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

[@xylafoxlin]

This was my first time ever putting cameras on a plane, and I am SO stoked about how the Insta360 X3 footage came out! What other epic shots would you want to see from the X3 in the future? Be sure to use my link get a free invisible selfie stick with your purchase! www.insta360.com/sal/x3?insrc=INRZVV9

[@AbhishekDeshpandecoder]

Looked like the flight simular game.❤😊

[@fsodn]

@@alexdarcydestsimon3767 It looked like she put the two Insta360s on the outside of the plane on very long Aluminum rods. I think the one on the tail was attached to the tailwheel strut, so the camera was effectively floating right behind the rudder.

[@SuperYxskaft]

To me, these cameras look like magic, I have no idea how they can film like that, like it looks like they are free floating behind the plane.

[@conorstewart2214]

@@alexdarcydestsimon3767 you can see in the video (1:49), the rear camera is attached onto the back wheel, so just below the rudder.

[@SeanBlader]

Definitely need to do interviews in the air.

[@jrhusney]

My 4-year old daughter and I watched this together tonight. She’s watched me and tried our flight simulator many times, but tonight was the first time she said she would like to be a pilot. Thank you!

[@tonysansom]

Nice!

[@jamessullivan6985]

Awesome

[@joshmaxwellreinerallen3521]

My daughter’s 3.75! What’s your flight simulator? I’d like to give it a try as well :)

[@neondemon5137]

Okay. Tomorrow she'll want to be a giraffe.

[@moonshinershonor202]

🤧😭😭😭🤧 I remember the moment I wanted to be a pilot. I wasn't even in Pre-K. When that big old space shuttle flew off into the Heavens. That was it.

[@therealchayd]

Simone's preflight commentary had me in stitches! 🤣 Also noticed that Xyla has "the pilot voice", which is totally different from the conversational voice. Have a few pilot friends who normally speak with a strong almost Cockney accent but as soon as they get on the radio, they all sound like they were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and educated at Eton. (Yeah, I know It's necessary for clear communication with others, but still makes me smirk every time)

[@hd-xc2lz]

Funny anecdote, my 20yr old brother just prior to his first time speaking to the tower, told himself "I'm NOT going to speak in cheesy pilot voice." ...moment arrives... out of his mouth comes classic pilot voice. Called it an out of body experience.

[@SVSky]

She has a great radio voice.

[@ItsMotoMatt]

I had a big laugh at it, too 😊 For people who are curious, Xyla was extracting fuel from the wings and engine to make sure it didn't contain sediment. Very common check on small planes.

[@Viniter]

Xyla, Simone and Laura would make such a great post-apocalypse team! Laura builds the shelter, Simone builds the robots to defend it, and Xyla flies around blasting the zombies with rockets!

[@TheBigburcie]

Yet Xyla is the only engineer between them.

[@Taygetea]

@@TheBigburcie a competent builder has a good enough intuitive sense of engineering that one out of three being an actual engineer is plenty

[@papaquonis]

Between the three of them there's certainly plenty of creativity, skills and knowledge, so that's a great start.

[@scunner3rd]

Ok but I would LOVE to watch this as a series.

[@indiragajah]

Ooooh make a collab series with the three of them in a survival setting

[@cambridgemart2075]

I love the fact that a 75 year old aircraft is kept in great flying condition and is owned by someone who is clearly enthusiastic about flying.

[@annoyedwalrus7803]

And it's such a pretty plane!

[@TravelingStacker]

I own a Cessna 150 and 172 that are both older than me. Simple planes that will also outlive me.

[@StressKind]

Such a timeless look. Wonderful choice of plane!

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

Yeah ! This old lady is in good shape.

[@greghaff229]

Planes have no sole, they are just here. @@TravelingStacker

[@nathanfell8993]

Xyla, you are an exceptional pilot and an awesome human being. If I was the head of the FAA, I would make "Fuck you gravity" the required vernacular for all take-offs on every flight; private and commercial. It also needs to be said that you have achieved the rare goal of making sponsored content that doesn't suck. I have absolutely no use for this product, but still found myself considering buying and inventing scenarios where I'd need it. Kudos.

[@thedolt9215]

You may say fuck you, gravity, but gravity waits patiently to fuck you back… All the time… Don’t tempt fate

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

It's said that Orville Wright was the first to say "fuck you gravity" as he watched Wilbur go up into the air.

[@moti.g]

It's a bit easier when the product is actually good like the recent Insta360 cameras are. Getting them as a sponsor is an achievement too :)

[@alexkeeley2772]

Love seeing Simone pop up in all my favorite creators' videos- she's in the walls!

