From Accounting to the Cockpit: Mike Christopher's Path to Regional Pilot

Maybach Mike sits down with regional airline pilot Mike Christopher in Dallas to explore how a college accounting graduate became a jet-flying pilot in just three years. Mike shares his unconventional journey through the American Airlines Cadet Program, the $100,000 investment required to go from zero flight hours to certified pilot, and how a conversation with his older brother in medical school shifted his mindset from "taking on debt" to "investing in himself." This episode breaks down what cadet programs actually are, the timeline from first flight to regional captain seat, and why Mike's story challenges the myth that you need to be a genius or astronaut to become a pilot. Perfect for anyone considering aviation as a career path or curious about the modern pipeline to the airlines.

00:00 Introduction and Show Overview
01:15 Who is Mike Christopher: Background and Current Role
02:30 The Unexpected Career Pivot: From Accounting Degree to Aviation Dreams
05:45 Childhood Dreams: NFL Wide Receiver vs. Pilot
07:20 How They Met: Fraternity Connection and First Conversation
09:15 What Are Cadet Programs: Airlines' Direct-to-Pilot Pathway
11:45 The Six Major Airline Cadet Programs Explained
14:00 Understanding the Investment: $100,000 Loan for Flight Training
16:30 The Conversation with His Brother: Reframing Debt as Investment
19:45 Accountant Mentality Meets Aviation Risk: Time Value of Money
22:15 How Flight School Funding Works: Loans, Deposits, and Payment Structure
24:45 Biggest Benefit of Full-Time Focus: Aviation 24/7
27:00 The Timeline: July 2022 to September 2025 - Three Years to the Cockpit
30:15 Remarkable Coincidence: Accepted and Hired Exactly Three Years Apart
32:00 Flight Training Reality Check: Easier and More Different Than Expected

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So my two dream jobs as a kid was one, be an NFL wide receiver, specifically for the Dallas Cowboys, the best team out.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Okay, questionable. Aye.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Or be a pilot. Okay, well, I wasn't playing college football, so NFL is out the picture. Right. Let's try to be a pilot. And I didn't know how to be a pilot. You know, I thought you had to be an astronaut, world smartest person, or a mathematician and scientist. Come to find out some years later, you don't need to be any of those. I took out a $100,000 loan. My first day flying a plane as a student was uh July 22nd, 2022. My sister's birthday. July 22nd, 2022. My first time flying the jet at the regionals was September 23rd, 2025. Funny enough, um, from the day I got accepted into the cadet program to the day I got my job offer from the regionals. It was three years to the day. I got accepted into the cadet program May 2nd, 2022. Got my job offer May 2nd, 2025.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

We're back. We're back. Like we back like we never left. Indeed. Never left. Maybe back, Mike. Mike. It's a pleasure being here, man. Hey, yeah, definitely. Thanks for uh letting me come and kick it with you, you know. Uh podcast about uh aviation, you know, all things aviation, motivation, all those things. And uh instead of being in the studio, I'm up here in Dallas.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Yes, indeed.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Dallas, Texas.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yes, indeed.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

And uh, you know, like with most of the things we talk about, we talk so much, man. Yeah uh I feel like most of the time we talk, it's like a podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Every time we talk, it is a podcast. It's our own episode of its own.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Right. So um I want the people to know about you. You know, right now you are regional airline pilot, uh, you want the UTSA, uh, and you went through one of the cadet programs. It's indeed a journey. You got a journey that um that a lot of people haven't had, some people had it, but I really want you to share uh how you even got to this point of being a regional pilot, flying jets. First off, how'd you get started? Like, how did you even get beginning with this?

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Man, it was a long road, I'll say that. All right, it was a long, long road. Um little backstory, I got my degree in accounting. All right, I didn't go to school for aviation. I didn't even know that that was a degree until I started flying, that you can get a degree in aviation.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Uh got my degree in accounting. And at UTSA, I was working as an accountant full time while going to school full-time. And um it was maybe one month before I graduated college. I was like, I don't think I want to do this anymore. I don't think I want to do this anymore. So I went back to the drawing board and I was like, okay, well, you don't want to be an accountant. You're about to get this degree. What are you gonna do with your life?

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Right.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

So my two dream jobs as a kid was one, be an NFL wide receiver, okay, specifically for the Dallas Cowboys, the best team out.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Okay, questionable.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Or be a pilot. Okay. Well, I wasn't playing college football, so NFL is out the picture. Right. Let's try to be a pilot. And I didn't know how to be a pilot. You know, I thought you had to be an astronaut, world smartest person, or a mathematician and scientist. Come to find out some years later, you don't need to be any of those.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

Right. So it's interesting because I remember I got a text from you.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yes, indeed. Uh, we actually met because your line brother, 06er, uh-huh, he came to San Antonio and he was asking uh me and my line brothers, what do we want to do? Because the line was uh we were split. Half of us had graduated and the other half hadn't. And so he was asking us that hadn't graduated, what do we want to do? And you know, my line brothers, they said what they wanted to do, and then he asked me last, and I was like, I think I want to be a pilot. Like I'm flirting with the idea of going to flight school. He was like, What? No way, let me give you my line brothers number, KT, hit KT up tomorrow, and yeah, and so I reached out to you the very next day, and it's been up ever since. Yeah, man. It's been up ever since.

