Side Gig Ground School

WITH CHARLIE GASMIRE

Join me in Side Gig Ground School where I'll show you what I do for side hustles that has massively helped offset the costs of flying.

I didn't start an aviation brand with the intention of teaching people what I'm learning in business, but I quickly realized that one of the most common questions I receive has to do with increasing income to better afford flying.

There are SO many shady marketers out there that tout passive income and mailbox money, and I was hesitant to even put this course together at the risk of being labeled in the same category. But if you've followed me on YouTube or in my email courses for any amount of time, you know that I try to be as genuine as I can, sharing what I've learned in aviation and in life.

So this course is no different... I'll cut straight to the point and pull the curtain back and show you the in's and out's of how I've increased my income that has made flying so much more accessible.

It's literally changed my life and so I want to share it with you, too.

Hi, I'm Charlie Gasmire

I'm a pilot and entrepreneur. Here's how I can help you.

I’ve been passionate about flying and entrepreneurship for as long as I can remember.

I grew up on lemonade stands and airplane stories, so now running my own businesses and owning my own Cessna 182 is a dream come true for me (in addition to being married to the love of my life, Corey, who came as a packaged deal with our dog Bruce, pictured above). 

There are two consistent lessons I’ve learned in the process: flying is expensive, and making money can be hard.

I’ve started many businesses over the years, some were successes and others were complete flops. But the last several years I have been getting into niche websites and YouTube channels, and it has been a total game-changer.

While I tried blogging in the past, I didn’t have a good content generation and traffic strategy, so despite writing many articles and many hours, I ended up with zero visitors and zero revenue. It flopped, hard. 

But once I started to implement the right strategy for content creation, it opened up the doors to drive tens of thousands (and sometimes hundreds of thousands) of monthly views on my sites and channels. It makes more than flying costs me.

It’s literally changed my life. 

And while I didn't create Airplane Academy to teach people about business, if you've followed me for any amount of time you know that I simply try to share my own lessoned learned in flying and in life.

With so many pilots reaching out to me and commenting on the channel for help wanting side income to help offset the expense of aviation, I wanted to bring this course to life to try to help.

That’s why I created Side Gig Ground School, to help pilots better afford flying.

Side Gig Ground School gives you everything you need to formulate a successful niche, content strategy, and monetization plan that could help you offset the costs of flying. 

It's not an overnight thing, and it takes hard work and dedicated effort. But it might just be the thing that makes flying affordable for you.

We spend so much on airplane rentals and lessons to become a pilot. I would encourage you to consider spending a fraction of that for a few hours of time together where I'll pull back the curtain and explain the in's and out's of something that has made a profound difference in my life.

Now, it’s not for everyone, because I know that not everyone wants or needs a side hustle to pay for flying. But for those that do, I can vouch that this is a proven and effective framework that works for me.

I’ll also put the risk back on me for this course… if you aren’t happy with the content of this course, simply ask a refund within 30 days and I’ll do so, no questions asked. 

Lastly, I’m a real human. So if you have any questions that aren’t answered on this page, simply reach out at charlie at airplaneacademy dot com.

See you on the inside! 

-Charlie

Course Information

Here's What's Included With Side Gig Ground School

If you're a current or aspiring pilot looking for a viable side hustle to help offset the costs of flying, this is the course for you.

Pre-Recorded Content: 16 videos lasting nearly 3 hours walking you through the whole strategy of niche selection, content creation, and monetization.

Financial Model: Illustrative spreadsheet tool that lets you tweak all of the assumptions to see how this strategy works with all of the moving pieces.

Tech Vault: The list of tools I use and recommend in my sites and channels.

Real-World Examples: Real examples from out in the wild.

Specific Next Steps: How to get started, PLUS a resource recommendation that I 100% endorse and recommend.

Familiarity: The same Charlie you're used to seeing on YouTube is the one teaching this course.

What You'll Learn

How to Build a Side Gig That Can Help Pay for Flying

Across nearly three hours of video and extra content, you'll learn all about:

Why this is the business model I love. I've started a lot of businesses and this has been one of my very favorites. It takes hard work up front but it really can free you up to spend your time flying (which is why you started a side gig in the first place). Your time spent on this model doesn't have to scale as the business does. I'll tell you how and why.

The how and why of niche selection. You'll gain a deeper understanding of how and why niche topics present great opportunities to create content, drive traffic, and make money in the process. Choosing a viable niche can be a make-or-break stage of this journey.

How to drive traffic. I blogged in the past with zero success, and it wasn't until tweaking my strategy for content creation that I was able to consistently drive traffic to my sites and channels. I'll show you how.

How traffic gets monetized. What's all this traffic worth? I'll cover different methods to monetize your traffic in ways that make sense for your specific brand. I also include a financial model that you can download and use that illustrates everything taught in the course.

Real-world examples. Too many internet marketers have a course that talk about what they did ten years ago. I'm in the trenches now with several sites and can point you to real examples of how this works in the real world.

