Becoming a Pilot and What I Carry in My Flight Bag

Hello Aviators,

My name is Bruno, and I’m a pilot in New York. I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil.

Aviation has been my passion since I was 5 years old, and I had always dreamed of being a pilot. But sometimes life takes you on a different path than the one you imagined, and I found myself starting a career in Advertising back in 2002.

Despite staying busy with a whole different kind of work, I never stopped learning, reading, watching and enjoying all kinds of aviation-related stuff.

It was only when I moved to the United States in 2015 that I decided to take the first step to becoming a real pilot. As I started searching for flight schools in my area, I realized things would be a little difficult—as a non-citizen, I had to go through a long TSA background check that delayed the start of my training in almost 6 months. But I had waited my whole life, so that’s not too bad right?

Once I got cleared, I joined Global Aviation Center at Farmingdale (KFRG), where I met my instructor Aaron. I had my first flight lesson on January 19, 2019, and it was a very special day. Five months later, on June 9th, I passed my check-ride and got my Private Pilot’s License.

They say your Private Pilot’s License is your license to learn how to fly. So for the following 6 months, I flew every single weekend (at least once). I took friends and family on city tours, flew my wife for dinner in different places and also flew by myself to different airports and places, so I could get used to short runways, crosswinds, night flying and more.

I logged a lot of hours and had a lot of fun.

When 2020 rolled in, I decided I wanted an Instrument rating. So went back to Global Aviation, met up with my instructor Aaron and had my very first lesson on January 19—exactly one year after I had my first flying lesson.

Dodging the crazy winter weather in NY and COVID-19, I was able to get through my training one lesson at a time, and 5 months later, on June 12th, I passed my Instrument Check-Ride. Great timing, as Summer was just starting!

I’m now a few hours into my Commercial training—which, by the way, is so much fun! I love all the maneuvers and how you learn to take the plane to its limits with safety and knowledge. It’s making me a better and safer pilot already.

Finally, in July 2020, I decided it was time to take a big leap in my Aviation life, and also realize another childhood dream: I bought a plane.

I’m now a proud owner of a 1977 Grumman AA5A Cheetah, and we’re having so much fun! Now, I can fly anytime, anywhere with much more freedom. And I’ll finish my Commercial training in it, which is a great way to know your plane.

Ever since I started in Aviation, I’ve been sharing my story, my training and my experiences on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. My goal is to inspire people to pursue their aviation dreams like I did, and also get to know fellow aviators around the globe.

Aviation is my favorite thing in life, and flying my plane is the best part of every week. For now I don’t have plans to start a career in the Airlines—I just want to fly around in my Cheetah and visit all the great places in this Country, one $100 burger at a time. 

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Follow Bruno

Make sure to follow Bruno on all of his piloting adventures on the following accounts:

• Instagram @fly_with_bruno
• You Tube

Bruno’s Favorite Products

Here are some of Bruno’s favorite products that he always carries with him in his flight bag.