And I just wonder if earning revenue through youtube from flying your rented Cessna would require a commercial licence.

If you're YouTubing while in employment, look very closely at your employers social media policy especially if your videos (or anything else posted on line) involve your work. Some of them are severe.

Probably not as a putting videos up of you flying a drone on youtube and making pennies in the dollar does not require a commercial drone license

On the general flying thing some of the biggest aviation channels have relatively little about flying.

Flight chops yes theres flying but the channel is more about his whole journey from solo to IFR

Sam Chui - not a pilot

Dj Aviation not a pilit

Mike Patney about building the planes

Trent Palmer Flying plus other stuff


The only really aviation channel that is straight up flying is missionary bush pilot and premier F1driver. The rest is just bits of everything and afik no one mentions their airline, with the exception of blanco liro

Don’t forget Steveo1Kinevo - quite a polished operator. Again, heaps more hits for him when Mindy joins his flights.

Regarding CPL, I covered this on here before lockdown, not required if your channel is “your brand.”

That is a good point which I didn't think about but, I did finish all of the training under VET (included the CPL & MECIR). I should be covered there.

Not really - if it WAS a commercial operation, you'd have to operate under an AOC.

Said youTuber has had a couple of chats with HR, one more HR chat and there won't be any more YouTube channel.

"I have a huge VET debt"

And I'll say again nigelsomers: you don't need to worry until you start earning +$50k/yr.

Furthermore, said youtuber has yet to find out how a job application will go at another airline. You only have to look at the other one from the regional division who has disappeared into cyberspace. I'm guessing he realised it wasn't a great career move.

I would add:
Finish every video with: "SMASH that Like button and SUBSCRIBE!!!"

It’s a bit like getting your first Yellow Belt in Karate, and then hoping to star with Bruce Lee. What knowledge are you likely to pass on?

People subscribe for drama. You have to keep pushing the limits of what you can get away with and if you don’t, you need to fabricate the drama and that’s when your viewers start calling CASA.

Keeping up with the Jones’s?
Ice Pilots?

Jonas Marcinko, Trent Palmer, Mike Patey, Cory Robin, Stevo Kinevo, Premier1Driver and Tucker Gott have all received phone calls from the FAA.

He was warned many times by HR about his insta nonsense, but kept at it. All came crashing down when he was sacked from a Middle East airline for cheating on an exam. Somehow managed to get a job with Tiger and didn't pass his line training. Can't put too many of life's failures on instagram, it's bad for getting followers. The other (in)famous insta Pilot, PilotPatrick was sacked from his A300 captain gig with DHL after posting himself with the brand new Aston Martin which wasn't to be released to the public until the launch of the new James Bond film. Needless to say some heavyweights were rather pissed (including, but not limited to MGM, Aston and DHL) and he was summarily sacked. He hasn't flown for another carrier since (this was all pre-Covid and he flew for a freighter company - a position coveted by many now these days).

This can destroy careers. I would advise against it. Some companies have incredibly strict policies on camera use in the cockpit. By all means take photos of all your adventures, but do what most pilots do, keep it private.

Fuel-Off :ok:

Well, that's now two of the worst ideas ever floated in the "I've thought of a way to get my career started" category.

Can't wait to see what's next!

(No malice intended. Good on the OP for trying to think outside the square. But honestly, take on board what's been said. You'll be much better off doing it the tried and tested boring old way.)

Hmmm, with the professional media organisations it all boils down to providing a medium for selling advertising. The big media companies pump the big bucks into production values (sets, cameras, writers, actors, sound, editing, graphics, etc) and expect to realise a profit from advertising for these serious efforts. Usually the set designers, camera operators, writers, musicians, editors, and even actors are at the top of their game.

Youtube/Insta-whatever are for rank amateur wannabies, and the companies behind those products know that very well and are only concerned about their cut and couldn't care less what crap you post, they may even offer you a token stipend for your efforts. There are enough narcissist/wannabies out there in the world to keep this business model afloat making decent money for these companies with minimal outlay.

A real job will better in the long run.

I would just shoot the dog .

If you have some savings you could make voluntary payments to reduce that VET debt you are so worried about. Would have perhaps been an idea to use those rather than rack up the debt in the first place.

Flew with one of these 'sociaaaal Meeedyah' guys once to the US. He was a friend of one of the flight crew along for the trip, at the time I believe he was a co-pilot on the A320.

Really nice lad, completely different persona to that which his channel would suggest. He was openly honest that it was started as a way to monetise the channel and offload 'merch'.

Whilst he had a full 'day job' which could contribute to his channel he admitted it just wasn't working as the effort required to produce the videos chewed up all of his spare time and the viewing figures weren't covering the cost of that time.

That coupled with the incessant criticism leveled in comments for every possible decision from the army of couch pilots was really depressing he claimed. Much to the relief of all company A320 Captains he ditched the channel and started concentrating properly on his job of flying paying passengers! The road to YooToobe fame is neither paved with money or gold!

I recommend changing gender, bleaching your hair, get some big implants and start posting 9/10 pictures in a bikini, the last one with an airplane. Call yourself pilot_XXX and the likes will fly in quickly!
You got good chances when youre a slightly above average blond chick, but as a dude you'll have a tough time making money!
If you do it for the fun, go for it, but if you wanna spend another 100 grand on a few hours of footage, I can only shake my head.
Anyway though, good luck!

Most of those folk do something unique on their channel. I don't believe any of the Bush Flying would be legal in Australia, Premier 1 and Stevo are both professional pilots who are interesting to watch from a professional point of view or if you are learning IFR flying.

To be honest someone with 150 hours buzzing around Australia in a 172 doesn't really have much to offer in the way of content.

Surprised nobody had mentioned backcountry182. That's a great channel.

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