Pilots Say What?

Episoade

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  Ep. 123: What Being a New CFI Is Actually Like 14.08.2026 40min

  Zach sits down with new Thrust Flight CFI Guy Bassett to talk about what actually changes when you go from being the student to being the instructor.Guy shares what surprised him most about teaching, the added responsibility of being the safety net in the airplane, how he manages different students, and what he’s learning during his first few weeks as a CFI. They also get into instrument training, multi-engine flying, and what it takes to keep improving after earning your instructor certificates.
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  Ep. 122: Why He Quit Apple to Become a Pilot 07.08.2026 49min

  Caleb went from working at Apple to completely changing careers and becoming a flight instructor at Thrust Flight.In this episode of Pilots Say What, Caleb talks about what pushed him toward aviation, completing his flight training in 13 months, getting hired as a CFI, and the challenges that come with accelerated flight training. He also shares advice on staying motivated, avoiding comparisons with other students, instrument training, paying for flight school, and what it really takes to work toward an airline career.
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  Ep. 121: How a Thrust Flight CFI Became an Airline Captain 31.07.2026 1h 4min

  Lan returned to aviation after spending 13 years away from flying, completed his CFI training at Thrust Flight, and later became a flight instructor at the school. Today, he is flying for SkyWest Airlines and making the transition from first officer to captain.In this episode, Lan shares what it takes to go from instructing in a Piper Archer to flying a regional jet, how he overcame checkride and airline training failures, and why community is so important throughout flight training. He also explains what future airline pilots should expect when moving from student to CFI, first officer, and eventually captain.
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  Ep. 120: The Flight Student Everyone Wanted on the Podcast 24.07.2026 1h 1min

  Brock went from working 90-hour weeks as a band director to completing his professional pilot training in roughly nine months. Along the way, he became the student other Thrust Flight students turned to for tutoring, encouragement, and help understanding difficult aviation concepts.
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  Ep. 119: How a Childhood Love of Aviation Became a Lifelong Career 17.07.2026 44min

  Melanie Hill joins us from Australia to discuss how Air Cadets helped launch her lifelong aviation journey, the wide range of careers available throughout the industry, and why exposing young people to aviation matters. She also shares how her experience inspired her middle-grade aviation novel, Jett Cooper, and what parents can do when their child begins showing an interest in flight.
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  Ep 118: What Your Flight Instructor Wants You To Know 10.07.2026 34min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What?, Halley Bowers is back, this time, we’re going beyond her story and getting into practical flight training advice from her first few months as a CFI. Halley shares what she has learned from teaching instrument and commercial students, why backseating can be one of the most underrated tools in flight training, how students can handle critiques without losing confidence, and what CFIs are really watching as students progress through their ratings.
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  Ep. 117: What Future Airline Pilots Should Do Long Before 1,500 Hours 02.07.2026 45min

  Julie Cable recently joined Thrust Flight as our Career Services Liaison, helping students and CFIs better understand what comes after flight training. In this episode of Pilots Say What?, Julie shares her experience from Delta, American Airlines, and airline hiring to explain what future airline pilots should be thinking about long before they hit 1,500 hours.
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  Ep. 116: Why Mesa AZ Is Built for Flight Training 26.06.2026 45min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What?, Zach sits down with Andrew Sowers at Thrust Flight’s Mesa location on Falcon Field Airport to talk about training in Arizona, the advantages of flying in the Phoenix area, and what it’s like going through an accelerated Zero Time to Airline program. Andrew shares why Arizona’s weather, terrain, and flying environment make Mesa such a unique place to train.
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  Ep 115: President-Nominated NTSB Member Reveals What Pilots Learn From Crashes 19.06.2026 53min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What?, we sit down with John Duluth, a board member at the National Transportation Safety Board, retired American Airlines pilot, former 787 captain, and former Air Force C-130 pilot. John explains what the NTSB really does, how it differs from the FAA, and why accident reports can be one of the most valuable learning tools for student pilots, CFIs, airline pilots, mechanics, and anyone pursuing a career in aviation.
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  Ep. 114: Flying the Embraer 175 as an Envoy First Officer 12.06.2026 51min

