“I have always known that I wanted to give back to the community that helped shape me. While attending the University of Memphis, I knew that after completing my B.S. in commercial aviation, I wanted to return home to Pickwick, Tennessee, and instruct in the area where I grew up. Aviation opportunities can be limited in rural communities, and I wanted to help change that by making flight training more accessible to local students and aspiring pilots. I instruct because I enjoy sharing something I am passionate about, but more importantly, I want to help others discover that a career in aviation is possible, regardless of where they come from. Being able to teach in my hometown and help open the door to aviation for the next generation is what makes flight instructing especially meaningful to me. I hope I will be able to keep teaching the why in my training and raise the bar whenever possible!”

-Cade Plunk, CFI, CFII

I am a flight instructor because aviation has become such an important part of who I am, and being able to share that passion with someone is ineffable. I believe your instructor is such an impactful part of your journey and I want to be just as great as mine were. Watching someone grow from their first uncertain moments in an airplane into a safe, confident pilot, and knowing I had even a small part in helping them achieve that dream is what makes instructing so special to me!

-Alexis Brantley, CFI

I became a flight instructor because I wanted the opportunity to share my love for aviation while helping others work toward their own goals in flying. Instructing is also incredibly rewarding, not only because I get to watch student learn and become confident in aviation, but also because teaching continually challenges me to strengthen my own knowledge and stay sharp as a pilot.

-Blake Reed, CFI, CFII

Instructing has made me a better person & that’s my why. It has taught me patience, and there is no greater feeling than watching a student succeed. I want my students to succeed so much that they become even better than me—that “student masters the teacher” moment is what I hope for. I’ve been instructing for a year and a half, and I truly see my students as my babies. Whether they need encouragement in the airplane or just a confidence boost or advice in life, I want to be there for them. I want to watch them grow, reach their goals, and build the careers they’ve dreamed of. One day, I hope we’re both at our end-goal airlines, and I can’t wait for the day I pass one of my former students in an airline uniform at the airport. That would be one of the proudest moments of my career.

-Winnie Bradley, CFI