St. Joseph pilot Lute Atieh flies his Cessna aircraft along the Missouri River. Atieh is one of many local aviation enthusiasts pushing for a local flight school.
St. Joseph pilot Lute Atieh flies his Cessna aircraft along the Missouri River. Atieh is one of many local aviation enthusiasts pushing for a local flight school.
A local man is encouraging interested future pilots to pursue their goals in flight school, and he hopes to eventually make it possible right here in St. Joseph.Â
Lute Atieh didn't rush to get his pilot's license. His journey started in 2006 while in college. While not immediately accumulating the flight hours needed for his license, he kept going little by little.
"A longer process isn't a bad thing," he said.Â
So, when the magic number of 40 hours of instructed flight time came, he let it pass but still kept the log rolling.
"At the end of the day, you have to know your abilities as a pilot," the millennial said during an in-air and in-cockpit interview.
One obstacle that many potential pilots face is the insurmountable costs associated with operating aircraft, but Atieh said becoming a pilot is cheaper than people might think.
He said an average cost for a lesson is around $200. Assuming you're going the distance with your pursuit of a civil aviation license, the total flight school cost can be as low as $10,000, and you won't need laptops of textbooks nor room or board.
From there, the training never stops. Atieh is on his way to getting his instructor's license as well as accruing enough flight hours to become a commercial pilot.
"There are thousands and thousands of open commercial pilot positions," he said. "It all starts with your first time up."
Atieh is one of many local aviation enthusiasts who participate in the Young Eagles program, which provides children with free or very inexpensive opportunities to fly with a real pilot in the air.
He said that is just one of the programs he'd like to expand with a new flight school that would be based in St. Joseph.
While still in infancy planning, Atieh is adamant one will be coming soon. He hopes to raise enough money to begin the first phase of the flight school next spring. He added he'd love to see a partnership with a local university, as aviation continues to grow with salaries in commercial aviation skyrocketing.
Mark Zinn can be reached at mark.zinn@knpn.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KNPNZinn.
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