AVIATION ABCs
Educational & quiz reels
Aviation ABCs, A/B/C/D quizzes and “wrong answers only” prompts that pull people into the comments.
Quiz record: 592 comments on one reel
CPL / IR
Grade III Instructor · Eagle One
Founder · Airborne Academy
I fly planes, train pilots & build brands.
I'm Nash. I took my first flight in August 2021 and had my private pilot licence by November. Today I instruct at Eagle One Flight Academy and share the real cost, the scholarships and the cockpit, so you can get there without going into debt.
670KViews / 30 days
1.1MTop reel views
36K+IG + TikTok
3,212Guides sent '25
▲ CLIMB · +700 FPM
RAND · FAGM
PFD · MOVE TO FLYHDG 082 · 4500
Flight plan
01 · Pilot · 2021
Fly planes.
First flight in August 2021, PPL that November, commercial licence in June 2025.
02 · Founder · 2023
Build brands.
Airborne Academy, built in public since 2023. 36K+ followers and campaigns for GoFlight, IFR Flight Simulator and Claude.
03 · Instructor · 2026
Train pilots.
Instructor rating in May 2026, then my first flying job at Eagle One Flight Academy that August.
For brands
Reach the people who are about to spend on flying.
Student pilots, aspiring cadets and career changers who trust me with decisions that cost hundreds of thousands of rand.
Portfolio · media kit · rates→
For future pilots
Start your training with a plan, not a loan.
Free guides on scholarships, bursaries, cadet programmes and the mistakes that cost student pilots time and money.
7 free guides · 147 reviews→
Edited in-house
Every frame shot, cut and sound-designed by me.
Kinetic captions, matched sound design and a cinematic grade. The same craft goes into every brand video.
- CAPTIONSMotion titles in brand colours, keywords in orange
- SOUNDEffects matched to every cut and animation
- GRADECool blue in the studio, cinematic outside
📌 PINNED
Day 1/183. Welcome to Airborne Academy
nashairborne
Day 1/183. A series where I show you how to become an airline pilot.
GoFlightAccolade Flying WingsIFR Flight SimulatorClaudeGoFlightAccolade Flying WingsIFR Flight SimulatorClaude
Journey
From first solo to the right seat of the classroom.
My first flight was in August 2021. It took me longer than planned to get here: exams, hour building, a business, marathons and the gym all competed for my time. Today I train pilots at Eagle One Flight Academy and run Airborne Academy, which I’ve been building in public since 2023.
Role 01 Current
Grade III Flight Instructor
My first flying job. Teaching student pilots from first lesson to checkride, every week, in the real aircraft.
@ Eagle One Flight Academy · since Aug 2026
Role 02 Current
Founder, Airborne Academy
A community and content series showing how to become an airline pilot without going into debt.
Since 2023 · Day X/183 series · free guides
Role 03 Current
Creator
Aviation, running, gym and fitness, men's grooming and tech workflows, watched by 1.4M+ people a month.
@nashairborne
Flight log
The milestones that matter, newest first.
DateEntryStatus
Aug 2026● Current
Grade III Flight Instructor, Eagle One
My first flying job. I teach student pilots at Eagle One Flight Academy.
Aug 2026● Current
Brand partnerships
Accolade Flying Wings in August, GoFlight in September and IFR Flight Simulator in November, plus UGC for Claude. Joined Humanz to work with more brands.
Sep 2025 – May 2026Completed
Instructor rating
Trained as a flight instructor at Accolade Flying Wings, Rand Airport.
27 Jun 2025Completed
Commercial Pilot Licence
Single-engine. The school’s multi-engine aircraft was grounded with an engine problem, so I finished on a single.
2023 – now● Current
Founded Airborne Academy
Started sharing my training in public: the costs, the exams, the scholarships. Day 1/183, free guides and checkride prep followed.
2022 – 2025Completed
Exams and hour building
One exam a month through 2022, then hour building to 100 hours as pilot in command. I also started a business with friends that didn’t last, ran marathons and trained in the gym. Balancing it all slowed my training down.
Feb 2022Completed
Night rating
Qualified to fly at night.
2021Completed
Private Pilot Licence
First flight in August 2021 at Superior Pilot Services, Grand Central. PPL done that November.
Commit to the process and it will commit to you.
For brands · Media kit Nov 2026
An audience that acts on what I post.
I'm a commercial pilot, flight instructor and fitness creator. Over 1.4M people a month watch me fly, train, groom and run my business with the right tools, and they save, share and ask buying questions.
01Aviation & pilot careers
02Running, gym & fitness
03Men's health & grooming
04Tech & software workflows
1.4M+Monthly viewers
36KFollowers, IG + TikTok
13.5KAvg IG reach · 90d
7.3%TikTok engagement
UGC
How I use Claude to run my brand
nashairborne × Claude
UGC: AI that edits my videos and handles brand emails.
Claude
UGC · Product demo📌 PINNED
Day 1/183. Welcome to Airborne Academy
nashairborne
Day 1/183. A series where I show you how to become an airline pilot.
My editing style
Series · Airborne AcademyUGC
Practising IFR on the ground
nashairborne × IFR Flight Simulator
UGC: an honest review from a CPL/IR instructor.
IFR Flight Simulator
UGC · ReviewHover to bring a video forward · Watch more on Instagram ↗
Meet Nash
The pilot behind the camera.
