Yeah as usual I'm watching YouTube videos and I really should be working
but that's my friend Nico from Nico's Wings. We've been kind of sending
messages to each other online but we've never really had a chat with each other
but we both fly Cirrus we're both youtubers we kind of thought why don't
we have a chat. I followed your channel for years years and years and I've
watched your videos your Cirrus flying videos on your channel for a long
time and I've have to say your videos are honestly one of the reasons why I
decided to get into recording my stuff and putting it on YouTube as well so
it's really cool to talk to you so thanks for all the work that you've done
so far. It looks like your your subscriber base is really going great -
that's good oh thank you yeah thanks no it's growing nicely and I
tell you what the thing I like the most I don't know whether you find this on
YouTube but the thing I love is all the communication you get back from the
people watching the videos so the comments and of course you get some
comments that you just don't want to see, but some of the comments and most of them
there's such a cool community of people in aviation that you can connect with
through YouTube. It's very true, the comments are very very powerful
it's what personally keeps me going quite a bit it drives I learn a lot from
the comments of other pilots or even non pilots just different people ask you
questions and and then meeting the people in person is just an amazing
way to connect with people that think alike and and you know it's really nice
it's really nice it's great. Hey, so I wanted to I want to talk to you about
that because like I said you've been doing youtube for a lot longer than I
have what made you start wanting to record
your flights and sharing it with people in the first place? Very good question
you know what honestly it was just me wanting to watch myself fly just to see
what I'm doing my own personal feedback. You want to
see okay what did I do wrong what could I have done better
in a particular situation right. Just for me to be able to help me understand what
went wrong or what I did good or how I did or just getting feedback for myself.
It was never in my intention to actually do something with it
it kind of happened all of a sudden. I start getting followers all of a sudden
I start getting a check from Google like wait a minute I love flying I do what I
love the most and I'm getting paid for it? There's something here I can do
something with this yeah. I've been getting that 1099 you know which is the
U.S you're an independent contractor I know you folks have something similar in Australia.
You get a 1099 form that shows you basically how much money you've made for
the year because that's where you got to report on your taxes. And I'm getting it, I'm an
actual Google employee. What made you want to get into aviation in general
though like what made you want to become a pilot in the first place? That was a
lifelong dream of mine since I was a child I remember when I was you know
what my daughter's age about 7 or so or even before then I was fascinated with
airplanes fascinated with airplanes. I started making airplanes little models
of my own then later on got into building those plastic you know the you
know the simple... Airfix models? Yeah and getting into the warbirds and all those
things and and and just I was just fascinated with aviation. I would
actually make my own models that I will fly or put a little electric motor and
of course I will just crash all over the place but I lived in a my hometown in
Patra in Greece which is on the south and southwestern, there's a
couple of NATO air bases nearby. So every morning I would wake up to Phantom
f-4s flying overhead, and f1 or you know Star, what were they called?
The F104s, the Star Fighters.
Yeah, just fly right over you know I and I was
like fascinated by all the noise and all that stuff when I was a little.
kid. And so now so Nico we're like we're like flying brothers now
right because we both like the same plane we both fly you're in an SR22 I've
only just gotten I used to be in an SR20 for about a year but I've just moved up
to the 22. Why did you choose Cirrus then? And but just before we say there's neither of his work for Cirrus right?
We just kind of fly the planes but why what
we just like them why did you choose the sr22 as your plane? I was renting
Diamonds DA40s at dare to dream aviation down here at Fort Lauderdale
Executive when I first moved Florida from Chicago I was looking for something
you know a place to rent airplanes from right. So I found Dare To Dream
with a very nice aircraft they well-maintained I was renting their
diamond DA40s and but they had a bunch of Cirrus in there Sirrus sr20 s and 22s
right and of course like many many pilots aware of all these misconceptions
about the Cirrus right oh it's got a parachute can't be good.
I spoke to Chris there that owns the place and I said Chris you know I want
to get checked out into the Cirrus. Okay here's what
you gotta study this is the material and let's do it
it's all cross-country flying. And the moment I got into the Cirrus I
was hooked instantly. The way it felt that way it performed and the fact that it's
actually pretty economic considering the the the speeds that you
travel with and it actually fit perfect for my mission the type of line that I
do for my business but also for personal purposes.
