As down-to-earth as he normally is, Jamie Spielman ’23 spends his free time with his head in the clouds. Literally. A freshman at SHS, Spielman has taken up the hobby of flying. Every Saturday morning, he spends three hours at Westchester Airport, where he takes lessons with his instructor from nine to twelve. 

How did he become interested in aviation? “My grandpa actually flew in World War II.  I started flying last November because my grandparents thought it would be cool, and they knew it had always been an interest of mine. They suggested it to my parents, I went to one lesson, and I loved it,” Spielman explained.

To get his license, Spielman needs forty four hours of flying instruction. He already has forty hours of flying instruction. Sadly, he must also be sixteen years old to fly solo and seventeen to get his license to fly others, which means he’ll have to wait a bit longer. As of now,  Jamie is focused on practicing take-offs, landings, talking on the radio, keeping a consistent altitude during turns, and more. 

For Spielman, flying is not a big part of his life, but a hobby that he turns to when he has time to himself. However, he never fails to be entertained by controlling the flight of an aircraft, even when it doesn’t go quite as he expected. “My instructor and I were once flying near the border of Massachusetts, and there was a mountain, just randomly out in the distance. The wind was coming from the direction of the mountain, and it was super, super turbulent. It was like riding a rollercoaster,” Spielman remarked. 

In three years, if you ever need a last-minute flight to who-knows-where, you’ll know exactly who to call. For some extra excitement, pass by a mountain! It’ll be fun!