FLYING is expanding its career coverage with the launch of Aviation Start, a new video podcast designed to help aspiring aviation professionals turn their interest in flight into a viable career.
The show debuted Wednesday, August 19, in recognition of National Aviation Day. The annual observance was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and coincides with the birthday of aviation pioneer Orville Wright.
Aviation Start is hosted by Jamail Larkins, an aviator, entrepreneur, and founder of AviationStart, a career platform that connects aspiring aviation professionals with more than $20 million in scholarships, training programs, and career resources.
Larkins began flying at age 12 and became one of the youngest Americans to solo a powered aircraft when he flew alone in Canada at 14. He later became an airshow performer and was appointed the FAA’s first Ambassador for Aviation and Space Education.
“For almost 100 years, FLYING Magazine has been one of the most widely read aviation magazines in existence,” Larkins said in announcing the show. “It has literally been the voice of aviation.”
The new podcast series will focus on the questions that often stand between an aspiring aviation professional and a sustainable career: how to pay for training, where to find scholarships, which career paths are available, and how to build the industry connections needed to move forward.
While pilots will be a major focus, the show will also examine opportunities for aircraft mechanics, air traffic controllers, airport operations professionals, and others entering the aviation workforce. Episodes will feature practical conversations with people working across the industry, with an emphasis on the information newcomers may not know to seek out.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” Larkins said. “We’re here to help you.”
Can a CFI Earn $100,000?
The debut episode features Cole Melby, a Reno, Nevada-based flight instructor behind Tahoe Flight Academy. Melby provides personalized training throughout the Reno-Tahoe area, including mountain flying, instrument instruction, and advanced training for aircraft owners.
The conversation challenges the long-standing assumption that working as a CFI means earning only $20,000 to $30,000 per year while building time for an airline job.
Melby acknowledges that a CFI working exclusively for one flight school and relying only on traditional instruction may earn closer to $40,000 annually. But he argues that instructors can increase their income by treating flight instruction as a business and developing additional revenue streams.
“If you want to treat it as a business and add other revenue streams to it…[earning considerably more becomes possible],” Melby said.
The episode explores how instructors can move beyond the traditional time-building model, position themselves as career professionals, and create a more sustainable living while continuing to teach.
The first episode of Aviation Start premiered August 19, and can be found on FLYING’s YouTube channel along with all podcast platforms. Additional episodes will continue examining the training, financial, and professional questions facing the next generation of aviation workers.
