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In Episode 351, Justin sits down with Ariel Johnson (@whiskeyflies on Instagram), a North Carolina-based flight instructor who earned her Citation type rating at just 800 hours. At not even 21 years old, Arielle shares her accelerated journey from discovering aviation at Sun ’n Fun to teaching students and flying corporate jets—all while completing her aviation degree.
This conversation explores the realities of flight training, the power of networking in aviation, and what it takes to break into corporate flying. Ariel discusses her experience getting typed in a Citation, the differences between Part 91 and 135 operations, and her approach to building a career through genuine relationships and hard work. She also offers candid advice for aspiring pilots on making the most of every rating, avoiding common pitfalls, and maintaining passion throughout the journey.
Whether you’re a student pilot wondering about your path forward, a CFI building time, or someone curious about corporate aviation opportunities, this episode delivers practical insights from someone who’s living proof that age is just a number when you combine dedication with smart networking.
Topics covered:
∙ Transitioning from private pilot to corporate jet operations
∙ The value of mentorship and networking in aviation
∙ Part 91 vs Part 135 flying: what to expect
∙ Getting a jet type rating early in your career
∙ Building flight time efficiently as a CFI
∙ Social media’s role in aviation careers
∙ North Carolina flying destinations (Wilmington, Oak Island, and more)
Pilot to Pilot is the podcast for anyone who flies — or dreams about it. Host Justin Siems sits down with airline captains, bush pilots, CFIs, and everyone in between for honest conversations about the path to the cockpit, the grind of the career, and the love of flying that keeps us coming back. Whether you're a student pilot chasing your first solo or a captain with 20,000 hours, there's a seat for you here. New episodes weekly.
Episode 351 of the pilot the
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It's Justin.
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My name is Arielle Johnson.
Currently I have my double I M
I Mei.
I'm teaching as an independent
flight instructor.
I own a Piper Cherokee 8434 whiskey.
That's where the Instagram
Whiskey Flies come comes from.
Is that tail number there?
And I contract on the Citation CJ.
Series AV Nation what is going on?
And welcome back to the Pilot
the Pilot Podcast.
My name is Justin Seams and I
am your host.
Today's episode is with Ariel
from Whiskey Flies on Instagram.
She has a crazy story.
She is not even 21 yet.
She's getting ready to go off
her ATT CTP type rated in a citation.
She is doing so many things
that I wish I did at that age.
You know I didn't get.
I didn't even start flying
until I was 20.
So she's already got more
time, more type ratings, more ratings
than I have before we even
touch the plane at the same age,
which is just crazy and is awesome.
And I think it's really cool
for people to see the drive someone
that really loves the job and
just really, really wants to be in
this industry and really wants
to do it and just having fun doing
it.
So shout out Ariel.
Keep that energy the whole
time in your career and you're going
to do great.
I hope you all really enjoy
this episode.
It was a lot of fun to talk
with Ariel, especially another North
Carolina native, and talk
about how great our state is because
we love North Carolina, North
Carolinians love North Carolina.
It's a, it's a sickness, I promise.
But also it's the first in
flight in birthplace aviation, but
can talk about that later.
Ohio, we got some beef.
AV Nation, I hope you enjoyed
this episode.
Like I said, it is great.
You know, shout out to
everyone who has ordered the Pilot
the Pilot magazine.
We are in deep for volume two
right now.
So we are trying to get that
volume out as soon as possible.
I think the Plan date is March 15th.
That way we can keep the
quarterly releases going.
It's been awesome.
I am so thankful for everyone
who has ordered a magazine.
It truly means the most to me,
my wife and my son just to try this
venture, see what we can do,
see if we can become, you know, the
biggest and best aviation
magazine out there.
And we can't do that without you.
So spread the word.
Leave a review if you have
bought that.
I believe there's a way to
leave a review on our website, pilothepilothq.com
mag and if you haven't gotten
one, what are you doing?
It's the most premium thing
you'll ever see.
I promise you.
When you hold it in your
hands, you're like, holy smokes,
this thing is crazy.
As someone told me, it's not a
magazine, it's a coffee table book.
Because it really is.
It is that impressive.
But AV Nation, I hope you are
having a great day.
And without any further ado,
here's Ariel from Whiskey Flies on
Instagram.
Ariel, what's going on?
Welcome to the Pilot Pilot podcast.
Thank you.
I'm so excited to be here.
Yeah, I'm excited to have you
on as well.
Like we talked about before we
started recording, it's always great
to talk to someone who flies
in North Carolina, who lives in North
Carolina.
We're probably biased, but
it's one of the best states out there,
especially to fly in.
You get all the weather you get.
Well, mostly it's nice
weather, but you can go to the beaching
or the mountains.
You can fly the city.
And there's always BQ1 for
some of the best barbecue you'll
ever have in your life.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So I always start every
podcast out with why aviation?
What was it for you that made
you want to start flying?
Yeah, so growing up, my uncle
always had a 172 or something of.
Of that nature and everyone.
I think it's like, somewhat of
a misconception that I grew up in
an aviation family, and that's
not necessarily the case.
I mean, I probably went flying
with him like, two or three times
before I started flying.
But my parents.
Parents are very much the kind
of people that they're like, any.
Any certification or rating or
anything that you can learn while
you're young, like, go for it,
like, if it's your general contracting
license, like, we support that fully.
So I was like, oh, that would
be cool, you know.
And I graduated high school so
young that I had this gap year in
between high school and
college, and I thought I wanted to
go to film school.
Well, ended up in that gap year.
Right before I graduated high school.
I made the mistake of going to
son and fun and seeing, like, the
F35 and, you know, the Blue
Angels and everything.
And then, like, you're totally.
You're totally done after that.
So I started flying in that
September, you know, sign of funds
in April, started flying in
September after that, just purely
for fun.
I was like, I'll just get my private.
You know, we already have an
airplane in the family.
I'll just fly for fun.
And then somehow it turned
into a career.
I got bitten by the bug really bad.
So was there any kind of tie
in to wanting to go back to film
school or wanting to do
anything else?
Or was it just like, I'm going
to be a pilot, I'm going to do this?
I mean, I think I got hooked
pretty bad.
Obviously, I love, you know,
photography and film and all that,
and I think I've been able to
explore that more through my Instagram
now.
And I didn't really see that
coming, but kind of just fell into
place, you know, accidentally.
So I still get to, you know,
have my creative outlet with that.
But it's still obviously
aviation related.
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's kind of cool about
aviation is that you, even as you
continue to progress in your
career, it gives you the ability
to either have Side hustles or
other kind of businesses where you
could still, you know, you can
still create movies, you could still
create photo, but you can
still do what you want to do in your
off time.
So it's one of those few jobs
where when you're done flying, you
don't have anything else to do.
This is all you can do
whatever you want, literally.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Yeah, I know.
I mean, there's so many, so
many good people that, you know,
create such wonderful things
in aviation that they do fly.
And maybe it is like they do
some contract work, but like you
said, they're.
You could always do something
else, too.
When you say you kind of had a
gap year, you know, you're trying
to figure out what you want to do.
You went to sun and Fun.
You came back, you're like,
all right, flying school, I want
to go fly.
What's the process look like
of, like, having this dream and wanting
to do it, this new dream?