SPEAKER_02 4:31

And here's the interesting thing about that. I give you my piece too because everybody always says, Oh, I want to be a pilot, right? Yeah, and it's not that you don't believe when people say it, it's on my side, sometimes I question if people understand what it takes. And so I try to help people understand like what it really takes and the path. And I, and you know, and I kind of gave you some info. We talked about it and talked about the different routes. So after after that, when you made the decision, I want to do this, like, how did you come up with what your what was your plan?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Okay, well, it started off with a little bit of research for me. I started researching because you brought up the idea of cadet programs. So started researching more into cadet programs, you know, United Aviate, uh, Southwest 225, American Cadet Academy, JetBlue, everybody had their cadet programs, Delta Hat Propel as well. So I just went through and I researched all of them. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

What are the just real quick, like if for people who wonder, like, what is a cadet program? Just generically.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Cadet program is basically the airline putting their name um into a program. Yeah, the airline puts their name into a program, beneath the program, and it's basically if you get in, we're gonna you know start you with your flight trainer from Zero to Hero, or maybe even from PPL or instrument all the way up until you know CFI, multi, and past that. And from there, you'll end up going to one of their regionals, and then from the regionals, you'll get to the majors. So, with that, your interview into the cadet program is your interview into the major. So, for like American, the American cadet program, I can speak to that.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Um so you're saying that you start off, you make it in the cadet program while you have no hours, no time, and you're pretty much if you follow the path, you will end up at a major airline if you follow the if I don't do anything, if I don't do anything today, and just keep following this path, I can end up at American. Man.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Yeah. If I don't do anything.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

That's what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Yeah, no application, no just keep flying, past the check rise, all that stuff. Keep just keep going, basically. Okay. All right. Now be out of mainline. Mainline American. Was it free? Why are you asking questions you know the answer to? I wish it was. I wish it was. I wish it was. Um, no, it wasn't free. I had to take out a loan. Um, little hefty loan.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Um, $100,000. $100,000. I took out a hundred thousand dollar loan to get you from no flight time. From zero experience all the way up to completing flight school.

SPEAKER_02 7:11

Tell me what was like when you learned how much it cost and that it was gonna take that in order to become a pilot. And you had just graduated from college.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Yeah. Well, uh, yeah, I had just graduated. Yeah. And so I had college loans as well. So I was about to take on more loans. It was tough, man. It was tough. It was tough. But I will say, when I found out it was that expensive, I reached out to my oldest brother. At the time, my oldest brother was finishing up medical school.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

And I called him, I was like, look, I want to be a pilot, but I got to take out a hundred thousand dollar loan. How are you comfortable being in medical school, taking out all these loans every semester, and you're still going? And the first thing he told me was, don't look at it like a loan. It's not a loan. You're investing in yourself. Look at it right as an investment. With you investing in yourself, taking out this loan, you got to be full, full focused, 100% running full speed behind it. And so that was my mindset going into this. It's not a loan, it's an investment. So I took out a hundred thousand dollar investment in myself, and it's paying off.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

I think that that's a good like comparison because you're like, I'm doing no different than what a doctor would do. Like you said, you called a doctor. Yeah, I literally called a doctor and was like, It's like, hey, you got out and took these loans out. Was it worth it? And of course, you don't know it's worth it until you finish it, but that's true, but you also, is it worth taking the chance?

SPEAKER_00 8:41

That too.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Yeah. That too.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

I find it interesting, like uh being an accountant, being able to take that big risk because accountants I know don't want to take big risks like that.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

But then again, you know, at the heart, you want to be a pilot.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

You know, in school I learned a little bit about uh time value of money. Okay. All right, sorry, you know. Aviation is kind of the same way. Taking out a loan for uh flight school, time value of money, in a way it's about the same.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

In a way, it's about the same. You put the time in, I value what I do, and it'll pay off in the end. It'll pay dividends in the end.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

There it is.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

In a way.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Right, right. It'll end up paying itself, right? So that's all good. So um you got the loan, then then what happens next?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

So you get the loan. Well, first you get accepted into the school. Once you get accepted into the school, then you have to take out the loan. After you take out the loan, then you um We're gonna cut that. Okay. Let's start off now. Okay, here we go. I caught a blank. All right, so first you get accepted into the school. After you get accepted into the school, then they'll tell you how much the school is, and that'll let you know how much you have to take out for your loan. Um, you take out the loan, the loan gets deposited to the school, and the school holds on to the money, and then from there you start your flight training at the school, and you know, they'll pay for your PHAC, FARAM, you know, all the books that you need, and you know, all the other stuff, as well as hold on to the money for whenever you do your flights and grounds, and they'll pull from your account, pull the money from your account whenever you do lessons.

