Student Stories · Where it takes off
This is where your journey takes off.
21+ real stories from real CAFS pilots — Discovery Flights that became careers, weekend PPLs, FedEx cockpits, international conversions. No scripts. No actors. Just people who came to Cebu to fly.
21+
Real stories
9
Countries represented
6
Training programs
46yr
CAFS heritage
Brand Film
Crystalstar Aberasturi
Influencer · CAFS Brand Ambassador
Filter stories
Program
Type
21 stories
Featured Stories
Three stories that define what's possible.
A solo flight. A cargo airline captain. An executive flying on weekends. Different paths, same school.
Never Too Late
US
PPL
Lifetime Dream · At 50
Murlin Graham
US student pilot · Cessna 172 · PPL at 50
A 50-year-old American who flew across the Pacific to chase a dream she'd carried since childhood — proof that the cockpit doesn't have an age limit.
Career Peak
US
Cadet · Alumni
Cadet Alumni · Career Path
Capt. Samuel Stiff
First Officer · FedEx Express
From a training aircraft in Cebu to a wide-body cargo cockpit — the full commercial pilot path, completed.
Hobby Path
DE
PPL · Alumni
PPL Alumni · Executive Hobbyist
Dave Junker
German hospitality exec · flies weekends as hobby
Senior hospitality executive who earned his PPL at CAFS — proof that aviation as a hobby is within reach.
Mission Aviation
PG
MAF · Alumni
CAFS Alumni · Humanitarian Pilot
Capt. Rick Poki
MAF pilot · Cessna 208 Caravan · Papua New Guinea
"I wake every morning and thank God I get to do this." Flying medical, food, and missionary cargo across PNG's most remote villages.
Read his MAF story
All stories.
Every reel is from CAFS's official Instagram. Use the filter bar above to narrow by program or story type.
US
PPL · Never Too Late
Murlin Graham
US student · lifetime dream at 50
At 50 years old, decided to learn how to fly. Proof that aviation dreams don't have an age limit.
US
Cadet Alumni
Capt. Samuel Stiff
First Officer · FedEx Express
US alumnus who completed the full Cadet Program at CAFS in Cebu. Now flying commercial cargo wide-body for FedEx Express.
DE
PPL Alumni
Dave Junker · Shangri-La GM
German hospitality exec · weekend pilot
Earned his Private Pilot License at CAFS as a weekend hobby while managing a Shangri-La property.
AU
Alumni · Captain
Capt. Odai Kakouni
Australian commercial pilot · multi-country career
CPL + Multi-Engine rating, flying across different countries. International career pilot story.
AU
Conversion · Captain
Capt. Neil
Australian pilot · license conversion back to Australia
Completed full PPL, CPL, Instrument, Multi-Engine, and Flight Instructor ratings at CAFS. Returning to Australia for license conversion.
PH
Solo Flight · Milestone
Patricia Margaja · Solo
IG influencer + working student pilot
First solo flight milestone — the most iconic moment in pilot training. Filmed and shared as she lives it.
Student · Training Review
Jennifer Beck
CAFS student pilot · active in training
Current CAFS student pilot sharing her training experience at the Mactan campus — Cessna 172 flights and flight school life.
SA
CPL · Current
CPL Student · Saudi Arabia
International student · commercial pilot training
Saudi Arabian student pursuing Commercial Pilot License at CAFS in Cebu — one of several Middle Eastern students currently in training.
Watch reel PH
CPL · Personal Journey
Jade
CAFS CPL student · personal journey
Filipino student pilot sharing his CPL training journey at CAFS — from first lessons through advanced certifications.
JP
Discovery · Child
Hiro-chan's Dream Discovery
Japanese family · son's pilot dream
"When asked 'What's your dream?' my son can now answer with confidence. People who chase their dreams shine the brightest." — Lilly Family Mom
Watch family reel 
PH
Brand Film
Crystalstar Aberasturi
Influencer · CAFS brand ambassador
"This is where your journey takes off." — the brand introduction film that captures what CAFS is about.
Watch brand film 
Aerial · Cinema
Michael Audrey Sagonoy
Influencer · aerial cinematography
Beautiful aerial cinematography from a CAFS Discovery Flight. The view from above Cebu, captured by an influencer's lens.
Watch reel 
Aerial · Cinema #2
Michael Audrey #2
Influencer · second aerial reel
A second Discovery Flight reel by Michael Audrey — more beautiful sky and coastline footage from a CAFS Cessna 172.
Watch reel 
PH
Discovery · Influencer
Raphiel Shannon
Influencer · Discovery Flight POV
Discovery Flight experience as told through an influencer's lens — real reactions from the cockpit.
Watch reel 
️
Discovery · Experience
Discovery Flight Experience
Brand reel · 45-minute arc
The full Discovery Flight experience captured in one reel — from arrival to takeoff to your hands on the yoke.
Watch reel 
Student Life
Second Home at CAFS
Student life · campus community
Life at Continental Aero Flying School beyond the cockpit — student life, community, the everyday. Why many call CAFS "a second home".
Watch reel Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
Production · school shooting day
What goes into making CAFS brand content — a behind-the-scenes look at how the reels are captured.
Aerial · Pure
Flying Cebu
Aerial cinematography · pure sky footage
Pure aerial cinematography from above Cebu — what you'd see from the left seat on any CAFS training flight.
PG
PNG · Cadet
Latsu
Papua New Guinea cadet · training in Cebu
Papua New Guinea cadet currently training at the Mactan campus — one of several Pacific-region students in the program.
CN
CN · Student
Chinese student
CAFS student · at MCIA
Chinese student training at Mactan-Cebu International — Class-C airspace exposure and English-medium instruction in a single program.
FI Training · Captain
Capt. Mary
Active captain · Flight Instructor training
Active commercial captain back at CAFS to earn her Flight Instructor rating — closing the loop from line pilot to teacher.
Your story, next
Every story you just watched
started with one flight.
The fastest way to find out if you're one of them — book a 45-minute Discovery Flight. No experience needed, no commitment after. Just 45 minutes in a real Cessna 172 with a CAFS instructor.