And then was it just going
straight to Google?
Was it watching YouTube
videos, looking at other people on
Instagram?
Kind of.
How did you.
You probably immersed yourself
in the whole community, but how did
you make the choices and where
you went to go fly and how you went
to go fly?
Right, Definitely.
I mean, Stevie Triessenberg,
I'm sure, you know, Stevie, she was
always one of the people that
I watched that I really looked up
to.
And I. I'm sure a lot of other
female aviators can say the same.
The way I kind of went through
is like, okay, here.
Here's my Google search.
Obviously, having an uncle
that went through the process was
very beneficial.
And, like, you know, I didn't
really feel like I needed to take
a discovery flight.
Like, I already knew that.
I. I liked it, obviously.
So just searched up, you know,
here we've got three local airports
in the area.
What flight schools do we have?
And honestly, this may sound a
little bit vague, but the.
The way I picked the one that I.
That I went ended up going to
for my private was the person that
answered the phone was the
most, you know, the nicest and the
most helpful.
And I was like, oh, it seems
like, you know, they've got it together
and they're really good at
customer service, so.
And he's the instructor that
ended up selling me.
So that's.
That's how I picked.
You know, fortunately, I had a
really good experience with flight
instructors.
I think a lot of people can't
say that, and they kind of get.
Get the run around and you
hear these horror stories, but I'm
very grateful that I had some
good ones and I didn't get that experience.
Yeah.
And there's something too
about just being like a good person,
like you said, and having that
good customer service.
Because when I was going back
and doing my training, when I moved
back from Columbus back to
Charlotte, North Carolina, I chose
Monroe to do my training.
And I was thinking of flight
schools, and I looked at one at the
Concorde, looked at ATP,
looked at Fly Carolina, and there
was a small little flight
school in this really tiny building
called Arrowwood Aviation.
And the people there were just
so nice.
And they like, it's a bigger
school now.
But they were incredibly nice.
And I was just like, you know what?
I don't feel comfortable going
to these bigger schools.
I'm gonna go to the small school.
Hopefully it works out.
There is ownership change and
they almost went out of business.
And Brandon came in and saved
the day.
Now he's turned into crazy
cool operation.
But it's really something
about just being around good people
that can help foster your success.
Yeah, it's awesome.
I mean, obviously being in the area.
I know of Arrowwood now, and
they have a beautiful fleet of cuses.
And I've heard Brandon's name
a ton.
I haven't met him, but I do
look forward to the day that I do
get to meet him.
Yeah, well, Brandon doesn't
answer my text or phone calls.
He's too busy now.
So Brandon ever listen, I'm
gonna send this to him.
Be like, brandon, you bum,
call me back, man.
Let me.
Let me.
Let me fly one of your plans.
Yeah, call us, dude.
But yeah, no, it was.
We definitely.
He didn't have the nicest
airplanes when he started, but he
has turned that place around
and it is pretty awesome.
So shout out them.
So, yeah, so you made the
phone calls, you reached out was.
And, you know, you kind of had
the idea of like, all right, cool,
I'm gonna fly for fun.
My family has this airplane
that I can fly.
I have this cool opportunity.
Did you understand kind of the
cost of what you're getting into
or kind of what it would look
like to go from, you know, zero all
the way to the eventual goal
of airline pilot or commercial pilot
or whatever it may be?
Right.
No, I genuinely had no idea.
Like, you could have told me
1500 and I would have been like,
1500 what?
You know, like, what does that mean?
The goal at the time was just
to get my private.
And fortunately, I was able to
know, do solo in 15 hours, get my
license in three, four months.
So it was very easy,
streamlined process there.
But like the ratings after
that, you know, I had no clue.
Obviously, throughout that
process, I met people who did have
a clue and were able to help
me along the way and, you know, break
everything down.
And I think it can be a very,
a very daunting process when you
do, you look at it as a whole,
you know, if you are someone who
does, does do the research,
say, I want to be an airline pilot.
And you've got like eight
different ratings and 1500 hours
and you're like, oh my
goodness, how am I going to do this?
But breaking it down piece by
piece and like, okay, here's, here's
one rating.
It's a, it's a written, it's a
check ride.
What do I have to do?
You know, it's going to take
me three months.
What do I have to do every day
to get to that goal and kind of not
letting it, letting it
overwhelm you.
But I had no idea what the
process is going to be like at all.
No, I mean, in the process,
like when you're going through it
too, like, you think
something's going to happen, then
something else happens.
You, you want to go, you go
into it.
Want to be an airline pilot or
not wanting to be an airline pilot,
and next thing you know,
you're getting ready to take your
ATP CTP course so you can have
these cool opportunities.
Right?
Yeah.
And everyone, I think
everyone's, everyone's process is
so different.
We ended up buying my airplane
after private to do the rest of my
ratings in.
And I was like, you know, this
is going to be a quick, easy process.
And then 50 hours.
And we decided the airplane
decided it wanted a new engine, and
that's four months that, you
know, you're not planning.
I always say, as a very
blanket statement, most things in
aviation are going to take
longer and cost more than you ever
thought.
So just be prepared.
You know, obviously have a
positive mindset, but like, be prepared
for maintenance and weather
delays and all those things.
Yeah, I mean, I've always
wanted to buy an airplane and I,
I, I know, I understand
maintenance, but I still in my mind,
like, can't understand, like,
budgeting for the maintenance or
paying, you know, it's just
like the expense that comes with
actually owning an airplane
outside of just flying it, Hangar
fees and everything else.
Yeah, we were talking, we had
this conversation the other night.
We're trying to figure out
like a rough estimate of last year
of how much it costs, you
know, and I. I got a rough number,
and I was talking to my dad
about it.
He's like, there's no way.
And I'm like, yeah, there's.
I added up the invoices, and
there's a way, you know, and it's
just.
It's a tiny airplane.
You know, it doesn't have a.
A constant speed prop and
retractable gear.
And then you get into all
those things, and it can be.
It can be quite the nightmare,
but it's still very fulfilling at
the same time.
Absolutely.
Has your dad wanted to be a
pilot all through this process?
Even, like, hey, if my
daughter can do it, I can do it.
It's so funny.
No, not at all.
He.
He's pretty fascinated with helicopters.
I'm like, well, let that be
our next venture.
He says he's out of the
aviation business.
He's one and he got one
airplane, and that's all he needs.
But I've told him, you know,
he's a.
He's a. Yeah, right.
I mean, I can't either.
He's a pretty apprehensive flyer.
I'm like, maybe if I.
Maybe let me teach you how to
land or teach you how to fight.
No interest whatsoever.
That's funny.
He's like, you got this.
I trust you.
Let's go.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Even.
Even the boys, like, you know,
I have younger brothers, and I'm
like, we have an airplane.
I have my ratings.
Like, don't you just want to
do it for fun?
They're like, no, absolutely not.
That's what you do.
I'm gonna go.
It's not for everybody.
Yeah, yeah.
That's what.
Yeah, yeah.
Uh, what's funny is, though,
you never know.
As they get older, they might
be like, you know what?
My sister could do it.
Why can't I do it?
So I wouldn't give up on them.
Yeah, yeah.
They.
Of course, they say, like,
again, like, with my dad with the
helicopters, and I've dabbled
in the helicopters, and they are
really awesome, but they're
like, well, why don't you fly helicopters?
