Pilot Success Story

Mike V.
Allegiant Air

Mike joined Tennessee Flight Training in 2018. After spending a few short years as a CFI, he joined PSA Airlines and is now flying for Allegiant.

Mike’s story:

I became interested in aviation in high school, volunteering at a local air museum and attending local fly-ins. When it came time for college, I attended the University of North Dakota’s commercial aviation program, graduating in 2017.

During private pilot training, I struggled to justify the idea I had of what being a pilot would be like with the enormous workload that is private pilot training. A handful of retired pilots at my local airport pushed me to stick with it, and I’m very grateful they did.

In 2018 Tennessee Flight Training took a chance on me as an instructor and gave me the chance to teach in Nashville, a very different environment from what I was used to in North Dakota. I had a phenomenal experience working for Tennessee Flight Training, and it set me up well for my first regional jet job with PSA Airlines.

I flew for PSA for nearly three years, experiencing commuting, ready reserve, and a furlough during the COVID pandemic. PSA showed me the value of being home-based, which brought me to Allegiant Air in January of 2022. Since being at Allegiant I have not spent a night out of my own bed for the better part of three years. Most days I’m home by 12:30 p.m. eating lunch in my own kitchen.

Aviation is an amazing career. While the barrier to entry is very high with the cost and difficulty of training, once you achieve your goals, it becomes the easiest job in the world. Work doesn’t follow you home. When you’re off, you’re off. No calls, no emails, your time is your time. If you stick with it and put the work in, you could find yourself sitting at 39,000 feet, coffee in hand, watching the sunrise, thinking there’s nothing else you’d rather be doing.