From Flight Plans
to Financial Plans:
Elliott on the Mortgage Ballers Podcast

Earlier this year, I had the chance to sit down with Rich Hanlin on the Mortgage Ballers podcast — a show focused on the business of mortgage lending and the people doing it. The conversation covered a lot of ground: how a United Airlines pilot ended up in mortgage, what the first year of production actually looked like, and why I've built my practice around serving other aviation professionals.

If you've ever wondered what's behind the "pilot who does mortgages" angle, this interview is the clearest answer I can give.

How This Started: Mortgages During the Pandemic

I entered mortgage lending in 2020, during a period when the industry was moving faster than almost anyone could keep up with. Rates were historically low, refinances were stacking up, and good loan officers were genuinely hard to find. I came in organized — the same way I approach a flight — and closed $30 million in loans my first year.

That wasn't luck. It was preparation, follow-through, and a willingness to do the work that most people skip. Rich and I talked about that first year in detail, including what made the difference between originators who thrived and those who didn't.

Managing Two Careers Without Dropping Either

The question I get most often is: how do you do both? Flying for United Airlines is not a part-time commitment. Neither is serving mortgage clients well. The answer isn't a hack — it's structure, good systems, and being genuinely reachable when it matters.

I talked through how I manage client communication from the cockpit layovers, how I've set up my workflow so nothing falls through the cracks, and why the discipline of aviation actually makes me a better mortgage broker. Checklists, communication protocols, and no-shortcuts-on-the-important-stuff — those principles translate directly.

Why Pilots Face Unique Mortgage Challenges

This is where the conversation got into territory most mortgage podcasts never touch. Pilot income is complex in ways that general underwriters frequently mishandle. Variable pay — including minimum pay guarantees, override pay, trip trades, and per diem — doesn't fit neatly into a standard income calculation. Fleet upgrades and seat upgrades change the income trajectory in ways that look unusual on paper but are completely predictable to anyone who understands how airline pay scales work.

Most lenders see a pilot's pay stubs and don't know what they're looking at. I do. I fly the same schedules, understand the same contract structures, and can explain a pilot's income to an underwriter in terms that actually move the file forward. That's the differentiator — and it's why aviation-specific mortgage expertise matters more than pilots typically realize before they've been turned down somewhere else.

What Makes a Loan Originator Actually Good

Rich asked me what separates originators who build real practices from those who wash out. My answer was simple: consistency, organization, and relationships. The people who succeed long-term aren't the ones who close the most loans in a hot market — they're the ones who show up the same way in every market, stay in front of their clients, and never let a referral partner down.

I also talked about finding your niche. For me, that niche is aviation professionals. Not because it was a calculated marketing move, but because I understood that community better than anyone else in the room — and that understanding produces better outcomes for clients.

Watch the Interview

If you're a pilot, a real estate agent who works with aviation professionals, or just curious about what a dual-career mortgage broker's business actually looks like, the full conversation is worth watching.