That's so much cooler.
I'm like, I'm pretty sure if I
flew helicopters, you would say airplanes
are cooler.
It's just not.
It's always the opposite.
Talk to me about getting your private.
You know, you mentioned you
kind of seem like it was like a pretty
Good Accelerated timeline.
15 hours.
You got your check right?
You did your check right.
Two to three months after.
Did you think the whole
process was pretty streamlined?
Did you have some hiccups?
Around the way.
Was it extremely stressful?
Kind of just talk about your feelings.
And how everything went, you
know, I again, I feel like I had
a really, really good experience.
Some people do, you know, have
these like nightmares experiences
or something.
Seems like really stressful.
Fortunately, I didn' feel like
that I did have two different instructors
throughout my private.
So the process of solo really was.
I really enjoyed it.
And I was like, okay, like,
I'm ready to go.
It's time for you to get out
of the airplane.
You know, like, I'm good.
Um, yeah.
And then I remember having
like that frustration of learning
how to land.
I would call my uncle after
every fight and I was just like,
I just can't get it, you know,
and he's like, no, it's just like
it's going to be a light bulb
one day and it's going to click on.
So I remember having some
frustration in that part.
And then, you know, you get
your cross country solo done.
I really, what I really
enjoyed and I continued this for
the rest of my ratings.
But I did glim's online ground school.
So I didn't do a ton of in
person ground and very much like,
give me something to read.
And that's what GLIM is.
It's not videos.
Like, give me something to read.
I'll read it and I'll know it,
but I want to do it at my pace and
like, just get it done.
So that's what I carried out
through all my ratings.
So I got the written done in a
timely manner.
Kind of learned how I was
going to go about every other rating
after that.
You know, I made a flashcard
for every, every question in the
gleim, like little quizzes.
And then that's just what I
studied, took the written.
The process of getting a check
ride was pretty easy, which I know
that's not always the case,
especially being a flight instructor
now.
I definitely know that's not
always the case.
Yeah.
And then I met, I met after my
first instructor that soloed me,
I had another flight
instructor and he was absolutely
wonderful, took me all the way
through CFI and is still one of my
best friends.
Um, so it was a very, very
good streamlined experience and I
try to replicate that for
students as much as I can now.
Yeah, absolutely.
And you always want to be the,
the instructor that you wanted as
a student.
So it was awesome that you had
some good instructors kind of model
yourself after.
Because when, I mean, I'm not
a CFI, but I've seen a lot of people
become CFIs.
It's, you know, it's kind of scary.
You get like, what, 300, 400 hours?
You're like, all right, go
teach this person how to fly.
Like, I don't, I mean, I know,
but like, I don't really know anything.
But yeah, it's just like.
And, yeah, and yeah, it's just
a, it's a wild world, you know, thinking
about new pilots, teaching
brand new pilots.
But it works out.
Yeah, it does, it does.
Somehow.
I remember I had that, like,
that thought right before cfi, and
I'm like, I mean, I was, I got
it the day after my 19th birthday
and I'm like, I'm just, I'm
just a young girl.
Like, you're telling me I'm
supposed to teach these middle aged
men how to fly?
Like, oh my gosh.
I remember that being.
It was more of a mental hurdle
than anything, right?
Like, you get over it.
You're like, oh, no, I can do this.
Like, I'm good.
Did you fight?
Was it weird at all?
Like, what?
Did you have any issues kind
of communicating with older men like
that?
Or did it seem like, were they
just like good students and ready
to go?
You know, honestly, I learned that.
I think it's a huge advantage,
especially people that maybe flew
like 20, 30 years ago and they
were out of some untowered airport
and, you know, there wasn't
gps, wasn't a thing, but they knew
they had stick and rudder
skills, they got their license and
everything and then maybe they
stopped and now they're coming back
in their 60s or whatever.
I think it's such an advantage
because there is.
Isn't that like, I mean, male
ego on male ego kind of thing?
Like, they don't feel as intimidated.
It's, it's like, you know, you
can, you can obviously validate what
they already know and then
teach them what they don't know and
they're a little more
receptive to a girl sometimes.
So I think it's, I think
sometimes it actually ended up being
an advantage.
And I thought it wasn't easy
at all.
Yeah, that's good.
Love that.
When you were doing, which I
guess I'll ask this, what was the
hardest checkride you took?
Was it your private, Was it
instrument, commercial, cfi?
Honestly, I feel like I really
enjoyed everything.
I was never nervous for a
checkride except my cfi, I think,
because it's like, it's that
part where you switch from being
the student to the instructor
and you're like, I'm the one that's
supposed to know what we're
doing now.
Like that's, that's a little
bit daunting.
And it's just such a long
check ride, you know, that it's mainly,
obviously, you know,
everything you've done for commercial,
it's just from the right seat.
So it's not the flying portion
as much as is the ground portion.
And I remember my GP called me.
It just had just switched from
the PTS to the acs.
And he was like, are you sure
you want to take this?
Like it was like the week after.
And I was like, yeah.
He's like, well, I'm telling
you, I've failed to three people
before you, so are you sure?
Are you sure you want to take this?
And I was like, yeah.
Okay.
Now I'm even more nervous.
I ended up taking it.
I passed and everything.
Yeah, thanks.
But yeah, cfi I think was
definitely the biggest.
And then multi, maybe a little
bit multi too.
I don't think I was as nervous
for that.
But you get, you know, in an
airplane that has 180 horsepower,
that's fixed prop, fixed gear,
and then you get in a twin that's
got two of those engines or
three tracks and two constant speed
props.
And the plane that I did mine
in was definitely not like updated
avionics.
So now you're like twisting
the CDI on top of all this stuff
that I remember that just
being like really task saturated
I'm doing in that.
And after like an hour in the
airplane, you're like, I need to
take a nap.
Um, but it was still a lot of
fun, I would say.
I got this.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
CFI I think was definitely the hardest.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean I didn't want to take
my C5 check ride just cause I didn't
want to do like a nine hour oral.
I was like, I cannot do this
right now.
I am so over testing.
Jokes on me though, because
there's so much more testing in aviation.
Never stops.
Um, yeah.
Who did your check rides?
Um, I did everything through
Double I with Greg Hudson.
Okay.
I don't know Greg.
I know of the two people I
know, Joey Rogers and Zenda.
I think her name was Zenda.
I've heard a lot of stories
about Zenda.
Okay.
Or Zelda, something like that.
I've never.
Yeah, it's Zenda.
She's up out of Shiloh.
I've never, I've met her
actually when I was doing type training
up in Lexington, she was in,
in the room and I just walked in
and introduced Myself, I've
never tested with her.
Joey Rogers, I believe, is out
of South Carolina.
Yeah.
Out of Florence.
Joeys who did all my checks.
Yeah, out of Florence.
Yeah.
I actually know his son, and
I've met him, but I've never tested
with him either.
If you.
Yeah.
If you would have gone to
Greg, you would know Greg for.
He's a bit of a local legend that.
And then I did.
Have you heard of Adam Rosenberg?
No.
He did my.
He did my Mei.
And then obviously my type was
another DP as well.
He's out of Concord.
He's a Czech airman.
I want to say a check.
Airman with American.
Oh, cool.
