I'm taking a break from flying

Summary

In this Mentour video, the host celebrates reaching two million subscribers and shares the journey from a hobby to a full-time job. He explains his decision to leave flying to focus on YouTube, aiming to serve the aviation community. The host introduces his team, discusses the challenges of content creation funded by ads, and invites viewers to support the channel through Patreon to ensure future production and help make aviation safer.

Takeaways

• 🎉 The Mentour channel has reached 2 million subscribers, a significant milestone that the creator is grateful for.
• 🛫 The channel has transitioned from a hobby to a full-time job for the creator and a team of five professionals.
• ✈️ The creator's passion for aviation began at a young age and led to a career as a pilot, flying Boeing 737s.
• 📈 The creator left his airline job to focus on the channel, believing it's the best way to serve the aviation community.
• 👥 The team behind Mentour includes professionals specializing in editing, 3D animation, research, and graphic design.
• 🕒 Each Mentour Pilot video requires approximately 500 hours of work, reflecting the high production standards.
• 🔍 The channel's content aims to highlight the safety and professionalism in aviation, often by examining incidents and near misses.
• 📊 The channel's funding primarily comes from YouTube advertising, but the revenue model can be challenging for high-cost productions.
• 💼 The creator is asking for support on Patreon to help sustain the channel and enable the production of more complex videos.
• 🌟 Patreon supporters get early access to videos and participate in regular hangouts with the creator, contributing to the community.
• 🚀 The goal is to double the Patreon membership to 4,000 to expand the team and continue producing high-quality aviation content.

Q & A

Why did the Mentour channel creator decide to make YouTube his full-time job?

The Mentour channel creator decided to make YouTube his full-time job because he believes it is the best way he can serve the aviation community and reach a large audience to highlight the industry's safety and the efforts of its professionals.

What was the creator's initial career before focusing on YouTube?

Before focusing on YouTube, the creator had a career as a pilot, flying the Boeing 737 and later becoming a captain, line training captain, type rating instructor, and examiner.

How did the creator's passion for aviation begin?

The creator's passion for aviation began when his parents gifted him a test lesson for his 14th birthday, which ignited his interest and led him to excel academically to pursue a career in aviation.

What is the significance of the 2 million subscribers milestone for Mentour?

Reaching 2 million subscribers signifies a major achievement for Mentour, reflecting the channel's growth and the substantial audience it has garnered, which the creator is deeply grateful for.

Why is the creator asking viewers to support the channel on Patreon?

The creator is asking viewers to support the channel on Patreon to help sustain the production of high-quality content, as the costs of creating such detailed videos can exceed the ad revenue, and to allow for the planning of long-term and complex projects.

What is the role of Dominic on the Mentour team?

Dominic serves as the chief editor and graphic design wizard on the Mentour team, and he was the first team member to join back in 2019.

How does the creator describe the safety of aviation?

The creator describes aviation as one of the safest methods of transportation, attributing this safety level to the countless daily decisions made by aviation professionals worldwide.

What is the average time spent on producing a Mentour Pilot video?

Each Mentour Pilot video takes approximately 500 hours to produce, which is nearly 10 hours of work for every minute of content.

How does the creator view the role of Patreon supporters in the channel's future?

The creator sees Patreon supporters as fundamental and critical parts of the channel, enabling future production and allowing for more ambitious projects through their support.

What are the challenges faced by the Mentour team in producing content on YouTube?

The Mentour team faces challenges such as the uncertainty of ad revenue, which may not cover the extensive production costs, and the need to balance sponsorships with audience expectations.

What is the creator's goal for Patreon membership to support the channel's growth?

The creator aims to double the Patreon membership to 4,000 members to expand the team and increase the channel's ambitions for new projects, ensuring the sustainability of Mentour.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Celebrating Two Million Subscribers and Transition to Full-Time YouTuber

The speaker expresses gratitude for reaching two million subscribers and clarifies that managing the channel is now his full-time job, along with a team of five others. He shares his background in aviation, which began with a flight lesson at 14, leading to a government-sponsored pilot program in Sweden. After training and a year as an airport firefighter, he started flying for an airline at 20, eventually becoming a captain, line training captain, type rating instructor, and examiner. Despite his love for flying, he has taken an extended leave to focus on his YouTube channels, believing it's the best way to serve the aviation community and reach a wide audience. He emphasizes the importance of the aviation industry's safety record, attributing it to the efforts of many professionals, and his desire to highlight these contributions.

