From Glider Pilot to Flight Test Engineer: Adriana on Soaring Records, Gulfstream, and the FlyORKA App

✈️ What does it take to flight test a brand-new aircraft before it's ever earned its wings?

In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson sit down with flight test engineer and glider champion Adriana, who holds 34 soaring records and built the FlyORKA app. She shares her path from reading test pilot biographies as a teenager to flight testing prototypes for Gulfstream, plus why gliders make pilots sharper and more disciplined in the cockpit:

• How flight testing a brand-new aircraft actually works, from envelope expansion to meeting certification requirements • Why flying gliders builds stronger rudder skills, energy management, and stick-and-rudder fundamentals that power pilots often miss • How Adriana's flight test background shaped the FlyORKA app, built to help pilots build up their skills step by step, learn more at flyorka.com • Her advice for student pilots and CFIs who feel behind or discouraged in their training

🚀 Whether you're a student pilot, CFI, glider enthusiast, or aspiring flight test engineer, this episode is packed with real-world insight into flight testing, glider flying, and building better pilot fundamentals.

This episode is brought to you by Stratus Financial, helping student pilots fund their aviation dreams with the Fly to Success Scholarship, and the Ascend Flight Training Summit in Dallas, September 8th through 10th.

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