As well.
He was awesome to look out for.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right, so let's talk about
how you went into this with kind
of no idea of making this a career.
Right.
You're like, all right, well, my.
There's a plane in the family.
I can just go fly for fun.
You know, I can satisfy
pictures, filming.
I can be like a.
A awesome pilot, just having fun.
But as this progressed, you
kind of transition to the fact, like,
I think I want to make this my career.
Right, Right.
Yeah.
I mean, it.
It kind of all shifted during Private.
I obviously didn't know
exactly what that was going to look
like in the timeline that it
was going to take.
Obviously, you have to be 18
to get your commercial, and I was
17 when I got my private, so
we had to wait on that.
And now I'm, you know, still
such a baby, so I'm waiting on ph
and everything.
Fortunately, that's a very
good problem to have that most people
don't.
But, yeah, obviously it's a
lot of anything can be fun when it's
not a job.
Even though flying is the best
job, there's still days when you're
like, oh, my gosh, you know,
this is not great, but overall, it's
just such a wonderful thing to
get to do for work.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, it's one of the
greatest things you can do.
Taking off, flying, seeing sunsets.
It's pretty cool.
So you're transitioning to
figuring out that this is kind of
the career you want to do.
Is there corporate?
Was airlines, Was it just kind
of CFIing?
What was your dream goal when
you realized that you wanted to be
a pilot?
Yeah, I definitely always
looked forward to teaching.
I know some people can very
much not say that, but I think because
I had such a good experience,
I wanted to be that person that my
flight instructor was to me
for someone else.
So obviously, that, that time
of teaching, I really looked forward
to, but it was always corporate.
Like, I've never, never
thought airlines.
I don't really know why.
I think just once you do kind
of get into that corporate environment
and you're going to the FBOs,
and it's very much a customer service,
you know, face on face environment.
And that's kind of what I like.
You know, some people, One of
my friends just went to the airlines
and we saw a fractional the
other day, and the pilot was loading
bags and he looked at me, he's
like, I will never do that.
You know, and some people,
that's just, they don't, they don't
want to talk to people, they
don't want to load bags, they don't
want to put snacks and drinks
on the airplane, and that's perfectly
fine, you know, and Obviously,
whether it's 91 or 135, those responsibilities
are going to differ pretty,
pretty greatly.
But yeah, it's always been corporate.
I don't, I never really have
thought, Never have thought airlines.
And maybe that'll change.
Obviously, we know you're, you
do change a lot as you progress through
your career, but definitely corporate.
Yep.
I used to be all corporate guy.
All corporate, yeah.
Now I'm at the airline.
So never say never.
The airlines will always come.
They always.
Never say never.
I used to say never, and now I
look like an idiot.
But it's all good.
You, you, you figure out what
works for your life.
And the great thing about
aviation is you can either fly corporate
or you can fly airlines.
And the airlines will always
be there.
It is best to get there as
soon as you can, just based on seniority.
But, I mean, it's worth going
the corporate route if you like that.
Whether it's NetJets, whether
it's Flexjet, whether it's the Dream
91 operator that has like the
greatest job in the world, because
those are out there.
They're hard to find, but
those opportunities are.
It's definitely a fun.
It could be really fun and
really rewarding.
There are different kind of
jobs, like you said, like, you're
loading bags, you're talking
to the clients.
You're a customer service rep
247 during that flight.
I mean, there's times we're
flying in and someone's trying to
talk to you while you are
trying to have a stable.
You're 10,000ft.
And you're like, all right,
hang on, we'll talk about this later.
But you got to remember,
there's no door.
You look, when you look back,
you're looking at them either talking,
eating, whatever may be.
So there's, there are a little
bit more tasks, but it's, it's not
bad.
It's nothing you can't handle.
Right?
I mean, there definitely are.
And I think it differs greatly
from 91 to 135 as well.
And like you said, there's
those dream, you know, salary, you're
flying five days a month, like
owner, 91 jobs that there are very
few and far between.
I think now I'm kind of
looking to transition to 135 and
more of that SOPs and, you
know, a structured company with benefits,
kind of operating more like an
airline in a sense.
Obviously, I've been doing the
91 stuff.
I remember one day we got in
and I was talking to another pilot
and I said, sometimes it's
more like an assistant job.
You know, there's going to be
things like, okay, here's where we're
staying.
Here's where the airport is.
Like, figure out, you know,
finding the airport with the cheapest
gas and like, how long is that
leg going to be?
And are we like maximizing
everything, you know, that you're
obviously not going to do 135.
But I looked at it and I was
like, I didn't, I didn't touch the
flight controls.
Today I was flying with an
owner operator, you know, and I was
like, there might be an event
or something, and you're more, you're
more there to assist and
things like that.
And if you're okay with that, wonderful.
And if you're not, you're not,
you know, it's, it's just whatever
floats your boat.
Yeah.
And I mean, this is my one
promo I will do for my previous company,
NetJets.
It is as much like an airline
as it can possibly be in the corporate
side where you try, you truly
are a pilot, but there are some tasks
you have to do.
But you don't have to worry
about finding fuel.
They don't care.
Just get the fuel you need to
do to make sure it's safe.
All they care about is safety
and taking care of the owners.
The only thing that you have
to do, it's a little bit above and
beyond, is catering.
Sometimes they'll call you
like, hey, you're in the middle of
nowhere.
We can't get catering.
Can you go to the local
grocery store, get a charcuterie
board, some champagne, whatever.
Just get anything, please.
So we have some food for.
Right?
Which only happened like once
or twice, right?
Yeah.
I've definitely done that.
Like, okay, you've got a 30
minute turn.
Like, you know, you text him
like, hey, is Chick Fil a cool?
You know, like, let's just get
whatever we can get on the airplane
quickly.
Yeah.
NetJets, net jets is the goal.
So hopefully that happens this summer.
Well, I don't know if they
like me anymore, but I'll give you,
give you a shout out.
Don't give me any more bad
juju if they don't.
Yeah, I don't know, maybe I'll.
Maybe I'll stay quiet.
I'll.
I'll let the.
Over here.
Repping the air lights.
Yeah.
Hey, guys, it's me.
I know I left you, but, yeah.
I still love you.
Yeah, it, it was a great job.
Highly recommend it to anyone.
You will just work.
They'll work you hard.
But I mean, it's all good.
You do, you'll have some cool opportunities.
And I wouldn't trade it for
anything of how I got my time, how
I built kind of where I my
career to get me to the airline.
So even if you want to stay
there as a career, great.
If you want to go to the airlines.
Airlines love NetJet pilots.
They know that they're trained
well, they know that they work hard.
They know that they're not
going to complain.
So, yeah, it's a great route
to go, right?
Definitely.
I feel like, you know,
sometimes there's a time and a place
for a certain thing and then
maybe you grow out of that or your
personal life changes and
like, you need a.
You need a different schedule
and that's okay that, you know, you
serve your time and you did
good, you're good at your job when
you were there and that's all
that matters.
Absolutely.
And I think one of the most
important kind of things to realize
is you don't want to become
the old grumpy pilot that everyone's
like, oh, no, I'm flying with Justin.
Like, all he does is complain
about this job.
And I could see myself turning
into that.
That's how I was.
Like, I gotta go.
