Stay Current PSA Newsroom

January 10, 2023

Cadet Program Spotlight: Brian Ellis

Our Cadet Program focuses on engaging future aviators and providing them guidance through our Cadet Mentors as they navigate their way through their aviation education. While we are not currently accepting new Cadets into our program, we are continuing to engage with our current Cadets through virtual events and mentorship to ensure that they are successful once they come to PSA. Brian Ellis, a Senior Cadet at Utah Valley University, shares with us his experience as a Cadet and how he has continued to stay engaged with our team even though we are not currently on campus.

Name: Brian Ellis

School: Utah Valley University

Cadet Level: Senior Cadet

Why did you choose aviation as a career path?
I always wanted to be a pilot ever since I was young, but later in life I realized that I had drifted from my dream. I left my job in the mortgage industry to follow my dream of flying. I have not looked back since.

How has the PSA Cadet Program Impacted your aviation path?
The PSA Cadet Program has given me vision and insight into the aviation industry and has allowed me to find the company I want to be a part of and the people I want work with. Thanks to my mentors and the frequent webinars, I feel like I am a part of the team.

How are you staying engaged with the Cadet Program even though we have not been able to be on campus this year?
The virtual events and trainings have been an awesome resource for me to continue learning about PSA. These events help me feel like part of the company, while I am still working on meeting the R-ATP minimums.

What is the best career advice you have received?
Invest in your education.

How are you staying positive and continuing to learn during this time?
This year has taught us all that staying positive can be hard. But, hope is what gets me through the toughest times – hope that soon the industry will “pick up” again, like it has in that past.

I also have the privilege of being an instructor at a small school and get to fly with students. I think that as an instructor, I learn more from each flight than my students learn, but I also am pushing myself to get more ratings (I just passed my CFII checkride!) and to stay current.

Where is your favorite place to travel?
I love to visit Toronto, Canada. I know it is not a tropical paradise, but I have family there, and travel is what lets me be around the people I love the most.

What is an interesting fact about you?
I have been waterskiing since I was four years old and I still go every year.