Take-Off

Both pilots were introduced to formal flying through a discovery flight, where aspiring pilots try a short, assisted flight in a small, single engine piston plane. 

For DeVito, flying is a childhood dream fulfilled. “I’ve always been interested in air travel. Basically anything that flies,” he said. From a young age, he has flown and visited the flight deck of large aircrafts.

Even so, his discovery flight was still a moment of reckoning. “It really hit me there: this was a career where you wouldn’t be doing the same thing every day. There’s always some different challenges that can come up.” 

The most exciting of such challenges for DeVito was a flight to Dulles International, surrounded by larger planes in icy weather. 

Meanwhile, Davis had no previous interest in flying until his first and favorite experience: his discovery flight in Florida. He originally wanted to play baseball, but a family friend suggested flying to him. “I got into that cockpit and I took off for the first time — it was one of the scariest moments of my life.” 

Despite the nerves, by the time he landed in Orlando, Davis was over his fear. He got off the plane to meet up with his sister who attended college there. “That’s what really hooked me on. I was able to see my family.”

Since that initial spark, the freedom of flying for Davis has never faded.