Pilot Lessons Every Influencer Must Learn 

IMHO, most student pilots don't understand that THEY are the employer, NOT the employees. They are already somewhat intimidated by starting this journey, where they are learning large amounts of information, with a healthy dose of danger thrown in. This results in them not reporting poor instructors and putting up with poor instructors instead of asserting their right to go get a different instructor. Students, please, remember YOU are in charge of your learning experience! If you're not comfortable with your instructors, find a different one! As for social media, flying the plane comes first! Thanks Mike,for bringing attention to these very important subjects.

Knowing that your video will be shown on social media can have a subconscious effect, resulting in unexpected or atypical behaviors of a pilot. Thus, it goes beyond simple distractions.

Great points Mike! Just like not every CFI should be instructing, not every content creator needs to be an influencer. You do an awesome job of providing real life content that is informative and entertaining.

What really worries me about GA is whole idea of making CFI to rack up hours for airlines. You need little over 200 hrs to become CFI. I'm not airplane pilot (I'll start training soon), but I'm a paraglider pilot. I have around 200hrs of airtime on piece of cloth and few lines. I don't feel qualified to become an instructor of paragliding. How the hell someone with 200hrs on airplanes is enough to become CFI? You can have 200hrs and never experienced any serious issues or weather. Your comments about cameras are spot on. I stopped filming altogether when I was messing with my camera in flight and got a wing collapse because of that (not a big deal, but got me right back to aviating).

When I was flying with two friends, one a marine Corp F-4 pilot and A German glider pilot from WW II, while their flying styles were different, both we very attentive and were constantly looking for a place to land if something to go wrong. When I flew with a civilly trained instructor, he scared me, being so nonchalant.

I've been an aviation RU-vidr for four year now and I agree with Mike here. I set my cameras and then, that's it. Everything else is about a high level attention to procedural details. There have been so many flights that I have not been able to make videos of because the GoPros died during the flight. I will say, I don't think social media is "causing" more crashes. I think that there are more people who are engaging in general aviation and some of them display some of those attitudes we talk about during flight training. I also think that there are resourced individuals that move too fast are get into aircraft that they are not ready to fly. I will say that I am a proponent of aviation on RU-vid. I think it is a good way to share experiences with other pilots and the general public. I also like when people come to my channel, watch a video and give me vital feedback on my flight and some of the mistakes I may be making. All in all, I believe the positives outweigh the negatives. I wouldn't want more regulation around this activity. That would be a loss in my mind. Fly well all.

You got it exactly. When I am flying, I am flying 100%. All my attention is on the airplane, and flying safely. I turn on the camera at startup, then don't think about it again until shutdown. If I capture something that I can use in a video, then so be it. Most of the video I record ends up being scrapped. When I do use captured video, most of the time I will do voiceover after the fact, so I'm not distracted in the cockpit trying to narrate to a camera. The only time I actually talk to the camera in flight is on cross-countries, where I'm sitting there on an enroute segment in airspace that is quiet, autopilot on, watching the miles click by, and I am not busy.

Do you think busting the CLT class Bravo was in anyway caused by you being distracted by your cameras or RU-vid channel?

Thanks man, most young persons are in a hurry to create content without understanding what are are into and building the real safety standard s and habits , it’s a huge challenge in our today world

"Deal with it." Best response EVER! I'm sure I will use that at some point.

Thanks for addressing this critical issue. Good advice as well.

I’ve been thinking about this very topic for some time Mike…all very well said. It really kind of hit a high point for me with the recent crash of RU-vidr TN Flygirl and her dad in her Bonanza. She was clearly struggling in mastering this plane which was way too much for her and the fact that she was video documenting all of it, just seemed like a distraction that she absolutely did not need. It was very sad for this family.

Mike, this was well put together and thought provoking; it was also thoughtful on your part to discuss it in the manner you did, and this reflects your pride of ownership/partnership within the GA social media space. Nicely done!

I love your content brother! Thank you for sharing so much about aviation.

Some RU-vidr pilots seem to intentionally get themselves into situations for the sole purpose of views. I can’t prove it, but it wouldn’t surprise me. A little while back, there was a pilot named Trevor (can’t remember his last name) who intentionally crashed JUST TO GET MORE VIEWS! If I’m not mistaken, he acted like it was an engine-failure but later admitted to shutting it down. He also hid the wreckage (presumably to prevent the FAA from finding out there was no engine failure at all). No matter how many views/subscribers you may get, it wouldn’t justify destroying an airplane. I understand there are RU-vidrs who have become quite wealthy from their YT channel, but one video wouldn’t make you that popular.

While social media has helpful information it has become: An undue influence, A crutch, An unhealthy distraction & An excuse that pulls way too many individuals away from their own families.

