Fly with us to Catalina Island! (feat. Simone Giertz & Insta360 X3)

That was awesome. Hope you will post more flight videos of your adventures and journeys. You are amazing, talented and a wonderful person!

Every time i watch one of your vids I’m blown away by your intelligence and how darn nice you are.😀

They are much more than best friends. It is very intimate😮👍

I remember all the times I introduced someone to small airplanes... and let them control it. I HOPE I was smiling as widely as you were in this one, Xyla. Simone, you're a trouper too!

I have never seen Simone so uncomfortable.

This girl is brilliant!

Have you seen any non human aircraft up there yet?

Ya do the Acapalla thing. She says wow, youre a capable....So, up until that time she was doubting your safety skills? lol. FUnny. Stay safe eh? Thats a Canadian accent if you didnt pick up on it. Im only a sim pilot but want the Airplane Heaven Cessna 140 now! I will give you a wow, first time viewer here. I see you have 401K subs? wow wowowowowowowo

What plane is this? I can tell it's not a Cessna or a piper it's a bit older than that. It's also in fantastic condition too, no rust no corrosion or rot. 😊❤ Wait it is a Cessna I heard your call sign so it's a old Cessna like what pre 80's then?

I love that. Fuck you gravity! Lol

'Keeping your eyes peeled' might have something to do with potatoes? Just guessing here.

Sippin' syrup at the Catalina Wine Mixer

I did my first solo on my 14th birthday (1984) in a 223 sailplain. Because I was a lazy teenager, pulling the plane back was more trouble than hitting a dead stick landing. That became both a habit and point of pride. Catalina is a beautiful flight, but it lives up to its reputation every time. There aren't any good days. When you do go in there, despite the crazy visuals, bring speed.

That was a very sweet episode. Thank you.
The "flight crew" badge is brilliant.
Those Insta 360 are really sweet but at 600$ CAD, I just can't afford that just for my personal usage!

Women should not fly power planes..... You're nothing but a hazard you're gonna hurt somebody..... If you wanna do something just do some glider aerobatics and you can pretend that you're doing ballet or something...

I love that you have a C-140A. So cool.

Wow
That plane looks like someone took really good care of it.

Quick question. Do you charge in the Insta360 in flight with a 12v connection? I have had two X2 cameras fail and I am wondering if charging via the cigarette/12v connection is the problem. Thanks.

I soloed at 16! Licensed on my 17th birthday! :) Soloing was terrifying!

I definitely prefer saying 'F*** you, gravity!' instead of 'Rotate!' 😄 Nice one 😊

How do you record atc?

Please Xyla stay vigilant with GA.
Never get comfortable.

I don't think that it would be possible for me to feel any safer than if I were a passenger in a plane you were piloting. Like so many other things, you know everything about the machine and its mechanisms, as well as the physical properties of the entire process. Your presence alone would ensure the safety of any passenger. You skills simply astound me.

Both you an Simone are soo good role models for young girls, doing tech and science and making it fun.
I absolutely think Sennheiser or Bose should sponsor airplane acapella with really good noice cancelling headsets, and maybe Icom could sponsor you with a less crackly radio too..
You should do an instrument uppgrade video with Mike Patey too, he can hook you up with Garmin...
Simone probably disected a frog, but we also did the eyball in Swedish schools at one time

When you were telling Simone why you like flying... I started to get very emotional and I'm not sure why? I've wanted to get my pilots license my entire life.

In 2007 I won a raffle to get a ride in a P51 Mustang and that topped my #1 bucket list item. But #2 in that list has always been to get my own license to fly. But I've not been able to.

Every time a plane flies over me, I look up and dream of being able to do that myself. Maybe some day...

Get into the habit of never walking through the prop arc even when you ‘know’ it’s not spinning.

If you ever find yourself on a noisy apron at night under fluorescent lighting, it could save your life if you get some stroboscopic effect on the prop.

Just like every gun is always loaded, every prop is always spinning.

I absolutely love the retro paint colours and theme. Perfectly suitable for an aircraft of its age.

Great video! Next time you should land at the Catalina airport, it’s very very cool. The buffalo burgers aren’t bad either 😁

pretty sure the propeller is only there to keep the pilot cool. most pilots would start sweating when the propeller fails mid flight. proof enough XD also, stop trying to make us believe you made those behind the plane shots with those cameras. you had a camera person on a rope the whole time. admit it.

Just curious, how do you keep a older plane without navigation on a flight plan without getting lost?

Wow, what a wonderful video. Thank you for sharing that.
I was saddened to hear that you had had some personal challenges and I want you to know that you are a very inspiring woman and I love that you connected with Simone.
You are a pair for sure.

Curious to get some details about the drone footage.

This brought back so many memories of flying with my dad as a kid.

I flew a lot of single engine over water. Never again. As soon as that plane hits the water, it will flip over. Lots of sharks in that area.

Xyla, a home built project for you AV related, would be a battery powered Tug. Review Best Tugs for some ideas for tail draggers.

Insta 360 is such a powerful tool. The videos are amazing, thank you to Simone. Xyla, you did not talk about your safety flotation devices. Yes, there is a lot of boat traffic in the channel but there is also much water. Be safe, please.

Dang, that’s a clean 140

That you were airborne before the numbers just cracked me up!

"Watch your knees and ovaries."

For MALE passengers, it is:

"Watch your knees, watch your 'nads."
🤭🤭🤭

I've been working in Africa then Ukraine for the last 4 years and I honestly did not know if Simone was still alive. This makes me smile deeply and that's rare.

Great flight, great video...but this old ATP / CFII (etc.) and former ferry pilot (50-odd Atlantic crossings) has to ask: did you have any flotation and/or survival gear? Life vests? Maybe even a raft? You can die of hypothermia almost as easily off Catalina as off Greenland. Assuming the 140's 8:1 glide ratio, 7000 feet mid-channel would barely get you to one or the other shoreline (at sea level)--you'd want more like 10,000 feet to get you to the Catalina airport or some landable spot (Palos Verdes golf course? Terminal Island?) on the mainland.

That said, I continue to admire everything you're doing. Fly safe!

That hug you guys did at he end of the flight put a lump in my throat. I've been an air traffic controller for almost forty years now and still love working in an airport environment. Very cool to see your raw joy flying your OWN plane and sharing with your friend who will never forget that wonderful experience with you! Thank you for sharing and a big hello from the small island of Saipan. (Civilian tower controller here since Feb 2023) All the best! Brian Ward, MSgt USAF, retired

Life jackets! Seriously! Water is nasty!

Wait, HOW did you get that wide shot from behind the rudder at take off?????

Ps I’m a pilot too, but did it much later in life.

Xyzla reminds me of myself as a much younger person, loving to go on adventures and building stuff like rockets and planes and figuring out how things work, and I thought, “she should be a pilot”. And now I see SHE IS!!!! Awesome!!! I’ll bet anything she cherishes that ability and skill now that she is no longer earthbound.

dident know those 360 cameras existed and was possible to set up that way. amazing