I cannot be this person.
I have to go.
So, yeah, just whatever.
The biggest advice, be a good
person and don't be the grumpy pilot
that no one wants to fly with.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Don't, don't.
Yeah, you kind of mentioned
that you look like people you look
up to Stevie with bayflight.
But is there anyone else like
that, a true mentor that you would
say you have that's helped you
in this career?
Yeah, I Mean, I definitely.
There's a few.
I call them.
I call them the Grandpas.
I don't know how much they
love that nickname or not.
They're probably my age, too.
They're probably not even that old.
No, they're not.
Trust me.
They're.
They're.
Well, they have to be well
above you, you know, falling out.
No, they, they genuinely.
I mean, there's a ton, A ton
of good people in general aviation
and corporate aviation.
You're going to encounter a
ton that are not good people, you
know, But, But I have been
very fortunate.
One, One that I think of in
particular, that is.
I mean, we probably talk every
day on the phone.
He's like, ariel, stop calling me.
But he, he, he did my multi
training on the airplane and then
did my Mei.
And he's kind of the one that
got me into the citations.
He's a retired airline pilot,
gem of a human being, and he's so
wonder, like, anyone my age
that I can introduce to him, I absolutely
do, because he's just like a
wealth of knowledge.
Yeah, there's, yeah, there's,
There's a ton, A ton of people that
I've met that are, that are
really awesome.
Yeah, mentors are huge.
I mean, if.
I was gonna say, if you don't
have a mentor, reach out to professional
pilots of tomorrow, because
they can place you with a mentor
that can help you and get the
goals that you want achieved.
But mentors can really help
you out.
You know, they, they've seen a lot.
You, you kind of lean on their
knowledge and be like, hey, like,
I've heard of this carrier
before, you know, and when you start
applying for jobs, you're
like, you get this one job, but you're
like, you know what?
Stay away.
They seem great from the
outside, but, like, I've seen their
maintenance.
I know people that have flown
there before, and it just, it's not
great.
Yeah.
So mentors will definitely
help you and will guide you down
the path.
And if anything, some people
that are above me in my career, you
know, they're like, hey, I
flew aerial survey.
Reach out to this person
person, Reach out to them, get the
job.
Or I flew freight next.
All right, cool.
Let me reach out to them, get
that job.
So mentors are awesome.
Exactly.
I mean, I think aviation is
such an industry of where networking
matters so much.
Right.
That just, you know, and you
don't even.
Might even not have the
intention of someone being a mentor.
But you walk up and I mean, I
do it with netjets, pilots, all the
time we might be in the same
FBO and like, hey, how do you like
the job?
What do you not like about.
What do you like about it?
Would you have any tips of
like, what.
What time did you get hired?
On what?
Just things like that.
Yeah, networking and
communication is huge in this industry
for sure.
What do they say?
I'm interested.
What do they say when you ask
them how to make a job?
Or is it mixed?
Is it like, oh, it's great, I
love it.
I haven't gotten anyone that
says anything negative.
The other day I asked a dude,
I was like, do you like it?
He's like, this is my second day.
I'm an I.O.E.
I was like, okay, so you're not.
A very good person of the year.
Yeah, yeah.
I had one dude, I had one dude
that I didn't know this was a thing,
but he said he bids his schedule.
Schedule.
And I didn't even know that.
I thought it was like 8 and 6
or 7 and 7.
Yeah, six different schedules,
I think.
And you can kind of.
It's called a 70, 76 day, 72 day.
I think they have like a 60
day and a 52 day.
Then they have 7 and 7, 8 and 6.
I think those are them.
But the, the other ones, you
can kind of bid the days you want
off.
And it's kind of similar to an
airline, but you'll work more than
the 7 and 7 unless you're on
the 60 day.
But yeah, lots.
There's.
There's a lot there.
Yeah.
The best thing you do is
everyone's loved it, though.
Questions?
Yeah, no, I. I was.
Yeah, it's like I said before,
it's a great place.
Great job.
Highly recommend it.
If anyone's listening, it's great.
I love it.
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you go to txtav.com all right,
so you are coming up.
You're doing your training.
You know, you did your private.
You did your instrument
commercial, you got your CFI and
then your double I.
And then you got into jets.
How did you get into judgment
and that you had the mentor that
kind of was like, hey, like,
you know, let's get your rating and
stuff like that.
But was there, you know, not
everyone gets in the jets with as
much time as you have.
So kind of talk about, about
how you got into that, right?
How that played a role in.
And you're fine.
Yeah.
Again, back, I mean, back to
the networking thing.
Just talking.
And I think too, not just
talking about backing that up with
your skill set and people
saying, like, you know, she is a
good pilot.
She's good at what she does.
You're gonna work hard, you
know, things like that.
And so I ended up.
This was, oh, gosh, not this
past December, but the fall, the
previous one, I. I had like
around 500 hours.
I've been teaching at a flight
school on the airport.
I went and got my multi and he
managed in a citation.
And he was like, you know,
I'll let you, you know, after.
I'll let you write seat.
And I was like, okay, cool.
You know, but in 91 Aviation,
there's a lot of false promises.
You know, people say, I'm
gonna send you to school on this
or let's fly this.
And it's like, you never.
It's ghost silence after that.
And I was like, okay.
You know, I didn't think
anything of it.
Yeah.
Ten years later, like, you're
like super senior at an airline.
And you're like, no, I don't
need your job anymore.
Yeah, thanks.
Yeah.
So I ended up, you know,
hopping and hopping in the right
seat after I got my.
With him still teaching all
throughout those five, 600 hours
somewhere in there.
And then the owner was like,
hey, you know, it's a single pilot
airplane.
But sometimes I like to have
people with me just, you know, to
work the Radios or, you know,
if I'm flying my family, I would
like to have someone who could
get the airplane on the ground if
needed.
Do you want to fly with me?
I was like, okay, sure.
You know, and even if you, I
could log the time obviously, but
experience is experience and
the jet world as a whole, you know,
40,000ft is very different
than 5,000ft and just, just the threat
that you have up there versus
the threat that you have down here.
So I was like, yeah, okay, sure.
Ended up flying with them.
They said, well, do you want
to go to type school?
Do you want to get rated on
the airplane again?
I'm like, okay, back to the
false promise thing.
Like, yeah, sure, but I don't
think it's going to happen.
He's like, no, seriously.
So ended up.
And I mean, I think I went to
type school in May, which was this
past May.
We just did it in the airplane
through executive flight training,
which was a wonderful
experience, just week long.
Um, so I had around 800 hours
and I was still teaching throughout
all of this when I got rated
on the airplane.
And then another, another
young guy that's even crazier than
800 hours got rated in the
airplane with 300 hours.
Um, so he had his first jet,
he ice to type with like 300 and
something hours.
I know, it's crazy.
And I remember like going into
training and I had, I had been right
seating in the airplane, but
he was off in college and I was like,
oh, you know, this dude's
gonna slow me down.
Like he doesn't know anything
about the airplane.
I bet he hasn't studied.
Like the, the ground's just
gonna be, be terrible.
He came in, he knew, he
probably knew it better than I did.
Got in the airplane, was doing
V1 cuts and I'm like, oh my gosh,
like you're making me look bad.
I feel like I need to step up
my game.
