Aviation Mentors

🛫 Before you hand a flight school thousands of dollars, make sure you know which questions to ask first. In this episode, Brandon Martini and Carson Vasquez break down what flight schools don’t always tell you up front, from prepay risks to the costs that never make it into the quote. Brandon draws on his experience owning a flight school, and Carson shares what he learned as a student pilot and...

🚗✈️ Tesla just unveiled a Roadster that drives upside down and lifts off the road. For pilots, the first question is: whose airspace is that? Brandon Martini and Carson Vasquez break down Tesla’s flying Roadster reveal and what flying cars and air taxis could mean for pilots. They trace the long history of flying cars and look at the eVTOL companies racing to carry passengers right now. In this e...

✈️ Excited to start flight training, then hit a wall of FAA regulations? You’re not the only one. This week on Aviation Mentors, Brandon Martini and Carson Vasquez sit down with Caressa Bray, founder of Aero Pathways, part of the E3 SkyPath ecosystem. Caressa explains why so many student pilots quietly stall out once the regulations show up, and how understanding the “why” behind the rules builds...

⛽ What happens when everything's going right, so you skip the fuel stop you planned? In this episode, Brandon Martini and Carson Vasquez finish the story of Brandon's ferry flight in an ICP Savannah S light sport airplane from Texas to California. With the right tank still not feeding, Brandon walks through how he replanned every leg, how they got fuel at an airport that had none, and the moment...

⛽ What happens when the fuel burn you were promised isn't the fuel burn you get? In this episode, Brandon Martini and Carson Vasquez break down part one of Brandon's ferry flight in an ICP Savannah S, a light sport airplane he had never flown, from Georgetown, Texas toward California. Brandon walks through how he planned fuel for an unfamiliar aircraft, why he didn't trust the owner's numbers, an...

✈️ Flight review coming up? Brandon walks through his 2-year flight review in a twin, from stalls to steep turns to one very human radio mistake. Co-host Carson Vasquez is out this week, so Brandon Martini takes the mic solo for an episode built around his own flight review. He covers what he practiced, what felt rusty, and what it taught him about staying proficient. What a 2-year flight review l...

Fuel starvation kills more pilots than mechanical failure ever will, so why do so many still skip the fuel stop? ⛽ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down real fuel exhaustion accidents pulled straight from recent aviation news, then share a personal story of nearly running dry over the desert in an Icon A5. They unpack the exact planning mistakes that turn...

✈️ What does it take to plan a cross-country flight when almost nothing is certain? In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon shares his in-progress cross-country trip to Austin, Texas to pick up a brand-new-to-him ICP Savannah light sport aircraft, flying it home to California with his friend Herb. Brandon and Carson break down the real-time decision-making that goes into a flight...

Should you switch flight schools if your rates just went up? Is 45 hours without a checkride sign-off normal, or a red flag? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson tackle four listener questions that hit close to home for every student pilot working through primary training. From navigating rising flight school costs to knowing when a CFI's caution is protecting you...

✈️ What does it take to flight test a brand-new aircraft before it's ever earned its wings? In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson sit down with flight test engineer and glider champion Adriana, who holds 34 soaring records and built the FlyORKA app. She shares her path from reading test pilot biographies as a teenager to flight testing prototypes for Gulfstream, plus...

Can an AI really get you through your checkride, or is it setting you up to fail? 🤖✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Carson flies solo to break down the fast-growing wave of AI tools built for checkride and ground school prep. He walks through what's actually useful, what's overhyped, and where trusting the wrong answer could cost you more than a bad grade. How Sporty's new AI s...

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday — what really happens when the engine quits and there's no runway in sight? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down the real Huntington Beach beach landing that had pilots buzzing, then dig into aviation history to explain why golf courses keep showing up as emergency landing spots. The hosts cover: The real mayday call and engine fa...

Buying or selling a plane? There's a costly mistake hiding in the logbooks that most people never see coming. ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down the real process behind buying and selling an airplane, using Carson's recent sale of his Icon A5 as a live example. They cover: Why a pre-buy inspection is non-negotiable, even on a $20,000 airplane, and wha...

What does it really cost to experience the biggest airshow in the world? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down everything pilots need to know about EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, from ticket and membership costs to what it's really like to fly in and camp under your wing. With this year's event just days away, the hosts share firsthand stories and answer the qu...

Flying a drone near an airport? The rules might surprise you. 🛸 In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down Part 107 and what every pilot, student, and CFI needs to know about sharing the airspace with drones. From personal drone stories to real FAA enforcement cases, the hosts cover: The difference between recreational (TRUST test) and commercial (Part 107) dro...

🌍 Failed a checkride? You're not alone, and it's not the end of your aviation journey. ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down what a checkride failure or discontinuance actually means for student pilots, plus dig into the differences between Part 61 and Part 141 flight schools, why general aviation airports keep shutting down, and why fewer people are fl...

A Chinese-owned aircraft maker just landed on the Pentagon's radar, and Cirrus pilots want to know what it means for them. In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down the news that Cirrus's parent company, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), has been added to the Pentagon's list of Chinese military-linked companies operating in the US. The hosts walk t...

Is Cirrus secretly owned by a Chinese company, and could carbon monoxide be hiding in your training aircraft right now? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson tackle a stacked listener Q&A covering the biggest questions general aviation pilots are asking right now. Carson also catches Brandon off guard with breaking news about Cirrus. They cover: Carson asks Bra...

Flight training in 2026 — is it still worth it, and what do the numbers actually say? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Carson delivers a data-driven state of the union for flight training in 2026. Real numbers pulled from FAA records, industry surveys, and airline hiring reports. Carson breaks down: The real state of airline hiring in 2026, with actual numbers from American, Uni...

Can you fly without aviation insurance and what happens if you do? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson sit down with Tomer Kashi, CEO and co-founder of Skywatch, and Stephanie Kleeberg, head of sales and customer service, to break down everything pilots need to know about aviation insurance. They discuss: What renters insurance actually covers and why every stude...

Putting all your squawks into Claude and comparing it with flight data and seeing who's breaking the planes. ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson just got back from AeroSummit 2025 in Miami and break down everything that happened, from a heated on-stage FAA debate to a live $10,000 scholarship announcement. The hosts discuss: How AI is now being used in flight sch...

In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down everything you need to know about AeroSummit 2026, happening May 20 through 22 at the JW Marriott Turnberry in Aventura, Florida. From the session lineup to networking opportunities, here's what's in store: Dedicated tracks for student pilots, CFIs, and flight school owners Keynote speaker Stephanie Goats and panels on...

Runway incursions, airline bankruptcies, and what it all means for your future in the cockpit. ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson break down the latest aviation headlines and what student pilots and aspiring airline professionals need to understand about a rapidly shifting industry. From a shocking runway collision at LaGuardia to Spirit Airlines ceasing operati...

Do you really need a degree to fly for a major airline, or is that advice completely outdated? ✈️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson tackle a packed listener Q&A covering some of the most common questions student pilots are asking right now. From airline hiring requirements to managing fear between lessons, this one hits close to home for anyone in flight train...

Hygiene in the cockpit — it's the conversation nobody wants to have, but every pilot, CFI, and flight school owner eventually faces. 🛩️ In this episode of the Aviation Mentors Podcast, Brandon and Carson tackle the awkward, hilarious, and surprisingly serious topic of cockpit hygiene — and it goes both ways. From smelly students to unprofessional instructors, the hosts break down: How smelly stude...