NORFOLK, Va. — Planes can be fascinating to any kid, especially to 12-year-old, Aiden Schneider.
Aiden was just 8-years old when he asked his dad, Al Schneider, if he could learn to fly. His dad used to be an aviation maintenance personnel in the Navy. The moment his son expressed interest in flying, he took him out for a fan flight at the Norfolk Flight Center.
“He asked, ‘Dad, can I go flying?’ I said sure and we took him out for a fan flight here at the Norfolk Flight Center,” his dad says.
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That’s where instructors let Aiden take the yoke and fly the plane.
“I was just amazed, it was scary but it was more amazing than scary,” says Aiden.
Aiden is the youngest student ever to enroll at the Norfolk Flight Center.
“We can actually start them at any age that their parents give permission and they can reach the petals,” says Peter Surina.
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Surina is the owner of the Norfolk Flight Academy and is also Aiden’s flight instructor. He says the 7th grader is a natural.
“Today we switched him to another airplane. He transitioned from one to the other, and picked it up, and did a real nice job flying that one today,” Surina adds.
Sixty flight hours later, Aiden seems very comfortable behind the controls of this single engine Cherokee. Although he can’t get his pilot’s license until he’s 17, at least he has a head start in navigating a clear itinerary for the future.
“My long term goal is to become a commercial pilot. I don’t know what airline yet but the progression is to get my private pilot’s license,” says Aiden.
Then the sky is truly the limit for this inspiring young man and that’s why he is Positively Hampton Roads.
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