'A very positive thing'

Aeroverse CEO Charles Cook, who followed in the aviation footsteps of his grandfather and father to fly 28 years for FedEx, said his new aviation streaming service will feature a mix of content with a unifying theme: “Positive people doing positive things” in all facets of aviation.

While some of the shows may be familiar, such as The Aviators, a Canadian television series that has run in public broadcasting markets in the United States, Cook and Nathan Fletcher, the executive vice president of programming, are working to produce original content including Throttle Jockey, a series in production that will give viewers an inside look at a range of aviation careers, and another series about warbird restoration, the first installment of which features a North American P–51 Mustang, and a 100-year-old pilot who flew it.

“We’re going to have good, clean, positive content that you can sit down with your wife and your children, and your grandchildren, and you don’t have to worry about what show you’re going to pick,” Cook said. Not every aviation show available will make the cut. There will be no dramatic reenactments of aviation accidents or investigations. “We’re not going to scare someone off an airplane or away from the airport.”

Cook said he hopes to draw a mix of viewers, including those already involved in aviation and people who might be intrigued by paragliding, or ballooning, or flying a fighter—including piston-powered World War II icons, lesser-known models, and modern jets. Viewers will have a broad array of aviation experiences at their fingertips, commercial-free and available on demand on televisions and mobile devices.

Cook will offer AOPA members a 15-percent discount on the $89 annual subscription, which will also be available at a monthly rate of $8.99 when the new service launches December 17, the 120th anniversary of the first powered flight by the Wright brothers.

The company website offers a prelaunch tease in the form of a short video compilation of content lined up so far, including contributions by Mike Patey, among several YouTube creators who have built large followings with aviation-themed content. Aviation101’s Josh Flowers is another such creator. Cook said he is also eager to entertain pitches from more traditional television and movie producers who have true stories to tell about aviation adventure, or an educational angle.

“Absolutely we’re looking for good pitches,” Cook said. “A guy that can make me feel like I’m sitting right-seat in the B–17, bring him on here … Aeroverse is going to be historical, it’s going to be factual…We want it to be instructional … It’s also going to be entertainment. This is the real deal… it’s real or we don’t want it.”

Cook said his main goal is to inspire love of aviation and raise public awareness of the fact that there's a lot more to it than big airlines running between big airports. The owner of a private airfield in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Cook said he’d love to see people show up at small airports like his to inquire about learning to fly, or fix airplanes, or otherwise get involved in the industry, having been inspired by what they saw on their television, tablet, or phone. “My true, real hope on this thing is that it brings people out to my airport. I think it’s going to be a very positive thing.”