Dreaming about becoming a pilot isn’t an ordinary dream for high school students, but there are a few who do dream of being one and freshman Daniel Salazar is one of them.
Salazar has been taking flight lessons for the past year or so at United Flight Systems and is planning on going to Private CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). He’s been pushing himself to become a First Officer at United and a United Airlines Captain.
Being a good student that plays sports and wants to pursue such a high-profile career can be hard when it comes to time management.
“Taking a day for school work and taking a day for flight training,” Salazar said.
Salazar’s dream started in 2016 when he first visited El Salvador. It was his first time being on a plane.
“When I hopped on the plane it was a little boring at first, but then once all the fun started I said hey that’s pretty cool,” Salazar said.
In 2019 he took his first trip to Cancun and he thought about being a pilot one day. In 2023 his third trip to Cancun convinced him to become a pilot and start studying planes.
“I genuinely wanna do this when I grow up, and I did my research and realized how truly easy the process is, but it’s not easy getting there,” Salazar said.
From there Daniel began researching and finding ways to study and save money for his goals.
Training to be a pilot can be rough on the person’s mental health. It needs a lot of support from others. Salazar has received the support he needs to complete his dreams from his family.
His biggest supporter has been his older sister Jaquelyn Salazar. “She’s been supporting me every step of the way, talking to pilots for me, asking them questions, and getting them in contact with me,” Salazar said.
Pursuing something as big as professional flight is tiring; it requires self-motivation as well.
“Being the guy up front behind the seats, being able to go to places I probably wouldn’t visit if I didn’t choose this path, and meeting a whole ton of new people,” Salazar said.
A career like this comes from the heart of a person, being able to push yourself to get up and work towards your goal.
“It’s a lot of work but always remember what you started for and keep thinking of the final goal you have always dreamed of,” Salazar said.
