The Sky is the Limit for Dr. Mickey
What kind of pilot license(s) do you have?
Currently I have a commercial pilot, certified flight instructor, certified advanced ground instructor, and remote pilot FAA certificates. FAA calls all pilot licenses certificates. I also have an old Yugoslavian aviation maintenance technician diploma, which I earned in high school.
How old were you when you first flew? And to where?
I flew for the first time, when I was about 11 years old back in what was then Yugoslavia. In the U.S., I started my flight training in Miami, and got my FAA private pilot certificate back in 2002 with Cessna 152. I purchased my first airplane 1968 Piper Cherokee 180 back in 2010. I keep my airplane at Chino Airport (KCNO). As of now I have about 700 hours of total pilot in command time. I got my commercial and CFI licenses through Dubois Aviation, a flight school at Chino airport.
What made you want to fly?
When I was a kid I read stories and watched movies about flying, airplanes, and famous aviators. I always wanted to be a pilot ever since I can remember. I love flying, it gives you a different dimension and sense of freedom, and I love having the birds eye view of new terrains. Another aspect is people, I meet so many interesting individuals, and many of them have become my friends through aviation related activities. And I love introducing people to aviation. Over the years, I took many of my friends, colleagues, business partners and students flying. Some of them decided to pursue their own pilot certificates. From Cerritos College, I went flying with President Dr. Jose Fierro, who is a student pilot; Carlos Arce, assistant professor of Spanish, who used to work as a commercial charter pilot in Bolivia and Peru, and with Paralegal Instructor Bruce Greenberg, who loves to go to Las Vegas.
What types of airplanes have you flown?
I’ve learned to fly in Cessna 152. Over the years, I had a chance to fly many different planes, probably most interesting and exotic was the 89-year-old Ford Tri-Motor, which I had chance to fly for a short time recently during a visit to Tri-Motor in Long Beach. Some of the planes that I have piloted are Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Cessna 182, Cessna 310, Piper Cherokee, Piper Comanche, Piper Apache, Lancair Columbia/ Cessna 400, and several home-builds.
How much did you have to fly and study to get licenses?
Minimum amount of flight experience to get the private pilot license is only 40 hours, but I don’t know of anyone who did it in only 40 hours. For written and oral exams, there are many materials that you can use to prepare yourself for. Written and oral exams are not all about memorizing, but it’s about understanding concepts and applying them to hypothetical situations. Minimum amount of flight hours to qualify you for the commercial pilot checkride is 250 hours; however, most people needs more time. You never stop learning in aviation. I belive that many of us as a kid had a wish to be a pilot or an astronaut. Your childhood dream of becoming a pilot is achievable. Our ENGT104, which covers many aspects of ground and flight operations, and explores options in aviation as a hobby or as an career. My next goal is to get a helicopter private pilot license.
How often do you fly?
I fly as often as I can. I fly my plane at least once or twice a week. I also fly several times a week as a part time flight instructor at TRC Aviation Academy, a flight school out of John Wayne/ Santa Ana airport. I am also a 2nd lieutenant at Civil Air Patrol, Squadron 68, an USAF Auxiliary where I am an aerospace education officer.
Where have you flown to? How long was the longest flight?
I’ve flown to many places across the U.S., and I’ve flown in other countries. Some of the interesting places I went flying are Argentina, where I went from San Fernando to Gualevachu and back to Martin Garcia Island in a rented Cessna 172. In the Bahamas, I flew to Bimini, then Grand Bahama Island, and did island hopping to explore. Some of the longest flights were over the Bahamas and over the Pacific Northwest. I fly to Henderson, NV quite often.
What was the scariest thing to happen to you while flying?
I do not consider any of the moments scary, because you are prepared for any contingencies. I had a real emergency on July 5, 2015 near Prescott, AZ. I was with a friend from Prescott who was a first-timer in a general aviation airplane, and I had an engine failure. I managed to land safely as a glider. Luckily, the engine failure happened literally in front of Aerocrafter, one of the largest engine repair facilities in the country. We pushed the plane to the shop for repair, and picked it up and flew it back to Chino two weeks later.
What is your favorite moment during flight? Take off? Landing? Or up high in the air?
I love all phases of flying. I mentally stay outside the plane and enjoy the landscapes. I especially love arrivals and different views of airports. However, the most valuable part of the experience is making new friends and introducing friends to aviation. Sometimes I feel like I should be a bird. It would have been more appropriate if I were hatched, because my long nose resembles a beak :)
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