879 Becoming a Professional Pilot

Pilot Nicki returns to describe her 1948 Globe Swift and explain her plans to make a mid-life career change and become a professional pilot. In the news, the FAA Administrator says what to expect from the “brand new air traffic control system,” a bill to address ADS-B “misuse,” navigating around the debris field after a rocket failure, accelerating the MV-75 Tiltrotor program, flying the Qatari 747 as Air Force One, reduced security restrictions at Heathrow, and a private jet crash in Maine.

Guest

Nicki Hovanec just reached her goal of 1500 flight hours and now plans to make a mid-life career change and become a professional pilot. She fell in love with aviation at an early age and attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for Aviation at Daytona Beach, Florida. But 911 impacted Nicki’s career trajectory and took her away from aviation. However, with encouragement from her spouse, she returned to aviation, obtained her pilot's license, and will soon look to be hired by an airline.

Nicki trained through independent flight schools and completed her solo in 2017, receiving her initial pilot's certificate. She continued her training and completed additional certifications on various aircraft while progressing towards her goal of 1500+ flight hours. Nicki saved and borrowed funds to purchase a Cessna 152. Eventually selling that plane, she bought a 1948 Globe Swift tail-dragger, her current airplane.

With 1,500 flight hours completed, Nicki now begins the job search for a professional pilot position, starting with the NGPA job fair. We'll continue to follow her progress.

A little history: In May 2017, Nicki sought our advice about starting flying lessons and making a career change to become a professional pilot. We encouraged her to keep us informed about her progress, and Nicki did so by sending us over a dozen recordings documenting her journey getting a pilot’s license. We were happy to include those in our podcast episodes.

Nicki and her 1948 Globe Swift.

See:

A Short History of the Swift

Wikipedia: Globe GC-1 Swift

2026 NGPA Industry Expo, presented by United Airlines, February 5-6, 2026.

FAPA.aero (Future & Active Pilots Alliance)

Aviation News

FAA’s Bedford Provides Glimpse into U.S. ATC’s Future

At the monthly Aero Club of Washington, D.C. luncheon, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford talked about the “brand new air traffic control system.” He described:

“Greater precision about… flight trajectories… [while] navigating through the airspace.”

Many fewer handoffs flying through the system.

A cultural shift away from focusing on takeoff to when a pilot wants to land.

Changing the innovation cycle to be more like Apple or Tesla.

AOPA urges members to contact their representatives in Congress

AOPA issued a call to action asking its 300,000 members to contact their senators and representatives in Congress and urge them to cosponsor the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA). AOPA President Darren Pleasance said, “When the ADS-B mandate went into effect in 2020, the FAA said this important technology would only be used for safety and airspace efficiency. Instead, we’re now seeing it used in ways that discourage adoption…The misuse of ADS-B is a step backward for aviation safety and erodes trust in our aviation system.”

If passed, PAPA would prohibit the use of ADS-B data to assist in the collection of fees from pilots or aircraft owners and clarify that ADS-B data may only be used for its intended purposes of air traffic safety and efficiency.

PAPA was introduced in 2025 by Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) as H.R.4146 and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) as S.2175.

“We’re Too Close to the Debris”

On January 16, 2026, ATC instructed Caribbean flights to avoid the FAA’s debris zone after a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded. Dozens of planes made sharp turns to avoid the danger zone, which was closed for 86 minutes. ProPublica says this made “pilots and passengers unwitting participants in SpaceX’s test of the most powerful rocket