Jet Midwest - Nose to Tail Podcast

Nose to Tail Podcast

Real conversations. Real constraints. Real solutions.

Nose to Tail is Jet Midwest’s way of giving back to the aviation aftermarket, sharing real conversations with the people doing the work. We talk about what’s changing, what’s hard right now, and how great teams solve problems when the answer isn’t in a manual. Every episode is built to deliver practical insight, highlight industry expertise, and push the conversation forward. Because progress in aviation comes from disciplined execution and creative thinking.

Industry Voices

We sit down with leaders, operators, and specialists across aviation to explore lessons learned, emerging trends, and what it takes to perform under pressure.

Meet the Experts

A special series inside Nose to Tail, spotlighting the experts within Jet Midwest. The same standards. The same curiosity. And a closer look at how real work gets done.

Choose your platform. We’ll keep the conversations going.

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AOG

Asset Management

Engine

Experts

MRO

How MRO Teams Can Build Sustainable Capacity

Author **Guest:** Anderw Walmsley

Date Oct. 09, 2026

Building MRO capacity takes more than increasing headcount. Explore how training, adaptability, trust, company culture, and visible career paths help turn workforce growth into reliable operational capability, and what that distinction means for the customers relying on it.

How Deeper Technical Understanding Creates Better Repair Options

Author **Guest:** Manuel Losada

Date Oct. 02, 2026

Better repair decisions begin with understanding what actually failed. Explore how technical fundamentals, documentation, troubleshooting, engineering, hands-on experience, and repeatable testing help MRO teams identify more repair options and build stronger capability over time. This gets the post to a point where I think you can enter it into the site now without treating it as finished forever. When we come back for the second editorial pass, I would concentrate less on basic copyediting and more on three things: tightening any sections that overlap, deciding which of those three visuals are worth producing, and looking for one or two additional...

How Better Information Can Make Aircraft Teardowns More Efficient

Author **Guest:** Mahesh Bhide

Date Sep. 25, 2026

As aircraft teardown activity grows, the aftermarket will need better ways to manage the information created by every asset. Explore how visibility, demand signals, cleaner data, and automation can help turn more teardown material into faster, more accurate decisions.

How to Ensure Sustainable MRO Growth

Author **Guest:** Rob Lastra

Date Aug. 21, 2026

Growth is one of the clearest signs that good work is creating demand. But the practices that work naturally in a small operation can become less reliable as more people, customers, capabilities, and handoffs enter the system. Sustainable growth requires more than additional capacity. The foundation has to tighten. Ownership becomes clearer. Experience becomes process. Knowledge becomes teachable. Communication becomes more deliberate. Accountability gets built into the work instead of depending on proximity, memory, or instinct. The objective is not to bury a growing MRO in procedure. It is to use experience to create systems that help more people make...

Reliability in Aviation MRO: Building Customer Trust Through Transparency

Author **Guest:** Christopher Vera

Date Aug. 07, 2026

Those commitments require transparency from the beginning. They also require an operation capable of carrying the promise through inspection, repair, documentation, packaging, and delivery. Conditions may change along the way. Supply-chain constraints may narrow the available options. New findings may affect the original plan. Customer needs may lead an organization toward capabilities it has not yet developed. Reliability does not depend on eliminating those changes. It depends on maintaining alignment between what the customer was promised, what the organization now knows, and what the process can realistically deliver. Trust grows when the customer can see that the promise and the...

Big-Shop Capacity. Small-Shop Agility.

Author **Guest:** Mike Jones

Date Jul. 03, 2026

Large repair stations often bring scale, systems, capacity, inventory, staffing, and years of experience. Those advantages matter. They help support volume, absorb complexity, and serve customers across a wide range of needs. Focused repair shops can bring a different kind of strength: responsiveness, creativity, direct communication, targeted investment, and a closer connection to the specific problem in front of the customer. The lesson is not that one model is better than the other. The lesson is that the best repair partners learn from both. Large shops are strongest when they protect the urgency, ownership, and customer focus that smaller shops...

A Practical Playbook for Long-Life Test Systems

Author **Guest:** Todd Meredith

Date Jun. 11, 2026

Every repair process eventually reaches the same question: can we verify the result? That is where the test bench becomes more than equipment. It becomes the decision point. It helps determine whether a component is within limits, whether a fault repeats, whether the repair corrected the issue, and whether the unit is ready to move forward. In that sense, testing is not just a final check. It is part of the workflow that protects quality, reduces uncertainty, and helps keep repair and production environments moving. Testing is evaluation + verification A useful way to think about this is to...

Building an Aviation Business in the Aftermarket

Author **Guest:** Delphine Kennedy

Date Apr. 18, 2026

Building an aviation aftermarket business starts with understanding the work, recognizing customer problems, and turning experience into better solutions. Explore lessons in responsiveness, relationships, technology, differentiation, and sustainable growth.

How High-Performing MRO Teams Are Built

Author **Guest:** Brandon Allen

Date Apr. 18, 2026

High-performing MRO teams turn learning into capability. Explore how deliberate training, technical discipline, leadership, connected expertise, and repeatable processes help teams solve increasingly difficult repair challenges.

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Nose to Tail Podcast,
Presented by Jet Midwest

Introducing “Nose to Tail,” a podcast where we explore the world of aviation lifecycle solutions, industry-related insights, and more. Join host Patrick Kraus, COO and Managing Director at Jet Midwest, and industry experts for podcast conversations encompassing topics in the commercial aviation marketplace — from nose to tail. Each episode features interviews with some of our colleagues, co-workers, and friends deeply involved in the aviation industry. We’ll discuss the latest trends and innovations, explore the ins and outs of aircraft trading, offer insight for operators looking to extract the highest value from their fleets and share personal stories from around the globe. Whether you’re a seasoned aviation enthusiast or just getting started in the industry, “Nose to Tail” is the perfect podcast for you!

What should we talk about next?

Nose to Tail Podcast, Presented by Jet Midwest

Introducing “Nose to Tail,” a podcast where we explore the world of aviation lifecycle solutions, industry-related insights, and more. Join host Patrick Kraus, COO and Managing Director at Jet Midwest, and industry experts for podcast conversations encompassing topics in the commercial aviation marketplace — from nose to tail. Each episode features interviews with some of our colleagues, co-workers, and friends deeply involved in the aviation industry. We’ll discuss the latest trends and innovations, explore the ins and outs of aircraft trading, offer insight for operators looking to extract the highest value from their fleets and share personal stories from around the globe. Whether you’re a seasoned aviation enthusiast or just getting started in the industry, “Nose to Tail” is the perfect podcast for you!

Expertise is worth sharing

If you work in aviation, you know the best outcomes come from the best people. Nose to tail is our way of learning out loud and pushing the industry forward-one-conversation at a time.