Ocean Aviation

08/19/2026

Happy National Aviation Day!

08/19/2026

Congratulations to Greg Wendell as he completes his first solo flights. All his hard work paid off, with 3 great laps in the pattern and smooth landings on his first time out alone. Greg’s positive attitude and determination will lead him to be an excellent pilot. Looking forward to seeing him all the way through and sending him off for his private pilot’s license soon!

08/11/2026

Congrats to Raúl Labarias on earning his Private Pilot License. Becoming a pilot takes discipline, patience, and a willingness to learn from every challenge, and you demonstrated all of those qualities along the way. Raúl is an example how every student pilot should be during flight training. He is always wanting to learn and apply his new found knowledge. This license is not just a certificate—it’s a reflection of the time, effort, and passion you put into reaching your goal. Remember that this is only the beginning of your aviation journey. Keep learning, keep flying, and keep chasing your dreams!

Kudos to his flight instructor Taylor Obrien. His professional instruction should be a standard for all instructors coming behind him. Wishing you blue skies as you move on to a great aviation career ahead.

07/30/2026

Congratulations to Shawn Thiede on earning his commercial pilot certificate yesterday! Shawn is an excellent pilot and dedicated student. He is eager to move on to the next step in his professional pilot program, where he will train to be a certified flight instructor!

Nice job Shawn!

06/13/2026

Congratulations to William Griffith on passing his Private Pilot checkride! This achievement represents far more than a single day of testing. It reflects countless hours of studying, training, preparation, and determination. You committed yourself to learning complex skills, accepted all the challenges along the way. We’re proud of you Billy!

06/10/2026

Can't think of another dream career with a Return on Investment anywhere like aviation.. just do the math. And now no college degree required! What are you waiting for?

An American Airlines Boeing 737 captain shared a pay stub online that stopped people mid-scroll. Year-to-date earnings: $457,894.51. A monthly gross of over $22,000. An hourly flight-pay rate north of $361.

The screenshot, shared anonymously on Reddit's r/Salary forum by a Miami-based Boeing 737 captain, showed year-to-date earnings of $457,894.51 as of mid-December. The hourly flight-pay rate listed was $361.04. The gross for the pay period between November 16 and December 15 was $22,154.76. One user on X reposted it, and from there, it took off.

The reactions came fast. "Dude makes what I make in a month in a day," one commenter wrote. Some readers were stunned. Others defended the pilot, with one Reddit user pointing to pilots' "strong unions, rare skills, years of training, and massive responsibility," arguing they collectively negotiated pay that reflects exactly that.

The original poster eventually deleted the screenshot once the post went viral, according to TheStreet, but by then it had already spread to Fortune and Yahoo Finance.

What surprised most readers was that this captain was not even at the top of the industry's pay scale. The $361 hourly rate is near the peak of American's narrow-body captain scale under its 2023 contract. A Boeing 777 captain at American can earn up to about $447 per hour, roughly 24 percent more. Pilots across American are also scheduled to receive additional pay raises through 2027. At Delta, some senior widebody captains reportedly approach $600,000 a year when profit sharing is included.

Airline pilot pay has climbed sharply since 2023, when American, Delta, and United all signed record-setting contracts in the wake of a post-pandemic pilot shortage. North American carriers are still short an estimated 12,000 pilots.

But becoming a captain is not easy money. Getting to the left seat of a 737 at a major U.S. airline typically takes around $150,000 in flight training costs and roughly a decade flying entry-level jobs at regional carriers before the big paychecks ever start.

06/08/2026

Another Ocean Aviation graduation. Matthew Guest completed his Private Pilot program this afternoon and we could not be happier for him.

From his flight Instructor, Taylor Obrien..
"Congratulations to Matthew Guest on passing his Private Pilot Check-ride. Mat is a retired Marine and showed it with his grit and determination throughout his training. He was always present and ready to learn each and every lesson. His Humility and great demeanor will take him far in his new chapter. Semper Fi!"

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause to remember the brave men and women who gave everything for our country and never made it home.

Their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty secured the freedoms we enjoy every day. While many returned to their families, far too many made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Today, we honor their memory with gratitude and respect.

May we never forget those who gave all so that others could live free.

05/21/2026

Help us congratulate our newest Private Pilot Logan Hill on passing his private pilot flight test. Through grit and top-notch airmanship, Logan accomplished an important first step on his journey to become a professional aviator.

05/12/2026

Had a chance to head for Washington DC last week to join a group of flight training professionals representing flight schools from across the country. Great opportunity to meet with our elected representatives and their staff to discuss the challenges of our industry and possible upcoming legislation. But mostly to educate our legislators on our very specialized flight training environment.

Thank you to the Flight School Association International for allowing me to take part in this effort. Especially enjoyed meeting "ALFONSE", senator John Kennedy's pet alligator…