Pilot Tomas:
Hey aviators! My name is Tomas, 25 years old and I’m a student pilot. I come from Czech Republic and I currently live in Poland where I do the flight training 0-ATPL.
My journey wasn't always easy and clear, I went through several stages where the planes were not number one in my life. I do not belong to an aviation family, and no one in the vicinity had any contact with flying, so I had to get to it by myself. My love for aircrafts began during my first contact with flying when I was about 8 years old. I flew with my parents a sightseeing flight in Cessna 172 and the pilot was a captain from Czech Airlines. He was very kind and let me fly the plane and even land with his assistance. I probably don't have to explain to you how much I was impressed by that magic moment. The goal was clear - to become a pilot. Of course it's a dream of almost every child at this age, but I felt that special feeling inside - in my heart that this is exactly what I want to do in my life. I was able to spend whole afternoons at the airport taking pictures of the planes and wondering how amazing it must be to sit in a cockpit and fly a plane. But as it happens in life, many twists and turns have occurred along the way to this dream. Average school results in subjects such as physics and math have reduced my self-confidence to such an extent that I have resigned from my dream for several years. I focused on fitness, I started college with sports and there was no place for aviation. But then the moment came, certain things happened that made me think more deeply about my life and future. I decided there is nothing to wait for and I will try to sacrifice everything for what I always wanted - flying. I started to learn more, read books, materials, learn languages and prepare for the beginning of a pilot training.
After I graduated the university, I chose one of the best aviation school in Central Europe - Bartolini Air, moved to Poland and started the training 0-ATPL. I got my private pilot license, night rating and I'm currently in the stage of an hour building and I've done half of the ATPL theory exams. I will start another part of the training soon and obtain a commercial pilot license with other necessary licenses for a work by the end of this year and I will be finally ready for my first job in the skies.
The life of a student pilot is full of nice but also difficult moments. It is mentally, financially and time demanding not only for you, but also for your closest ones. I already encountered several obstacles and difficult moments during the training - personal and student ones but I always accepted them as another challenges and I have always managed to successfully overcome them and continue on the path to my dream.
My goal is not a certain position or place where I would like to work in aviation, because you never know what life will bring you. All I want is to be able to spend as much time as possible in the air, do that for a living and share my passion, experience and knowledge with other people - no matter where and with what type of aircraft it will be.
My advice to all aviation lovers who are considering flight training would be, believe in yourself, work hard, don't think about everything too much, don't be afraid to take risks and take your time, there is no obstacle in life that you will not overcome and you can do anything you want in life, however impossible it may seem at first - even become a pilot. Remember, a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor - one of my favorite quotes ever!
I already share my passion, experience and knowledge from the flight training on my social media (Instagram, YouTube and TikTok) with the nickname @flywithtomas and I will be glad if you will give me a follow there!
Thank you for reading my story.
Blue skies and tailwinds,
Check out Pilot Tomas on his socials!
@flywithtomas