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Mindy Lindheim is a pilot, aircraft sales broker, and multi-media content creator. You may know her as @Schmiiindy on Instagram and YouTube, where she shares her passion for all things aviation with a growing community of pilots, aspiring pilots, and enthusiasts.

We had the chance to chat with Mindy all about her pilot journey, her latest airplane mods, and what exciting flying adventures she has on the horizon. Keep reading for our exclusive Q&A!

Let’s start at the beginning. Tell us about your background and path to becoming a pilot. Were you always interested in flying?

A failed pursuit of the medical field led me on a strange path to aviation. I was starting to check the boxes for pre-med in college when I discovered aerospace medicine and was very intrigued about the care of flight crews. This led me to daydream about the possibility of traveling for work until it hit me that becoming a pilot would be a fascinating career and I diverted hard and fast to become a pilot instead.

How did you get started as a content creator in the aviation world? What do you like most about sharing your journey on social media?

I started sharing content on social media over 12 years ago as a student pilot. I was new to aviation and didn’t have anyone close to me who was a pilot. I especially didn’t have any friends who flew, so I started sharing my journey as a way to connect to other young pilots and share this unique experience with my connections.

What I love most about sharing my journey on social media is the direct impact it makes upon people and that it allows me to make relationships I never would have otherwise. Some days I get messages from strangers that I impacted their decision to become a pilot, and other days I get new clients calling to sell their aircraft because they follow me online. It is an extremely rewarding way to connect to this community.

Tell us about your 1957 Cessna 182A, Mojo. What drew you to this airplane? What are your plans for optimizing its performance while keeping the vintage character?

It was love at first sight! Ha, but actually. Me and my husband saw a photo of Mojo on a Facebook advertisement for sale and felt instantly that we must pursue purchasing it, especially after learning how gently used it was. We had been in the market shopping for a Cessna 182 for several months before this moment happened, so it just connected the dots for us.

Since I bought it a few years ago, I have been dedicated to preserving its vintage charm while also upgrading it into my ideal flying platform. I choose products very thoughtfully to ensure it adds value and safety to my flying while also staying true to its original character.

That brings us to one of Mojo’s latest upgrades, a new Hartzell propeller! What were some of the most important factors when choosing a propeller upgrade for your aircraft?

The 3-blade Legend propeller compliments Mojo beautifully. My old prop was due for replacement, so when choosing what was next for the plane, I put the most emphasis on build quality, performance, service/TBO, a brand that I connect with, and of course…looks!

Now that you’ve accumulated more flight hours with The Legend, what are your impressions? Has anything surprised you about the performance, look, or feel of the new prop? 

Initial impressions of the new Hartzell top prop showed better cruise climb numbers and a slight increase in cruise speeds. Over time, my biggest surprise was much cooler cylinder head temperatures. This is important as the 182A doesn’t have cowl flaps and keeping the engine cool and happy will pay dividends to me over time on preserving my engine health.

You’ve been such an inspiration within the general aviation community, especially among female pilots. Do you have any advice for aspiring pilots?

Thank you! My biggest advice to all aspiring pilots is to keep on pushing when things get inevitably hard. All of us hit a difficulty in our training — maybe it’s steep turns or learning aerodynamics. Whatever the case, just be open about your struggles to your aviation circle and you will be surprised on how giving this community is, and how quick they are to offer advice and help get you through. And not to mention, there are so many great (and even free) resources and videos online these days on just about any topic.

What’s next for you in your aviation journey?

I am an aircraft sales broker full-time and I fly a lot of small aircraft due to my job and having Mojo, but something inside me had recently been calling me to make the effort to fly turbines more. Because of this, I have some new flying adventures on the horizon, so be sure to tune in and follow along on social media as I plan to share more later this year.

Thanks again to Mindy for this insightful Q&A. Be sure to follow Mindy on Instagram and YouTube for the latest updates!

Want to learn more about Hartzell’s Top Prop aircraft propeller upgrades? Contact us today!