SPEAKER_02 10:24

So, do you feel that by getting a loan and going through flight training, what was the biggest benefit of that?

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Oh man. At the time or now?

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Well, when you look back, because now you have hindsight. So you know.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

The biggest benefit, I would say I was able to 100% lock in on flight school. Cool. I didn't have to work. Luckily, I was in the position to where I didn't have to work. Right, right. Um, moved back into my parents' place and uh didn't have to work. It was just aviation, aviation, aviation all day. And it, you know, I was blessed to have that opportunity to not be able to work.

SPEAKER_02 11:01

Right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

That would be it.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

Yeah, because I mean some people have to work, and I mean, even with the loan, some people, even if you had to work, it still would still be a benefit because then you're just focused on that, not stretching out uh the timeline that it takes. So from when you started till to get to the point where you flew your first jet, from the day you took your first flight as uh uh going through flight training to fly your first jet, how long did that take?

SPEAKER_00 11:29

So I'm specific, I'm good with nothing. My first day flying a plane as a student was uh July 22nd, 2022, my sister's birthday. July 22nd, 2022. My first time flying the jet at the regionals was September 23rd, 2025. So it was like what, what is that, three years, a month and a day?

SPEAKER_02 11:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

Three years, one month in a day. So that's how long it took.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

So it took you just under what it would take to get a college degree.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Just about, yeah. Yeah, yeah, just about.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

Right? Yeah. So it just costs you just under that, as far as time is concerned, and monetarily, as much as college, depending on you know, the school outside of, you know, if you want to community college or something, but but ultimately, like it's it's the time frame that it takes to go to college. If you if you're to oversimplify it, that's how long it takes and that's how much it costs.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Yeah. Funny enough, um, from the day I got accepted into the cadet program to the day I got my job offer from the regionals, it was three years to the day. I got accepted into the cadet program May 2nd, 2022, got my job offer May 2nd, 2025. Man, that's what's three years to the day. Probably like to the hours, too, somewhere around there, something like that. That's what's up.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

That's yeah, that's cool. Um when you were in flight training, going through all your ratings, what's something that you may have underrated or not understood going through it like when you when you were going through training? Like, was it harder than you thought, easier than you thought? Was it different than you thought it would be?

SPEAKER_00 13:10

I'd say it was looking back on it now, it was easier than I thought and more different than what I thought. It's easier than I thought. Looking back on it now, I would say for me, going through flight school is easier than going for my degree in accounting. Flight school is easier than my major in accounting. And I and I enjoy both. I enjoyed both, I value both, but flight school was a whole lot easier because it's something that I really wanted to do and I really wanted to pursue. And so that's why it was easier for me to go for that than it was a degree. Um, and it's more different because I didn't think that it was just, you know, what is it, like six licenses, licenses and ratings. Right. And a CFI that'll teach you everything from like day one all the way up until the finish, or you know, just a few ratings and licenses. I thought it was gonna be a whole lot more like extraneous than that.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

The process itself is simple, it's complex, but it really is like follow steps one through ten.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

No, yeah, and they lay out steps one through ten. Step one, go get your medical. Step two, you know, uh study for the ground. Step three, take your written. Step four, you know, fly. Step five, get signed off for check rides. Step seven, take your check ride. Yeah, repeat.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Like it's if you color by numbers, color by numbers, and you can get there.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

The good thing, like you said, is you didn't have too many outside factors that disturb that process.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

True.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

And that I think is a big piece is if you can eliminate those external factors, if you can, yeah, it makes it that much more simple. You're like, it's not that hard if you can focus on it and just follow these steps.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

You don't have to try to recreate the will or nothing. Somebody already figured out what you gotta do. Follow the steps.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Yeah. I always was told you don't need to rewrite the book. Yeah, the book has already been written, just follow the book. No need to rewrite the book, no need to make it harder than what it already is.

SPEAKER_02 15:18

Any uh any parts of flight training that you found more challenging than others?

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Oh, for sure. Oh man. Um, okay. Uh I would say CFI was definitely a challenge. CFI was a challenge because you're stepping out of the role of, I have a CFI, and my CFI, he's going to tell me what to do.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

And what's the CFI?

