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213. Are Bizav Pilot Salaries Still Climbing?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Release Date: 07/07/2026

226. Will You Be Healthy Enough to Enjoy Pilot Retirement? show art 226. Will You Be Healthy Enough to Enjoy Pilot Retirement?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

You've spent your flying career building a retirement account, but will you be healthy enough to enjoy it? Dylan and Max sit down with Dr. Gregory Charlop, founder of Buckhead Longevity, to explore how professional pilots can protect their health, extend their active retirement years, and prepare for life after the cockpit. From cardiovascular risk, strength training, sleep, and nutrition on the road to GLP-1 medications, experimental peptides, and the latest developments in longevity medicine, this episode looks at the side of retirement planning that rarely gets discussed. Find out why...

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225. What Happens When an Arrest Threatens Your Flying Career? show art 225. What Happens When an Arrest Threatens Your Flying Career?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Max returns from Gulfstream recurrent training with surprisingly few complaints—except for the QRH—while Dylan reports from NBAA-BACE, where the flashy new SyberJet is promising some pretty wild innovations. Plus, Max takes the Cub quail hunting in the Arizona backcountry, only to discover that thunderstorms, muddy airstrips, and an epic covey of birds make for quite the adventure. In the Mailbag, we tackle a serious question about an arrest, alcohol concerns, and navigating the FAA medical and HIMS process, before lightening things up with regional airline commuting horror stories and ski...

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224. Is a Global 6500 Type Rating Worth Two More Years in the Military? show art 224. Is a Global 6500 Type Rating Worth Two More Years in the Military?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Dylan recovers from the orthopedic nightmare of flying Frontier, while Max discovers the ultimate FO jackpot: getting paired with a check airman and paid to stay home. The guys also talk NBAA distractions, pilot uniform crimes, and some surprisingly useful sleep tips. In the Mailbag, they tackle trust and communication in pilot relationships, the value of a CFII, and whether a 700-hour pilot can break into part-time contract flying. In Flight Advice, a military pilot faces a big decision: stay in two extra years for a Global 6500 type rating with minimal flight time, or get out and start...

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223. What Do Aircraft Mechanics Wish Pilots Understood? show art 223. What Do Aircraft Mechanics Wish Pilots Understood?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Doug Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of Avtopia, joins Dylan and Max to pull back the curtain on aircraft maintenance, AOG headaches, and what mechanics wish pilots understood about keeping airplanes flying. With 35 years of maintenance experience, Doug shares practical insights on writing better squawks, working with maintenance teams, navigating parts shortages, and avoiding the mistakes that make an already stressful AOG even worse. From MELs and elusive “cannot duplicate” discrepancies to Gulfstream maintenance nightmares, the A&P shortage, and AI-powered troubleshooting, the...

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222. Are Your Pilot Logbooks Ready for the Next Job? show art 222. Are Your Pilot Logbooks Ready for the Next Job?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Max goes back to basics in recurrent training, Ted checks in from his increasingly fortified garage, and the guys dig into the FAA’s move away from single-pilot exemptions on legacy Citations. The Mailbag keeps the pilot-marriage conversation going with listener strategies for trust, communication, and life on the road. For Flight Advice, Ben asks how to consolidate paper, Garmin Pilot, and MyFlightbook records before starting his first Part 135/fractional flying job, leading to a discussion about owning your data, backups, and keeping a clean interview-ready logbook.  Show Notes 0:00...

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221. Are You Leaving Money on the Table Before Year-End? show art 221. Are You Leaving Money on the Table Before Year-End?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Tim Pope of 360 Aviation Advisors joins Dylan and Max to talk open enrollment, year-end financial planning, and one of the biggest career decisions pilots eventually face: when to upgrade. For professional pilots, the numbers matter—but so do schedule, seniority, reserve, weekends off, and the quality-of-life calculus that never fits neatly into a spreadsheet. They dig into disability coverage, estate planning, 401(k) and Roth strategies, AI-generated financial questions, and whether captain pay is worth trading away a senior FO schedule. Listen in and subscribe for more conversations built...

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220. How Much Adventure Can You Fit Into One Flying Week? show art 220. How Much Adventure Can You Fit Into One Flying Week?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

This week we ditch the usual format and go full storytime, starting with Max’s annual Idaho backcountry mission involving Cub flying, pack rafts, mechanical drama, questionable fuel logistics, hungry foxes, and one extremely unwelcome skunk. Dylan counters with a 24-hour Anchorage layover full of 747s, floatplanes, bush planes, F Street Station, and some proper Alaska aviation sightseeing. Then he brings Gavin along in the right seat of the CJ2 for a father-son run to Roswell, complete with copilot duties and UFO tourism. Mailbag and Flight Advice will be back next episode. Show Notes 0:00...