  Will Garrison started at Thrust Flight with zero time, worked his way through flight training, became a CFI, later became an Assistant Chief Instructor, joined the Envoy cadet program, and now flies the Embraer 175 as a First Officer at Envoy.
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  Ep. 113: The Part of Flight Training Nobody Warns You About 05.06.2026 1h 2min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What, Tim sits down with Zach to talk about what it was really like starting flight training from zero time, moving across the country, taking on the financial risk, and learning how to handle the pressure that comes with becoming a pilot.
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  Ep. 112: He Pushed Through Flight Training Setbacks 29.05.2026 46min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What, Zach sits down with Jackson, a brand-new CFI at Thrust Flight, to talk about his path from Part 61 training, medical delays, and the uncertainty of whether aviation would actually work out, all the way to finishing his ratings and becoming a flight instructor.
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  Ep. 111: American Airlines 777 Captain Joe Johnson Reveals What Pilots Get Wrong 22.05.2026 50min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What, we sit down with Joe Johnson, an active American Airlines 777 Captain, check airman, DPE, and founder of the Ashton Johnson Memorial CloudDancer Scholarship. Joe shares what he has learned from decades in aviation, including what student pilots often get wrong during checkrides, why nerves can lead to bad decisions, and how pilots should handle high-pressure moments in the airplane. He also breaks down the difference between reacting and acting, why “slow is accurate, accurate is fast,” and what check airmen are really looking for when evaluating pilots.
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  Ep. 110: She Took One Discovery Flight and Changed Careers 15.05.2026 55min

  Halley Bowers didn’t grow up around aviation. She was a first-generation pilot, originally pursuing college and marketing, until one discovery flight changed the direction of her life. In this episode of Pilots Say What, Halley shares how she went from testing the waters at a Part 61 flight school to moving seven hours away from home to continue her training at Thrust Flight. She talks about the transition into full-time flight training, what it was like switching from traditional six-pack instruments to G1000 avionics, and how she eventually became a Certified Flight Instructor.
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  Ep. 109: Why This Pro Baseball Player Became a Pilot 08.05.2026 52min

  Connor Emmett spent years chasing baseball at a high level, playing through college and eventually professionally in Detroit, Missoula, Montana, and Colorado Springs. But after stepping away from pro baseball, he realized he was still looking for a new challenge, a stronger sense of purpose, and a career path that pushed him to grow. In this episode of Pilots Say What?, Connor shares how he went from professional baseball to flight training, what drew him to aviation, and why becoming a pilot felt like an investment in himself.
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  Ep. 108: He Left Welding to Become a Pilot 01.05.2026 48min

  Nick Bowman started out working as a welder in the Texas heat. After years in blue collar construction, he realized he wanted a different future and decided to give aviation a chance. In this episode of Pilots Say What, Nick returns to the podcast as a brand-new CFI at Thrust Flight. He talks about what it was like transitioning from student to instructor, why he switched flight schools during his training, how he finished the rest of his ratings at Thrust Flight, and what it feels like to now teach the next generation of pilots.
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  Ep. 107: How to Get a CFI Job in a Tough Market 24.04.2026 49min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What, Zach talks with Jackson Howard about becoming a CFI at just 20 years old, what the transition from student to instructor was really like, and how he navigated the competitive CFI job market after training. Jackson shares what made private pilot training the hardest rating for him, why he failed his first commercial checkride, what he learned from instructing outside of Thrust, and the advice he would give to anyone trying to land their first CFI job.
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  Ep. 106: From Fear of Flying to Flight Instructor 17.04.2026 53min

  Jeremiah grew up around pilots, but for years he still had a fear of flying. In this episode of Pilots Say What, he shares how one discovery flight changed everything and set him on the path to becoming a CFI. He talks about switching careers, overcoming self-doubt in flight training, struggling through delays and setbacks in his private pilot journey, and what finally helped him break through. Jeremiah also shares honest thoughts on paying for flight school, building backup plans, and what it really takes to keep moving toward an aviation career.
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  Ep. 105: From Student to CFI: What No One Tells You 10.04.2026 52min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What, Cole Collins shares what it was like to start flight training, deal with the stress of checkrides, push through tough days, and eventually become a CFI at Thrust Flight. He talks about why slowing down matters, how chair flying can make a huge difference, what helped him get through plateaus, and what changed when he went from being a student to teaching others.
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  Ep. 104: He’s Not an Airline Pilot Yet… But Already Has Flight Benefits 03.04.2026 53min

  In this episode of Pilots Say What, Zach talks with Wil Black about becoming an Envoy Cadet Instructor while still working as a CFI at Thrust Flight. One of the biggest surprises in the episode is that he already has flight benefits before even reaching the airlines. They break down how the Envoy cadet pathway works, what it means to build time as an instructor, how airline partnerships can help open doors, and why this kind of opportunity can make the path to the airlines feel a lot more real.