Dear Mom and Dad,

Where would I be right now if it were not for you two signing up for the adventure of your lifetime and picking me up from an orphanage in Russia? Probably not living the dream I am today. And to that, I give you one of my many thanks. Ever since I was three years old, you never once pushed me to become something that I didn't want to be. You never suggested that I become a doctor, or a star athlete, or a businessman, but instead you told me I could be anything I wanted to be. So, ever since I was three years old, I talked nonstop about wanting to become a pilot.

It all began with the first flight I can remember. I don't remember where we were going, but I do remember the excitement as we walked down the jetway, stepped aboard the plane, and walked slowly past the cockpit. Looking inside, I was able to see the pilots running their checklists. The smile never left my face, especially when the flight attendant came by and handed me a pair of pin-on wings. Not only that, but this was back in the day where you could plug in a pair of headphones and listen to the radio chatter from the flight deck. That fueled my interest in aviation even more; the pilots spoke in what seemed like a foreign language so fluently, and I was catching on slowly. We were cleared for takeoff and the thrust from the engines pushed us down the runway, and eventually, we were off. Upon approaching our cruising altitude, all I wanted to do was stare outside and listen to the pilot's talk on the radio. My eyes were glued to the window the entire flight.

Ever since that first flight I can remember, I have always walked down the jetway grinning. A few years later, we began to travel more and more, mostly due to Dad's job. These opportunities gave me a chance to fly more often. Each flight created more interest in the aviation field, and a lifelong dream to one day sit in the left seat of an airliner. It felt like we were always on a plane by how much we traveled, and it was mostly transatlantic!

At age 9, I was taken to EAA in Oshkosh and I was ecstatic. It was me, my dad, and my grandpa; we all could have spend hours on end just in the museum, but what happened next drew a big smile on my face. We took a trolley to the other side of the airstrip, and I was met by an older gentleman who told me a bit about his history in aviation. He mentioned he was a pilot for Pan American World Airways a while back, and retired with the dream of introducing aviation to the next generation of pilots. We walked into the hangar and he asked me a few questions, such as whether I have ever been in a plane before, have I ever piloted a plane before, how I became interested in flight, and what I wanted to be when I was older. We signed a few papers and he handed me a headset. I remember that day so well. We walked out to the grass strip and we just hopped in the aircraft. Taking off from a grass strip is quite an experience, and we flew around for about 45 minutes before heading back. I had the opportunity to take some pictures along the route, and he even showed me a few basic maneuvers.

At age 13, my parents gave me a gift certificate to Windy City Flyers out of Chicago Executive Airport. Included was an hour of flight, taking off from KPWK, flying west to the Baha'i House of Worship on Lake Michigan, and down the shoreline around the skyline. The pilot even let me take the controls for a while!

Years later, during my high school career, it was time to look for some colleges that would be able to satisfy what I wanted to do. Mom and Dad, you did everything possible to help me find the right schools and apply to them. I was accepted to each of the universities I applied to, and it was crunch time, time to make a decision.

Look at me now Mom and Dad, I am now in year two of my college career at what I think is the best school for my degree. I accomplished so much in my first year, even attaining my Private Pilot Certificate, and now almost finished with my Instrument Rating. Look how far I have come, from a dream when I was three years old to now. And it was all possible because of you two.

So with that, thank you, Mom and Dad. I can't wait to see you aboard my first flight as an airline pilot.

Lots of love,

Greg