E356: From SWAT to Corporate Jet Pilot - How Josh Changed Careers and Built a Life in Aviation

NEW SPONSOR ALERT!! Truly honored to have Avemco as new sponsor for the podcast. save 5% on your aircraft insurance by with Avemco. Call  (888) 635-4297 or visit www.avemco.com/4297-owner - www.avemco.com/4297-nonowner!What does it take to walk away from a two-decade law enforcement career — including 13 years on SWAT — and start over as a pilot? Josh Schirard did exactly that, and in this episode he breaks down every step of the journey.Josh is now a corporate pilot flying Hawker 800s and Lear 60s, a professional skydiver with the REMAX Skydive team, and the author of the upcoming book Burn Your Boats. He's also one of the most thoughtful guests we've had on the show when it comes to the mindset side of aviation.In this episode we talk about:How skydiving pulled him back into aviation after years awayHis ATP flight training experience — the good, the hard, and what he'd do differentlyHow SWAT-level decision-making and crew resource management overlap more than you'd thinkBuilding flight time as a jump pilot and why he skipped the CFI routeHow he landed his first corporate gig through pure networkingWhether the airlines are in his future — and why he keeps his options openHis philosophy on personal minimums, comfort zones, and why you need to push the gap between the twoWhether you're thinking about a career change into aviation, grinding through your ratings, or already flying professionally and wondering what's next — this episode is for you.Happy Flying, Justin