Rookie US pilot given the chance to fly a $3,500,000 jet in 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment is then tasked with landing it
Published on Oct 23, 2025 at 9:44 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Oct 23, 2025 at 2:29 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A rookie US pilot just got handed the keys to a $3.5 million Cirrus jet.
The young pilot was excited, and visibly terrified.
The plan was simple – he would take off, climb, and cruise the jet himself.
But while he was in the air, the stakes were raised when he was also tasked with landing the multimillion-dollar jet.
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How a rookie pilot was able to fly a Cirrus jet
When Jeff, a small-plane pilot and YouTuber, met Justin, a Cirrus test pilot, he didn’t expect how his day would unfold.
The aircraft in front of him was a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, worth a whopping $3.5 million.
It’s a sleek single-engine personal jet known as one of the safest on the market.
Jeff had never flown a jet before, but Justin entrusted him with flying it from start to finish regardless.
Before they strapped in, Justin ran through the Vision Jet’s built-in safety net.
The jet had a rocket-launched parachute that could float the whole aircraft to the ground, and an Emergency Autoland button that could find an airport and land itself.
It also had a layer of digital protection that wouldn’t let the plane stall.
“It’s the safest airplane ever built,” Justin said.
Inside, it’s more luxury SUV than cockpit.
There’s cool air, touchscreen avionics, and flawless ergonomics.
Jeff learned to taxi using toe brakes, then lined up between a couple of multi-million-dollar jets on the tarmac.
He pushed the throttle forward, rotated at 85 knots, and lifted off clean.
“Hands off… nicely done,” Justin said as the Vision Jet stabilized on climb-out.
Autopilot and auto-throttles took over and the jet climbed to 11,000 feet over California’s desert coast.
Once the autopilot was off, Jeff experimented with how the jet handled, seeing how its advanced safety systems stepped in to keep everything level.
The landing was the real test
Everything up to now had been the warm-up.
Landings are often the most difficult part of flying, especially at notoriously difficult landing strips or in strong crosswinds that force pilots to perform skilled maneuvers.
So for Jeff, the real test came when it was time to bring the Cirrus SF50 back down.
Jeff and Justin approach French Valley Airport too high and too hot.
Eventually, Jeff corrected his approach and followed the jet’s digital landing guide toward the runway.
With a steady hand, he brought the power back and landed smoothly enough for Justin to call it ‘butter.’
In one flight, this rookie pilot had taxied, taken off, stalled, and landed a $3.5 million jet.
“You’re not a jet pilot, are you?” Justin teased. “You are now.”
For Jeff, it was the kind of moment you trained years for – a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to fly something so powerful.
Turns out, with the right jet and instructor, even a rookie can look like a pro.
To see more of his adventures, you can subscribe to Jeff the Pilot on YouTube or watch the full video of the flight below:
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
