In Episode 136 of Pilots Say What?, Zach sits down with Thrust Flight student William, who has experienced collegiate flight training, Part 61 training, and accelerated Part 141 training at Thrust Flight. William shares how structure and community changed his flight training experience, what makes CFI training so challenging, and how he navigated the financial commitment of becoming a professional pilot.

What do donuts have to do with becoming an airline pilot? For Thrust Flight graduate Steven Johnson, quite a lot. In this episode of Pilots Say What?, Zach sits down with Steven, the founder of Touch and Go Donuts, an aviation-inspired donut business he started to help support his family, fund future flight training, and build connections in the aviation industry.

What really changes when you go from student pilot to certified flight instructor (CFI)? Ian returns to Pilots Say What? to share his experience becoming a flight instructor at Thrust Flight and why teaching someone to fly is a completely different challenge from learning to fly yourself.

What does it actually take to go from flight school student to airline captain? Tanner shares his journey from starting flight training at Thrust Flight to becoming a professional airline pilot, including the challenges of earning his ratings, building flight hours, joining an airline cadet program, and transitioning from a CFI to flying commercial jets.

Can pilots go to therapy without risking their FAA medical certificate? Mental health in aviation has been a difficult topic for years, and many pilots still hesitate to seek help. In Episode 132 of Pilots Say What?, Zach sits down with Dr. Abigail Powell, also known as The Aviation Therapist, to discuss mental health in aviation, FAA medical concerns, checkride anxiety, and the psychological challenges of becoming a professional pilot.

Can someone who's afraid of flying actually become a pilot? In this episode of Pilots Say What?, Zach sits down with Thrust Flight student Troy Kirk to talk about his unexpected journey into aviation. After pursuing hockey and graduating from Purdue University, Troy decided to follow a completely different career path.

In this episode of Pilots Say What?, we sit down with aerobatic national champion and Thrust Flight aerobatic instructor Kurt Richmond to talk about what aerobatic flying can actually teach a pilot.

Becoming a CFI requires a completely different mindset than being a flight student. In this episode, we sit down with a Thrust Flight student who recently completed her CFI training to talk about learning to fly from the right seat, preparing for the CFI checkride, and making the transition from student to instructor.