SPEAKER_00 15:44

CFI is a flight instructor, a certificated or certified flight instructor, however you want to put it. Um they're the ones that, you know, from day one, all right, you know, you need to get your medical, you need to take your written, you need to study, you need to study, you need to study, you need to fly these maneuvers, right? And then we're gonna go do these cross countries, and then I'm gonna send you solo, and then you know, all this other stuff. As a CFI candidate, you're the one that's like building your flight plans. And then now you're teaching your flight plans up until you transition to a CFI, and now you're the one that's all right, I got my own student pilot. We're gonna, you know, start you off here, you know, study for your written. You need to get better with landings, you know. Your landings aren't where they need to be. I'm gonna send you off to another CFI. You know, you're the one that's shaping their training, right? So basically, they're putting their future, their career into your hands. And it's up to you to like, you know.

SPEAKER_02 16:38

And they life.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Their life too. Yeah. Yeah. It goes both ways. They're putting your life in their hands and your life in their hands. Um, but yeah, it's up to you to get them to, you know, the promised land where they want to be, whether that's you know, just getting their PPL or their PPL an instrument or all the way to the end of the um curriculum. So yeah, it's it's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. Definitely, man. But it's also beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

Yeah, going through the training is um any anything from from training before you became a CFI, any particular stories or memorable times you had flying, or any any uh any good stories you got from flight training?

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Um good stories besides meeting up with friends and studying whenever I did.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Um you still the the people you went through flight training with, are they at a similar place that you're at?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Oh, of course, yeah. Um, some of them are going through read regional training right now as we speak. Uh some of them already made it through, some of them are finishing up. Um, so we're all typically around the same area. Um, one good story, I would say, I remember in when I was a student pilot, and it was almost time for me to get signed off for my check ride. I called you because I was struggling with um turns around a point. Turns around a point. I'll never forget I called you that November because it was time for me to get signed off, and my CFI just would not sign me off because everything was good except turns around a point. So I called you and I was like, look, I just can't get it. Can you like tell me what I'm missing? I explained it to you, and you're like, look, look, you're making it harder than what it has to be. And you explained turns around a point in your way. You know, I don't know if you remember, but you said, like, you know, you have a point here, like 90 degrees to it, fly to that. And like the way you explained it to me, I got on the plane the very next day. Two days after that, I got signed off on my check ride. And like my turns around a point from like that day forward, night and day. Night and day. That was something that I'll never forget. Um, I'll never forget my solos, you know, the long solos and all. That was fun. Uh, learning how to land without help for the first time.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

Oh, that's a good one, too. So, we're about to have our double victory flight program at San Antonio. Oh, yeah. More students who are gonna go from zero to solo in two weeks.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

That's neat. That is, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

So they're gonna probably watch this. What advice do you got for somebody who is getting ready for getting ready to solo at this beginning phase?

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Listen to your instructor. Listen to your instructor. As somebody who's sent off a few solo students, quite a few solo students, listen to your instructor. They know where you're really good at and where you're lacking. Listen to where they're saying you're lacking at. Because if you can really fix that area where you're lacking, you'll be sent off to solo in no time. Because listen to your instructor, um trust in them. I'm saying this as an instructor, I'm like speaking for all instructors.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

Um, listen to them, trust in them, and um millions of people have already learned how to land. If you're struggling, you'll get over it. Millions of people struggled how to land too. Me being one of them. I'm sure it was probably you as well. Millions of people struggled how to land. It just takes time, practice, but once you get it, it'll be like the best feeling in the world. It's like, I don't know, diving into cookies and cream, ice cream, like a like a life-size bowl. Like it's it's it's a great feeling.

SPEAKER_02 20:31

Oh, it's a great feeling. So being a CFI, I remember you got your CFI. Where'd you go but where'd you go teach at? Where'd you teach?

SPEAKER_00 20:39

So I went out to Olive Branch, Mississippi, right outside of uh Memphis, Tennessee.

SPEAKER_02 20:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

I went to the Luke Weathers Flight Academy.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

Uh Luke Weathers Flight Academy.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Luke Weathers Flight Academy, man. It was a time. It was a time. I really enjoyed my time out there. Um it's under the branch of OBAP, uh, organization of black aerospace professionals. Um, and out there when I was at Luke Weathers, I met a lot of fantastic people, whether that was um directors as of Captain Glenn, uh, Captain Harrison, a lot of students, uh instructors as well, and people who don't even like they didn't go to Luke Weathers as a student, they weren't an instructor. They're just like OBAP members, and they just come to the building because they want to give back or they just want to be there and like have their presence there. Yeah. I met so many amazing people. Um, it was an amazing school. Um yeah, I do I've made quite a few trips up there too. Yeah, you came up there and you visited us a few times, yeah. Yeah, we went out. Yeah. Yeah. No, I really enjoyed um Luke Weathers. It was a great time.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

