Hi there! My name is Danny Mantooth, I’m 29, and I’m working toward becoming a commercial airline pilot.

To get there, I’ll need 1500 hours of flight time. I currently have around 300, including private and commercial pilot licenses (both single-engine and multi-engine) and am very close to completing my initial certified flight instructor (CFI) license.

Flight training is very expensive. Thankfully, a student loan and my savings got me this far. But now I’m very quickly depleting my entire savings. With just a few more hours until my CFI checkride (the exam that will earn me the ability to get paid to teach future pilot students), I am asking for some help.

For reference, every hour of flight training = approximately $350 (aircraft rental + instructor fees). Checkride fees vary but are in the neighborhood of $1500. Multiply that by the nearly 300 hours of flight time I’ve accumulated and there’s a quick and easy way to spend 100k and incur lots of debt!

I’m currently working at 2 bars/restaurants in my area while I claw my way to this finish line. Once I earn this first CFI designation, I will be eligible to apply for flight instructor jobs at flight schools, where I can then begin to earn money while gaining the additional flight time needed to move on to an airline job. My intention is to eventually complete 3 instructor licenses, which will permit me to teach in single- and multi-engine planes, as well as for instrument ratings.

Aviation became my passion the minute I earned my wings as a flight attendant. The day I observed a short ferry flight from the cockpit jumpseat, I knew immediately my dream was to become a pilot.

Any bit helps. And if you cannot contribute at this time, that’s ok! I only ask that you share my story with your circles. I truly appreciate you for taking the time to read this and any contribution you make :) Thank you