About Trent
If you are like most people that discovered me via my videos on YouTube or Instagram and you are visiting my website, you might be wondering who the heck is this Trent Dyrsmid guy, and can he teach me anything useful about becoming a professional pilot?
My hope is that once you finish reading this page, you will have answers to both of those very valid questions.
It Took Me Just 23 Months to from Private Pilot to Starting My Training with SkyWest Airlines
After dedicating the last two years of my life to achieving my lifelong dream of becoming an airline pilot, my journey has been grounded—this time, by cancer.
In April, I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a rare form of blood cancer. The only known cure for MDS is a stem cell transplant, which I will begin undergoing at the end of May. The treatment is intense, requiring me, my wife Liz, and our 11-year-old daughter Kiana to temporarily relocate to Seattle for at least four months so I can receive the care I need.
This sudden detour comes with overwhelming costs—lost wages for both Liz and me, housing expenses in Seattle, out-of-pocket medical bills, and the everyday costs of keeping our family afloat.
If you’ve ever learned something from my Fly with Trent YouTube channel, or been inspired by my journey to become a pilot later in life, I’m asking you now to help me stay in this fight. Your support—whether through a donation or by sharing this page—means the world to us.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping us get through this storm. We’re doing everything we can to stay strong, and with your help, we will fly again.
—Trent, Liz & Kiana
Flight Training Phase (May 4 to August 6, 2023)
One of my biggest accomplishments during the training phase of my career was that I earned the 7 FAA ratings (see images below) in just 91 days.
Better yet, I spent less than $50,000 on flight school.
Prior to my earning all these ratings in such a short period of time, most people would have told you that earning this many ratings for so little was totally impossible. In fact, if you care to read the comments on the middle video below, you will see that plenty of people called me a fool for posting such an outrageous plan.
For context, the nations largest big box school’s zero to hero program takes over 10 months and costs over $120,000.
My CFI Phase (Aug ’24 to Aug ’25)
After earning all these ratings, the next phase of my journey saw me working as an independent CFI. Over the year that I was training other pilots, my hours logged went from just 236 hours all the way up to the 1500 hours I needed to be eligible for the ATP rating.
Two significant things happened during the year that I was a CFI:
- I received a conditional job offer from Skywest airlines
- I earned over $100,000 as a CFI
As you can see in the below, I did a LOT of flying in my year as a CFI on my way to ATP minimums.
My Airline Phase (Jun ’24 to present)
Thanks to the success of my independent CFI business, I was able to log a lot of hours in a short period of time. This was one of the things that allowed me to receive a conditional job offer just under 15 months after starting flight school!
I’m currently awaiting my training class.
The Videos That Tell My Accelerated Flight Training Story
Back at the very start of my journey, on April 6, 2023 I published my very first video where I asked a simple question: Is 53 too old to become an airline pilot?
After that, in my second video published on April 21, 2023, I laid out a plan to achieve my goals.
Then on Aug 21, 2023, once I’d completed flight training, I published a video where I shared the proof of my goals being achieved.
Discover How to Replicate the Success of My Flight Training and Work as a CFI
If you are a career 2.0 guy like me, there are definitely quite a few things that I can teach you about how to train safely, quickly, and cost effectively.
If you’d like to train in a fashion similar to me, you probably have a lot of questions. Here’s how you can get your answers:
- Watch the many videos on my YouTube channel. I put a lot of effort into creating my videos and they contain all my best advice….and you can get it all for free.
- Grab a copy of my Guide to Accelerated Flight Training. This is a terrific option if you’d rather spend a little money to save a LOT of time. I have distilled down everything I’ve learned about how to train like I did into about a dozen videos that you can watch in about 90 minutes or so.
- If you’d like to replicate the success I had in my business as an independent flight instructor, grab a copy of my Six Figure CFI training program. In this video training course, I share the nitty gritty of how I was able to earn over $100K in my first year as an independent CFI.
So how did I do? Did I make good on my promise to answer the the question of who I am and what I can teach you about how to become a professional pilot? I sure hope so!
Let me help you find the best flight school / instructor for you
If you’d like an introduction to one of my recommended flight schools or Certified Flight Instructors, please fill out the form below and I’ll be in touch ASAP.