[@gavinjenkins899]

There's an average of 3 simones within two meters of you at all time. You also swallow 1.7 simones in your sleep on average every year.

[@LeonardChurch33]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Not just the collab but the format, the cinematography, the fact that there's more plane content on the channel, it's just all great.

[@evanguarr9678]

Ha, this is phenomenal! I smell the possibility of a series. Great to see you up in the air enjoying time with a friend after sharing everything you've been through recently. Cheers from Cleveland :)

[@xylafoxlin]

series? never ;)

[@maxximumb]

@@xylafoxlin Who's in the hot seat next time on Airplane a capella?

[@tonysansom]

I think a series is a great idea and I bet Insta 360 would support it!

[@Marbh13]

​@@maxximumb Adam Savage's

[@oraach]

@@Marbh13 he'll die of joy

[@vodostar9134]

As an old pilot who no longer has a medical, that was fun. Really impressed with how well those cameras worked.

[@unclemuir]

We are in the same club. I hope to get my medical back soon.

[@UncleKennysPlace]

If your medical has never been _denied,_ you can fly light sport with just a driver's license.

[@unclemuir]

@@UncleKennysPlace I could also fly gliders without a medical. There is a reason I won't take the chance.

[@bierrollerful]

Content with Simone is always so fun and wholesome. She is like a youtube care bear.

[@clairephillippi4083]

This was so wholesome. It reminded me of my grandfather. He was a pilot and mathematician at UCLA in 1967. He worked on calculations for the moon mission. He flew his wife and his inlaws to Catalinia island in 1968. Unfortunately it was a foggy day and he crashed his plane. There were no survivors. My father died in 2016 and I spread his ashes in 2017 on Catalina Island. It brings back beautiful memories of my family to see another pilot fly over to the island. Thank you for sharing this flight. It truly means the world to possibly glimpse what my grandfather saw as he was flying to Catalina Island.

[@Microfrost]

I love seeing two amazing makers having fun together. Good job flying, Xyla, and good job not puking, Simone!

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

Last time i ve heard of a Simone it was a bear from Asheville. Would be fun to have her fly ...

[@ManuelDornbusch]

I love the bubbly excitement chemistry you two have. Please fly more together

[@STEAMerBear]

I’m so happy to know this side of you! Flying was my late wife’s passion. Her grandfather was her inspiration. She became a CH-47 pilot in the Army and later got a Piper Cherokee which she flew almost daily in her final few months.

[@CS_247]

😊 As a 20 years in career pilot, this makes me grin from ear to ear. So nice to see such enthusiasm about simple flight, in a beautiful little airplane. THIS is what aviation is all about! Enjoy!! ❤

[@hot_wheelz]

Xyla, I know that this was a sponsored video for Insta360 but I still love that you manage to take us on the journey and the stuff you've obviously got to say to satisfy the sponsorship is inserted in a way that seems appropriate and even somewhat natural so it's not like watching your video then being jarred by an advert that takes you out of story. Very few content creators manage to achieve that. Kudos.

[@xylafoxlin]

thank you so much!

[@Skylikesavation]

6:35 Simone’s yes is great! Flying is so much fun I’ve only done it once so far unfortunately because getting a pilot’s license is expensive but I definitely am going to get my license

[@irritantno9]

First time I’ve seen a pilot do a checklist and pilot briefing in a KZbin video. What a pro!

[@SteelBuckeye]

It’s crazy how much better the insta 360 is over GoPro. Also…. X you are amazing.

[@tanaes]

I just had the biggest grin during this whole video. Thanks for letting us tag along!

[@aaronm9478]

This is a great video! Simone is so excited!

[@lonnywilcox445]

Good to see you smiling and having fun.

[@georgeb.wolffsohn30]

My dad was an aircraft mechanic in WW2. After the war he returned to Belize and did jungle flying in a Cessna. This video is the first to give me an idea of how his experience felt. Thanks Xyla.

[@clintfisher]

This makes me SO happy! Private pilot here (though it's been years) and a big fan of both of you. One of my joys when flying is letting my passenger take the yoke and rudder so they can feel the air. I'm so glad you had Simone take the controls. So many great adventures flying. There is also a certain mindset of being a pilot that I respect more than any other culture : The culture of safety, the sense of adventure, and the setting of the ego aside in favor of a firm grasp of objective reality. Cheers to a great first flight for Simone, and thank you both for sharing, and for looking out for other science and engineering-minded KZbinrs!

