yeah, I could I could take passengers and I did. Some only came with me once. But uh if I could get back into it, you know, I would. I mean, I still do. Every so often I will just go out to Miraban Airport and I have to go with an instructor. Uh, but I'll just get in the air and fly around just to get my fix.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Do you just feel a joy when you're up there?

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Yeah, it's an amazing feeling of uh joy, freedom, you know, looking down on the world, being able to go wherever you want. See, when you when you drive a car, I mean the only thing you can really control is speed, how fast you go. You've got to follow the road, that's your direction, and there's no altitude, you're always on the ground. But in flying, you're in three dimensions, and you have to focus on not only your direction, you also have to focus on your height off the ground and speed. So you control all those dimensions, so it's a whole different reality in flight.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

So when you're listening to the podcast, does it allow you really to re-enter that world to piggyback on their experiences?

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Exactly. That's that's a very good way of putting that. Yes, yes, vicariously you're putting yourself in in that situation and imagining what it what it's like. And I can imagine what it's like because I I I have that understanding, especially if they do get into some technical areas. There's a lot I don't understand, but there's a lot that I can follow as well. I imagine more than just someone that has no interest in aviation as well. But to someone like me, I f I find even you know some of the minutiae very interesting.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

When did you first start listening to the show?

SPEAKER_01 8:49

I say I've probably been listening to this show regularly for at least seven or eight years. I know it started in 2009, so it's been going for a long time. It's endured. And it comes out every week. So there's a new episode.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

And do you listen to it as soon as it drops?

SPEAKER_01 9:08

No, I don't listen to it as soon as it drops. I I find it great to be able to listen to if I'm exercising, if I'm out running or walking, or at night. So I I don't listen to the whole thing all at once. So I listen to it in it it takes me pretty much the whole week to get through it because I might only listen to 10 or 15 minutes at a time.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

So how long is the typical episode?

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Typically they keep it to about two hours, which is quite manageable. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Two hours.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

Manageable. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Over a week. That's quite manageable.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

I can see that for sure. With two hours. That's yeah, quite the commitment. There wouldn't be many times you'd listen to it in one stint, except perhaps if you were on a flight.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

Yeah, exactly right. So yeah, I don't I don't binge listen, if you will. I just listen in stuff. I pace myself throughout the week to get through it.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

And so do you enjoy dipping into it?

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Uh yeah, very much so. I do.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Do you listen to a whole section at a time or just for however long you happen to have free at that moment?

SPEAKER_01 10:12

No, however long. I mean, if I'm out walking and I come home, then I just stop it, no matter at what stage it's up. It's very well structured as well. It's broken down into chapters. So I can always uh skip ahead if there's something that doesn't interest me or go back to something that I that I missed. So I use those tools as well, the chapter delineations. And also the podcast player that I use allows me to go back however many seconds, or to go forward however many seconds, or just to skip ahead to the next chapter. So there's tools as well that that let me manage how I'm listening.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Do you remember how you discovered the podcast?

SPEAKER_01 10:53

I must have just done a search. That would have been the only way. I I guess I was new to podcasting, and I thought, well, what would I want to listen to? And it would have just been a search on aviation. There's so many. There's there's literally hundreds of aviation podcasts that you could listen to. And I do listen to a couple of others as well. This is not the only one that I listen to, but it's the one that I've stuck with the most. So I I guess I just found it back then and I've just been loyal. I suppose that's the word that I would use.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Do you ever talk about it to other people?

SPEAKER_01 11:28

Pretty much just my wife. She'd be the only one. You know, she'll say, What are you listening to? And she'll say something like, Is it uh the the pilot guy or something like that? And I'll say, Yeah, that's what I'm listening to. But no one else. I mean, you know, there's not many people that are interested, and I I wouldn't I wouldn't really expect them to be. So no, it's not something that I really discuss with with anyone else. It's pretty personal.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

And do you listen at regular speed or do you speed it up?

Three

SPEAKER_01 11:55

No, I listen at regular speed. I don't speed it up.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

So if the airline pilot guy podcast stopped tomorrow, how long would it take you to notice?

SPEAKER_01 12:05

To notice, I'd notice immediately because I'd expect it to be a new They're very good with their notifications as well. They use uh X and they'll post when they're about to record a new episode. So uh you'll be advised of that. And then the main host does quite a I think he does quite a lot of of editing. He cleans it up in post-production, and pretty much within five or six days, then you'll get another notification that the episode is now available to to download and listen to.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

If you found out that the host was a nightmare in real life, would it ruin the show for you?

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Uh yeah, I think so. Because you have this image and of of this persona that you want to really believe is true and and realistic. And if it turns out that, you know, it's it it's a hoax and he's got a whole other life that he's leading, that would be disappointing for sure, because it wouldn't be as authentic.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

So that authenticity is important to you.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Have you ever fallen out of love with the show or taken a break from it?

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Uh no. No. I've been listening weekly for all these years.

SPEAKER_00 13:17

Have you ever recommended the podcast to someone and then thought, oops, maybe that was a misjudgment?

SPEAKER_01 13:22

No, there's no one that I know that would really be in the slightest bit interested.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Final question. Do you think liking this podcast says something about you? And if so, what is that?

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Does it say something about me? Uh it says that I have a passion. It says that I guess I can be annoying about it as well, because I kind of do relate much of what I do to aviation, even in my teaching practice. I use uh many, many different aviation analogies. I think what it says about me is that I could pretty much be obsessed with aviation. It does, it impacts a lot of areas of my life, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Will, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

It was an absolute pleasure. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

And that's the show. Podactually is produced and hosted by me, Catherine Harris. If you like the program, please tell a friend. And you can also support us over at Patreon at Pod Actually or on Substack. Thanks for listening. See you soon.