From washing planes to flying them

When he was just 12 years old and growing up near Shellharbour Airport, Riley McDonald knew he wanted to fly – so he started spending his free time heading down to the airport and washing people's planes in exchange for lessons. At age 16 he was flying solo and earning his pilot's licence, and now at 25, he works as a professional skydiving pilot and aircraft maintenance engineer, and has taken out a National Advanced Champion title for aerobatics. Mentored by none other than Paul Bennet, Riley is now gearing up to fly with the Paul Bennet Airshows team at Wings Over Shellharbour this month, and says airshows and open days are the perfect entry point to bring more young enthusiasts into the industry. On this Australian Aviation Podcast, Riley tells Jake Nelson how he chased his dream of a career in aviation – and how we can encourage other aspiring pilots and engineers to do the same.

You can listen to From washing planes to flying them online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

From washing planes to flying them is an episode from Australian Aviation Podcast Network by Momentum Media.

This episode is 18:50 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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