I totally agree with you here, thanks for stepping up & being Honest with folks Mike…!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌎

Thanks for posting this. It is a very important reminder. I am a new pilot. This video made me really think about making sure I do the right thing while flying.

Part of the distraction is that the GoPro's people commonly use are very UNRELIABLE. And pilots get distracted because the GoPro suddenly turns off due to overheating or some other glitch. If these GoPro's worked like they were supposed to and you could just set it and forget it...there wouldn't be fewer distractions.

Dirty Harry, "A person has to know their limitations!" Agree. not everyone is capable of being an instructor. I had a couple with whom I opted not to fly.. I had some whom I thoroughly respected and trusted.

Taking your time with the preflight is excellent advice. There have been times when I've become a bit flustered, or distracted, during my preflight. When that happens, I stop, take a deep breath, and reset my mind. I take some time to refocus and make sure I'm not rushing it. Always try to be aware of your state of mind during your preflight and the followup preparation for flight. As for instructors, I've been fortunate that all of my instructors have been at least competent, if not very good. But, like you say, a lot of instructors are there to build time before they move on to flying commercially or for the airlines. I had probably three instructors during my training due to a combination of it taking a while because of life, and because the turnover rate is so high. I had one who left to get his A&P which I thought was interesting. Your opinion that probably half of all CFIs shouldn't be instructors is striking. If true, it makes me wonder why so many 'bad' CFIs are hired and allowed to continue instructing. My first thought is that it's because so many are using it as a stepping stone to ATP and the schools don't want to derail that process. Maybe they think disciplining/grounding/firing instructors would open them up to legal liability of some kind. As you run a flight school, you're probably in a better position to say what it is and I'd very much like to hear your thoughts on it.

I would even daresay that social media are exposing those bad instructors and bad pilots. I record flights for as vlogs for memories and as I way for me to look back and see what I could’ve done better as a pilot. I had a partial engine failure after TO today and part of me wished I was recording but I could only hold 500 ft so it could’ve been a distraction. Plus I dont want aviation to be all drama filled flights as it makes the general public think everything goes wrong every time.

I learned to fly and accumulated over 3,000 hours of military flight time- in the military. (Military fight time is only logged - at least it was when I flew - when the wheels break the ground and end when the wheels touch the ground. Fwiw) I've recently thought about taking up flying in general aviation. Holy cow, was I shocked at the lax attitude in GA. There's no "Do overs" in the air. I'm now debating if boating is a better choice... seriously, GA is going to crash itself out of existence. Already on the way with insurance rates and the IGNORANT ATTITUDE of so many that get into it thinking their ability to afford a plane is the majority of the skills necessary... Good luck.. thinking a 30 footer something Pearson for a start sailing!

Tragic to all. My condolences. Hav a safe & blessed week. #salute my gud brotha!!!!!

Great advice! I totally agree with this video.

Well, I finally got to hear from the owner of this channel. I’m not a pilot and don’t expect to become one. I happened upon this channel and got drawn in by the stories of various aviators. I was mightily impressed by how Mike stayed out of the way of the stories. He’s an excellent interviewer and has a great editor. Glad I finally got to see and hear the provider of such superior content.

I've never once had any desire to film what I'm doing in the flight deck....period....not the time nor place.

If I can be stopped for looking at my cell phone while driving, pilots doing snapchats and soliloquies while flying and posting it on line should be fined.

Love your videos young man!! I just want to say when editing don't cut\splice in the middle of sentence. It changes the intent or delivery

Social media does not cause accidents, pilots using their phones when they shouldn't be and or filming/talking when they shouldn't be is the issue. I have never agreed with people filming and talking while flying, you are not paying attention to flying. Just filming is fine, but talking to your cameras while flying should be a no go. My problem with all this is I don't have deep pockets and ever time someone crashes a plane from pilot error my dream of owning my own airplane gets further and further away due to increasing insurance prices. I get you are trying to make a business out of aviation and that's fine just get another pilot to fly with you while you do your stuff and have them look for traffic and answer ATC.

Social media influencer making a video about social media influencers making videos about flying and having accidents……

Well said.

The one instance where the FAA may have had some foresight and not allowing cameras or video cameras on the flight deck during operations

which cameras do you use now that last 3 or 4 hours?

Thanks Mike! Point On!

Excelente advise 🛬✈️👍 as always 🇺🇸 Mike! Have a great Sunday 🥇🏆

The accident video you show at about 2:36 is not a C182 but is a crash of an A36 Bonanza. I can see the right rear doors opening during the crash sequence eliminating a Piper Saratoga. I have more later along the lines of social media perhaps hurting safety, but in another way.

Wouldn't this be the same as the caution not to text and drive?! Yeah, up there may not seem to be as crowded but we do hear about near misses every now and then. Surely, that should be enough warning to everyone in control of a GA over airspaces like the US.

The new tik tok millionaires think it's like driving a car!

