Ep 252 Flying Through Setbacks: A Story of Grit with Arthur Walley
Ready 4 Pushback
Nik Fialka
4.8 • 716 Ratings
🗓️ 9 June 2025
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this inspiring episode, Nik chats with Arthur "Art" Walley, who shares the winding journey that took him from enlisting in the Marine Corps out of high school and deploying to Iraq to the cockpit of a major airline. With humor, and hard-earned insight, Art reflects on the challenges of starting a second career, balancing family life, and staying mission-focused even when the mission keeps changing. From grinding it out in law enforcement while building flight hours, to rising through the ranks as a director of training at a Part 135 carrier, to landing a seat at a major airline, Art’s story is packed with lessons for pilots navigating non-linear paths. Whether you're a veteran eyeing aviation, a CFI building time, or a Part 135 flyer dreaming of the majors—this episode delivers both wisdom and encouragement.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
How Art navigated multiple career transitions between military, law enforcement and aviation
The power of persistence and flexibility in the face of furloughs and setbacks
Behind-the-scenes insights into the director of training role at a Part 135 operator
Crash pad life and commuting realities in early airline careers
How Art transitioned from corporate jets to flying the Airbus A320
The differences between traditional 121 training and AQP-style airline programs Mental frameworks for thriving in training
CONNECT WITH US
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SPONSOR
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, pilot. Welcome back to Ready for Pushback. I'm Nick Fielke. Today's conversation is a really in-depth look at what it takes to go from not flying to all the different iterations of the things you can do. |
| 0:16.4 | We talk about aircraft sales. We talk about Part 135 flying, we talk about ultra low-cost carrier |
| 0:22.5 | flying, and we talk about major flying, all sorts of different things, and we even have |
| 0:28.0 | time to talk about flight schools. |
| 0:29.9 | So Art Wally is my guest today. |
| 0:32.3 | I think you're really, really, really going to enjoy this conversation. |
| 0:36.0 | So sit back, relax. Let's get ready for pushback. |
| 0:41.8 | It all started as a spark. Maybe it was the sound of jets racing across the sky. |
| 0:49.8 | Or the feeling of your heart racing as you watch Crop Duster flying low and slow. |
| 0:56.0 | Even then, you knew you were meant to fly. |
| 1:00.0 | For pilots, it's more than just a job. It's a calling. |
| 1:04.0 | The early mornings, the long hours, the relentless training, |
| 1:08.0 | you didn't do it for the money. |
| 1:10.0 | You did it for that moment. |
| 1:12.5 | That moment when the wheels lift off and the earth falls away beneath you. But flying is just the |
| 1:18.5 | beginning. The journey to your dream job takes more than just skill in the sky. It takes strategy |
| 1:24.0 | on the ground and a lifetime of learning. Most pilots don't understand what career |
| 1:29.8 | opportunities are available in the world of aviation. Learn how to go from good to great, from flight |
| 1:36.5 | school to regional to major, and from hopeful to hired. Whether you're sharpening your skills, |
| 1:43.5 | building your resume, or preparing for that |
| 1:45.7 | big interview, this is where pilots come to level up. Let's get ready for pushback. Here's your host, |
| 1:52.7 | and my dad, Nick Fialca. All right, Mr. Arthur Wally. How are you, sir? Good. How are you? |
... |
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