Who would have thought that losing the opportunity to work as a flight instructor would lead to Kay Hall’s social media takeoff? Otherwise known as FlyWithKay, Kay Hall and her 1968 Piper Cherokee 180 ‘Lil Red’ found instant success on TikTok when she started documenting her flights in 2021 and providing travel and lifestyle tips. Since then, the duo Kay and ‘Lil Red’ have traveled the country and expanded their social media reach to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
From Server to Entrepreneur
Coming from a supportive family, Kay’s father has remained behind his daughter every step of the way. It all started when she worked as a server, living from paycheck to paycheck. But, her Pops wanted more for Kay and called her one morning with an opportunity for her to work as a flight attendant at Delta Airlines.
“All I had to do was call the flight attendant he had spoken to and make arrangements for an interview,” says Kay. She continues, “After chatting with her, I called my Dad to ask if he could help me with my Resume, but he immediately noticed the lack of enthusiasm in my voice and insisted I tell him what I would really like to do. Without any hesitation, I said that I would rather be the person flying the airplane.”
Mr. Hall immediately took action to help make his daughter’s dream come true, getting her an introductory flight at the local flight school in Atlanta, where they lived at the time. Kay fell instantly in love with flying, passed through all her accelerated pilot program classes, and got a job as a flight instructor in just nine months.
Lockdowns grounded all transfers and her ability to add to the required flight hours to join a commercial airline as a pilot. All this happened as Kay was about to start her new job at another flight school. However, being intrepid, the 25-year-old influencer quickly found a solution to her dilemma.
Finding ‘Lil-Red’
Without a job, Kay moved to Texas to be closer to her family. Initially, she rented a plane for a few months. However, she soon realized that the situation could drag on for longer than anticipated and decided to buy an airplane with the help of family.
Soon, the 1968 Piper Cherokee they named ‘Lil Red’ came into their possession, and before long, Washington-born Kay Hall started documenting her flights on TikTok. Today, her brand FlyWithKay has more than 1.9 million followers on TikTok and over 100K on Instagram, making social media her primary career.
Kay started flying ‘Lil Red’ immediately around the area and quickly realized she needed to upgrade the avionics. So today, it has an advanced panel with dual 5Gs, GFC 500 autopilot, a Garmin 530W, and a Gi-275 EIS system. These upgrades might mean something to the more knowledgeable of Kay’s followers, but for most, the excitement of watching her take to the sky daily intrigues them.
Filming her flights as she flies around Texas and the surrounding areas has resonated with many people. Through her social media accounts, Kay shares the excitement of flying, takes her viewers through the paces required to get a plane off the ground and landing, and also encourages other women to follow their dream of flying.
Kay frequently does live broadcasts on Tiktok to answer questions, show her airplane, and give people an idea of what it’s like to be a pilot. She delegates negative comments to the background where they belong, and answers queries about flying and the process to become a pilot. With a huge smile, she says, “ Not everyone wants to fly, but followers pose some interesting questions, and I like to answer them!”
Future Plans
Kay Hall recently published a book about her unusual journey to social media success and offers plenty of tips and advice. In Becoming FlyWithKay, Kay sheds light on her remarkable journey that took her from serving others to becoming a pilot and social media sensation. The book releases on July 31 on Amazon in various formats.
Her followers can expect to see Kay Hall at the Oshkosh Airshow where she will fly with the Phillips 66 Aerostars and attend the meet and greet
Aviation enthusiasts meet at the EAA AirVenture annually, the largest airshow globally, and Kay cannot miss the opportunity to show off her skills and her adored airplane ‘Lil Red.’
Rounding out the year Kay will embark on a fifty-state tour to meet fans, sign copies of her book, and document interesting sites for her social media.