Flying up to Chicago you know more for business purposes going anywhere I think
that you have a parachute behind you and you will use it in cases of
extreme emergency that is a deal-breaker for any
other airplane. Yeah and so you use it I saw in your one of your latest videos
you fly for work as well so you fly to business meetings as well as flying
general aviation for fun. I do I do that actually it works great for my business
it is an amazing business tool being able to do those complicated legs where
you know in one day you're gonna go let's say for example
fly to North Carolina to a conference then the next day go to Ohio to another
conference and the next day go see some employees team work team co-workers up
in Chicago also some family while you're at it all the way back going to see
customer in Tennessee and then other way back just you know after like five days
of flying come back home you can't do that stuff
with the airlines. It's impossible. Yeah. And if you can do it you will be super
expensive and also you would always be relying on them on their schedule with
all the delays that have to do with the airlines nowadays especially in the US.
So and for business this is just great it's a great well it's probably the best
thing that I have ever done for my business is to own an airplane and make
it put it to use for the company. So what's next for you and you're flying in
your channel? What's your next big adventure?
Yeah I mean there's one cool video that I'm actually going to be putting together in the next few weeks
Where I made a flight, went up to North Carolina for a conference then ended up going up to Chicago after that
dealt with tons of weather, especially down here in Florida crazy weather
systems, into thunderstorms it was quite nasty to the point where it
was the first time where I considered that I may actually have to pull the
chute. So that's how bad .. no way .. that video was pretty bad.
Anyway ended up going to a trip in Iowa quick lunch trip, you can only do that stuff
with GA right? For a company that we're trying to acquire and then ended up on
the way back went to Tennessee in the middle of Tennessee somewhere and to see
a software vendor that is bringing us about a million dollars worth of
business every year. Wow. Right, revenue for us that is. That was a quick meeting
just a couple of hours and then a little lunch in a little town over there and
then took the airplane and left and that's the kind of stuff that you do
with GA General Aviation. And these are the things that I feel are powerful about
what we do. But I also have some other some other cool adventures coming up
this summer in Greece actually I found an American registered Cirrus November 4
2 Niner Charlie Delta. I will be flying that in Greece. In Greece? Awesome! Yeah
we may do a hop over to Venice Italy over it's just about three hours flight
from my hometown and maybe a couple of Greek islands so there's gonna be some
videos coming up for that. Oh man that's gonna be awesome you're gonna get some
awesome footage. Actually I've been to the Greek Islands once when I was a kid and
loved it it's beautiful there. You know what's funny, you know I was thinking about you and thought I should call Stef
and say you know what we should we should plan it you know for me to come
to Australia and we can fly together. Well you're always welcome obviously
come down I would love to do that. The good thing is as an SR22 pilot we
can share the flying if you ever want to come down here and visit and yeah fly
together I'd love that mate that'd be awesome. Alright well next video
the Nico Stef video is going to be you in Australia and us flying together.
Let's make that happen. Let's do it. Now just one final thing so
Nico if I'm sure most people watching this know your channel already but if
you guys haven't subscribed to Nico before I'll put his details down below and
so you can subscribe his channel. If you like what I do in a Cirrus then Cirrus
just gonna love what he does in a series because it's new airports new airfields
new challenges. The video production quality is obviously goes without saying
is brilliant so definitely subscribe to Nico's channel. I'll put the link down to
your channel below. I had one more question for you mate as
well, is there anyone that you want to give like a youtube shout-out to? I do I
do I want all send a shout out to Baron Pilot I don't know if you follow him but
it's a cool guy I'm actually planning on flying with him soon so we'll be doing
something. Baron Pilot, shout out to him great guy.
Steveo Kinevo. All these guys they're amazing so yeah. Yeah it's a cool
community of pilots that we're growing here on YouTube I love it.
Awesome nice talking to you mate. Alright buddy, you take care we'll chat soon. Alright take care, bye. See ya.