That's good. Uh what was the environment like at Luke Weathers? And I asked this because of the importance of representation and being comfortable in flight training, just being in a place where you feel like I can do. Anything.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Right. So the environment there, it's it's alive, it's electric. It's different from where I went to flight school. Yeah. All right. Walking around Luke Weathers, you're going to see a lot of people of color, a lot of people that look like us. And that already is different because whenever you're walking around, like if you're walking around an airport, a major airport or any airport, you're not going to see many of us. So to see a lot of us in this one building and the goal is to become pilots and finish flight school and so on and so forth, that just says a lot itself. And then as I spoke about earlier, the people that come back to the school that aren't even there in their airlines or they're retired or whatever, they come back just to, you know, and they're just to have their presence there, just to be in the building, that's very electric. Like, you know, they don't even have to be here, but yet they decide to spend, you know, an hour, two hours, three hours, or the whole day at the school. Um, and they drop in knowledge, dropping gems, giving games.

SPEAKER_02 23:08

That's good, man.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

It was fantastic. It was important.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Building building networks, meeting people that you're gonna see when you're out there flying. Yeah, that's that's definitely work.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

And that's I mean, and that's something you do everywhere, but I feel like Luke Weathers is is special, you know. Definitely, man.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

Yeah, man. Luke Weathers got a special in my heart. I always say it. I always go back, so I still go back to um Luke Weathers. Yeah, I'm not a CFI there anymore uh because I'm at the airlines. Um, but I still make sure to go back every other month. Every other month I make sure I on the off day, I take the first flight from Dallas to Memphis and I spend X amount of hours there. And I fly out the same day because you know, I probably got to go back to work, but I still want to go back there to, you know, see my former students. Yes. My former students, they're now the instructors. You know, they're in my shoes and you know, they're teaching, and you know, we're just talking about they have a student, you know, they're struggling with landing and you know, they got over it, and they're relating it to how I was their instructor and they struggled with landing and how we got over and the stuff that we laughed about, all that stuff. So I make sure I go back and you know, show face, but mainly to show them like, look, I'm not here anymore. I'm in the airlines, but I was once in your shoes. And if I was there and now I'm here today, you could be here too. And that's for the students, the instructors, um, all of them. You know, if I was once there, and there's other instructors that still go back and do the same thing too. You know, we were once here at the school, but we were somewhere else. You're next. You can get through. Yeah, come on, and then come on over. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:43

That's what's up, man. That's that's good, man. That's good. Continue to give back even after you made it, man.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Of course.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

You know, made it, keep making it, all that.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

Um, you got any advice for as a CFI? So you how long how long were you a CFI for? Well, how long were you instructing till you till you built your hours up?

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Um between 15 and 16 months. Okay. 15, 16 months.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Okay. So about a year and a half or something. Yeah, just under a year and a half.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Just under a year and a half.

SPEAKER_02 25:09

Means you was out there grinding. You was flying, yeah. You was oh man.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

Man, look, I had a hungry batch of students.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 25:16

The students I had, they were hungry. They wanted it just as bad as I did. So they had me flying every day. I was showing up on days that I didn't even want to be there. I wake up, I'm like, oh, I gotta go. All right, well, let's go. Let's put these clothes on, let's go to school. Because I know as soon as I pull up in the parking lot, they're there waiting for me. Whether it's 6 a.m., 5 a.m. 5 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., they're there and they want me there. So yeah, I had a hungry batch.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

That's what's up, man. So, what was some consistent advice that you gave to students as things got hard? Because everybody gets to a point where they either plateau or something and they're struggling and and they don't know what to do. Like, what it what advice do you give to that student that's like, I don't know if I could do this no more?

SPEAKER_00 26:04

Keep showing up. Keep showing up. Keep showing up whatever roadblock, barrier you're at. It's there temporarily. Every roadblock and every barrier, you can get over it. No matter what it is in flight training. Because, like I said, millions of people get through flight training. What makes you different from the millions that's already got through?

SPEAKER_01 26:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Those millions of people, they've struggled on something as well. Just keep showing up, keep studying. Whatever roadblock barrier you have, you'll get over it. As long as you keep showing up. And speak up. Don't wait till it's too late to speak up. Don't wait till it's too late.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

Because that's that's a valid one. Because it's like, I don't like people will come like, yeah, I just failed out of flight training and need help. What? What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00 26:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:55

Like you ain't saying nothing while you were struggling.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

It doesn't take one chance to fail out of flight school. Like, you know, it doesn't take one mistake. You know, you gotta make the same mistake or like get stuck somewhere for a long period of time before a school decides to let you go. So speak up. Don't wait till it's too late to speak up.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. I'm with you on that. Um, so yeah, man. So being a CFI, that was all good. Um, it sounded like you were enjoying yourself having a good time, man, when you was out there on the man, they showed me a good time in Memphis. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So then the big thing is when it came time to become an airline pilot. Oh, man. The transition, tell me how you felt when you got to where you meet your your 1500, you did ATP ATP, CTP, all that. Like, what did it feel like making that step?

