Risking It All In Pursuit of a Dream:
Passion: the quintessential ingredient for every pursuit. It is the bedrock upon which a vision is built and an element of human nature that drives us to venture beyond our comfort zone and into the unknown. It is, simply stated, what drives me. It is what motivates me to get out of bed every morning and dive headfirst into the vast world of aviation and build something greater than myself.
Yet behind the romanticism of the pursuit of a dream or a vision are sleepless nights, countless hours of planning, and adjustments to the ‘master plan.’ There is a risk inherent to every business and every pursuit, and these risks are greatest in a volatile and unpredictable aviation industry. The choice of leaving the comforts of a 9-5 job and a guaranteed paycheck in exchange for the void of unpredictability was long overdue. Aviation, for me, was more than a passion: it was, and still is, my life. It is a fundamental element of who I am and what I hope to achieve while on this good green Earth.
This master ‘dream,’ to build an organization that goes beyond providing basic instruction and flight services, is the journey that I have embarked upon. And it is greater than that. It is not about the money—although it will be necessary for the building of this dream. Rather, it is about sharing a passion and a commitment to excellence that I believe is missing in the greater industry.
It begins with the slow, unrelenting churn of preparing every student for the inevitable practical and knowledge test, and ends with the creation of a community and infrastructure that plants the seeds of future growth. Its core principle is simple: you. Everything that we do is centered around you. Your dreams, your aspirations, and your goals become our collective objective. Our duty is to you, the future pilot, and to no one else. Together, and with our unrelenting passion for what we do, we will succeed. Of this there is no doubt.
It was hard putting aside the creature comforts for the nitty gritty, day-by-day lifestyle that we all experience at the onset of any venture. There is no financial surety in this industry. One needs only to look at the unquantifiable number of flight organizations that have shut their doors to know the risks of pursuing anything in aviation. It is almost a given. After all, to become a millionaire in aviation, one needs to start off as a billionaire. And what is worse is this: I am neither.
Yet, despite this saying, that is all but fact, nothing deters me. I still went ahead and created Aspire Aeronautica and offered my flight instruction services as a steppingstone to something greater. It is not about competing, nor is it about doing anything “better.” No. It is about doing what I love, and sharing this passion with each student. It is about growing from a single instructor to something much more meaningful: an enterprise, and a launching point to a dream of seeing our birds in the skies, carrying not only our livery, but the hopes and dreams of every student and pilot who flies them.
Every student who gives me the privilege of teaching them not just how to fly, but how to aviate, helps bring this dream closer to reality. With every hour of instruction, and with every new and continuing student, we build this greater vision, brick by brick. The finances grow, and goals are met, adjusted, or renewed. I believe that together, we can accomplish anything, and we will rise. Always.
Aviation, put simply, is more than just a career, a hobby, or even a passion: it is a way of life, and one that I have embraced.
We’re doing this. Let’s fly together.