I'm Nyasha “Nash” Madziwa, a commercial pilot and Grade III flight instructor at Eagle One Flight Academy in South Africa, and the founder of Airborne Academy.
I’ve been building Airborne Academy in public since 2023, and I script, shoot and edit everything myself, from cockpit footage to marathon training. People come for the flying and stay for the honest talk about money, training, fitness and the tools I use to run my brand.
- Based in
- South Africa
- Flying
- CPL/IR · Grade III Instructor
- Founder
- Airborne Academy, since 2023
- Off duty
- Marathons & gym
✈
Real pilot, real cockpit. Authenticity you can't stage with actors or stock footage.
✂
One person, start to finish. Script, film, edit and post, so there's one point of contact and a fast turnaround.
↗
Calls to action that work. 71% of people who ask for my link open it.
The numbers
Verified by Instagram, TikTok and YouTube through 1stCollab, November 2026.
Best-performing reel
1.1M
views on the cheapest total cost to become an Emirates pilot. My audience goes deep on money and career decisions.
Instagram · 90 days
13,469
average reach per reel, across 40 reels
TikTok · 90 days
7.3%
engagement, 2,107 average views across 57 videos
Instagram · 90 days
4.4%
engagement, 361 average likes per reel
YouTube Shorts · 30 days
1,267
average views across 22 Shorts
Instagram ↗
19.1K357 posts · 4.4% engagement
TikTok ↗
16.9K345 videos · 7.3% engagement
YouTube ↗
736subscribers · 177 videos
Threads ↗
687followers · @nashairborne
Who you reach
Instagram audience, verified November 2026. Young, mostly male and international.
Top locations
Age
Gender
71% of my Instagram audience is aged 18 to 34. On YouTube the audience is older and closer to home: South Africa is the top country (15%), 25–34 is the largest age group (31%) and 76% are male.
What I make
Real cockpit footage, not stock. Every format here has a track record on my channels.
DAY 101/183
Pilot humour
Inside jokes student pilots send to each other. Short, relatable, built for shares.
139 shares on one reel
FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ROUTINE
Series episodes
The daily Day X/183 run and Flight Instructor Routine. Your product lives inside the story.
Daily posting drives my biggest outliers
EXPLAINER
Career & cost explainers
Scholarships, bursaries and the real numbers. Evergreen and searchable.
1.1M views · 164K on TikTok
Claude
IFR Flight Sim
UGCUGC & product demos
First-person demos you can run as ads. Apps, simulators, gear and tools. Hover or tap a side to bring it forward and hear it.
Delivered for Claude & IFR Flight Simulator
Why it converts
Comment a keyword under my video, get the guide in your DMs, download it on my site. Real numbers from my automation and my shop.
01 · Comment743
people commented my keyword LAZY and got the guide link in their DMs automatically
02 · Click71.2%
of them opened the link: 529 clicks from 743 DMs
Same automation03 · Check out2,028
orders placed on nashairborne.com in 2025, with 641 in April alone
WooCommerce · Jan–Dec 202504 · Download3,212
guides delivered in 2025. 98.8% of all orders completed (2,099 of 2,124)
WooCommerceFor brands, that means a call to action in my content doesn't stop at a view. Seven in ten people who ask for a link open it.
Brands I've worked with
GoFlightAccolade Flying WingsIFR Flight SimulatorClaudeGoFlightAccolade Flying WingsIFR Flight SimulatorClaude
Packages & rates
Prices in USD. Bundles, series work and longer usage quoted on request.
Book on 1stCollab ↗Or send a brief below and I'll reply with a proposal.
Enquiry
Tell me about the campaign.
Fill this in and I'll have everything I need to reply with a proposal. I answer every brand email personally.
nash@nashairborne.comFree pilot guides
Everything I wish someone had handed me on day one.
Scholarships, bursaries, cadet programmes and the mistakes to avoid. All updated for 2026/2027, and most are free. Open any guide to see what’s inside.
No.GuideCategoryRatingDownload
Go further
Paid guides for when you're close to the exam or ready to apply.
Checkride
Prep
Prep
Private Pilot Checkride Prep
100+ questions and answers for FAA and SACAA checkrides. Study smart, respond with confidence, pass the first time.
Aviation
Scholarships
Scholarships
Aviation Scholarships 2026/2027
20 scholarships, bursaries and funded programmes across four regions, with a 2027 calendar and an essay guide.
Book a call
Plan your route from zero to the airline.
One hour with a working instructor. We look at your budget, timeline and options, then map the cheapest realistic path.
Career startup call
Bring your questions, your budget and your goals. Leave with a training plan, a funding shortlist and the right questions for flight schools.
1 hour · online
- Training route: PPL to CPL, cadet or modular
- Funding: bursaries, scholarships, sponsorships
- Schools, costs and what to ask them
How it works
STEP 1 · PREFLIGHT
Book a slot
Pick a time that suits you. Times are shown in South African time.
STEP 2 · BRIEFING
Tell me where you are
Your age, budget, any hours flown and the job you want.
STEP 3 · DEPARTURE
Get your plan
A route, a funding shortlist and next steps you can act on this week.
Common questions
Do I need any flying experience?
No. Most people who book have never flown. The call is built for working out where to start.
Can you help if I'm outside South Africa?
Yes. I cover international scholarships and cadet programmes, and the training principles are the same.
Should I read the free guides first?
It helps. The Airline Cadet Programs and SA Bursaries guides answer the common questions, so we can spend the hour on your situation.