Episode 2 Part -2 of The Pilot Podcast, we continue the story behind building and operating a small charter business — and the realities that come with it. We also look at what happens

when things go wrong, handling a gear up landing in the Cessna 414, meeting your favourite Top Gear/Grand your trio, Daven getting detained in South Sudan and his relocation abroad to take up a direct entry Captain role with his new operator.

This episode is about decision-making, trade-offs, and understanding when to scale, pivot, or exit.

🎙️ The Pilot Podcast
Aviation. Unfiltered.

In this episode of The Pilot Podcast, we unpack the realities of starting out in aviation when the job market is tight and options are limited.

Daven Van Heerden unpacks being unemployed with low hours, knocking on doors and weighing up instructing versus opportunity, to the thinking that led to buying an aircraft, forming a charter company, and identifying viable regional routes — this is an honest look at how aviation careers and businesses actually begin.

This is not a highlight reel.
It’s the part of aviation most people never talk about.

🎙️ The Pilot Podcast
Aviation. Unfiltered.

Part 2 of our conversation with David Le Roux from Pilot Insure, covering real-world claims, disclosure consequences, income protection, and protecting a pilot’s long-term financial future.

In this episode

• Why insurers can legally decline “unrelated” claims

• How medical histories are accessed during claims

• The true scale of a pilot’s lifetime earning risk

• Income protection vs lump sums and career progression

• Preparing your family and next of kin for the unexpected

🎙️ The Pilot Podcast
Aviation. Unfiltered.
by The Pilots Company