Tailwind Tuesday: What Matters Most
It's about the people
Welcome back to Tailwind Tuesday. This week, I want to cover a topic many pilots often struggle to understand. It’s about the people, not the size of the plane. This week, I had an interview with a charter company. I asked the chief pilot a question during the interview, “What makes a successful pilot here at the company?”
His answer didn’t shock me since it was something that I already knew. He said, “The job starts in the cockpit, but it doesn’t stop there. The people in the back are what matters.” I’ve run my own business using similar principles. I built my business by copying the good and doing the opposite of the bad. Let’s look at what happens when we focus on people instead of planes. So, buckle up and come along as we’re about to take off into another Tailwind Tuesday.
In flight instruction, it’s easy to get confused about what matters—people, profit, or passing. Flight schools often chase profit, while instructors focus on getting students to pass. Both of these can miss the deeper point that people matter most. Profits and pass rates follow if you care for your people—your instructors and your students. When your instructors feel supported and valued, they care about student success. When your students feel seen and heard, they come back, refer others, and help you grow. That’s how your business becomes both sustainable and impactful. Sure, we care about profit—but if you want the fastest way to make a million dollars in aviation, start with two million dollars. Aviation is expensive. If you focus on cutting costs, you end up cutting corners on your people. That’s when the headaches begin. Unreliable airplanes, complaining instructors, and angry customers quickly destroy even the best schools. Build something that lasts by investing in your people.
Everything is about the people. The line crew, the students, and the instructors are the business of aviation. Your business isn’t airplanes. Planes are the tools that you use to serve the people. It doesn’t matter if it’s flight instruction or passenger flights. Being a pilot is about serving. How you treat customers and passengers is how the market sees you.
Southwest met customers with a smile and ready to serve. It offered two free checked bags and no assigned seating while being a low-cost carrier. They gave you an experience that was better than everybody else’s. They took care of their people, and those people took care of their business.
Here’s the thing: flight instruction is a business, and it’s not about making airplanes fly. It’s about helping people fulfill lifelong dreams. Flight training teaches skills and transforms lives. Every time I’ve helped someone succeed in this journey, I’ve grown right alongside them. I live by the philosophy of giving before you get—and sometimes that means giving a lot before you see anything in return. This I promise you: the return always comes. This past month, I qualified to become a Gold Seal Flight Instructor—a designation held by fewer than 20,000 CFI certificates nationwide. It represents a deep commitment to both student performance and safety. When you genuinely care about your students and put them first, the work isn’t draining—it’s energizing. Because you’re not just clocking hours or collecting a paycheck—you’re celebrating a milestone that less than 1% of people ever achieve. Flight instruction allows you to shape the future of aviation by guiding the hearts and hands of new pilots right from day one. I know that’s a business worth being in. So, put people first, and you might discover what matters most.
Fly high and fly safe.
CFI out.