‘I realized that when you’re flying it’s like being out in the middle of the country. No one is up there and it’s calm and relaxed.’

Syosset

“My entire life has revolved around planes. My dad used to work at JFK, and after work he would take me to see planes taking off and landing. That led me to Purdue University to study aerospace engineering. I want to be the guy that, when people have questions about planes, they know they can come to me and ask. I have the credibility, knowledge and experience to talk about them. I want to do everything with engineering.

“It’s really cool being up there looking down, almost like you’re in a separate world. You feel so disconnected, but you also look out and feel, ‘Wow, I’m thousands of feet off the ground’. It’s an interesting duality. I’m still working on my pilot’s license. Sometimes I fly solo. One of your big milestones in working for it is doing your first solo flight. Afterwards, training starts picking up. You need to feel comfortable with taking off and landing.

I have learned that with flying, it is one thing to read about, watch and see it, but it’s another thing to actually do it. Until you do it yourself, you don’t understand all the intricacies and the nuances of it.

‘You start doing more technical things like flying to other airports, exploring more, completing more maneuvers, and experiencing simulated weather. I have learned that with flying, it is one thing to read about, watch and see it, but it’s another thing to actually do it. Until you do it yourself, you don’t understand all the intricacies and the nuances of it.

“I have lived on Long Island my entire life; it wasn’t until I left that I realized that the rest of the U.S. doesn’t look or feel like Long Island. There is a lot of free space. It was a culture shock to see how densely populated Long Island is. The drive to my college in Indiana is 14 hours. Once I was past Pennsylvania, I would see corn fields and nothing else. When I got back from my freshman year, I was talking to people and it felt like everyone here had drunk five cups of coffee. I realized that when you’re flying it’s like being out in the middle of the country. No one is up there and it’s calm and relaxed.

“From my first year of being away from the busyness of Long Island, I learned to be more patient and understanding with people’s time. More teenagers should give going away to school a shot. They will learn to appreciate Long Island more and realize what they don’t have when they go away. They’ll also discover something new.”