🚀 We are The Aviation Mentors, a weekly podcast dedicated to creating an amazing space where we aviators can hang out and enjoy a wide range of conversations about anything aviation. We're aviators, we're mentors, and we're entrepreneurs. Whether you're a student pilot, professional pilot, general aviation enthusiast, or just an AV Geek like us, this is the podcast for you! 🌎 Join us every Friday as we share our passion for flying! Sponsored by Stratus Financial www.stratus.finance
Questions Flight Schools Hope You Won’t Ask Before You Enroll
🛫 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 working dispatch.
🔹 What happens to your prepaid money if you leave or the school closes, and how big a block is safe to buy 🔹 Why flight training quotes can run $10,000 to $50,000 low, and the costs to itemize before you sign (headsets, checkride fees, fuel surcharges, wet vs dry rates, Hobbs vs tach billing) 🔹 How many hours your CFI should have, and why dual instruction given matters more than total time 🔹 Questions about maintenance, weather cancellations, checkride pass rates, and aircraft availability that reveal how a school really runs
🚀 Whether you’re touring your first flight school or second-guessing the one you’re at, this episode helps you go in with the right questions and the right expectations.
🌍 New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss one.
✈️ This episode is sponsored by Stratus Financial, dedicated to supporting the next generation of aviators. Stratus Financial offers student loans built for aspiring pilots, with competitive rates and flexible repayment plans. Learn more at stratus.finance (http://stratus.finance).
16 Oct 2026
Tesla’s Flying Roadster: What It Means for Pilots
🚗✈️ 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 episode:
Why a car lifted even a foot off the ground is already in FAA airspace
eVTOLs already flying paying passengers in China for around $41, and planned US routes like JFK to Manhattan and LAX to Santa Monica
Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, and Wisk Aero, and why autonomous flight may be harder to approve than the aircraft itself
From the Taylor Aerocar to the Terrafugia Transition: why earlier flying cars never caught on
🚀 Whether it’s a Cessna 172 or an air taxi, the sky still needs people who understand it. Keep training, stay curious, and tell us in the comments: would you ride in an eVTOL with no pilot?
🌍 New episodes of Aviation Mentors drop every week. Follow, subscribe, and share with a fellow aviator.
This episode is sponsored by Stratus Financial, dedicated to supporting the next generation of aviators. Stratus Financial offers student loans built for aspiring pilots, with competitive rates and flexible repayment plans. Visit stratus.finance (http://stratus.finance) to start your journey.
10 Oct 2026
Why Student Pilots Stall on FAA Regulations and How to Actually Learn Them with Caressa Bray
✈️ 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 the foundation for your flying career.
🔹 Why memorizing regulations doesn’t work, and what to do instead 🔹 What a mentor gives you that your flight instructor doesn’t have time for 🔹 Cross-country planning and weight and balance, broken down step by step for students who struggle with the math 🔹 Feeling behind in your training? Why your hours aren’t the whole story
🚀 Student pilots, private pilots, and CFIs: every journey is different, so use every resource available to you and keep climbing.
🌎 New episodes every week. Follow and subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss one.
💰 This episode is sponsored by Stratus Financial, dedicated to supporting the next generation of aviators with student loans built for aspiring pilots, offering competitive rates and flexible repayment plans. Learn more at stratus.finance (http://stratus.finance)
Connect with Caressa: aero-pathways.com (http://aero-pathways.com) | LinkedIn: Caressa Bray | Instagram and Facebook: aero.pathways
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YouTube views
51,099
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
12 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
49 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
77
Social presence
0
YouTube
72
Engagement
51
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