For 29-year-old Eric Chan, medicine and aviation have always gone hand in hand. Now, after completing his family medicine residency, he is preparing to combine both interests by training as a flight surgeon in the US Air Force. “I’ve always known that I wanted to become a doctor,” the family medicine physician told CNBC Make It, “Since I was a kid watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’”
His love for aviation began during a childhood trip to where his parents were born. Seeing a Boeing 747 for the first time left a lasting impression and sparked an interest that eventually led him to earn a private pilot’s licence.
“I remember looking at my first airplane, and it was a Boeing 747, a huge, massive jumbo jet. And that was what really initially sparked my passion for aviation,” he said.
From residency to flight medicine
Before entering, Chan completed around 75 hours of flight training, earned his pilot’s licence, and even took his parents on a celebratory flight over Houston.
He is due to complete his three-year family medicine residency at Providence Alaska Medical Centre in Anchorage at the end of June before beginning training as a flight surgeon in the Despite the title, the role does not involve carrying out surgery mid-flight.
“Flight medicine is kind of like a family medicine doctor, but specifically for pilots and air crew,” he told CNBC . “For the military, we take care of all the flight members of the squadron that we’re assigned to.”
Chan joined the Air Force through its Financial Assistance Program, which provides an annual grant and a monthly living stipend during residency. In return, he has committed to serving for three years after completing his training.
Building wealth through disciplined saving
Alongside his residency salary of $76,000, Chan receives an annual Air Force stipend of $78,600. His wife, a personal trainer, earned about $5,000 in 2025, taking the couple’s combined annual income to roughly $160,000 around ₹1.51 crore.
Despite earning a modest salary during training, Chan has built an investment portfolio worth around $1.2 million across brokerage, savings and retirement accounts. The total includes nearly $146,000, around ₹1.38 crore from an investment account his mother opened for him.
His parents covered the cost of both his undergraduate education and medical school, allowing him to graduate debt-free. Chan has also avoided taking on any other form of debt.
Frugal lifestyle helps maximise savings
Raised in Missouri City, Texas, Chan studied at Johns Hopkins University before earning his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio. He chose Alaska for his residency because it offered a broad range of clinical experience.
“The program was basically everything that I was looking for,” he said.
He added that he wanted exposure to inpatient and outpatient care, paediatric and maternity medicine, as well as experience in rural healthcare.
Plus, “I have always had an affinity for colder weather,” he said.
Although Alaska is well known for its large pilot community, Chan had little time to fly during residency, often working up to 70 hours a week.
The higher cost of living has not altered his spending habits. He and his wife buy groceries in bulk, prepare most meals at home and keep dining out to once or twice a month. They also limit unnecessary driving to reduce fuel costs.
“We like to spend money on stuff that will be a good return for us both, even if it’s like a return for our pleasure or enjoyment,” he said.
Looking ahead
After residency, Chan will undergo four months of Air Force training in Alabama, Ohio and Washington before beginning his assignment in South Korea.
Once his military commitment ends, he and his wife may return to Alaska, where family physicians in rural communities often work rotational schedules that allow extended periods away from work.
“During that one month off, they can either travel to other places or they can live in other places outside of the rural location that they’re working at,” he said. “So that would be a wonderful opportunity for me to explore after the Air Force.”
Chan recently abandoned plans to buy a home in Kentucky after a property deal collapsed. Instead, he and his wife have decided to continue prioritising saving and investing while he starts his military career.
He hopes to save roughly half of his income over the long term and eventually achieve financial independence through his investments.
“The most exciting thing that I’m looking forward to is no more exams,” he said. “I recently completed my family medicine board exam in April, and I believe that will hopefully be my last standardised exam ever.”
As an Air Force captain, Chan expects to earn total annual compensation of between $150,000 and $175,000, approximately ₹1.65 crore, including housing and other allowances. Although civilian family physicians typically earn significantly more, he says, pursuing aviation medicine is worth the trade-off.
“I would love to explore that [career] even if it means taking a pay cut for the time being,” he said.
“I think I found my niche, which is aviation medicine,” he added.
Looking further ahead, Chan hopes his investment portfolio will eventually allow him to reduce his working hours and spend more time with his family while continuing to enjoy aviation.
“My ultimate goal would be not having to work full-time, being able to cut back on my work eventually and be able to just work on a part-time basis,” he said.
Ideally, his investments “would provide a huge safety net for me to be able to free up some of my time to spend with my family, as well as pursue other hobbies and interests.”
Of course, one of those interests will be returning to the cockpit.