Social media did not cause or even contribute to this particular accident in Owensboro, although it did increase risk during takeoff. The root cause is ATP-track CFI hours-building toward an unrealistic knee-jerk reaction 1500-hr requirement. And general assholery of CFIs that shouldn’t even be CFIs.

Social media didnt cause that second one with the guy and the girl in the back seat… overloaded plane and inexperienced pilot did

Keep safe brother

People operating trains are not allowed to use their phones(Bluetooth or not) Maybe I’m wrong but I feel like flying a plane would be more dangerous than operating a train. I’m surprised that camera and phones wouldn’t be allowed to be used when flying a plane.

I am thinking some of those pilots who were able to go live from their plane have Starlink or something like it.

737Max is as safe as the bolts holding it together and the software keeping the center of gravity centered.

Excellent video and content. Good work again! I can judge, 13k hours, 121 check airman.

TY.

Two many are making videos the priority above safe flying, as well as they are not using any of those videos to learn from to improve their own flying safety. One recently, she was 😂 at herself, not knowing how to work her own avionics, not seeing how lost they were just after take off. Film in the background fly safe, review them on your actions, etc. Become a better, safer pilot before editing and posting.

Darwin will take care of it!

Don't text and drive. Don't social media and fly.

The FAA has a track record of letting pilots self-regulate their behavior up to a certain body count. Then they typically come down hard. I can see where they'll go in the direction of Sterile Cockpit policies that the airlines are required to follow, and revising the use of electronic recording devices while operating aircraft. Pilot distraction falls under Human Factors, a science unto itself. Handling an abnormality/emergency, although necessary, is a distraction from flying the aircraft and opens the door to error and threat to safety. Video recording a flight is one thing. Dedicating attention to directly address a social media audience - live, or for future posting - is entirely different. That is attention split away from flying the aircraft, and it is a self-inflicted threat. If you're going to record yourself, realize that you're making a record of every move you make, everything you say, and everything you miss, every FAR you bust, and every threat to safety you ignored.

The need for some people to draw attention to themselves is a cancer on just about any endeavor and obviously deadly in aviation. Of course i am to old to get my liscense renewed and can't pass a physical i still have the dream of flying my own bird again. But it would be like starting over. Even though i think i can do it, i am probably not qualified. That is what many make the mistake with. The "look at me" in addition to minimal skill comprehension is disaster waiting to happen

What is good pilot headphone

I agree Mike. The most concerning recent accident to me on social media was TNflyGirl. She should not have been be endorsed to fly complex high performance aircraft. Others have pointed out that she had a prior history of a previously damaging her Piper prior to purchasing the Beech. It seems that insurance should have required 50+ hours in the type with dual instruction, and that a hazardous attitudes may have been at play (resignation, macho, anti-authority, others). Red flags were abundant. Unfortunately innocent passenger (father) was caught in the down-ward spiral.

recording is fine if it doesn't require attention. The videos I see don't seem to distract the pilots and they seem good at hearing the radio first. I don't think it was a factor in the TNflygirl crash either nor were her limited navigation skills. Something else happened for the plane to dive at high speed for a minute in clear daylight. The mental load of cameras I think is a much lesser threat than for instance the rather poor synthetic vision of avionics that claim to have such, never mind old 6 packs. ADS-B displays seem even much worse despite being rather important, especially in the classic landing on the back of another plane blind scenario.

natural selection

You have to respect da ting no way around it

It’s a beautiful thin. Thin Thin Thin Thin

I hope not

Rule #115 Dont show off

You so right. All these pilots with more cameras in the window than bugs

ok 4 you but maybe not others,,, no the message should be dont film until auto pilot...

If you’re not talking about an airplane, or something specific to Aviation, like you are here and most times, I really don’t give a damn about your self promotion. I also think airlines need to get their crap together and stop these new female pilots from posting selfiesbefore after and sometimes during a flight. Keep your crap for the Taylor Swift concert.

Mojo, Another area of videos and you tube which can be dangerous is the recent Jenny Blalock crash. She appeared to be more interested in becoming a you tube star than becoming a competent pilot which from appearances, how did she ever get a PPL. Flying didn't appear to be her passion but a means to you tube, fame and fortune. As to her CFI's, they may have had other ideas on their mind instead of washing her out. Hey politics killed Kara Hultgren, the incompetent F-14 jockey who didn't belong in the cockpit but was there because they wanted a woman F-14 pilot. If you examine her training records, she should have been washed out early in her training. She even caused the flame out and asymmetrical condition and mishandled the emergency which wasn't that big of an emergency. She did everything wrong. She almost killed her RIO, but he got out the very last tenth of a second. Hey, there are lots of good women aviation you tubers.

Content creating and influencing doesn’t get the job done. This is why America is in trouble. Y’all aren’t really doing anything.