You and your 300 hours over here.
Um, but it was a really
wonderful experience.
But yeah, it was just kind of
one of those things like, hey, I
have the, I have the
opportunity to help someone out in
their career, you know, and
let you build some, some multi time,
some jet time.
I mean, it's just like one of
those needle in the haystack kind
of things.
And it's, it's been really,
really awesome ever since.
Did.
Were you more nervous, would
you say, for kind of like type rating?
Cause you know, like it's like
the first big kind of plane you're
gonna fly.
It's A jet, it's a little bit
different, right?
Like, it seems like it's like
you could get paid.
Like, things are moving.
Just talk about your nerves
going into the.
The type rating again.
Like, I mean, I say my CFI was
the thing that I was, like, kind
of nervous for and everything
else I was pretty chill about, and
I felt like I. I was pretty.
I'd been flying the airplane
for, like, six months before, so
I kind of knew, you know, how things.
OPER instructor that we had
with EFT was wonderful, and I feel
like he prepared us really,
really well.
Um, I remember he was like,
it's gonna be huge on performance.
And I was like, oh, gosh.
You know, like, I've never
done, like, performance charts like
this.
Like, you're whipping out this
big binder that's this thick, and
you're going through that.
So I was a little apprehensive
about that.
They had flown on a DP to do
the rating, but it was the most fun
week ever.
I mean, very rarely are you
gonna get to do, like, V1 cuts in
a real airplane.
And I just remember having the
best time.
I told the.
The guy that I got typed with,
I was like, wasn't that so much fun?
Like, don't you want to go
back and do that again?
He like, I was so stressed.
I don't ever want to do that again.
No, but it really.
It really was the best time.
It was awesome.
You know, there.
There's two ways you can look
back on training, right?
Like, obviously, in the
training, there is the stress, but
looking back on it, you can
smile, be like, all right, cool.
We learned a lot.
We grew, and we got some.
Some good times, you know, and
there's other people who.
I mean, I've done this as well.
You're like, oh, my gosh, I
never want to do that again.
Like, hard pass.
I'm gonna fly the same plane
for the rest of my life.
Life.
So I never have to worry about
a checkout ever again.
Yeah, I mean, I'm sure, like,
flight safety and cae, that's a little
bit more rigorous.
And, you know, maybe I'll.
My next type, hopefully, is
with them, and I'll be like, oh,
gosh, you know, I don't want
to do that.
I'm glad my recur isn't until
12 months later.
But, yeah, it is kind of what
you make it.
I think anything, obviously,
that you go into prepared.
Like, if you are, you know,
going into a jet type or something,
like, memory items, your
numbers, like, limitations, all that
kind of stuff, having that
memorized before you go into the
checkride is huge, Huge.
So you're just actually
focusing on the new information,
you know, so just being
prepared as you can settle down as.
You, as you keep going and you
go to CAE and you go to flight safety
or, you know, your airline
training, getting your triggers and
flows down.
If you can memorize those, get
those down before you go to training.
It'll make your training so
much easier because like you said,
you just focus on flying the
airplane and you're not like, all
right, What.
All right, 18,000ft.
What button I need to push?
What do I need to say?
You know, like, just memorize
that, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Standard.
What does that mean?
I don't know.
Yeah.
Huh.
Standard.
What?
Yeah.
What was the coolest part
about flying the jet for the first
time?
Like, the very first time you
got in, you know, you're sitting
right seat, you're probably so excited.
Was it, was it takeoff?
You know, like actually
feeling a little bit of power, you
know, you.
You push back a little bit in
your seat.
It's not the, the Warrior anymore.
It's not the Cherokee anymore.
Right?
Yeah, I remember, I like
distinctly remember my first flight
in the jet and we had, we had
taken off, we were taken off and
we had gone north.
They gave us Charlotte, gave
us a turn through the south.
And again I was with the guy
who did my multi, who I trusted a
lot.
And I remember thinking, why
is it so quiet?
Like, oh my gosh, you know,
and there was this, there was this
kind of like overcast layer.
Then above, it was kind of
like somewhat of a scattered layer.
And the sun was setting and we
got that, you know, you're turning
and as you're turning, you're
coming through the tops.
And it was just beautiful and
so quiet.
And I was like, like, this is
awesome, you know, like, this is
definitely what I want to be
in, you know, so, yeah, I definitely,
I do remember it and just
being like in awe.
Yeah.
When, when I was doing my training.
I mean, like when I was.
I remember distinctly, I was
doing my commercial training at Airwood.
I was pre flighting the Arrow
and I saw a jet, I think it was a
Challenger, taxi by.
And I just remember like
looking be like, I cannot wait to
fly that plane.
And now I look back, be like,
man, I wish I could still fly the
Arrow.
Did you ever find yourself,
like, wishing for the future?
Like, currently, are you just
like, man, I can't wait to fly these
jets.
I can't wait to go to NetJets
or you able to enjoy where you are
and kind of enjoy the process?
Yeah, I mean, I think it's.
It's.
Pilots are typically very type
A people that are always chasing
the next best thing.
Like, give me something new to learn.
I want the next thing.
Um, and I definitely do feel
like that about NetJets right now.
I'm like, oh, my gosh.
Like, it's such a struggle, too.
I know.
Like, I say you can always
make a better grade or you can get
more flight time, but you
can't get any older any quicker.
And all Grandpa's line are
like, trust me, you don't want to
get any older any quicker.
But, yeah, so, yeah, I.
You know, I think it's just an
active thing of being appreciating
where you are when you're
there, because it's gonna go away.
You know the saying, this too
shall pass.
Like, if it's really bad, it's
gonna go away.
And if it's really good, soak
it up while it is really good.
And there are definitely times
when I was instructing a ton or and
I was contracting a ton, that
my airplane would sit and then I'd
go get back in it, and I'm
like, oh, my gosh.
Like, yes, I do love what I do
for work, but at the same time, like,
just getting to fly to the
beach for lunch and in your own airplane
is so much fun.
And you're kind of reminded
of, why do I love this so much?
Or, like, maybe it's fine with
a person that you really like that
you haven't filmed with in a
while, and you're like, this is what
makes this really awesome.
So appreciate where you are.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, absolutely.
It's hard to do.
Easier said than done, right?
Way easier said than done.
100.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's easy to say on the
podcast, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Now I have to go practice what
I preached.
I'm like, oh, gosh, same, same.
Has there been any moment in
this process where you're like, you
know what?
I don't want to do this anymore.
I'm gonna go back to film school.
I'm gonna do something else.
Like, this is getting too hard.
No.
Good.
Like, genuinely not at all.
Like, it's.
It's what I'm gonna do.
And if it's hard, like, that
just means you're probably doing
something right.
You know, if something's
difficult, obviously you're gonna
fly with people that you don't like.
Or fly for, maybe don't like.
And that's okay.
But, you know, you're gonna
meet those people that you do, and
you'll learn the positive
things from that.
And maybe you learn, okay,
that's not what I want to be like
as a pilot or, you know, as a
person or whatever.
But genuinely, I can't imagine
doing anything else, and I've never
doubted it.
Good.
That's awesome.
Was there so mentioned that
you wanted or thought about going
to film school before all this?
Did you go to college?
Did you get your degree?
Is that something you're doing
right now or you kind of just focused
on flying?
