Many people are afraid of heights, but this isn’t the case for Julien Attia ‘25. He has had a strong interest in flying planes which started at a young age.
During Attia’s childhood, he used to build mini airports and model planes at home and run around with a plane in the air as if he was flying it. “What intrigued me the most was the physics of flight and how planes are operated,” he said.
This fondness for planes carried into middle school, when he started to play a video game called “SimplePlanes.” This game allowed to create his own planes and fly them around an island.
For Julien’s 15th birthday, he recieved and Xbox. On his new gaming console, he used Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. This simulator gave Attia the experience of flying different planes in extraordinary detail. From his room, he could explore the world in planes such as the F-35, Boeing 787, and Cessna 172. “My experience with this flight simulator started my addiction to flying,” said Attia.
Julien got to live out his dream of flying for the first time in February of his junior year. He continued to take a few lessons throughout the rest of the school year. Over the summer, he started to fly more regularly.
As of now, Julien flies out of Craig Airport. A normal day of flying would depend on what Julien’s flight instructor wants him to focus on. Many times Attia and his instructor work on “airport hopping.” They stop at many different airports around Jacksonville and make a round trip. In a recent flight Julien successfully journeyed from Craig executive (KCRG), to Fernandina Beach Municipal (KFHB) to Jacksonville International (KJAX) to Herlong Recreational Airport (KHEG) then back to Craig Executive (KCRG), touching down briefly at each airport.
Julien’s favorite part about flying is seeing the world in a different view. “I love the sophistication of flight and seeing the world from a different perspective. Also, who wouldn’t want to be a bird for a short time?”
Currently Attia normally flies a rented Cessna 172P Skyhawk. However, his dream plane would be the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. “My favorite plane is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner because it is one of the most advanced twin engine aircraft, has extraordinary engineering and it’s beautiful.”
With the enjoyment of flying also comes important lessons. Flying has taught him discipline and responsibility. To fly a plane, people need to have great attention to detail and extensive planning. “Flying teaches me that the quality of my preparation equals the quality of my success,” he said.
Although Attia has his student pilot’s license, he can’t fly professionally yet. He currently has 70 flight hours towards his private pilot’s license. For right now, flying is just a hobby for Julien. However, the sky’s the limit!
