As the world went into 2020, it faced a vast and growing pilot shortage. Just three months into the new year, a pilot shortage was no longer a problem. The beginnings of stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements turned the high demand for air travel into thousands of unemployed pilots. A global pandemic seemed to be an unlikely solution to any shortage, but COVID-19 is likely to be the event that permanently redefines the role of the pilot.

When thinking of starting a new business, most entrepreneurs' advice is to find a problem and then create a solution. Sounds easy, but the trick is the problem must be relevant. People have to care about the issue you solve for any concept to be successful.

Problem: I need a better way to travel through the city

Solution: Rideshare companies like Uber/Lyft

These successful companies created a solution to a problem that affected many of us. Ten years ago, I never thought I would message a stranger to pick me up at the airport or take me to dinner. The concept was unheard of, even considered dangerous, but today living without this option is an inconvenience.

What exactly is a $100 hamburger? It is a burger consisting of Japanese Wagyu beef that has been infused with white truffle butter, topped with James Montgomery cheddar cheese, and a fried quail egg. (I can already tell this post will be very hard to write without a trip to In-N-Out.) But to my crazy flying family and pilots everywhere, the $100 hamburger is aviation slang for any burger served in a non-local small airport restaurant. The high price tag doesn't have anything to do with the burger's quality, and it has more to do with what it takes to get one.