Yeah, so I, again, I was like.
I went and started touring
college campuses, and I was like,
there's no way I could live
here for four years.
Like, this isn't for me.
And that's when I kind of
switched to that.
Yeah, I was like, I. I'm not.
I can't do this.
That's when I kind of switched
over to flying.
And I thought I was like, you
know, I don't.
I don't need a degree to be a pilot.
And then I was like, okay,
when I'm 50 years old, I want to
look back on the past 50 years
of my life and say that there's.
There's nothing that I've regretted.
And not going to college is
very much going to be something that
I have that I will regret.
So I did high school, my last
three years of high school through
Liberty University, which is.
Has a very big aeronautics
department in high school and college.
So I ended up figuring out
that all your flight credits count
as credits, like your
certificates and your ratings count
as credits if it's an aviation
focused degree.
So this past year, I transferred.
I had taken some, like,
college classes at high school as
well.
So I had like three or four
classes, and then all my ratings
counted as credit.
So I transferred everything
out, and I was like, pretty much
halfway done with my degree
with just on my transfer credit.
So, yes, I have gone back to school.
I'm getting my bachelor's of
science in aviation.
I'll be done in July.
Oh, nice.
Sick.
That's awesome.
You know, you are young in
this career.
You have more time, more
ratings probably than most people
your age have had.
People are listening to, like, dang.
I mean, they're gonna be like, 25.
They're like, oh, my gosh, she
has way more than I have.
You know, like, I'm just.
I'm in this engineering job.
I want to get out of it.
Like, I like, I want to be a pilot.
What do you say to people
either your age, a little bit older
than you, or younger than you
that are just getting to this?
Like, how can they get to
where you are as fast as you did,
as well as you did and have
the outlook that you have?
Right.
I mean, obviously I've been
very fortunate to be in a family
that does have an airplane,
two airplanes, so that helps a ton
with it.
And I know everyone's going to
have that same opportunity, but if
you can do that, I would
recommend kind of going that 61,
like real experience route.
But really just okay saying
here's what I want to accomplish.
Looking around at your flight
schools like ATP maybe be, you know,
it might be great for some
people and I know people that have
excelled through that program
and they've done it quickly and taken
out a loan and obviously
everyone's, if you're, I have a student
that's later in his 20s and
has a really well paying job and
it's been able to do it the 60
one way and just pay as you go and
has still done it very quickly.
So kind of just assessing
that, like how financially is it
going to work?
And maybe a certain flight
school facilitates that a little
bit better and that's what
you're going to go through.
But just breaking it down
like, okay, each, each rating has
a check ride.
That check ride is composed of
an oral and a flying portion.
And then there's a written
what do I need to do to get to that
written portion?
And just working as hard as
you can to make the, you know, people
say, well a 70 is a pass is a pass.
Like I couldn't argue that
more like do the best that you can.
And yeah, absolutely,
absolutely everything that you're
going to do because it
reflects that person that, that.
I remember the way I got the
job at the flight school that I taught
at was it was a testing center
and I had taken all my written there
and I had done well on them
and the owner knew that because she
was the one that was giving me
my paper when I got finished.
So when I went to interview
with them, they were like, well,
you know, it's not really a
question of are you smart or not,
you know, so those little
things matter, but just breaking
it down, okay, here's what I
need to do for this.
Here's what I need to do for this.
And then doing the best that
you absolutely can do to achieve
that goal and don't, don't let
yourself be, you know, Your own biggest
enemy.
I see so many people that,
that come to me and, you know, they're
like, well, finances are tough
right now.
I don't think I'm going to be
able to fly.
I'm like, okay, why?
Have you taken the written?
No.
What are you studying for the.
The written?
No.
Could you pass the oral right now?
No.
Have you bought the book?
No.
And it's like, okay, so you're
not actively doing everything that
you can to be the best that
you can, Right?
So just study hard, work hard,
put your head down and get through
it.
I love it.
What's your best.
What's the best advice you've
gotten in your, your career so far?
Oh, gosh, that's such a tough question.
Um, I remember in the
beginning, my first instructor, I
remember being frustrated that
I couldn't land or whatever.
And he said, not every flight
is going to be a good flight.
And that's okay.
Just expect that for the rest
of your career.
You know, not every flight
you're going to have some that are.
You're like, this is incredible.
And then you're going to shoot
like three back to back approaches,
the minimums in the ice, and
you're going to be like, this absolutely
sucks.
You know, not everyone's going
to be a good one.
Yeah.
Um, and then I remember one of
my other flight instructors that
I'm still really good friends
with now.
He, he told me, he's like,
there, if anything that you want
to accomplish, you will
accomplish if you just work hard
enough and break it down.
You know, we build a wall one
brick at a time.
So if, if you want to be the
CEO of Delta, he's like, I don't
doubt that you'll be able to
accomplish it, but you're going to
be the only person that gets
in your own way.
So nothing's that hard when
you break it down.
And I think that's really,
really good advice.
Absolutely, absolutely.
What's been your favorite
flight so far?
My favorite flight, one day we
got this great idea that we were
gonna fly to Oshkosh.
So it was like, it was like 5
o' clock in the morning.
Me and one of my girlfriends
that are a pilot, you know, loaded
the Cherokee up.
The baggage compartment was
full, the back seat was full to the
brim.
We had our tent and everything
and we took off to Oshkosh and we
did it all.
It was like eight hours.
We did it all in a day.
Broke it up into a few
different legs.
The last leg we met up with
some of our friends and they were
in a veto bonanza, so they
were f. Faster than us.
They were doing the faster,
higher arrival.
So we kind of tried to time it
because we wanted to park beside
one another.
Um, and then you go fly the
Fisk, you know.
That's awesome.
Those, those air show flights
are awesome because you're looking
forward to something so much
that, like, the whole flight is just
awesome because of that.
I think any flight that that's
like that or like where you're flying
to see one of your friends or
somebody that you love is just awesome
because that, like, that
energy and anticipation just carries
throughout the flight.
Yeah, absolutely.
And he mentioned flying to the
beach in North Carolina.
Which beach would you fly to?
I'm a big fan of Wilmington,
which technically isn't the beach.
Yeah.
Most people don't know that, though.
So we're teaching people today.
Wilmington's not.
Yeah.
Honestly, maybe cut out the
part about Wilmington because I'm
trying to gatekeep it.
It's not that great.
You don't want to go there.
No, it's not cool at all.
Please don't go there.
I went the other day and the
ramp was full.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Charlotte sucks.
Raleigh sucks.
Yeah.
Beach wise, Ocean Isle is
really pretty awesome.
Obviously the Outer Banks have their.
Their own thing, but that's
like, you know, two, three hours
if you just want to click down
and back.
That's a tough ocean isle, Oak Island.
Yeah, it isn't.
It's always.
I'm a big Oak island guy.
I went to okay my whole life.
So flying to Oak island was awesome.
You get the crew car and you
go to the barbecue place on Island
Island.
Highly recommend.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Have you ever gotten the.
The big, like, white crew car
van out there?
Yes.
Yeah.
You know what I'm talking about.
Isn't it terrible?
You're like, God, I feel like
I'm gonna, like, kidnap somebody
in this thing.
Yeah.
It's like, am I being
kidnapped, like.
