Nearly as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a pilot — nothing more, nothing less. I said as much in a second-grade project that my mother saved for posterity. Over time I developed additional interests and even dabbled with the idea of becoming an architect or practicing law, but I never seriously pursued either option. Against the conventional advice that a professional pilot should obtain a nonaviation fallback degree, I went to the aviation-centric University of North Dakota and majored in air transport. I didn’t even bother with a minor, much less a second major. Young and eager to take on the world, it was aviation or bust. I never gave “What if you can’t?” much thought. I always assumed that I could. My parents never actually spoke the modern trope that my siblings and I could do anything we set our minds to, but their actions clearly reflected that belief, and we all ran with it. Failure, even due to circumstances beyond one’s control, wasn’t much considered. “God will provide,” my parents pronounced with a confidence borne of personal experience.
Taking Wing: Grounded
Key Takeaways:
- A lifelong aspiring pilot, the author faced a career-threatening diagnosis of Crohn's disease but discovered that modern treatments and FAA special-issuance medicals allowed pilots to continue flying with the condition.
- After a period of being grounded for treatment and medical approval, during which flying a light sport aircraft helped him maintain his spirits, he successfully regained his medical certificate and returned to professional flying.
- Despite the ongoing uncertainties of Crohn's, the author remains deeply committed to aviation, viewing every flight as a gift and planning to stay in the industry even if he can no longer fly professionally.
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