05:01

🤝 Behind the Scenes of Mentour Pilot and the Importance of Patreon Support

The speaker introduces his team, each with a specific role in producing Mentour Pilot videos, such as editing, 3D animation, research, and thumbnail design. He acknowledges the hard work and dedication of his team, which he believes is a key factor in reaching two million subscribers. He discusses the challenges of funding high-quality content through YouTube advertising, as advertisers prioritize viewer attention over the effort put into creating the content. To overcome these challenges and maintain the quality of their videos, the speaker invites viewers to support the channel through Patreon. Patreon allows subscribers to contribute monthly, participate in Zoom hangouts, and receive early access to videos, helping to ensure the channel's future and allowing for more ambitious projects. The speaker sets a goal to double the Patreon membership to 4,000, which would help expand the team and continue producing high-quality aviation content.

Keywords

💡Subscribers

Subscribers are individuals who choose to follow a YouTube channel to receive updates and new content notifications. In the context of the video, reaching two million subscribers is a significant milestone that reflects the channel's growth and popularity. The speaker expresses gratitude for this achievement, indicating the support of a large audience is crucial for the channel's success.

💡Full-time job

A full-time job refers to a primary occupation that typically involves a set number of working hours per week and is the main source of income for an individual. The speaker clarifies that managing the YouTube channel is no longer a hobby but has become their full-time job, signifying a significant commitment and the channel's importance in their professional life.

💡Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially for air travel. The video's theme revolves around aviation, as the speaker's passion and professional background are deeply rooted in this field. The channel's content focuses on aviation safety and education, aiming to serve the aviation community.

💡Team

A team in this context refers to a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. The speaker mentions a team of five people who have joined them, emphasizing that creating high-quality content is a collaborative effort. The team's roles include editing, animation, research, and more, showcasing the diverse skills required to produce the channel's videos.

💡Patreon

Patreon is a platform that allows creators to receive financial support from their audience through monthly subscriptions. In the video, the speaker invites viewers to join their Patreon to support the channel's operations. This support is crucial for sustaining the team and producing content, as it provides a stable source of income beyond YouTube advertising.

💡Content production

Content production refers to the process of creating and publishing various forms of content, such as videos, articles, or podcasts. The speaker discusses the time-consuming nature of producing Mentour Pilot videos, which can take up to 500 hours per video. This highlights the dedication and effort required to maintain the channel's quality standards.

💡Aviation community

The aviation community encompasses all individuals and organizations involved in aviation, including pilots, air traffic controllers, aircraft technicians, and more. The speaker expresses a desire to serve this community by educating and highlighting the importance of safety in aviation through their videos.

💡Safety

Safety in the context of aviation refers to the measures taken to prevent accidents and ensure the well-being of passengers, crew, and the general public. The video emphasizes the safety of air travel and the speaker's mission to educate viewers on the safety protocols and the efforts of aviation professionals to maintain it.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship involves a relationship in which a more experienced person guides and supports a less experienced one. The channel's name 'Mentour' suggests a focus on mentorship in aviation. The speaker aims to share knowledge and insights to help others in the aviation field, reflecting the channel's educational and supportive role.

💡Pilot program

A pilot program is an initial trial of a new project or process. In the script, the speaker mentions joining a government-sponsored pilot program, which likely refers to an initiative to train and develop new pilots. This program played a pivotal role in the speaker's career, illustrating the importance of such opportunities in professional development.

💡YouTube advertising

YouTube advertising refers to the promotion of products, services, or channels through advertisements on the YouTube platform. The speaker discusses the challenges of relying on YouTube advertising as the primary source of income, as it does not always reflect the effort and cost involved in creating high-quality content, which affects the channel's financial sustainability.

