International Pilot - Interviews from the Floor: Professional Asian Pilot Association Expo 2025
Ready 4 Pushback
Nik Fialka
4.8 • 716 Ratings
🗓️ 18 August 2025
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Episode 272 - In another episode from the floor of PAPA - Nik sits down with Ash, an international pilot currently flying the Airbus A320 for a major carrier based in Hong Kong. Ash shares a global aviation journey — from flight training in New Zealand to flying single-engine caravans in the mountainous terrain of Indonesia, and eventually landing a career with a world-class Asian airline.
We dig into what it’s like flying internationally out of Hong Kong, how airline structures differ between Asia and the West, and the often-overlooked challenges of adapting to expat life in one of the world’s densest cities. Ash also opens up about transitioning to the U.S. aviation system and earning his FAA ATP certificate, and offers his thoughts on CRM culture and cockpit dynamics across borders.
What You'll Learn:
How Ash built an international flying career starting with training in New Zealand
What it’s like flying single-engine aircraft in the challenging terrain of Indonesia
The unique structure and expectations of working for an airline based in Hong Kong
How cockpit resource management (CRM) and cockpit culture differ between Asia and the West
What to expect when transitioning from an ICAO license to an FAA ATP
The lifestyle realities of expat pilots living and working in Hong Kong
Why global flying experience can give pilots a unique edge—if they’re willing to adapt
CONNECT WITH US
Are you ready to take your preparation to the next level? Don’t wait until it’s too late. Use the promo code “R4P2025” and save 10% on all our services.
Check us out at www.spitfireelite.com! If you want to recommend someone to guest on the show, email Nik at [email protected], and if you need a professional pilot resume, go to www.spitfireelite.com/podcast/ for FREE templates!
SPONSOR
Are you a pilot just coming out of the military and looking for the perfect second home for your family? Look no further! Reach out to Marty and his team by visiting www.tridenthomeloans.com to get the best VA loans available anywhere in the US.
Be ready for takeoff anytime with 3D-stretch, stain-repellent, and wrinkle-free aviation uniforms by Flight Uniforms. Just go to www.flightuniform.com and type the code SPITFIREPOD20 to get a special 20% discount on your first order.
#Aviation #AviationCareers #aviationcrew #AviationJobs #AviationLeadership #AviationEducation #AviationOpportunities #AviationPodcast #AirlinePilot #AirlineJobs #AirlineInterviewPrep #flying #flyingtips #PilotDevelopment #PilotFinance #pilotcareer #pilottips #pilotcareertips #PilotExperience #pilotcaptain #PilotTraining #PilotSuccess #pilotpodcast #PilotPreparation #Pilotrecruitment #flightschool #aviationschool #pilotcareer #pilotlife #pilot
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey, pilot, welcome back to Ready for Pushback. I'm Nick Fialca and today I am continuing my series at the professional age and pilots association. I'm interviewing my friend Ash who flies for Hong Kong Airways. The cool part about the Papa convention is people came in from all over the world and I grabbed them and I talked to them and I found out about the airline and what it's like flying for them. |
| 0:25.6 | This is a great conversation. |
| 0:27.6 | I really think you're going to enjoy it. |
| 0:29.6 | A heads up, there's still no video on this one. |
| 0:31.6 | It's just audio. |
| 0:33.6 | It's just traveling with a camera and a tripod and all the things and trying to non-rev with all that stuff. |
| 0:40.8 | It's a little bit of a bridge too far for me. |
| 0:43.9 | Maybe one day I'll have a whole crew and they'll just follow me around and it'll be like real pro. |
| 0:49.1 | But that's where we are right now. |
| 0:50.8 | So it's a good listen. |
| 0:53.8 | And I appreciate you guys. I hope you really enjoy |
| 0:56.2 | the conversation with Ash. So sit back, relax. Let's get ready for pushback. It all started |
| 1:04.2 | as a spark. Maybe it was the sound of jets racing across the sky or the feeling of your heart racing as you watch CropDuster flying low and slow. |
| 1:16.6 | Even then, you knew you were meant to fly. |
| 1:20.6 | For pilots, it's more than just a job. It's a calling. |
| 1:24.6 | The early mornings, the long hours, the relentless training, you didn't do it for the money. |
| 1:31.3 | You did it for that moment. |
| 1:33.3 | That moment when the wheels lift off and the earth falls away beneath you. |
| 1:38.3 | But flying is just the beginning. |
| 1:40.3 | The journey to your dream job takes more than just skill in the sky. |
| 1:47.4 | It takes strategy on the ground and a lifetime of learning. |
| 1:54.1 | Most pilots don't understand what career opportunities are available in the world of aviation. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Nik Fialka, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Nik Fialka and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.