From Building Flight Hours to Building Followers: Kay Hall on FlyWithKay 

A recent academic article has discussed the impact which TikTok has had as a source of information during the coronavirus pandemic. The academics analyzed over 300 TikTok videos which were posted under the official coronavirus information hub.

They noted that these videos ranged in style and format from short video essays and infographics to more entertainment related content like dance videos and acting. They found that TikTok served as a reliable means of disseminating information about the pandemic and that public health authorities should be aware of the power which the platform has as a means of informing the public about the coronavirus.

Influencer Kay Hall, who operates under the tag FlyWithKay, got her start on social media as a result of the pandemic. She was working as a flight instructor while building up her hours to become an airline pilot when the pandemic hit.

This drastically reduced the opportunities which were available to her as a flight instructor to the point that she had to become creative about her career path. She rented a small aircraft for a number of months but this was not suiting her needs. Fortunately, Kay was able to purchase an airplane which has affectionately become known as Lil’ Red.

Kay Hall and Her Social Media Journey

In order to become a pilot on a commercial airline an individual must build up roughly 1,500 hours of flight time. Kay was building up her flight hours by making several long trips around the US. One of her first major solo flights was from Houston to San Diego.

This flight is an 11 hour trip one way in Lil’ Red as the aircraft’s top speed is only 130 miles per hour. Additionally, Kay is required to stop for fuel roughly every four hours. This means she needs to make two pit stops on this journey. These brief pit stops are the only time when she is able to stretch her legs or use the restroom.

Lil’ Red is a 1968 Piper Cherokee 180 and its nickname comes from its distinctive red and white paint job. The aircraft is imbued with soul and it has been integral to Kay’s success on social media.

She began documenting her flights on TikTok in early 2021 and shortly afterwards Instagram. She predominantly posts videos documenting her flights and her travels as well as live broadcasts while she is flying.

Kay’s first viral post came as a result of a rodent infestation. One day when she was conducting her pre-flight checks she noticed that a family of mice had built a home for themselves in the wing of Lil’ Red. This of course meant that she was unable to fly for the day until the situation had been resolved.

However, Kay was able to spot the silver lining and filmed the discovery. She posted the story on TikTok and the video quickly went viral, amassing over 100,000 views in a little bit over an hour.

Now Kay is taking long trips around the US to build up her social media following just as much as to build up flight hours. She has established her own business in the process to better manage her burgeoning success. Kay has also been able to secure sponsorships for herself through her platform and these sponsorships are helping her to pay for the fuel she needs to complete her long, solo trips.

Kay’s story has been so interesting that she decided to write a book about her adventures called “Becoming FlyWithKay”. In this book she documents the ups and downs of her journey as well as all the intriguing stories she has developed over her years in the sky.

Final Thoughts

Whilst building her flight hours to become a commercial pilot, Kay realized the potential to turn her flights into a career in social media. She documents her flights through a number of different styles of posts, including live streams of her flying Lil’ Red.

Kay has developed a significant repertoire of compelling stories over her flights and has compiled this into a book which was recently released. Followers tune in to Kay’s social media posts to gain insight into what it is like to fly, but also for the entertainment that Kay provides.

This has resulted in the influencer amassing a dedicated fan base across her social media platforms. Kay may or may not pursue commercial flying, but she will definitely continue to dazzle followers with her posts.

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