Pilot Davide
Hello Aviators and non-Aviators, My name is Davide, alias @pilotdavide on Instagram. I’m 23 years old, I’m from Italy and I’ve recently become an airplane pilot.
The path that I followed to achieve my biggest dream was really unbelievable and some parts of it indescribable. I’ll try to tell you my story and hope it will inspire and motivate some of you. Before starting, I would like to thank AviatorSkies for this opportunity to tell my story. In fact it is the first time I have written my story regarding my aviation experience, and it has been posted online. So thank you! My love for airplanes and for flying started… Actually, it didn’t start but has always been a part of me because I believe I was born with this passion of flying. My mommy always tells me that the reason for this was because when she was pregnant with me, she flew and that’s the reason. I do not know if that's true but I have always had a passion for flying. Becoming a pilot was always something that seemed to be unreachable and I told myself thousands of reasons excuses to justify my lack of motivation and as a result I did not even try. It may have been; low self-esteem? The fact that I studied at an Artistic High School that didn’t prepare me for a path like this? The fear of failure? I don’t know, probably a mix of all these things.
One thing’s for sure: I was never someone who is easily satisfied and the thought of having regrets in the future was the key that made me who I am right now. I talked to my parents and I knew it would be an economic challenge for them, but they gave me confidence, they trusted me. I promised I would give it my 100% and wouldn’t quit and from there it all started. I began my journey in a Flight Academy in Rome. Early days were crazy: a new environment, a uniform on me, airplanes, instructors, and captains everywhere. Something inside whispered to me: "Hey Davide, you’re becoming part of all this. Enjoy your life!”.
Right away, I became aware of the differences between me and the other Student Pilots, and how much I had to learn and quickly in order to fill in all my deficiencies. After the first theory lessons, the first flights came up. Jeez, you have no idea how I was feeling, holding the Choke in my hands, the sensation under my legs and the amount of sweat after 2 hours of training in 40 degree heat. I want to share with you an event that I’ll remember for my entire life: my first Solo flight. I still remember the feeling, the heartbeat and the concentration. Not to mention my first Solo landing: too many sensations to be described. But I can tell you this: when I got back home that day, the voice whispered to me, "Hey Davide, here you are, welcome to the Aviation Industry.” Flights went on and theory lessons ended. Theoretical exams began and the toughest part of my journey started. I won’t describe them all to you, but I would like to share the part that tested me the most, which was actually what I needed to change many things in my life and inside me. I knew that failure was not an option. I was scared to lose everything, to be a disappointment to myself and to my family. I went through so many emotions, but the gist of it is that life was telling me something and I started to listen to that. I grew up so much and I understood that I could not stop on this journey of mine. My self-belief was rewarded and great outcomes arrived as the exams ended. A new chapter began in my life, with a new vision and consciousness over everything and mainly over myself. I felt grateful and full of energy, ready for the next steps. IFR flights in the Cessna 172, navigation with the G1000, the simulator, I was loving it. The first flight with the twin-engine: a new way of flying and thinking during the training. New challenges were waiting for me and I answered the call successfully. Day by day, without knowing it, I was becoming what I dreamt for years. My final exam was coming, but before that, I had my first night flights: it was insane. I still remember many years previously when I used to watch night flights on YouTube regularly and now I was living that experience as a pilot in command, with 250 horsepower under each wing. It’s just incredible what life gives you when you don’t quit, when you keep moving forward, appreciating each tough time as a chance to improve yourself. The exam arrived: theoretical part on October 15 and practical one on October 16. On the morning of the first day, I was with a friend of mine who had both the exams on the same day. The examiner came and the theoretical part seemed to be okay. He went with my friend in the air and he told me to sit tight he’d be back to plan the flight for the following day.
After three hours he called me over and proposed that we do the practical exam that same day, without awaiting for the next day. That voice came out once again, whispering to me to go:”Damn, go! Go get ‘em!”. And I went for it! There I was: three years of struggle for that specific moment. I can’t tell you what my mind was thinking, but I can tell you that I passed it. I took off as a Student Pilot, I landed as a Pilot. One of the most beautiful days of my life. It wasn’t a dream anymore, it was real, and I did it. Dreams, whatever they may be, are hard-to-reach. I do believe that if you don’t give up, if you give your 100% and you prove that you really want it, Universe shows you the way, your way, which is different from mine and from all others.
Failures are part of the journey, they’re a gift, because nothing improved me more, nothing. This path didn’t make me become “only” a pilot, it made me become a better human. It made me love life in its entirety. I’m sure you all can do this, you can reach your dreams. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth achieving is easy. I’ll be waiting on my Instagram @pilotdavide, to share my next challenges, to share with you my next steps towards my job position and my path through life., for now I'll leave you with two quotes that I abide by.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."
-Mark Twain
“Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more”.
-Nikola Tesla.
Blue skies to you all. See you around!
Pilot Davide Has Amassed A Large Following On Social Media!
Instagram: Pilot Davide.