Interview By Luke Egan - February 2023 Runway Report

Alec Babkine-Osterrath Winner of Safety Day '22 Introductory Pilot Award

In anticipation of this year's Safety Day, Luke followed up with our past scholarship winner, Alec,(Alexandre Babkine-Osterrath), to see what he has been up to since winning The WAA Safety Day 2022 Introductory Pilot Award sponsored by Academy of Aviation.

Below are Luke's (L) questions with answers provided by Alec (A).

L: What have you been up to since you won? 

A: Since I won the award, I have earned many achievements related to aviation along with beginning flight training of course. In my Civil Air Patrol Squadron, I have been assigned the first sergeant position and won an award for being the cadet NCO of the year for the Westchester-Putnam area. I have been progressing rapidly in terms of flying, completing 1 out of the 4 stages of my flight training. 

L: What made you think it was possible? Was there a particular person who encouraged or mentored you? 

A: When I applied for the scholarship I didn’t think I was going to get anything. I thought that surely someone more qualified and experienced than me is also applying for this same thing. What pushed me to apply was the hope that I’d get it and the dream of being able to fly. I credit the senior member of my squadron who suggested that I apply for this scholarship with me getting it. Because if I didn’t know about it there was no way I could’ve won it.  

L: What are your future aviation aspirations, and, in your opinion, what is the greatest barrier to overcome?  

A: My short-term aspiration is to finish my private pilot’s license and to start working on other ratings, such as seaplane, IFR, and a tail dragger. My long-term goal is to become a pilot in the air force or to become a mechanical / aerospace engineer after college. 

L: If you could share one bit of information with someone who is thinking about flying what would you tell them? 

A: If I could share a piece of information with anyone looking to start flying it would be, just do it. Go book an introductory lesson or a flight and go fly. Immediately you’ll be able to tell whether you want to fly or not. And if you want to continue, use any opportunity you can to fly. There are so many things out there that will aid you in your journey to the sky and don’t back away from one just because you don’t think you would have a chance. You never know!

Thank you again, Alec, for your time. We can't wait to follow up with you again in years to come. We would also like to thank the Academy of Aviation for their continued support in our scholarship program. To learn more about the Academy of Aviation visit their website www.academyofaviation.com/

About The Author:

Luke Egan is a Westchester Aviation Association Board member, Senior Captain for Solairus Aviation, and our Scholarship Chair. For more information on Luke, check out his bio and meet the rest of the WAA Board here.