Highlights

Mentour channel reaches two million subscribers, a significant milestone.

The channel has transitioned from a hobby to a full-time job for the host and a team of five.

The host's passion for aviation began with a flight lesson at 14, leading to a career as a pilot.

The host left his airline job to focus on the YouTube channel, aiming to serve the aviation community.

Aviation's safety is attributed to the collective efforts of many professionals, not just pilots.

The channel's mission is to highlight the aviation industry's commitment to safety.

Viewer feedback indicates that the channel's content has helped alleviate fears about flying.

Active pilots have used lessons from the channel to handle challenging situations.

Each Mentour Pilot video requires approximately 500 hours of work for production.

The team includes professionals with expertise in editing, 3D animation, research, and graphic design.

The host expresses gratitude for the team's contribution to surpassing two million subscribers.

YouTube's advertising model presents challenges for channels with high production costs.

The host invites viewers to support the channel through Patreon to ensure future content creation.

Patreon supporters receive early access to videos and participate in exclusive hangouts.

The host aims to double Patreon membership to expand the team and enhance video production.

The host expresses hope to make aviation safer with the help of the community's support.

Transcripts

- Hi guys, very welcome to Mentour

and we're going to (indistinct).

As always (indistinct).

Wow, I really can't believe

that we've hit two million subscribers.

That's an absolutely crazy number

and I am so grateful that we've managed to reach this point.

Now, you might think that this channel is just a hobby for me,

something that I am doing next to my flying duties,

but that's not true

and it actually hasn't been true for over a year now.

This is now my full-time job

and that's true for another five people as well.

Now, I know that might come as a bit of a surprise.

How can I possibly be leaving flying behind?

Who are those people behind the videos?

And why am I doing this video right now?

Well, the answer is that this

is not an easy operation to pull off.

And as we continue to grow, we now want you guys

to be a part of making these videos possible

by joining my team over on Patreon.

First, let me tell you why I've taken a break from flying

to focus solely on YouTube.

And to understand that a bit better,

I have to tell you a little bit about my story

before I started these channels.

Aviation has been my dream

and passion ever since my parents gave me

a test lesson for my 14th birthday.

That's when this passion really lit up

and it helped me to go

from a mediocre student to straight As,

which then paved the way for me

to join a government-sponsored pilot program

back at home in Sweden.

Fast forward a few years, I was 20 years old

and had just completed all my training

as well as a year of mandatory military service

as an airport firefighter

and that's when I landed my first job

in my current airline, flying the awesome Boeing 737.

I was only 20 years old when I first climbed

into the right seat of that magnificent beast

and nearly 20 years later,

after having upgraded to a captain,

line training captain, type rating instructor

and even examiner,

I've now tucked away my uniform

and taken an extended leave

from my airline to focus solely on these two channels.

So, how could I possibly do that,

I mean it's not like I've stopped loving flying.

Well, the reason is that I truly believe that this

is the best way that I can serve

the aviation community right now

and I will likely never have this chance

to reach this many people again.

The way I see it, aviation is the foundation

for a better-connected and united world

while also being, by far, one of the safest

methods of transportation.

That level of safety is only possible

because of the countless decisions made every day

by millions of unsung heroes around the globe.

That's not just pilots but also ground crew,

cabin crew, aircraft technicians,

air traffic controllers, regulators and many, many more

and it is my duty to highlight this to the world

and to, in some way, give back to the industry

that has given so much to me and my family.

Now I know that sometimes my videos can make

it seem like serious mistakes are being made all the time

but in reality, it's the industry's relentless determination

to learn from both tragedies and minor mishaps

that has made this into the safest way of transportation.

And right now it is really safer than it's ever been.

Now I know that we're making a real difference here,

me and the team, and that's because so many of you guys

have reached out to me in the comments

and also during my Patreon hangout

to say how surprised you are

that watching my videos about mishaps

are actually making some of you less nervous about flying

just because you now understand it.

I've also been contacted by active pilots

who have shared episodes where they have found themselves

in tricky situations and have utilized lessons

that I have talked about

to slow things down and deescalate those situations.