SPEAKER_00 27:50

It was, it felt real. Like it felt big. I can't even put it in words. First, I knew that, well, making it to the regionals, there's no plan B when it comes to training. It's either I'm making it out this schoolhouse successfully, or I'm making it out this schoolhouse successfully. It's plan A through Z and then AA to Z Z. Like there's no failing out, like failing out is not an option. Um but just making it there. First I felt grateful because you know you gotta put in 1500 hours and you know, a single engine piston, multi-engine, and all that stuff, and the dangers that come with it. But then just making it to the regionals, um it's fun, but it can be a lot because they expect you to know a lot. But the good thing about the regionals, I can speak for mine, yeah. They know that, you know, this might be your first jet.

unknown 28:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

You've been flying single-engine. So they don't expect you to be, you know, a master of, you know, jets already. They understand that, you know, you just flew a single-engine person for X amount of time, X amount of years, and now you're about to get into your first jet. This is how we want you to learn your first jet. And this is our jet that we fly. This is how we want you to learn it. Um so it wasn't too bad. It wasn't too bad. I'd say my stress never got really above a six because I tried to study ahead of time, get as far ahead as I can, stay ahead while I'm in training. Um, and uh really just show up every day.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

What was the difference in what you in how you learn things going through primary training and going through jet training? The difference in what and how you learn stuff?

SPEAKER_00 29:37

I honestly don't think there was much of a difference. Minus the uh the airline having more resources. Um learned best you study them because flashcards. Okay, flashcards, write everything down on a flashcard. That was your message. Make a flashcard for everything. You know, they always say writing it down, you'll memorize it, you know, better than just reading it. For I believe that's true for me. Put it on a flashcard, make a thousand flashcards, make a million flashcards, and just review it over and over and over so that whenever you are in an exam or being tested or whatever. For me, if I'm asked the question that I had on a flashcard, I'm able to close my eyes and read my exact flashcard word for word, because I can see my handwriting, I understand my handwriting, I know that you know, I wrote these words on this flashcard. That's how I learned, whether it's from student pilot all the way up to today.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

So, so basically, foundationally, the way you were learning and what you were doing from the beginning helped you as you got to the end. Right. And it was a consistent method that worked, didn't change.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Didn't change. If it worked, was that how you taught your students to? Yeah. Yeah. I oh man, they know I'm the champion of flashcards. Put it on the flashcard. Where's your flashcards? All right, we're starting up a new, you know, we're starting instrument. You got your flashcards? We're going into commercial. You got your flashcards ready? Because man, it worked for me. The flashcard king. Yeah, like it worked for me. I know everything doesn't work for everybody, but it's like this really worked for me. And I can say for my students that did work with flashcards, they were night and day. They were night and day. Like it really, it really like just like their training off the shelves after they started using flashcards.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

I like flashcards, they work. I think they work. Flashcards drawing things out. There's a lot of different methods, and I think that um, you know, people gotta take the different things that the different ways that people learn and put that in your box, right? And not just be like, well, I'm not gonna do that because I don't learn like that. It's like you ain't trying yet. Yeah, you haven't tried it. You can try it, try it, try to see what happens. So, Zaila Pala, what's the lifestyle like, man? Tell me, tell me what life is like. Life is like Maybag Mike.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Oh man, Maybag Mike, he called me Maybag Mike. I'm smiling bigger. I'm laughing a little louder. It's great. It's great, it's really great, man. Like, I can speak into many different ways on how it's great, but so so tell me what's it like?

SPEAKER_02 32:17

I know it's great. It's like it's at this point, it's something it's somewhat normal because you're used to it, but what's it like compared to like people you know who are accountants? And not necessarily like a better or worse, but what is the what is the difference of the lifestyle of being an airline pilot versus having a regular job?

SPEAKER_00 32:38

So, great question. Um, and I was just telling one of my friends about this the other day. Whenever my company builds my schedule for the next month, I always have somewhere between 15, excuse me, 13 and 15 days off. If you're working uh, you know, a nine to five, you get Saturday, Sunday off what, four times a month?

SPEAKER_02 33:01

Yeah, so eight days.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

So that's eight days off. I'm getting almost double that in a month. And then it's up to me if I want to, you know, pick up and work on my off days or just leave it at 15 days off. So I can have 15 days off in a month if I'd like. Um, scheduling is not as bad as I thought it would be. You know, you always hear you're gonna miss holidays and birthdays, and that's a given. You know, you're gonna miss some holidays and you're gonna miss some birthdays and some events, but for the most part, I'm able to make everything that I want to make. Going on a I'll be on a uh plane to Vegas in three hours. In three hours in three hours. Like as soon as we wrap this up, I'm headed to Vegas um for uh a birthday party. And it's like I was able to build my schedule to where I have this weekend off, and I'm so junior in the company, you typically don't have weekends off, but I was able to build my schedule to where I only wanted this weekend off this month, and I got it. So um, yes, the scheduling is great. Um days are great. Uh when I'm home, I'm home.

