President's Update: A Note from the President and Where The Collective is Going With Community Growth

By: Brandon Cheung, President, The Pilots Collective

When we started The Pilots Collective, it wasn’t about building another aviation organization — it was about building a community. One rooted in honesty, mentorship, and a shared love for flying. A place where instructors, students, and aircraft owners could come together to learn, grow, and make aviation better for everyone.

Over the past few months, we’ve taken real steps forward. We’ve hosted hangar hangouts, built partnerships, and started meaningful conversations about how flight training can be improved.

But I’ll be honest — we’re not growing as fast as we hoped.

And that’s okay.

Growth takes time. It takes the right people, the right mindset, and the willingness to adapt when plans change.

✈️ Shifting Our Focus To Community Growth

Originally, our plan was to roll out structured Private, Instrument, and Commercial ground school courses. But as we’ve learned, building a strong community comes before building a curriculum.

So, for now, our focus is on what really matters: our people, our events, our direction, and our community growth. We’re taking this time to strengthen the foundation of The Pilots Collective — planning meaningful monthly gatherings, refining how we communicate our mission, and setting the stage for our next phase: TEC (Training Enrichment Courses).

This isn’t a step back. It’s us taking a moment to realign and do things the right way.

🧭 Our Morals and What We Stand For

Every decision we make as a Collective comes back to four simple but powerful values — the same traits that define great aviators:

• Growth – Aviation never stops teaching us. We believe in continuous improvement — in skill, mindset, and character.

• Inspiration – Passion is contagious. We aim to inspire others to keep learning, flying, and believing in themselves no matter where they are in their journey.

• Humility – No matter how many hours we have or what ratings we hold, we’re all still students of the sky. Humility keeps us safe, grounded, and open to growth.

• Work Ethic – Nothing in aviation comes easy. Dedication, consistency, and the willingness to put in the work are what set true professionals apart.

These values are what guide us — in every event, every lesson, and every partnership.

🤝 We’re Looking for Teammates, Not Just Members

The Pilots Collective isn’t built by one person — it’s built by people who care. We’re looking for new team members to join us — passionate pilots, students, instructors, and aviation enthusiasts who want to make a difference.

Whether you have experience with event planning, instruction, outreach, or even just want to help grow our community presence — we’d love to have you involved.

If you’ve ever thought, “I want to be part of something meaningful in aviation,” — this is your moment to step in.

🚀 What’s Ahead

Over the next few months, our focus will be on three main areas:

1. Monthly Hangar Events – Strengthening the community through consistent, engaging gatherings that bring people together to learn, network, and share experiences.

2. Outreach and Growth – Expanding our reach to local schools, FBOs, and aviation businesses to get more people involved and inspired.

3. TEC Courses – Once our foundation is solid, we’ll roll out short, experience-driven training modules designed to bridge real-world flying with classroom knowledge.

Our goal is to grow deliberately — with purpose, direction, and teamwork.

❤️ A Final Word

The Pilots Collective was built on the belief that aviation is better when we grow together. We’re not chasing numbers or attention — we’re building something that lasts.

If you believe in growth, inspiration, humility, and work ethic, you already understand what this Collective stands for.

Now we just need more people like you to help it reach its full potential.

Let’s build this community — not just for us, but for every pilot who believes in what flying should truly stand for.

Fly safe, stay humble, and keep the passion alive.

— Brandon Cheung

President & Chief Pilot

The Pilots Collective