“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
I understand this quote from Einstein to mean that one’s level of intelligence is indicated by their ability to think their way out of a situation. All of us have the ability to change, but it can be extremely hard especially when the easy road would be to put our hands up in the air, give up, and go get some fast food to celebrate our laziness.
“I can’t fly because…” “I’ve always wanted to be a pilot but never could because…” I have heard these statements so many times in my life and it is heartbreaking. I want to help. Flight school is attainable for everyone. Please, just stay with me. There might be a cheeseburger and fries at the end.
The most successful people in the world are the ones who force themselves to change, they think their way out of situations. They are able to do this because they have spent a tremendous amount of time learning, educating themselves on applicable skills, and thinking about how they can solve a problem.
See, it is so easy to say “I can’t,” it gives you an out. I just finished reading the infamous finance book by Robert Kiyosaki: Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Robert shares that questions open your mind whereas statements close your mind. For example, if a person wants to become a pilot but can’t afford the training at this time, most people would state, “I can’t become a pilot because I don’t have the money.” Whereas if instead, you ask, “How can I afford to become a pilot?” the question forces you to think. Flight training is not that far out of reach.
You see, asking a question opens your mind to think about things differently, it forces you to think about a solution to a problem. But statements close your mind and give you an easy way out, where you don’t have to think. This idea was fascinating to me when I first read it. The easy path is the way OUT, but the best path is the way THROUGH your problem. The way out might be easy, but navigating through the problem will teach you so much that you can apply to other areas of your life. So let’s take the path THROUGH your problem together.
Oh, and of course, this path is a flight path, because you know… never mind I think it’s obvious.
Anyways back to the problem.
The Problem
Did you know that all airplanes are actually paper airplanes?
Well kind of… maybe not literally, but airplanes certainly use a lot of paper to fly, just not the same type of paper as those little ones we used to fold as kids. They use paper money, benjamins, following?
Of all the hobbies and professions, for some reason, we chose flying. Don’t get me wrong, flying is amazing, it’s lots of fun, challenging, and leads to the most amazing experiences. But flying also empties the bank account, creates financial stress, and seems monetarily unattainable for most.
My Vision
This blog was started to try to help people achieve their dreams of becoming pilots by educating themselves on both flight training and personal finance.
My name is Will, I am a young pilot who just graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and throughout my flight training career, I’ve talked to too many people who have said that they would love to be a pilot but it is just too expensive. I recognize how blessed I have been between achieving great financial aid from working hard and having a family that could financially support my career ambitions. Not everyone shares my situation, but I noticed that and I thought… “How can I share my two passions with people?”
My goal: make flying accessible and safe for everyone.
See I don’t come from a wealthy family by any means, neither of my parents went to college, but through my experiences in college, I found myself captivated by learning the art of accumulating wealth. At the time I had just started working at Publix as a stock clerk for $13/hour and I noticed that my money was not working nearly as hard as I was. My feet, legs, and back were sore after every shift and my money would just go into my savings account. Mentally, I was financially broke. I started to educate myself by reading books and blogs and listening to podcasts. I found the financial independence community through BiggerPockets by looking up podcasts about money on Spotify. I thought to myself, what if I could share this with those people that I met before who didn’t think they could become a pilot because they were suffocated by their relationship with money?
So I pressed on and read, and listened. Blog post after blog post, book after book, podcast episode after podcast episode; things started to make sense. I would go to my family, ecstatic to tell them about what I was learning and eventually it clicked. I knew that I was being called to create something for others; to share what I have learned. The skies may not become cheaper, but they can become more affordable, through simple changes to lifestyle and financial education.
The more time that I spend learning about flying and personal finance, the more I realize how much of a passion I have for each of them. I am determined to change the world of general aviation and its accessibility. Being in the air is like being on a family vacation without your mother-in-law. It is so freeing, so peaceful, and unbelievably beautiful. I want to help as many people as I can experience that bliss.
Like most enjoyable things in life, flying comes with responsibility. At the end of the day, it is a privilege, so it is something to take seriously. But my message is this, we can be extremely serious, safe pilots while also having a tremendous amount of fun. It all starts with the ability to be able to get into the cockpit to train, so let’s get started!
Over time, I realized that there is one single thing that prevents people from doing what they dream of: MINDSET. Don’t worry I’m not going to get too philosophical. But if someone wants to change, it has to come from inside of them, from a burning desire for something greater. This applies to learning how to fly, pilots’ finance, business, relationships, and life. Woah… how did I get to talking about life? I just said I wasn’t going to get philosophical.
Back to flying, if someone wants to fly badly enough, they will figure out a way to afford it. It’s as simple as that. If a person does not start with a burning desire, they will chase their tail because, along the way, they cannot focus their energy towards the ultimate goal and won’t have the energy, determination, or drive it takes to get past the challenges that they will face in training.
It really is true that if you believe you can or if you believe you can’t, you’re right.
Sorry… we’re all out of cheeseburgers and fries. But hopefully, you’re still excited to learn about personal finance and flying!