[@chippercorgi2247]

Kid-me was so into airplanes/flying that I convinced my mom to take me to the local airfield as a reward for doing my homework. As we were wandering around a private pilot prepping his plane for flight spotted me and offered to let me sit in the pilots seat.... and when he saw I actually knew what the controls did (I was moving the stick/pedals one at a time then looking out the window to confirm everything worked the way I'd read about in my books) he offered to take us up for a flight. Thanks so much for reminding me how much fun that was... absolutely fantastic video!

[@eugiboy1]

Simone's commentary on the preflight checks is amazing. Edit: Xyla liked my comment fangirling so hard right now. Slash as a guy can I fangirl or is it fanguying?

[@Ewong251]

This popped up in my recommended cuz I subscribe to Simone, and OMG! My mom lives 2mins from Torrance Airport! It's like my childhood backyard. It's awesome seeing it from the air. You and Sinone are both awesome! Automatically subscribed to you now.

[@albertsjoberg1200]

The joy in this video is contagious. Thank you Xyla, you are a gift and you have the coolest friends.

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

Cool, two queens of "making things" I love, plus aviation !

[@davidevans8635]

Two amazing and capable people just having fun in the air. Thanks for taking us along.

[@TesserId]

Two of the most charming KZbinrs together. Luv it!

[@warpo007]

don't ever doubt yourself for a second, Xyla. you are full of awesomeness.

[@ikhsha21]

the way your face lights up from all the excitement, makes my day!

[@TheUnknownFactor]

Seeing Xyla andd Simone hang out is big vibe, love it!

[@grantrhoads4185]

Love it! Had me smiling basically the whole video! "Flying is the 2nd greatest thrill known to man(kind), landing is the first" Had to wear my shirt backwards when I soloed in a glider so that quote would be cutoff with my shirt-tail to hang in the clubhouse! "F you gravity" doesn't really work for gliders...

[@zapfanzapfan]

Deeply impressed with Simone's deep knowledge of pre-flight checks 🙂

[@AJRestoration]

Hahaha wow this was a real treat! Thank you for the video.

[@nbasse]

Directly when I saw Simone on the thumbnail I had a feeling this would be a good video, but I didn't except laughing and smiling the entire time! Such a wonderful energy between you two! Please make a colab together with Laura where you build something!!!

[@Mr.Stacey-L-SCC]

How was such a small cockpit able to contain so much smart at one time? Best video ever!

[@linecraftman3907]

i belive its called moore's law or something

[@alex0589]

@@linecraftman3907 The pilots get 2x smaller every year? They better invest in macro lenses now!

[@LeoDoesItAll]

This was amazing Xyla, if the idea hasn't floated into your head yet - more of these, would be great, even more so if you have a podcast format to them. I'm a flight-sim nerd myself, and this was an absolute treat to watch, thanks for sharing and I look forward to more plane stuff in the future!

[@EorsAstroVids]

This video is *everything* that is so wonderful about aviation.

[@TheBookDoctor]

It's nice to see you happy. Thanks for adding a bright spot to my day.

[@bryanford1139]

11:55 Sawin' on that wheel like a Nascar driver.....NICE!!

[@rpavlik1]

I am so glad you got a sponsorship to take Simone (and all of us) up in the air. That looks terrifying in such a small plane but also looks super cool. What a beautiful plane and beautiful flight.

[@AppleGameification]

You're right that a small plane can be terrifying. You get bumped around but the tiniest air currents. And the whole time you're very aware that you're suspended a thousand feet in the air in a tin can.

[@Aldric524]

@@AppleGameification I mean, aren't all planes and jets tin cans? They just aren't all TINY tin cans.

[@jenkinseric2]

What a delightful video. I grinned for the whole time I watched it. So much joy and enthusiasm. Thank you. I sold my plane 23 years ago due to deteriorating hearing. Flying is such freedom in 3D literally. when you were checking the fuel drains reminded me of hosting a pilot from Germany, when I threw the fuel/water on the tarmac he was surprised because in germany they have containers for that rather than polluting. Terrific to watch the two of you having fun and learning.Thank you once again.

[@enricoflor3601]

The KZbin world is getting smaller in a wonderful way! Cheering your every KZbin episode, Xyla! Happy to see Simone here. Hoping Dianna could join you someday! Wishing her well.

[@andrewbrozovich]

Flying is the best! It's the most fun i've had in my life!!! Introducing people to the wonder of GA is also the best!

[@CRneu]

One of my favorite things is being with someone for their first small plane ride. It's so much fun! Congrats Simone! Hopefully Xyla takes you up again. Also that Cessna is gorgeous.

