E351: Type Rated at 800 Hours: Building a Corporate Aviation Career Early | Ariel Johnson

Pilot to Pilot

Justin Siems

Aviation, Leisure, Flying, Pilot

4.8 • 997 Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Episode 351, Justin sits down with Ariel Johnson (@whiskeyflies on Instagram), a North Carolina-based flight instructor who earned her Citation type rating at just 800 hours. At not even 21 years old, Arielle shares her accelerated journey from discovering aviation at Sun ’n Fun to teaching students and flying corporate jets—all while completing her aviation degree.

This conversation explores the realities of flight training, the power of networking in aviation, and what it takes to break into corporate flying. Ariel discusses her experience getting typed in a Citation, the differences between Part 91 and 135 operations, and her approach to building a career through genuine relationships and hard work. She also offers candid advice for aspiring pilots on making the most of every rating, avoiding common pitfalls, and maintaining passion throughout the journey.

Whether you’re a student pilot wondering about your path forward, a CFI building time, or someone curious about corporate aviation opportunities, this episode delivers practical insights from someone who’s living proof that age is just a number when you combine dedication with smart networking.

Topics covered:

∙ Transitioning from private pilot to corporate jet operations

∙ The value of mentorship and networking in aviation

∙ Part 91 vs Part 135 flying: what to expect

∙ Getting a jet type rating early in your career

∙ Building flight time efficiently as a CFI

∙ Social media’s role in aviation careers

∙ North Carolina flying destinations (Wilmington, Oak Island, and more)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Episode 351 of the Pilot the Pilot Podcast takes off now.
0:09.6	The Pilot to pilot podcast is brought to you by Ground School from the Finer Points,
0:13.8	the indispensable training app for new and experienced pilots.
0:17.4	Visit LearntheFinerpoints.com, backslash Justin Justin to save 10% off your first year.
0:22.5	Fly with Garmin avionics, then grab your mobile device and make the Garmin pilot app your
0:26.8	cockpit companion. Get advanced functions you'll use before, during, and after every flight,
0:32.7	including updating your aircraft's databases and logging engine data, file fly log with garmin pilot all pilots need
0:41.8	the big weather picture and i use serious xm aviation to check the fronts airmets segments turbulence
0:47.5	pyreps and more while i'm pre-flighting and in route all to give my passengers and me the most
0:52.3	comfortable flight possible and now with the latest offer from seriousM, there's never been a better time to upgrade
0:57.8	your next flight with a Garmin GDL 52 portable receiver to bring SiriusXM and ADSB weather
1:04.0	plus traffic into your cockpit.
1:06.0	What's up, it's Justin.
1:07.0	The New Year's here and now is the perfect time to rethink your wealth plan.
1:10.0	If you built a seven-figure portfolio, you need more than just generic advice.
1:14.6	You need guidance that matches the complexity of your portfolio.
1:18.6	That's exactly why the experts at Allworth created a new case study webinar that gives you an inside look at how they helped one multi-million dollar couple build a coordinated, tax smart plan for
1:28.6	2026 and beyond. No fluff, no jargon, no sales pitch, just real advice for real people with real
1:35.2	wealth. Trust me, you'll want to catch this one. So head over to allworth airline.com today to reserve
1:40.4	your spot. My name is Ariel Johnson. Currently, I have my double I and my
1:44.5	M-E-I. I'm teaching as an independent flight instructor. I own a Piper Cherokee, 8434-4-Wiskey. That's
1:51.6	where the Instagram whiskey flies come from is that tail number there. And I contract on the
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Justin Siems, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Justin Siems and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.