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21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

A podcast for Professional Pilots, by Professional Pilots. Join hosts Dylan and Max, both professional pilots with backgrounds in Flight Instructing, Airlines, and Business Aviation, on their quest to improve as travelers, pilots, and professionals. Expect to find interesting conversations with industry experts in a variety of aviation fields, thought-provoking discussions on hot topics, and hilarious stories from the (sometimes) wild aviation industry. Whether you're corporate, airline,…

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216. What Don't Professional Pilots Know About Owning a Small Airplane?

Max gets wrecked by a closed mariscos truck, discovers there are still 727 flight engineers in the wild, and goes full test-pilot mode in his Cub after finding Bush Air's backcountry training content. In the Mailbag, we hear about expat pilot furloughs at Cathay, the French art of la bise , Allegiant's bridge agreement, and a couple of excellent Oshkosh run-ins. Flight Advice tackles how a…

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215. Are You Pushing Your Pilot Career Too Hard?

James Onieal of Raven Careers returns to break down the current pilot hiring market across the majors, regionals, cargo operators, fractionals, and cadet programs. He explains why hiring remains competitive, why ATP-CTP is becoming a practical minimum for first jet jobs, and why changing lanes can sometimes leave pilots farther behind. The crew also digs into NetJets, Flexjet, FedEx,…

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214. Should You Stay for Turbine PIC or Jump to a Regional?

Dylan and Max return from aggressively vacationing with biplane rides, glacier dog sledding, Telluride approaches, and a real single-engine checkride landing at Prescott. They break down United's unusual diversion into Luke Air Force Base, swap diversion war stories, and question whether anyone actually wants a 24-hour Qantas flight. The Mailbag covers Skybus, a Harvey Watt-powered ultramarathon,…

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213. Are Bizav Pilot Salaries Still Climbing?

Dr. Chris Broyhill returns to talk AirComp Calculator data, pilot compensation trends, and why business aviation leadership still needs some recurrent training. For professional pilots and aviation managers, this one matters because the market is moving faster than the standard "here's your 3% raise" corporate playbook. Dylan, Max, and Chris get into G500/G600 pay, contract rates, compensation…

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212. Would You Trade Seniority for Better Stories?

Summer scheduling chaos is in full swing as Dylan and Max talk vacation bidding wizardry, Teterboro's RNAV to Runway 1, NDB war stories, New York hotel-room misery, and a suspiciously affectionate airline lobby ritual. In the Mailbag, they tackle foreign pilots at U.S. carriers, terrifying hotel van rides, AI app-building tools, and a listener plea to stop stepping on each other's punchlines. For…

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211. When Does Paying for Training Actually Make Sense?

Dylan and Max talk Alaska dreams, Southwest's new nonstop to Anchorage, lake lodge podcast fantasies, and Max's brave decision to bypass the discounted Marriott burger for Yemeni cuisine. In the Mailbag, listener Elijah checks in with a unique path back into aviation after the Air Force and a decade away from flying. For Flight Advice, the guys break down why using the GI Bill for PC-12 initial…

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210. What Should Pilots Do When the Paycheck Stops?

Timothy P. Pope joins Dylan and Max to talk through the financial side of Spirit's shutdown and what professional pilots can learn from it. For airline and bizav pilots, the big takeaway is simple but not always fun: stabilize first, optimize later. The crew digs into emergency funds, burn rate, 401(k) rollovers, IRA traps, benefits, life insurance, and why raiding retirement money is usually the…

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209. Should You Trade Quality of Life for Airline Seniority?

Dylan and Max kick things off with DoubleTree cookie restraint, San Diego seafood, 40-plus Vegas strategy, DJ juice, and the emerging menace of the commuter life vest. In the Mailbag, listeners bring dumpster-diving charter pilot stories, bankruptcy bassoon suggestions, skydiving-adjacent book recommendations, and a heavy airline-industry "what if" about another major demand shock. Dylan also…

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208. How Should Pilots Compete After Spirit's Shutdown?

James Onieal from Raven Career Development joins Dylan and Max to unpack Spirit Airlines' wind down and what it means for Spirit pilots, regional pilots, CFIs, and anyone trying to move up the aviation ladder. The conversation gets into why experience alone will not carry you through an interview, especially when 2,000-ish highly qualified pilots suddenly enter the market. James breaks down…

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207. Would You Sign a Five-Year Non-Prorated Training Contract?

Max recaps a wild GA camping trip involving gale-force winds and a midnight arboreal emergency, while Dylan discusses the "superpower" of vibe-coding your own aviation tools with AI . The Mailbag tackles the dilemma of choosing between a quick class date with a restrictive five-year contract or waiting for a better "wholly owned" offer . Finally, Flight Advice addresses a contract pilot who is…

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