The Power of the Aviation Community, With Justin Siems

By John Zimmerman
Sep 8, 2026
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Pilot's Discretion Podcast, episode 138

Professional pilot and podcast host Justin Siems says aviation is “a welcoming community that feels like it's not.” He explains why, based on his experience interviewing nearly 400 pilots. Justin also talks about making the transition from fractional flying to the major airlines, why he launched a print magazine in a world dominated by short-form video, and how his background as a Big Ten college football player translated directly to the flight deck. In the Ready to Copy segment, he shares the best advice he’s received from a guest, his humbling experience landing the Boeing 737, and his routine for early morning trips.

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Quotes:

Why people are the key to aviation: “every single time I talk to someone and I always ask, ‘What's your favorite thing about aviation?’ The community keeps getting brought up.”
How to make connections: “it is as simple as going to an airport. You know, it is a very welcoming community. It is a community that seems like it's hard to break into, but it is as easy as just showing up and being like, ‘I like airplanes.’”
Why new pilots have to really want it: “if it's something that's forced on you and you don't have the opportunity to find it yourself, I think you might give up.”
Airline flying vs. fractional flying: “I was always told you just turn left at the airlines… but it is very real. Like you literally just turn left. And for some people, that's not enough.”
The tradeoffs of a pro pilot job: “sometimes people are more looking at the financial side of it rather than the quality of life. And eventually there's gonna come a day where the finances—you're not gonna be as worried about.”
The ultimate goal: “whenever I fly with a pilot, I always say the number one thing I want to do is I want to go home with my kid and my wife, and I don't want to do any paperwork.”
What airlines are looking for in an interview: “they know you can fly. They're mostly seeing, like, all right, can another pilot be in a cockpit with you for eight hours a day? And are they gonna be willing to go out to dinner with you afterwards?”
Remembering why people learn to fly: “it would be great if flight schools, especially fast track flight schools, could just schedule a fun flight.”
Why Justin launched a magazine: “I want it to be an experience. I don't want it to be something that you pick up and never read. I want it to be something that you read, but also something that you keep and something that will will stand the test of time”
Sports and flying: “one of the things I liked about flying was the competitive side to it. And it's not competing against other people. It is my own self-driven competitiveness where I want to make every flight better than the last one.”
Why coaching and debriefing matters: “understand what constructive criticism is and remove the personal feelings behind that. There's gonna be times where you do something dumb and you're gonna need to be told about it.”
Balance for CFIs: “there is a very fine line between being constructive and just being demeaning and abusive. So you definitely have to be careful—and make sure you tell them some good stuff too.”