Hearing those stories is one of the most gratifying aspects

of running these channels and the real reason

behind my decision to now give it my full attention.

And I'm not the only one doing that either, nor could I

because each Mentour Pilot video right now takes

around 500 hours to produce.

That's close to 10 hours

for every minute of content that you see.

To do that, I work together

with an incredible team of dedicated professionals.

Let's start with Dominic, for example, our chief editor

and graphic design wizard who was actually

the first one to join my team already back in 2019.

Then comes Mohamed, our 3D animation specialist

and brilliant editor.

And Kyra, who carries out research

and helps me with certain extra tricky scripts.

Then we have Alejandra, the brilliant editor

behind Mentour Now,

which has one of the highest work ethics

that I've ever come across.

And let's not forget Spyros, our research guru

for Mentour Now, with an unmatched depth

of aviation knowledge

down to the very nerdiest little details.

And he actually started off as one of my Patreon members

back in the day.

Finally, we have Claudia,

who ensures that our videos look

as interesting as they are informative

with her stunning thumbnails.

And George, who is doing most of our closed captions.

These are all the true superstars behind the scene,

and one of the main reasons we've managed

to surpass this enormous two million milestone.

But dedicating this much time and effort

to sticking to the standards we believe

that these stories really deserve

comes with unique challenges.

YouTube has been incredibly good to us,

and as we hit two million subscribers, we are deeply thankful

for all of the audience it has allowed us to reach.

But having said that, from the very start,

there has been an underlying part

of how this platform operates

that presents a little bit of a problem.

You see, YouTube advertising mostly funds these videos,

but advertisers don't really care about how much time

and effort that goes into creating each video.

Instead, YouTube only cares about the end result,

attention, your attention.

A Mentour Pilot video is,

for the purposes of advertising,

no more valuable than a video which takes a fraction

of the time, effort and cost to produce,

and even though we obviously understand why that is,

it still makes it very challenging

for us to plan for long-term projects

or deeply complicated and time-consuming videos.

That's obviously because the cost

of making those videos might actually

be higher than our possible ad revenue.

Our sponsors are also helping us a lot,

but we are constantly listening closely

to what you guys as an audience is saying,

and that has recently made us take

some tough sponsorship decisions

which has had a big effect on our budget.

And this is why I'm now asking you to join us

in making these videos.

You see, Mentour Pilot has a team the size of a small studio

or a small magazine, and like a magazine,

there are two main ways that we are able

to sustain what we do, ads and subscriptions.

Our subscription platform is Patreon,

and when you subscribe to us there,

you can choose to pay just a few dollars per month depending

on what tier that you go for.

If you do that, you will become a fundamental

and critical part of this channel,

and it will also enable our future production.

I meet with everyone on Patreon

in regular Zoom hangouts, where we discuss everything

from aviation events to their lives,

and also, I answer questions

and listen to all of their comments,

which actually sometimes

even helps us come up with new ideas for new content.

We also release our videos early to our Patreons,

which works like an extra layer of quality control

since they always do an excellent job

in spotting mistakes and coming up

with helpful suggestions to make the videos even better.

I am so thrilled to reach

this two million subscriber milestone.

It's far beyond anything that I imagined

when I started this up as a hobby in my home office which...

What is it now?

Like nine years ago,

but now, with the role that the Mentour channels have

in the aviation world, my team and I want

the future of these channels

to be based on your support

rather than just on ads and sponsors.

As things stand right now,

the entire Mentour team is working on a video

right up until a few hours prior to its release,

but together with all of you,

I hope that we'll be able to expand our team,

and with that, our ambitions for each new project.

We've crunched the numbers, and we think

that we can do that if we manage

to double our numbers up

to 4,000 members of our Patreon crew.

It's a huge goal, I know,

and maybe it's an unrealistic one,

but if we can reach that together,

then I think that we can make aviation

just that little bit safer together,

and you will have as always, my deepest gratitude.

Thank you all for helping us get this far,

and now let's make it even more awesome together.

Have an absolutely fantastic day wherever you are,

and I'll see you next time.

Bye-bye.

(upbeat music)

Woo!