New York pilot asked three billionaires if he could land on their private islands and he got a different response each time

Published on Jan 10, 2026 at 1:13 AM (UTC+4)
by Jason Fan

Last updated on Jan 08, 2026 at 4:38 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

A New York pilot recently attempted the ultimate aviation flex by trying to land on three billionaires’ private islands in the Bahamas.

Fly With Bruno, the YouTube pilot behind the daring adventure, wanted to see if money really buys privacy and how strict that privacy can be.

Spoiler alert: each island had a wildly different response, and only one came close to letting him touch down.

From celebrity havens to exclusive resorts, and even a Texas billionaire’s fishing paradise, Bruno’s trip was like a treasure hunt in the sky.

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Getting permission to land on the private islands was tricky

It all started on a cloudy day in the Bahamas, where Bruno was browsing for fun flying destinations for his 1978 Grumman AA-5B Tiger.

After doing some research, he stumbled across three private islands with paved runways.

The first is Scotland Key, home to Pitbull and a number of other stars.

Next up was Spanish Key, a resort island with its own customs.

Finally, there’s Walker’s Key, which was strictly invite-only and owned by a Texas billionaire.

Bruno’s plan was to land his plane on each, take a quick victory lap, and head to the next.

It sounds really simple, but as with many things in life, it’s a lot more complicated than that.

First, he had to find the owners.

This was no easy task, considering most people buy private islands to stay off the grid.

Scotland Key was a hard pass.

After digging through dead-end numbers and emails, Bruno finally got through.

Unfortunately, he was told a firm ‘no’.

Pitbull’s island, as it turns out, wasn’t a place for random pilots.

Undeterred, the New York pilot headed to Spanish Key, where he thought a resort might be a bit more accommodating.

He got permission, but there was a catch: a $350 landing fee and customs check, making the attempt financially impractical for a quick hop.

Third time’s the charm

Walker’s Key was the grand finale: a tiny fishing paradise with crystal waters and a notoriously picky owner.

Surprisingly, Bruno actually got clearance, with no fee needed.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans: a sudden rainstorm forced him to abort the landing.

At the end of the day, each of the three islands had different responses to his request, but it still amounted to zero touchdowns.

However, the journey wasn’t a total washout.

Flying low over the turquoise waters and the marinas in the Bahamas offered views money can’t buy, and the New York pilot captured every moment on camera.

If you want to check out the full video, you can do it here:

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Jason Fan is an experienced content creator who graduated from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore with a degree in communications. He then relocated to Australia during a millennial mid-life crisis. A fan of luxury travel and high-performance machines, he politely thanks chatbots just in case the AI apocalypse ever arrives. Jason covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on technology, planes and luxury.