From Joysticks to Joyrides: My Pursuit of Flight

Back in middle school, the skies were my playground – well, the pixelated ones at least. While most kids were obsessed with ground-level adventures, I was busy navigating the virtual heavens with flight simulators. X-Plane 9 and Microsoft Flight Simulator were my new best friends, you could say I was on "cloud nine" with my newfound passion. So much so, that my savings took a nosedive (this post will contain plenty of puns by the way) as I splurged on a top-notch simulator for my humble abode. Some called it a quirky obsession; I called it a 'flight of fancy'.

When I landed in college (see what I did there?), I decided to crash some engineering classes. Here, amidst equations and principles, my understanding of aviation soared. And by "soared", I mean it did some loop-de-loops and barrel rolls before stabilizing. My simulator had prepared me for barrel rolls in the digital realm, but real-life engineering? That was a whole different cockpit of challenges.

By 2020, in a bold (or crazy?) move before planting my feet in the concrete jungle of New York City, I thought, "Why just fly in digital skies when you can flail... I mean, fly in the real ones?" Thus, my quest for a private pilot's license began.

Enter COVID-19, the unexpected turbulence in my flight plan. Collecting flying hours became less "soaring through open skies" and more "navigating through bureaucratic storm clouds". It was like being stuck in the longest holding pattern with no clear runway in sight.

Then there was the minor issue of chasing my master’s degree and a full-time job simultaneously. Imagine trying to fly a plane, read a map, communicate with the control tower, and sip a coffee all at once. It was just like that, minus the coffee.

But when life grounds you, you find other ways to take off. (I told you there'd be puns!)

This blog isn't just about my passion for flying, but also about navigating life's unexpected air pockets with a hint of sarcasm and a dash of determination. Because when you're winging it (pun totally intended), you need both in copious amounts.

So, as I keep chasing the horizon, wingtip to wingtip with my dreams, I invite you to be my co-pilot on this pun-filled journey. We might face some headwinds, but remember: it’s not about the destination, it's about the joyride. And my ride? It's just taking off.

As usual, I plan on being as transparent as possible with this process. Stay tuned!