Holly Santero, Reporter
@SanteroCourant
On a chilly Saturday in late November, one would expect to find most high school juniors watching Netflix at home, hanging out with a few friends in town, or studying for the SAT. One probably wouldn’t expect to find a 16-year-old to be getting ready to take off on a solo flight at the Westchester Performance Flight Center.
For junior Peter Lavieri, flying is not only a monthly activity, but a passion; he has been interested in planes from a very young age. “I’ve always been passionate about airplanes. Ever since I knew what an airplane was, I’ve wanted to fly one,” Peter said. “I took my first lesson when I was in sixth grade.”
Now with three years of training under his belt, Peter has been able to accomplish several solo flights, and has even landed at the sixth busiest airport in the United States, John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Although he has had much practice, Peter is still working to complete his required 80 flight hours and 80 hours of instructor contact to conduct a solo flight. “The training is broken up into different phases. You have your introductory phase where you’re just learning what all of the maneuvers are, and then you have to learn to fly by yourself,” Peter said.
During these training phases, a pilot must complete multiple flying lessons with his or her instructors. “In a typical lesson, the teacher outlines the material and then we have a chance
to talk about it in depth before we get to practice,” said Rudi Hierbert, Peter’s instructor. “It’s a bit like being in college, there’s a lecture and there’s a lab.”
Peter’s instructor said that decision making while in flight is an imperative skill for pilots-in-training to learn. “Self-discipline is a very important part of learning how to fly, it involves learning how to make decisions about how to operate an aircraft in a way that ensures safety,” Mr. Hierbert said. “I would say that making decisions about how to fly and when to fly are probably some of the most challenging things a pilot must learn. I’ll tell you though, Peter seems to be very good at it, I’m very impressed.”
Peter’s self discipline and decision making abilities have led him to achieve various accomplishments as a young pilot, including his first solo flight last July. “The first time flying alone was definitely an obstacle since I was completely by myself without an instructor,” he said. “It was back in July when I came here to Westchester County Airport with my parents, my dog, and my brother. I took off three times and landed three times. At first I was nervous, but I definitely felt proud after.”
At the Westchester County Airport it’s a tradition to cut the pilot’s shirt off upon landing their first solo flight to symbolize the absence of an instructor. “During a flight, an instructor pulls on the back of the pilot’s shirt to give him directions or tell him something, and cutting it off at the end of your first solo flight symbolizes how you no longer need the shirt for your instructor to tug on,” Peter said.
Peter’s first solo flight was not the only memorable flight he has experienced, last April, Peter flew into John F. Kennedy Airport at the age of 15. “For Peter, as a student pilot to ask to go to Kennedy is a big deal; we don’t normally do that,” Mr. Hierbert said. “With a little guidance, Peter did all the research and figured out a plan that would be consistent with safety and the operations over at Kennedy.”
Mr. Hierbert is proud of Peter’s achievement. “It worked out flawlessly. He flew into Kennedy, and the controllers greeted him like a brother. It was just incredibly fun to be there with all these huge jets coming in and feeling like we were a part of it,” he said. “Peter’s ability to plan that flight and execute it perfectly with safety consistency, truly impressed me. It’s something that I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Mr. Hierbert believes the most essential part of flying is the aspect of adventure, an aspect Peter was able to grasp and manipulate to benefit his own learning. “Flying safely does not mean that there’s an absence of adventure. Flying is a huge adventure,” Mr. Hierbert said. “What we want to do is make people enjoy flying and to love the adventure, but to do it in a way where everyone is safe.”
Through taking control of his learning environment and guiding his passion towards remarkable heights, Peter has embarked on adventures that many 16-year-olds can only dream of. “Taking initiative is a beautiful thing that I’d like to share with students over at the high school,” Rudi said. “If you can find a way to make your class your own, then your learning experience and your enjoyment will increase ten thousand fold. It’s a wonderful way of doing things- seize the day.”
Peter is looking forward to continuing his passion for flying in the future. “As far as a career path, I definitely want to stay in the aviation industry whether it be commercial or military,” Peter said. “Once you learn how to fly, it’s hard to walk away.”
