Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Ryan Melendez, Southwest Airlines pilot and founder of Warriors With Wings, shares lessons on building a mission-driven nonprofit from the ground up.
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00:00 Intro
01:07 First taste of aviation
01:26 What brought it back?
02:55 Starting lessons
03:58 Aviation as a path forward
07:44 Journey recap
09:23 Community and giving back
12:00 Why aviation and horses?
14:38 Lessons from first charity experience
17:46 Community and mentorship
20:00 Warrior Kid’s first flight
22:27 Plans for Warriors With Wings
24:07 Ryan’s aircraft
27:36 Banner towing
29:00 Situational awareness in old planes
31:31 Rebuilding aircraft
32:57 Favorite plane to fly
36:26 Transition from GA to airlines
39:13 STOL Competitions
42:17 Next steps
44:26 Bringing more purpose to flying
45:14 Advice to younger Ryan
46:48 What guides him?
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ABOUT US
This is Between Two Wings! A video and podcast series interviewing industry professionals, aviation enthusiasts, and fellow ForeFlighters to get an inside look at their lives Between Two Wings.
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Ryan Melendez, Southwest Airlines pilot and founder of Warriors With Wings, shares lessons on building a mission-driven nonprofit from the ground up.
Try a ForeFlight Premium subscription free for 30 days: foreflight.com/campaigns/30days
00:00 Intro
01:07 First taste of aviation
01:26 What brought it back?
02:55 Starting lessons
03:58 Aviation as a path forward
07:44 Journey recap
09:23 Community and giving back
12:00 Why aviation and horses?
14:38 Lessons from first charity experience
17:46 Community and mentorship
20:00 Warrior Kid’s first flight
22:27 Plans for Warriors With Wings
24:07 Ryan’s aircraft
27:36 Banner towing
29:00 Situational awareness in old planes
31:31 Rebuilding aircraft
32:57 Favorite plane to fly
36:26 Transition from GA to airlines
39:13 STOL Competitions
42:17 Next steps
44:26 Bringing more purpose to flying
45:14 Advice to younger Ryan
46:48 What guides him?
New to ForeFlight? Start here!
https://foreflight.com/support/video-...
FLIGHTINSIGHT'S WEBSITE
flight-insight.com
NEWSLETTER
📫 Be the first to know the latest features in ForeFlight, tips & tricks, and more. Sign up here: https://www.foreflight.com/support/su...
LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2sPYNiUNA2oUIgXk69uxFj?si=VVPRwDJES7-m0pUiicryOg&t=3&ct=3
GET IN TOUCH
🌍 Our website: foreflight.com
🌍 Work with us: foreflight.com/about/careers
🌍 Questions? Feature Requests? Let’s talk! foreflight.com/support/contact
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/foreflight
🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/JeppForeFlight
👋 Facebook: facebook.com/foreflight
ABOUT US
This is Between Two Wings! A video and podcast series interviewing industry professionals, aviation enthusiasts, and fellow ForeFlighters to get an inside look at their lives Between Two Wings.
MEET THE HOST
foreflight.com/campaigns/b2w
#BetweenTwoWings #B2W #AviationPodcast
