Nik is back! In this episode, he sits down with Cherry Kan—an international student and first-generation pilot whose aviation journey is anything but ordinary. With grit, community support, and relentless resourcefulness, Cherry has paved her own way into the flight deck. Like many aspiring pilots, Cherry faced the financial challenges of flight training and earning her ratings. She overcame those hurdles by diving deep into aviation scholarships and getting involved with pilot organizations. In this episode, she shares exactly how she did it—where to find opportunities, how to apply, and the mindset it takes to succeed, even if you don’t think you “check all the boxes.” Cherry also opens up about the value of mentorship, staying focused through industry ups and downs, and the power of persistence. Her story is a reminder that doors start to open when you keep showing up, keep reaching out, and keep believing in your path.

What You'll Learn:

How Cherry finds aviation scholarships—and how you can too

Why your story matters more than your stats in most applications How to build a repeatable system for applying to opportunities year after year

Tips for finding scholarship mentors How networking at events like PAPA, OBAP, RTAG etc can unlock real job opportunities

Why Cherry stays optimistic despite industry slowdowns—and how she reframes negativity as fuel

The power of long-term relationship building in aviation

CONNECT WITH US

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If you want to recommend someone to guest on the show, email Nik at podcast@spitfireelite.com, and if you need a professional pilot resume, go to www.spitfireelite.com/podcast/ for FREE templates!

SPONSOR

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