SPEAKER_02 34:09

Look, that that to me is the best.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

I am home. I'm not worrying about you know, my manager calling me or you know, responding to an email or like I said, my EFB, my iPad, once I'm off, it stays in my flight bag.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

And I'll look at it the night before, charge it up, update if I have to, if there's an update. But once I'm home, I'm here. When I'm on this couch, I'm on this couch.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

That's it. Yeah, that's what's up, man. That's that's the good life.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

So advice of someone considering, I want to think I want to be an airline pilot. What advice do you give to that person who's like, I got, I'm doing this other job? The biggest thing, it's easier, I think, when you're telling people who are starting a group, starting off life, because it's like, all right, yeah, do it, right? But somebody who's working a job, doing something, they're like, I think I want to become an airline pilot. What are your thoughts? Like, what do you tell them when they say, hey, should I become an airline pilot or what should I do? Is it worth it? You know, the million-dollar question, is it worth it?

SPEAKER_00 35:07

But so for me, I always say it's worth it. Yep. It's always gonna be worth it in the end, no matter where you go. What major or you know, cargo versus passenger, uh commercial versus business, it's always gonna be worth it. Um, but you just have to make sure that it's something that you really want to do and you're passionate about. I don't believe in getting into this because you know the pay is great, or the, you know, you can fly around the world whenever you want. It's because look, whenever you're a CFI building time and you're at 517 hours and you have students canceling on you, and you're not making much because you're not flying, or you're flying in the middle of summer in you know, Mississippi or Dallas, and there's no AC in the planes, this is when it wasn't fun. And it was not fun. I'm not gonna say it wasn't worth it, but sitting there like, oh my Lord, I got a thousand more hours of this. Yeah, this is not fun. So if you're getting into this, it has to be something that you really want to do and you're really passionate about because there's gonna be days when you know it's gonna stink. And even when you get to the regionals, you're a commuter because you can't get what you can't get okay, cool. When you're a and even when you get to the regionals, yeah. Um, when you get to the regionals, you might not get whatever base that you really want. You know, you live in, I don't know, DC. You live 10 minutes from DCA airport, but they have you commuting to, you know, LA or something or across the country because you're not senior to hold that base. Yeah, you got the job, but now you have to do the commute. And, you know, it's not fun. Right. As a former commuter, it's not fun.

SPEAKER_02 36:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

And so that's when it could be draining.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Still worth it in there. You know, you still got the, you know, the lavish job, but commuting, it's not fun. Especially when you have a base 10 minutes away.

SPEAKER_02 36:59

And and it's frustrating too sometimes because people people look at, oh, it's just the worst part. It's like, you gotta be able to be willing to do the job on the worst days. You have more, yeah. It's like, all right, what's the worst days? When I got to commute, then there's weather, then we're delayed, all those things. And I still show up to work.

SPEAKER_00 37:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:17

And knowing it's like, all right, well, I'm okay with that because this is part of what I want to do. And I think the hardest thing is how do you get people to figure out if it's something they really want to do? That I think is the question is like, how do you how do you how do you get someone to figure out if it's something they want to do? And at what point do you figure out if it's really what you want to do?

SPEAKER_00 37:39

The tried and true discovery flight.

SPEAKER_02 37:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:41

Tried and true, take a discovery flight, find your nearest flight school, find a CFI, go on a discovery flight, or call the website. Uh call the number on the website and uh get a discovery flight, set it up and see if you like it. I remember when I took mine in San Antonio when we went up out of uh Kelly. Yeah, I fell in love. It's I fell in love that same day. And that's from that day I knew, all right, we'll put this account and stuff to the side. That'll be a plan B. This is what I'm gonna do. Yeah. I fell in love that same day.

SPEAKER_02 38:14

And I don't think I don't think you have to com, I don't think you have to convince somebody that they should be a pilot. Like someone say, Well, why should I become a pilot? I'm like, man, I can't tell you go figure it out. Like I I said, but it's I'd like I'm not here to I tell people, I'm not here to convince you whether you should be a pilot or not. Like, you want to do this, you gotta figure out if you want to do it. I'm already here.

