In this episode of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast, I'm joined by Tait Duryea, a seasoned airline pilot turned real estate investor and the founder of Turbine Capital. We explore how he's helping fellow pilots and high-income professionals break free from the paycheck-to-paycheck grind by building generational wealth through alternative investments.

Tait unpacks why he launched a private equity firm tailored for pilots, how his team scouts high-quality operators across diverse asset classes, and the key mindsets and strategies investors need to thrive in today's turbulent commercial real estate market. From multifamily syndications to water-rights-backed tiny home ventures, this is one conversation packed with eye-opening insights!

Key Talking Points of the Episode

[0:00] - Introducing Tait Duryea and the Passive Income Pilots podcast

[2:32] - Tait's journey from aspiring entrepreneur to pilot and real estate investor

[5:18] - Why airline pilots need better financial strategies

[6:30] - Turbine Capital's unique asset-agnostic approach

[7:43] - Exploring high-risk, high-reward ventures through Skunkworks

[10:23] - Mitosis Living: The Tesla of luxury tiny homes

[16:09] - Water rights, land, and asymmetric risk in alternative investments

[18:02] - Why diversification and passive investing matter more than ever

[19:27] - The harsh lessons from 2021–2022 commercial deals

[21:08] - How to vet syndications and think like a savvy LP

[23:13] - Asset allocation insights from Tiger 21

[24:51] - Turbine Capital's personal approach to investor relationships

[25:23] - The ultimate goal: Freedom, not just money

Quotables

"Money is not the goal. Freedom is the goal. Money is just the tool to get there."

"You can buy cash-producing assets first—and let your assets pay for the toys."

"If this thing fails, we still own $12 million in water rights and a working factory."

"Diversification is easy when you're a limited partner—hard when you're swinging hammers."

"Never put all your eggs in one basket—especially not in a sub-3% cap rate deal."

Links & Resources

Turbine Capital: https://www.turbinecap.com

Passive Income Pilots Podcast: https://passiveincomepilots.com/

QLS Live

https://qlslive.com

Real Estate On Your Terms and Deal Structure Overtime

https://wickedsmartbooks.com/podcast

FREE Master's Class

http://smartrealestatecoach.com/masterspodcast

FREE Strategy Session with Chris Pre

http://smartrealestatecoach.com/actionpodcast

QLS 4.0

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/qlspodcast

Investor Resources

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/resources

Apprentice Program

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/apprentice-pod

In the Trenches Bootcamp

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/ittb-pod

3 Paydays Virtual Event

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/3paydayspodcast

REI Blackbook

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/REIBB-pod

7 Figures Funding

https://smartrealestatecoach.com/7figures-pod