He landed a summer job at a flight school washing airplanes, answering the telephone, helping schedule flights, and did “whatever I could to trade for flight time in a Cessna 150.
Aviator Zone Academy flight school founder Felipe Santiago was 12 when he decided to pursue an aviation career. Money was tight but Santiago’s passion and persistence paid off. He landed a summer job at a flight school washing airplanes, answering the telephone, helping schedule flights, and did “whatever I could to trade for flight time in a Cessna 150. That kind of started everything.” He founded the Miami-based flight school in 2018 with one airplane and one instructor. At age 27, the 2021 AOPA Flight Training Experience Awards winner for best flight school in the Southern region employs six instructors, two dispatchers, and a maintenance technician; and operates seven flight training aircraft.