By Shawn Staerker
What do you do when the only thing standing between you and your dreams is money?
If you’re Brandon Martini, you max out your credit cards, wake up every morning to check the weather through your bedroom blinds, and refuse to take “no” for an answer.
Brandon’s aviation journey didn’t start in a fancy flight school or with a trust fund. It started with a dusty logbook and a family story that wouldn’t let go.
The Logbook That Changed Everything
In 2010, after his grandfather passed away, Brandon discovered something tucked away in his belongings—his grandfather’s pilot logbook. Growing up, Brandon had heard the stories: his grandfather learned to fly in a Cherokee 6 (which, by the way, is NOT the easiest plane to learn in). But there was always a sad ending. Brandon’s grandmother put her foot down: “If you want to get yourself killed flying, fine. But you’re NOT taking my grandson up in that airplane.”
So his grandfather quit. Dreams grounded. End of story.
Except it wasn’t.
$2,500 and a Crazy Idea
Fast forward to Christmas 2013. Brandon—now working as an auto insurance adjuster with a new baby at home and about to buy his first house—did something bold. He told everyone he knew: “I want gift certificates for flight training.”
His friends and family came through big time. $2,500 worth of flying. Brandon was pumped!
Then reality hit: that covered about a quarter of what he needed.
Most people would’ve given up right there. Brandon? He pulled out his credit cards and went all in. “I would wake up in the morning,” he remembers, “and I would literally have a flight that morning and I would open the blinds to make sure there’s no clouds in the air. And it was a really special experience.”
That obsession paid off—Brandon got his private pilot certificate in just 41.5 hours (he was actually mad he didn’t hit exactly 40!).
The Problem Nobody Wanted to Solve
After earning his wings, Brandon opened his own flight school. Started small—one airplane, renting a closet at the airport for $96 a month. But he kept seeing the same thing: talented people walking through his door with huge aviation dreams and absolutely no idea how to pay for flight training.
Brandon tried everything. He called Chase Bank. Wells Fargo. He even called the company that finances mattresses (yes, really) and asked if they’d finance flight students.
Every door slammed shut.
The Whiteboard That Changed Aviation Finance
So, he asked his friend Anthony Geraci, an attorney with experience in private lending, to help.
On Brandon’s whiteboard, Anthony drew out the blueprint for what would become Stratus Financial — a company that would redefine aviation finance for students and flight schools alike.”
It sounds like we need about a million dollars to get this thing off the ground,” Brandon said.
Anthony’s response? “I got that covered. We’ll figure it out.”
And they did.
Six months later, they made their first loan. Today, Stratus Financial has helped about 1,000 pilots get their wings and works with over 400 flight schools across North America.
Why This Matters to YOU
Here’s the thing most people don’t tell you: you can’t just walk into Chase or Wells Fargo and get a loan for flight training. Most personal loans max out at $25,000-$35,000, and that’s only if you have amazing credit and own a house. For most aspiring pilots, the only option used to be credit cards—just like Brandon did.
But Stratus changed the game. They’re not just throwing money at students and walking away. They scrape the FAA database every week to track when borrowers earn new certificates, then automatically send congratulations cards. They offer free test prep. Free ground school. They actually care whether you succeed.
Oh, and Brandon’s first flight student after becoming an instructor? His 10-year-old son. Talk about keeping dreams alive across generations.
The Bottom Line
The aviation industry needs 660,000 new pilots globally by 2044. That’s airline pilots, corporate pilots, flight instructors, charter pilots—opportunities everywhere. But if nobody can afford training, where are those pilots going to come from?
Brandon’s answer was simple: remove the barrier to aviation finance and make flight training accessible to everyone.
So if you’re sitting there thinking aviation is too expensive or that your dream of flying is impossible, remember this: Brandon started with a $2,500 gift certificate, a maxed-out credit card, and blinds he’d open every morning to check for clouds.
Your path might look different. But the lesson is the same: barriers are only permanent if you let them be.
Want to hear Brandon’s full story, including how he became a flight instructor just to earn his employees’ respect? Check out the complete interview on the Future in Flight Podcast. Trust us—his journey will have you checking flight school prices before the episode ends.
Episode: Brandon Martini ︱Stratus Financial
Keep your dreams airborne.
Oh, and if you’re thinking about flight training and wondering how to pay for it, check out Stratus Financial, the leader in aviation finance.
