If you want to fly

Where I’m coming from

• Japanese ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence)
• Around 15,000 flight hours
• Type ratings on two propeller aircraft and three turbojets

And I’d like to hear about you

This part is selfish, so I’ll just say it: almost everyone around me does this job, so almost every conversation I have is about aircraft. I’d rather hear about you — where you grew up, what your days look like, what things are like where you are.

So it doesn’t have to be an interview. Ask me something and then tell me something.

That said — if you came here with a real question, you’ll get a real answer. I’m not going to turn it into small talk on you.

Why this is free

I’m not trying to make money from this, so there’s no menu and no invoice.

The route into this job is badly documented, the schools are expensive, and a lot of what’s online was written by people who never got in. I went down the road myself, and I’d rather answer a real question than watch someone spend a year guessing.

“I’d just like to hear what it’s actually like” is a perfectly good reason to get in touch. I like talking to people. And if any of it makes you interested in the work itself, that would honestly make me happy.

Things you can ask

Whatever’s sitting at the top of your head right now is probably on this list. None of it is a stupid question — I had all of them too, and nobody to ask.

• Which route actually fits you, and what each one costs in real money
• The medical — what it checks and what happens if something comes back marginal
• English, and how good is good enough
• What to do if you fail something. People do. It isn’t the end of it.
• What the job is actually like on an ordinary day, which is mostly not what you’d guess

What I can’t do

I can’t help with any particular company’s hiring — no introductions, no referrals, nothing about what’s inside anyone’s selection process. Sorry about that one; it isn’t mine to give away.

And fair warning: I’m not much of a studier. If you come at me with the really technical stuff, I might not have a good answer for you. Apologies in advance.

If you’re seriously going for it, honestly — a proper flight school is probably the better place to ask. They do this properly. I’m just someone you can talk to.

Get in touch

A DM on Instagram or X is the fastest way. Email works too, if you’d rather take your time over it. There’s no wrong way to open — “I don’t really know what I’m asking yet” is fine.

Instagram DM ↗X DM ↗Email

And if you just want to read more first: the whole story is in The Kid Who Couldn’t Even Fly Straight, and the rest of the flying pieces are under From the cockpit.