Left high school thinking I was 16 months away from being a commercial airline pilot.
Instead, I walked away with $50,000 in debt, no license, and my life upside down.
Right after high school, I enrolled in flight school.
The pitch was perfect:
• 16 months
• Commercial airline track
• CRJ-700 certification
• FAA-approved simulators
• “Fixed Rate Program” with clear pricing
Even better—my biological father worked for Bombardier, the company that built the CRJ-700.
I called him. He confirmed the school was legit.
I was all in.
My brother and I drove from California to Mesa, Arizona to check it out.
✔️ Planes
✔️ Facilities
✔️ Students
✔️ Housing
Everything looked real.
I was told to show up with clothes and financial aid paperwork.
Done.
Approved.
Excited.
I packed my car and drove straight to Arizona.
Day one: my advisor was on vacation… and forgot to tell me.
No big deal, they said. Everything was “set up.”
Including my furnished apartment.
I arrive… and there’s a guy on the couch.
Surprise roommate.
He wasn’t expecting me. I wasn’t expecting him.
But he was further along in the program, so I figured—win.
First week at school? Awesome.
Flying daily. Learning nonstop. Grinding hard.
Then one night I wake up… and my roommate is standing at the foot of my bed.
Both startled.
I moved out the next day.
Turns out my financial aid hadn’t actually hit yet.
I had no money.
Family had to wire me cash just so I could eat.
A classmate had a house and rented rooms.
Two of us moved in.
Aid finally hit.
I was back on track.
Or so I thought.
Then came my first cross-country flight.
Mesa → Tucson.
Emergency landing.
The plane wouldn’t restart.
An FAA official was already at the airport.
He inspected the plane.
Then asked:
• Where do you go to school?
• Who authorized you to fly this aircraft?
• Who can I call right now?
I watched him go from confused…
to frustrated…
to angry.
He was yelling on the phone:
“I’m not letting a student wiggle a switch to get this plane back in the air.”
He demanded the school retrieve me and the plane.
While we waited, he told me something I’ll never forget:
“You should never have been allowed to fly this aircraft in that condition.”
🚩 Red flag.
But I was young. Locked in. Committed.
I passed my written exam for my private pilot license.
Next step: the in-air practical test with an FAA examiner.
I show up ready.
The school pulls me aside:
“You can’t fly. Your account isn’t current.”
What?
My first license was $6,000.
I had over $50,000 in loans.
I request my statements.
That’s when everything collapsed.
I was being charged for:
• Plane maintenance
• Flights I never took
• Aircraft I was never in
Maintenance I wasn’t supposed to pay for—period.
I assumed it was a mistake.
It wasn’t.
They dug in.
Nothing changed.
I “owed.”
I left school at 18 years old:
• $50,000+ in debt
• No license
• No job
• No money
• No plan
My parents had co-signed.
Payments were over $1,200/month.
I spiraled.
Hard.
When I tuned 21, I cashed out the $1,400 investment account my grandparents left me.
Hired a lawyer.
We won.
Judgment in my favor.
The school disappeared.
Declared bankruptcy.
Seized student funds.
Turns out:
• The building was leased
• The planes were leased
• The owner had two companies
He lost nothing.
Still owned the planes.
I called the student loan companies.
They didn’t care.
They wanted their money.
Then I reached someone at Sallie Mae.
A decision-maker.
She listened…
and laughed.
Told me they had an army of lawyers.
Said I’d pay eventually.
That laugh changed everything.
This wasn’t debt anymore.
This was war.
I couldn’t afford to pay and fight.
So we made a plan.
Stop paying.
Document everything.
Prepare for court.
When they called, everyone was instructed to say:
“Sue us.”
They got aggressive.
Harassment.
Taking unauthorized payments from my account.
Shaming through employers.
Ten years later…
Every dollar was forgiven.
No payout.
No apology.
But I survived.
I rebuilt my credit.
I kept moving forward.
I walked into that school a kid.
I walked out a victim.
Then a phone call turned me into an emotionless machine.
If you’ve ever been crushed by a system that was “supposed” to work—
you’re not alone.
👉 Fight or fold?
What would you have done?