SPEAKER_00 38:35

We already here. I'm not a salesman for you know being a pilot. I can't convince you. That's what you want to do? Cool. I help you point you in the right direction. Right. I can open some doors for you if I can, point you to the right doors, but man, that's that's what's up, man. You know what's funny now that I think about it? So this is the skyline right here. There's a building. You can't see it because the shades are down. There's a building back there.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

When I was in San Antonio applying for flight schools, I was also applying for accounting jobs in DFW because I knew I was leaving San Antonio.

SPEAKER_01 39:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

There's a building back there, Comerica. They offered me a accounting position. And now here I am in this apartment looking at where I could be working.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

Right. That's crazy. And so where's the airport from here? Can you see that? Can you see the planes flying from here?

SPEAKER_00 39:23

I can see the planes taking off and landing. I see them on final approach and turn and final and all.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

But so pretty much you can look out there and see what your future is and what your future could have been.

SPEAKER_00 39:32

Yeah. Right out that window. Another funny story, when I was working as an accountant in San Antonio, um, I had my cubicle. I was at my desk, you know, my three screens and all. And when I looked to the left, the window out my left, it was San Antonio International Airport. I was working at uh SWBC. I don't know if I'm supposed to put the business out there, but I was at SWBC. Looked to my left and it's San Antonio International Airport. So I see Southwest, United, Delta, American, Spirit, Jet Blue taking off and landing all day, every day at work. And there'd be times where I just stop working and I'm looking out the window, and I'm like, I'm supposed to be over there. And this was before I knew I wanted to be a pilot. I would just stop and look at the planes taking off and landing, and I'm like, man, I'm supposed to be over there. Yeah. And it just took that one day for me to start researching, and then boom, man, I'm watching, you know, Delta Southwest American and all that take off before me, before I do my own takeoff. Uh-huh. Another thing with that, this is just another anecdotal. Um I'd be in my cubicle, right? I got my two computer screens and my uh laptop. So I had three screens in my cubicle. And I'm like, oh, I'm so tired of sitting here in front of screens all day. And now here I am sitting in front of screens all day. It's crazy. Yep. It's crazy how it comes around full circle. Yeah, it's like sitting in front of screens. Now I'm back sitting in front of screens. Right. But these screens, I like these screens, and it's a better view.

SPEAKER_02 41:12

I'm about to say, even if you were looking at building over there, they might have had you in the office with a with a view. Yeah. But I have a feeling that your view right now is way better. Oh man, what? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:23

Looking at like the stars, and I'm seeing uh uh shooting stars, and I'm seeing you know, beautiful clouds up ahead, sunset, sunrise. Can't beat it. It never gets old. Yeah, yeah. And I hit my one year anniversary next week. What is that? Like five days, one year anniversary. That's what's up. And I'm new, but it still never gets old.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

I'm old and it never gets old.

SPEAKER_00 41:49

But it's always new.

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Right, exactly. Like I'm old and always, it's always new, man. That's all good. Well, that's what's up. You got any last-minute advice for the people out there? Um you want to tell them?

SPEAKER_00 42:00

Kind of like I said before, um if this is something that you want to do, if you're not sure, just start off with a discovery flight. That's all it takes. Discovery flights are somewhere between 100 and 150 bucks, somewhere around there. You know, save up a little bit of money. Um go get a discovery flight. And once you get up, if you don't fall in love by the moment you're in cruise, because takeoff is already exhilarating itself. When you up there, yeah, if you're not in love by the time you're in cruise, wait till landing. I'm not gonna say give up that wait till landing. Wait till landing. You might fall in love by then. Um, but no, if this is something that you really want to do, go for it. It'll be worth it in the end. It'll be worth it in the end. It's so beautiful the fact that I think the flight that I'm about to get on, it's gonna be full. There's zero available seats. But guess what? I'm still gonna get on. Because you'll get the jump seat. Because I'll get the jump seat. And it doesn't matter as long as I have my badge and my medical on me, I can get on any plane. Mostly any plane in the world. Yeah, I can't get on like Air Force One or something like that, but I can get on almost any plane and go anywhere in the world. That's the coolest thing to me. Yeah, and every time that I'm riding jump seat because the flight was full, I always think I had to do 1,500 hours in a Cessna for this. Yeah. And if you have to do 1,500 hours in a Cessna or you um time build some other way like uh pipeline or skydiving, whatever it is, it'll be worth it. It's always it's always gonna be worth it. It's always gonna be worth it.

SPEAKER_02 43:43

Yeah. Well, that's what's up, man. I appreciate you, man. It's good talking to you. You know, check him out. You know, he shows right here like one of the other ways you can get to your goal, man. I'm proud of you, man. Keep doing your thing, keep representing.

SPEAKER_00 43:55

I appreciate that. OT, we here.

SPEAKER_02 43:58

P in the building, baby. All right, straighten up fly right podcast. Check us out. We on Spotify, Apple Music. We everywhere. Check us out on the YouTube and everything. All right, we out.