Pilot Pete:
My name is Peter Weber and this is my love story with aviation. I was born in Fairfax, VA in 1991 and grew up in an aviation family. My dad is a Captain for United Airlines and my mom was a flight attendant for United as well.
Ever since I was very young I was in awe of airplanes whether I was at an airport with my face pressed against the window at the boarding area or just being out and about and constantly looking up towards the sky to catch a glimpse of these magical machines. I knew I was born to fly and always looked forward to getting to the age where I could finally start making my dream become a reality. I was fortunate enough to join my dad a couple of times during his recurrent training and fly the simulator which only inspired me even more to achieve my goal.
When I was 19 I took my first flight lesson out of Camarillo Airport and earned all of my ratings in about a year and a half. The biggest advice I would give to any aspiring pilots would be to commit to completing your training in the most efficient timeframe possible. When you are a new pilot, it is so important to keep your skills sharp as you are gaining experience and not to let too much time go between training sessions. My favorite rating to earn was probably my multi engine rating in a PA 23-150. It’s easy to be super focused on achieving your goal but don’t forget to enjoy the journey; flight training is a once in a lifetime experience!
Back when I was a junior in High School, I helped start a Rocketry club. This club would go on to gain a lot of interest even after I graduated. A few years later, my brother joined the club and as I was at the launch site to support him and his team, a Delta Captain who was also there connected me with the Chief Pilot of a Part 135 operation flying a Hawker 700 since I had just recently earned my Commercial Multi add on. I was lucky enough to land my first flying job and flew about 1000 hours in two years for that company. I then moved to my first glass cockpit flying a CE-680 for another Part 135 operation and flew that for about a year.
At this point, I had logged just over 1500 hours and was ready apply to the airlines. I landed my first Part 121 job with Compass Airlines and flew an E-175. I upgraded in about 14 months a had the time of my life being a first time Captain for about 1000 hours. With about 4200 hours, I achieved my childhood dream and became a Major Airline pilot for Delta Air Lines. I have since been a First Officer on the 737 for just over two years and have enjoyed every second of it!
While the airline industry is currently dealing with unparalleled times, I have a lot of confidence that we will recover exceptionally fast. There are still a large amounts of retirements that occur every single day and I truly believe that there will soon be another pilot shortage in the near future. For aspiring pilots, I am so excited for the journey that awaits you. Flying is the most beautiful gift I have ever experienced. I am thankful for it every day of my life and feel so grateful to have the opportunity to share my passion with others!