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219. Why Is the Business Jet Market So Tight Right Now? show art 219. Why Is the Business Jet Market So Tight Right Now?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Brooks Pettit of Vaerus Jet Sales joins Dylan and Max to break down what is really happening in the business aircraft market. For professional pilots and flight departments, he covers tight inventory, strong demand, financing, tax-driven transactions, and why planning ahead matters. They also get into Challenger 3500 delivery positions, bonus depreciation, tariffs, AI-driven market research, and the realities of buying and selling aircraft in a fast-moving market. Listen in for a practical look at the transaction side of business aviation, then subscribe for more conversations from the cockpit...

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218. Can You Trust a Pilot on the Road? show art 218. Can You Trust a Pilot on the Road?

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Max checks in from a musty Missouri hotel while earning his Light Sport Repairman certificate, and the guys detour through GA maintenance, Starbase, RTA wizardry, and the ongoing decline of 123.45 as a social network. Mailbag covers Sugar Alpha, Qantas’ ultra-long-haul A350 plans, where Spirit’s pilots and traffic may have landed, and whether 21.Five needs a Discord server. In Flight Advice, Dylan and Max tackle the stereotype that pilots are destined to cheat—and how couples can build trust, recognize real red flags, and keep the hotel-bar lifestyle from becoming a relationship MEL....

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217. Constant Peg: America’s Secret MiG Operation show art 217. Constant Peg: America’s Secret MiG Operation

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

Rob Zettel joins Dylan and Max to tell the story of flying MiG-21s and MiG-23s with the USAF’s secretive Red Eagles under the Constant Peg program. For professional pilots, it’s a fascinating look at training, aircraft handling, risk management, and what happens when experienced aviators are handed an airplane with no two-seat trainer and no simulator. Rob gets into fighting frontline U.S. fighters in the MiG-21, taking the MiG-23 to Mach 2.35, handling a serious hydraulic failure, and later trading Cold War fighters for a career at United and the 757. Listen and subscribe for more...

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More Episodes

Dr. Chris Broyhill returns to talk AirComp Calculator data, pilot compensation trends, and why business aviation leadership still needs some recurrent training. For professional pilots and aviation managers, this one matters because the market is moving faster than the standard “here’s your 3% raise” corporate playbook. Dylan, Max, and Chris get into G500/G600 pay, contract rates, compensation survey safe-harbor rules, and the new Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence. Listen, subscribe, and maybe read the methodology section before walking into your next comp meeting.

Click here to learn more about the Air Comp Calculator

Click here to learn more about The Business Aviation Book: Leading Operational Excellence

You can find Dr Broyhill's Podcast The Flight Department Show here

Show Notes

0:00 Intro

2:08 AirComp Calculator

9:22 Salary Survey

19:44 Compensation Trends & Weights

33:13 The Business Aviation Book

39:54 Writing About Leadership

Our Sponsors

Tim Pope, CFP® — Tim is both a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a pilot. His practice specializes in aviation professionals and aviation 401k plans, helping clients pursue their financial goals by defining them, optimizing resources, and monitoring progress. Click here to learn more. Also check out The Pilot's Portfolio Podcast.

Advanced Aircrew Academy — Enables flight operations to fulfill their training needs in the most efficient and affordable way—anywhere, at any time. They provide high-quality training for professional pilots, flight attendants, flight coordinators, maintenance, and line service teams, all delivered via a world-class online system. Click here to learn more.

Raven Careers — Helping your career take flight. Raven Careers supports professional pilots with resume prep, interview strategy, and long-term career planning. Whether you’re a CFI eyeing your first regional, a captain debating your upgrade path, or a legacy hopeful refining your application, their one-on-one coaching and insider knowledge give you a real advantage. Click here to learn more.

The AirComp Calculator™ is business aviation’s only online compensation analysis system. It can provide precise compensation ranges for 14 business aviation positions in six aircraft classes at over 50 locations throughout the United States in seconds. Click here to learn more.

Vaerus Jet Sales — Vaerus means right, true, and real. Buy or sell an aircraft the right way, with a true partner to make your dream of flight real. Connect with Brooks at Vaerus Jet Sales or learn more about their DC-3 Referral Program.

Harvey Watt — Offers the only true Loss of Medical License Insurance available to individuals and small groups. Because Harvey Watt manages most airlines' plans, they can assist you in identifying the right coverage to supplement your airline’s plan. Many buy coverage to supplement the loss of retirement benefits while grounded. Click here to learn more.

VSL ACE Guide — Your all-in-one pilot training resource. Includes the most up-to-date Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and Practical Test Standards (PTS) for Private, Instrument, Commercial, ATP, CFI, and CFII. 21.Five listeners get a discount on the guide—click here to learn more.

ProPilotWorld.com — The premier information and networking resource for professional pilots. Click here to learn more.


 

Feedback & Contact

Have feedback, suggestions, or a great aviation story to share? Email us at [email protected]. Check out our Instagram feed @21FivePodcast for more great content (and our collection of aviation license plates).

The statements made in this show are our own opinions and do not reflect, nor were they under any direction of any of our employers.