Another blogging resource I 100% endorse. If at the end of all of this you decide you really want to pursue this side hustle, there is another resource (it isn't mine) that I 100% endorse and recommend that will cover the nitty gritty of setting up your site and planning out your content. My course is a good primer to see if this is something you want to pursue (it saves you money versus jumping into a more expensive course first).

Who This Course is For

If you’ve been interested in starting a side gig to help pay for flying, then this course will save you time, effort, and energy searching around the web for businesses to start, and instead give you an inside look into a strategy that has worked really well for me.

In fact, this is the course I wish I could show myself a few years ago that would have propelled me to start working faster and smarter and with more focus.

And if you’re used to hearing me on YouTube or in my emails, then this will be a familiar voice sharing with you what has worked for me in hopes that it might work for you, too. 

"Charlie really knows his stuff..."

Kevin C.

"Charlie really knows his stuff and you can tell he's been doing these businesses for a while. He presents the content in a very engaging and understandable format, just like he does with aviation content on YouTube."

What This Course is NOT

None of that "icky" stuff!

I've always loved companies that can confidently tell you what they are not and who they are not a good fit for. Here's a list of what Side Gig Ground School is NOT: 

NOT a Pyramid / MLM Scheme: I avoid those like the plague! I was the only one of my college roommates not to fall for that when it came to our town. I still give them a hard time about it to this day! 

NOT a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: That's an oxymoron. Success in business takes hard work, skill, and dedication. I would never tell you you'll get rich, or quickly. Any side gig will take hard work, skill, and dedication. That's what makes them so worth it!

NOT Day Trading: If you read any of this page, you probably know by now that this has nothing to do with the stock market. 

NOT Amazon Selling: While this can be a legitimate business, it’s just getting more crowded with people selling low-quality items dropshipped from overseas. This course isn’t about that.

NOT Dropshipping: Personally I want to bring something more valuable to the world than just selling low-quality items delivered directly from another country to a customer. My course is about creating extremely helpful content on the web that you can be proud of.

NOT Print-On-Demand: We’ve all seen the spammy ads saying you can put the face of a cat on your coffee mug or t-shirt and sell it through Facebook ads and make millions. Don't worry, in my course there's a 0.0000001% chance you'll ever get close to making a cat mug.

NOT a Build-a-Coaching-Business: While you could monetize your niche website via coaching services, this course isn’t built around self-branding and trying to become a coach. There are many coaching courses out there that teach you how to be a coach… this isn’t one of them. 

NOT a Stand-in-Front-of-a-Rented-Sports-Car-to-Sell-You-My-Consulting: I think it's just funny at this point. Any course that takes gimmicks like that to make you purchase shouldn't be trusted in the first place.

Hopefully by now you realize that I hate all of the above things as much as you do.

Side Gig Ground School is nothing like them. It’s an authentic course that teaches the framework of niche websites and YouTube channels, how to drive traffic, and how to monetize that traffic.

I’m proud of this course and can stand behind it knowing the authentic years of experience and hard work that provided me with the experience to teach it to others. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do if I need help?

If you have a question related to this course, you can email me directly at charlie at airplaneacademy dot com. I unfortunately can't offer consulting on your individual situation or niche, but I can answer clarifying questions regarding the contents of this course.

How long do I have access to the course?

You'll have unlimited access to the course for as long as it exists. I plan to keep adding to this course and you'll automatically get access to those updates as well. Realistically, if you live longer than me I can't guarantee access once I'm gone... but for as long as the course is around, you'll always have access to it.

How long is the course?

Side Gig Ground School has just under three hours of video, plus some textual content and an illustrative financial model that you can download and use. On a per hour basis, I've tried to price this course very reasonably (the same or less than hiring a CFI!).

Can I work at my own pace?

All of the course content is pre-recorded and available whenever you login, so you can absolutely work through it at your own pace.

Can I pay with PayPal?

You sure can. On the checkout page you'll have the option for traditional credit card purchase or PayPal.

Do you have a refund policy?

While most people don't offer refunds on digital items, I do offer a 30-day money back guarantee. If you are unhappy with the course for any reason, just let me know at charlie at airplaneacademy dot com within the first 30 days and I'll refund your purchase, no questions asked. My reputation and trustworthiness are more important to me than money.

"Non-gimmicky..."

Chad C.

“Charlie presented the niche website strategy in a non-gimmicky way and helped give me the framework to go start my own. I really appreciate his authenticity (and excitement!) in the course."

Start Your Side Gig Today

Having an online side gig has changed my aviation experience and my life in general, and I know it has the power to change yours, too.

Side Gig Ground School walks you through the framework I use for my side gig that now makes more than flying costs me. If you have questions not answered on this page, feel free to contact me at charlie at airplaneacademy dot com.

Don't forget I have a 30-day money back guarantee, so all the risk is on me. I can't wait to get started telling you about all I've learned over the last few years.

See you inside!