[@Polarbrrr316]

Been watching many of your videos Xyla. It's amazing to see you become successful and achieving your goals. Love all your videos too!

[@ecnivo]

Amazing collab! Love seeing y'all have fun flying :)

[@SVSky]

Nice job! That plane is an absolute stunner. Nice to see young people flying tailwheel.

[@bdeitur]

Loving coming along in the plane ride with you guys. I always dreamed of flying a plane. Now I'm an old fogie but at least I can pretend I'm flying when I watch one of my favorite youtubers (actually, two of my favorites). 👍 PS. Glad you're starting to feel a little better PPS. Also please Simone, no ideas about making your own plane. I've seen too many of your robot inventions. 😱

[@tduenchan]

Well, there are a lot of kit planes Simone could adapt into giant robots (too expensive to be shitty, though). It would be great if she could build an ancient Rutan plane. It would be great if Xyla collaborated with Simone on making a successful flying thing even a successful orbiting thing.

[@kme0601]

i've rewatched this so many times since yesterday... inspiring, amazing people...

[@NoahDeLong]

I Love everything about this video and more flying videos in between builds would be fun.

[@JessieTrinket]

This video just has all the right vibes and just makes me smile.

[@reallynotpc]

Simone makes a great passenger! What a fun video, but you two are getting even more fun out of it than I do.

[@vforanonymous7566]

This is the best come back ever!!! I love to see you healthier. God bless you!

[@piplup10203854]

My niece is 3 and loved this!! I have a lot of friends in the aviation spaces and I've always wanted to fly myself but due to an unfortunate accident I have difficulty even operating a car so I don't think I can fly but my niece and I love watching KZbin videos on it and she loves learning so she actually teaches me lol we loved the video and I am so stoked to see what she would like to do but she genuinely loves flying and has been on flights ever since she was allowed on planes 😆 you'd be surprised at just how much she learns and absorbs things. We started to play Microsoft Flight Simulator and it makes me want to build an at home rig lol

[@JohnLumpp]

Simone is such a trip! Love it!

[@jbaidley]

Flying a Cessna is so much fun. Only done it the once, but it's an experience that sticks with you.

[@frankweeks9642]

Xyla your plane is beautiful and I love seeing your skillz! Wonderful footage!

[@frankrizzo3019]

One of the most beautiful things in the world is seeing someone achieve their dreams. Such a great video ❤

[@RevUnstableBoy]

Yay plane content! Got a flight myself scheduled for this Friday (renting as I don’t have my own plane yet). And this is making me impatient. Someday I hope to get to the west coast and Catalina island is one of my gotta get to destinations. Thanks for the vid and would love for some more colas with Simone. And a Xyla, Simone and Laura colab would be a dream come true. (Heck, in that case get Simone and Laura to invite Savage and blow up the Maker KZbin world)

[@JayWelchy]

I see that rudder movement - nice work Xyla!! "Happy Feet" in the house! ..... tail dragger lingo. Anyhow, aviation content is ALWAYS welcome! Insta360s got some really cool shots.

[@bobdeleon3826]

My 2 favorite creative minds on an adventure. Let's do more.

[@greyrideroutlaw7826]

Nothing else like flying. Wow, and I love it.

[@woo545]

I absolutely love this and am a bit jealous. I've wanted to fly since I was in grade school. I actually enjoy watching people grabbing the hand rests when commercial flights hit turbulence. But this is just great to see, especially after your latest video. Keep flying!

[@jaytm2574]

I am envious! You two got to fly to Catalina! Wonderful video with the Insta360 gear too!

[@matthewseymour8972]

360 cameras are just perfect for this - I love how the invisible stick makes it look like flight simulator

[@vsavoldi]

2 of my favorite makers in a plane, flying to Catalina. Very cool ladies!

[@Perry_Wolf]

I had a big shit eating grin on my face the entire video! 😁 - You two were insanely adorable and that 140 has me drooling big time. I'm so happy for you Xyla that you chose buying that plane over, what was it, a bigger workshop? There is absolutely no denying how incredibly happy flying that plane makes you and there is no questioning you made the exact right choice for you! I've yet to pursue my pilot's license, a lifelong dream, but videos like this definitely keep that dream alive! Thank you ever so much for sharing, and it was fun seeing two of my favorite content creators come together for a fun video such as this!

[@blaster-zy7xx]

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.

[@jasoncostanzo5337]

I love small aircraft vids...especially ones with awesome youtubers. I wish it was longer!!!

[@richardcooper]

Come fly with Xyla feat. Simone, great co-lab need more, awesome video. Love watching you too both, even better when in the same video! So much creative energy from you both and I just finished watching Laura too install a sink in her Tiny home.

