Professional Pilot, September 2016

What events or mentors led you to make aviation your career I grew up around pilots but didnt get hooked on aviation as a young kid I grew up surfing and that was the industry I desired to join But during my 1st year of college I realized that making a career of being a professional surfer had its limitations My father recommended I take a flying lesson to see if I liked that since I had grown up with pilots He even offered to pay for my 1st lesson So I went to the local airport took my initial lesson and then just kept going until I eventually earned my ATP Besides when I was in college the girls thought it was cool to go out with a pilot Yes those were the days And so now I fly top business jets as well as teach others to fly And of course I continue to love the aviation industry Nicholas Freeman ATP CFII Citation X Director of Training Alerion Aviation Boca Raton FL My aviation career began after I joined the US Navy I went through navcad training became a carrier qualified naval aviator and enjoyed 21 years of US Navy flying After that I joined Southwest and flew for another 13 years with that famous airline Then I joined NetJets where Im still flying for the past 9 years My wife realizes that Im very happy flying When I leave home to fly I return with a big smile on my face Life is good Joseph Akins ATP Phenom 300 Captain NetJets San Ramon CA 28 PROFESSIONAL PILOT September 2016 Since my father was a highly qualified pilot he became my flying mentor and instructor I soloed a sailplane at 14 and got my ATP on my 23rd birthday He started with UAL in DC3s and retired after a lot of time in the Boeing 747 He always loved aviation and was an excellent teacher My dad was an amazing pilot Although my regular job now is to fly a Falcon 900B I still love the art of soaring and flew a 550 mile flight 2 weeks ago in a sailplane skimming high over the Mohave Dessert Kevin Wayt ATP Falcon 900B Chief Pilot BTR Ranch Ladera Ranch CA There were various influences but the pivotal event for me was attendance in the Cadet Aviation Training Program CATP which was part of my summer training program during my junior year as a cadet at the US Coast Guard Academy During that time when I was at Mobile I got the opportunity to meet Coast Guard pilots operate simulators and actually control a real aircraft with flight instructors coaching me in the cockpit of a USCG Falcon 20 or one of their helicopters Prior to CAPT I wanted a shipboard career After CAPT everything changed I became sold on aviation and was determined to embark on the career of a pilot Now I have a flying career with PHI and it continues to be fascinating and satisfying Michael OBrien ATP CFII Helo Leonardo AW139 Sikorsky S92 Captain PHI Cantonment FL No I didnt grow up in an aviation family but an older brother shared his interest with me in model airplanes Building models together and then flying them sparked my passion for aviation I was also an eager reader of aviation books My supportive parents drove me to the local airport to watch local traffic or get an occasional plane ride This education experiences and exposure pushed me to an obvious career choice for me after high school Yes of course I became a pilot and I have never regretted it Erik Hertzer ATP Gulfstream G100 Av Dept Mgr Chief Pilot Winnebago Industries Forest City IA With my father as my mentor I got started in aviation by building model airplanes when I was a young boy As I got older and more interested in aviation we would spend hours at the local airport watching arrivals and departures of all types of airplanes My biggest treat would be going to airshows How cool it was to watch Bob Hoover the Thunderbirds Blue Angels and others After I got my pilots license I would take my dad for a ride around the local area and see the proud look on his face I still remember those wonderful flights with my father even though its been 46 years and 21000 hours later Sure miss him Thanks Dad Bob Rummel ATP Global Express Captain CBS Corp Lititz PA A good friend in college had a private fixed wing license He took me flying in a light plane and showed me that mere mortals could become pilots I became a student some years later switched over to helicopters and now thats what I fly Don McLean Comm Multi Inst Helo Bell OH58 Deputy Sheriff Butte County Oroville CA Growing up I wanted to be a racecar driver I was intrepid Nobody in my family was working in aviation no pleasure or professional flying But as I became a reader I gravitated towards books concerned with aviation Some were fascinating and they taught me about aviation history aerodynamics and the industrys brave pioneers There were the Aeropostale heroes of France Mermoz Guillamet Daurat And I read books recapping exploits of pilots in WWI and WWII A neighbor worked as a mechanic at UTA a well known French aviation service company at Le Bourget and he got me into a DC8 that was there for maintenance I sat in the captains seat And I dreamed that perhaps I could actually be the captain I decided I would vector all my energies to do that And eventually I did it Im glad it all worked out the way it did Jean Luc Pilotto ATP Falcon 200 King Air 200 Captain Safire Béthisy Saint Martin France