E337 - Exploring Contract Flying with Evan Luft

Pilot to Pilot - Aviation Podcast

Justin Siems

Leisure, Hobbies, Business, Aviation, Careers

4.9 • 938 Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Evan Luft joins us on the podcast today, and he's here to share his unique journey through the world of aviation as a contract pilot. One of the standout points we discuss is that you don't have to follow the traditional path of becoming an airline pilot to enjoy a fulfilling and lucrative career in aviation. Evan's experiences flying over the stunning landscapes of Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to sunny Mexico, showcase the adventures that await outside the airline cockpit. We dive into the importance of networking, building relationships, and how being personable can open doors to incredible opportunities in the flying world. Whether you're just starting out or looking to carve your own niche in aviation, Evan's insights will inspire you to embrace the journey and explore the vast possibilities that come with it.

Takeaways:

Evan Luft emphasizes the importance of networking and building relationships in aviation, as many opportunities arise from personal connections.
He shares that flying in Canada offers unique adventures, with stunning scenery and diverse flying experiences not typically found in the U.S.
The podcast highlights that you don't need to be an airline pilot to have a fulfilling and financially rewarding career in aviation.
Evan discusses the flexibility of contract flying, allowing pilots to enjoy their work while exploring incredible destinations like Banff and Mexico.
Justin and Evan agree that being a personable and friendly pilot can significantly impact job opportunities and client relationships.
The episode showcases how technology, particularly Garmin avionics, enhances safety and efficiency for pilots flying in challenging weather conditions.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Episode 337 of the Pilot to Pilot podcast takes off now.
0:10.2	Fly with Garmin avionics, then grab your mobile device and make the Garmin Pilot app your cockpit companion.
0:16.5	Get advanced functions you'll use before, during, and after every flight, including updating your
0:21.9	aircraft's databases and logging engine data, plan, file, fly, log with Garmin Pilot.
0:28.6	The Pilot to pilot podcast is brought to you by Ground School from the FinerPoints, the
0:32.7	indispensable training app for new and experienced pilots.
0:36.1	Visit learn thefiner points.com backslash
0:38.4	Justin to save 10% off your first year. All pilots need the big weather picture and I use
0:43.9	SiriusXM aviation to check the fronts, airmets, segments, turbulence, pyreps and more. While I'm pre-flighting
0:50.4	and en route, all to give my passengers and me the most comfortable flight possible.
0:54.7	And now with the latest offer from SiriusXM, there's never been a better time to upgrade
0:58.5	your next flight with a Garmin GDL-52 portable receiver to bring SiriusXM and ADSB weather,
1:04.6	plus traffic into your cockpit.
1:06.7	Okay, so I'm Evan and I've over the last five years, I've kind of documented, I've been flying airplanes for about 20 years now. I started flying when I was 15.
1:18.1	Aviation, what is going on and welcome back to the pilot to pilot podcast. My name is Justin Seams and I am your host.
1:24.9	Today's episode is with Evan Luft. He is a current pilot in Canada where he's
1:29.8	flying conquest all over pretty much North America. He specializes in Canada and he is flying
1:35.8	over the Rocky Mountains out to British Columbia. He's flying down to Mexico, the U.S.
1:39.7	And he's really carved out such a cool lifestyle and such a great way to enjoy aviation. And you can see that he really has a passion for what he does, which is awesome because part of this podcast is just showing you different ways that you can become a pilot and that you can make a career. And Evan has definitely done that for himself. You don't have to be an airline pilot to enjoy your life as a pilot. You don't have to be an airline pilot to make good money. As Evan will tell you right now, he is doing exactly what he loves and what he thinks he should be doing. So shout out to Evan. I appreciate it coming on. He's also a fellow Garmin ambassador. So shout out to Garman. I got the Garmin swag on today. I also have a hat on. Rocking it backwards because I can't pull off a flat bill anymore. I think once you turn 35, you got to turn the flat bill backwards. You can correct me in the comments. Maybe I shouldn't even have a flat bill at all. I should probably have a dad hat. But, man, getting old. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this podcast. If you do, please leave us a review. We're so close to a thousand reviews on both iTunes and on Spotify. I want to see which one can get a thousand reviews first, but if you haven't left a review,
2:34.8	please do so. And let me know what you like about the podcast. Aviation, hope you're having a great
2:39.2	day. Without any further ado, here is Evan to talk about his aviation career. Evan, welcome to the
2:45.2	pilot to pilot podcast, man. Hello. What's up, dude? Thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, appreciate you coming on.
	...

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