[@geuis]

That was great to watch. Xyla, would you consider doing another video where you do a high level ELI5 of the various call signs and the general aviation language you see very comfortable with?

[@Darth_Doug]

Simone is an absolute sweetheart, she always brings a smile to my face! So I'm smiling double today watching two of the most fun people on KZbin together! Much love to you Xyla, great vid 😁

[@jordyb4862]

First solo flight at 17! Thats awesome 😎

[@brian_atc]

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

[@rossgrady]

Yayyy! Forgive the n00b question, but if you wanted to land on Catalina, how does that work? I mean is there like “hourly Cessna parking” or would you have to have some kind of arrangement laid out ahead of time?

[@CRneu]

small airports generally dont charge for a few hours of parking your plane. some small airports even have loaner cars you can borrow instead of renting. it really varies depending on the airport or even the time of year. I'd assume catalina is a pretty small airport, I haven't been there, but small airports will have tie downs for planes. They don't generally charge for those. If you wanted a covered hangar they'd charge for that.

[@xylafoxlin]

Yeah! Most small airports have tie downs, usually free though often there's an overnight fee (usually ~$5) and you don't generally need to call ahead. Catalina is unique-ish as it is in a National Park and has a $35 landing fee - though parking is free :)

[@peterm3964]

That is a great video . You are inspiring thousands of young people to believe in their future through your joyous attitude .

[@markwerley6965]

Very enjoyable video with two of my favorite creators tooling around in the sky together. Being sponsored, I was a little "eh?", but frankly those synthesized camera view points are incredible. This was great!

[@davidcole217]

Hi Xyla, So good to see you out and about and having fun. I hope this is indicative of your state of wellbeing. We all need a little more sunshine in our lives and you are that bright spot many times. Be well Dave

[@1hornet1]

Yay! Thanks for the flying video. It is awesome seeing you doing some of the pilot....stuff....yeah that's it! Blue skies!!!

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 2 girls having a ton of fun in a typical kind of way. Best regards, luck and health. To both of you of course.

[@MushroomKingdoom]

This may sounds overwhelm but this is the most representative to the chanel.

[@hotflashfoto]

Really cool eyeliner for Xyla and Simone's sunglasses. I was in small aircraft as a kid and it is sooooo cool.

[@ctpctp]

WOWWWWWW. I was saying it too, Simone :-) Also your plane is so old I didn't even recognize it as a Cessna for a split second :-O What a beautiful old plane!!! I completed ground school but haven't gotten up in the air yet. Hopefully sometime soon

[@MrSmitheroons]

When KZbin was new, I had NO IDEA there would be people inviting you along for a ride in their small airplane flights, but I have found them to be some of the coolest, chillest videos on here. Feels educational and soul lifting at the same time. I can see why people feel like flight is so special, it just is. Thanks for taking us along for the ride! Very cool seeing the land we all live on from another perspective from up in the sky. But also so relaxing, lol. Nice video!

[@8613247]

What a good video showing us the skies you two! This has a real feel-good vibe, and made my day. Thank you Xyla and Simone!

[@davidcrellin8531]

Absolutely awesome - looked very smooth

[@w0schmidt]

They are fun to fly. I so get it and thanks for that wonderful video. I used to be a part owner of Cubs, 100hp no flaps and one with 150hp with flaps. Did over 400 hours in them. then moved on to DeHavilland Beavers. One thing I did note, after 1200 hours the Cubs I flew needed a top end overhaul. Once the engine did 2000 hours, it kept flying 'on condition.' Mostly managed to squeeze another 200 or 300 more hours before it needed replacement/overhaul and zero timed to start again. Learnt that excel spreadsheets are wonderful to budget and plan for these types of aircraft. Keep enjoying your plane and safe flying.

[@nathanieljames7462]

Mind blown at 8:00 !! Makes perfect sense and this is the first I've ever considered how this works!

[@Zoutsteen]

A fun relaxing cool vid of what, I guess we all wanted to do in our lives one time or another but, you two are doing.

[@blu-eyegeek8419]

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

[@ELECTRONOOBS]

I want a ride too

[@guillaumecrance2213]

Thank you for the casual trip It would be gret to see you explain more wht you do in your flying.

[@CanyonWanderer]

When two favourite channels come together, awesome! And that is such a great looking plane!

[@endangeredmarmot4518]

Two of my fav KZbin creators in a wicked little plane. Good times!

[@parrotraiser6541]

Pretty little aeroplane, with excellent mods. (Harnesses and skylights.) Nicely flown.