Or am I the kidnapper?
This is wild.
But that's.
That's Oak Island.
I feel like that just
encompasses all of Oak island, that
van.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, they're all great.
What would you say has been.
So we talked about your
favorite flight, but what has been
the most challenging flight
you've had so far?
Most challenging flight.
I don't.
I remember, like, in the
beginning, you know, everything is
new and so things seem so much
more difficult.
Like, when there's wind, I
would, like, land and I'd call my
flight instructor, be like, I
almost died, you know, and he's like,
no, you didn't.
You're just being dramatic.
Or like, I just shot my first approach.
Like, I just got my instrument rating.
I'm single engine, like.
And I just shot my first
approach like, oh, my, my gosh.
You know, and your
adrenaline's just like through the
roof.
Yeah.
I remember we had a day
contracting and we had like a ton
of legs and I was like, okay,
I'm gonna take the first six and
you'll take the last three or
four or whatever.
My co caption and it was like
the first four approaches were the
minimums.
We were in the ice, it was dark.
Like, that's, that's, you
know, and you're turning so quickly
that you're like, okay, you
get the passengers, you get out.
We're shut down the left and right.
And I'm going to reload,
rebrief, you know, make sure we've
got our clearance because
we're all at untoward airports.
Like, things like that.
I. I mean, they're challenging
because you're so task saturated,
obviously.
Um, so that's one that kind of.
That kind of sticks out in my mind.
Yeah.
Yep.
Giving a lot of flashbacks in
that jets when you're talking about
all the legs and ice.
And I was like, oh, man.
Yeah, that does happen.
Talk a little bit about social
media and how, how, you know, there's
different outlooks on social
media based on, you know, you mentioned
the grandpas you mentioned.
Or we've.
I've talked about before about
how some airline, one of my life
just went out.
Some airlines don't love
social media, but some do, you know,
like, there's a lot of kind of.
Some people look at it bad,
some people look at it great because
one, you can make friends, one
you can get jobs out of it, you can
network, you can do a lot of
cool things.
But talk about how you have
used social media and what you wanted
to get out of it.
Yeah, definitely.
So I think it was kind of
accidental for my following to be
as big as it is now.
I just posted a video and it
just happened to.
To go viral.
But I've always said whatever
I'm doing, I'm doing because I love
it.
And then if there just happens
to be a camera or a picture taken,
you know, that reflects what
I'm doing, wonderful.
But I'll never do something.
I'm not going to go do a
flight just so I can film it.
Maybe that's why I'm kind of a
bad influencer.
And not super consistent.
But like, like, you know,
safety is our biggest thing and we
don't need cameras in our face
all the time.
Like, I don't.
I don't.
I kind of hate the word, like,
content creator because it's just
like, this is my life and, and
anything that is captured is just,
you know, a reflection of.
A small curated reflection of
whatever is going on.
So that's kind of the way I
view it.
But yeah, it is really
wonderful networking tool.
Some of my, like, my best
friends I've met, you know, being
an ambassador for Signer Fund,
you meet some awesome people and
then they know people and, um,
it's really, really awesome way to
make.
To make friends.
I haven't necessarily used it
as much for the business side of
things of like, getting a job
or anything.
I actually kind of try to
keep, like, you know, I just want
my little blue and white
airplane on there and I've posted
some things of work, you know,
but like, you can't.
Yeah, you can't find, like,
you can't find any tail numbers or
anything.
And even, like, if I do get on
with net depth, I don't.
I don't see myself being one
of those influencers that comes like
the day in the life or here's
my tour, anything like that, because
that's just not personal,
like, what I want to reflect, and
some people do, and some
companies are great with that.
Some companies don't want you posting.
So I think it's just
respecting everyone's boundaries
and what they want or what
they don't want.
Absolutely, 100% agree.
I was trying to think of the
first video that I saw of yours on
Instagram pop up and I, I want.
I think I'm right about this,
but was it going when you went to
jqf, did you have the crazy
auctioneer, what's his name?
I can't remember his name now,
but the crazy control.
Adam was Adam.
Adam, yes.
Yeah, I think.
I don't remember his name, but
I remember when I was flying and
like, I remember going, doing
my 10 stop and goes or whatever you
need to do for commercial at
JQF at night.
And he was doing the pattern
with me and I was just like, this
guy's awesome.
I love this guy.
So when I got to hear his
voice again, it was just like so
many members came back and I
was just like, this is so fun.
Like, I remember my.
My time doing that.
I was like, this is so cool.
So, yeah, if his name's Adam,
shout out Adam you're awesome.
Yeah, they.
All those guys.
I think Adam has since
retired, but I've met all the controllers
up at Concord now, and, you
know, they're like, they tell.
They.
They hired someone the other
day and they're like, you know, be
on your best behavior if you
hear three, four, whiskey, because
she might be filming you.
But they're wonderful.
Yeah, I think that flight,
that flight.
I think I was actually going.
I was flying up there to
interview for my flight school job.
Oh, no.
Just happened to throw the
camera up.
Yeah, yeah.
And then Adam's up there just
making you feel good because Adam's
the man.
So shout out whatever you're doing.
Yeah, Yeah, I love that.
I love getting the meat.
Like, that's another great
thing about social media too, is
like, you'll hear there's
someone with Raleigh approach.
They're like, hey, are you filming?
And I'm like, no, I'm not.
I'm so sorry.
But I put it up real quick if
you want.
They're awesome.
Yeah.
Yeah, that is cool.
Well, Ariel, I appreciate you
coming on.
It's.
It's really cool to talk to
someone who, you know, is coming
up.
And I just interview through
Luke, who's also in the CFI route.
Like, he is grinding right now.
And it's really cool to see
kind of be reminded of what it's
like and have the enthusiasm,
have like the want to.
Because I've talked to so many
other pilots, you know, and some
people just get down on the
job or.
I mean, I haven't had too many
people like that, but it is out there.
So continue to hold on to that
spark that you have because it'll
take you a lot of places.
And remember when you called
for the first flight school and why
you chose that flight school
is because there was.
Were nice.
And they're good because
reputation goes a very long way in
this career.
So if you can just hold onto
that, you're gonna do great, right?
A hundred percent.
Well, I'm happy.
Thank you so much for.
For having me on.
I. I'm such a fan and I look
forward to listening to this one
and hopefully we'll get to fly
together since we're.
We're so close.
So close.
We'll make it happen.
Yeah, that'd be awesome.
Deliver some magazines.
Yes.
Yeah, I haven't got my
shipment yet, but I'm.
I'm gonna distribute the box.
The box is sitting over there.
I have to.
I have to ship it out.
Oh, that's why I haven't
gotten it.
But yeah, I'll try to do it today.
Yeah.
Yeah, Try not try.
You won't.
I will.
I will do it.
That's a wrap on today's podcast.
Thank you so much for
listening to the podcast.
Everything that you all have
done for the magazine, for the podcast,
I'm truly thankful for.
If you haven't got a magazine
yet, pilot the pilot hq.com mag and
if you're not, subscribe the podcast.
You know, if your dad's not,
your mom's not, take their phone,
subscribe, just download them.
Just let me know.
Maybe they'll become a pilot, too.
AV Nation.
Hope you're having a great day.
And as always, happy flying.