Encouraged by the awesome Nostr community, I decided to share some experiences on my way to my private pilot license. I hope my journey is interesting to those pursuing the same goal, to aviation enthusiasts, and anyone else curious about it.
Feel free to ask me questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. As I am still early on my journey, there is much for me to learn.
First, I'd like to tell you about my childhood dream. Becoming a pilot used to be a childhood dream for many children. I don't know if it is still a thing. For me, it was something to aspire to.
When I was 10, I could identify almost every airplane model that landed at Vienna airport. While other kids played store, I set up a flight office in my room. You could buy flights from me! Unfortunately, I have no photos to share. However, here is a picture of a widely used airplane by Austrian Airlines, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82. I also had a small model of this aircraft and others.
Image by Pedro Aragão, License CC BY-SA
As time went by, my interest in becoming a pilot faded, though I still liked planes. However, becoming a pilot seemed less interesting as I grew older. Now, I have my own consulting company, and I am content with my career choice.
Nevertheless, learning to fly was always on my agenda. However, as a child, I was too young. In my twenties, I lacked sufficient funds. In my thirties, I had no time or didn't prioritize it. Additionally, my concerns regarding flying grew due to its massive CO2 impact. But this year, something changed that reignited my dream. It has to do with a revolutionary new way to fly. I'll share it with you tomorrow.