“It’s Never Too Late” is a chain that tells the tales of people that come to a decision to pursue their goals on their very own phrases.
Live track was once not more. Patrick Milando may draw no different conclusion. But possibly he may pivot.
It was once a summer season day in 2020, a height of the coronavirus pandemic, and Mr. Milando, a French horn participant, have been riding thru a locked-down, emptied-out Times Square. Then 67, he had spent just about a half-century as a certified musician, from the Metropolitan Opera to over a dozen years with “The Lion King.” Now that musical, at the side of such a lot else, had shuttered. At an age when his friends have been wrapping up their paintings, Mr. Milando discovered himself thinking about a brand new solution to pay the expenses — 5,000 toes above his previous manner.
Sometimes we jump luckily to an all-new lifestyles. Sometimes we jump luckily with a push.
Mr. Milando had begun flying single-engine planes prior to the pandemic, however purely as a passion. (He had logged round 300 hours of flight time.) Now, he puzzled, may he in truth grow to be a certified pilot? He was once too previous to fly for the key airways (the cutoff is 65), however there was once no age prohibit on educating others to fly.
Mr. Milando discovered a small flight college in New Jersey and got down to earn his industrial pilot certificates. The different pilots there tended to be many years more youthful, and now not as soon as did he spot a fellow French hornist. (Most looked as if it would paintings in computer systems, he seen.) But he felt at house; flying unlocked one thing in him.
“There’s a freedom, an autonomy. You’re the master of your own destiny,” he stated.
Today Mr. Milando, 71, has two careers — it seems the loss of life of are living track have been very much exaggerated. He splits his time between the orchestra pit and the pleasant skies, the place he teaches budding pilots like he himself as soon as was once. (The following interview has been edited and condensed.)
How did you get taken with flying?
Being a musician, I did a large number of touring. I used to be very intrigued by means of the flying facet. I were given a flight simulator recreation for amusing, when my youngsters have been younger. You’d pay attention me within the basement yelling, “Pull up, pull up!” When I grew to become 60, my spouse were given me flying courses. From there, I were given my non-public pilot’s license.
What do you prefer about flying?
It’s very serene. One of essentially the most relaxing instances is whilst you’re going during the clouds, and also you’re depending for your tools coaching, then rapidly you’re above the clouds and you’ve got this pretty landscape in entrance of you.
It’s a hurry. The first time you do it, it’s life-changing. Life-changing and life-asserting.
It turns out a tad riskier than taking part in the horn. Was it ever frightening?
The scariest was once touchdown for the primary time. I bear in mind I had an opera down in West Palm Beach, and I’m up there with my teacher at 1,500 toes, having a look down on the tarmac, considering, Well, I simply need to land this aircraft. Afterward, I felt like I used to be going to cry. It was once in order that intense, and wonderful.
What triggered you to take into consideration flying professionally?
When the pandemic got here, all people musicians have been like, “Oh my God, what are we going to do?” The prevailing feeling was once that track was once going to prevent; Broadway was once by no means going to come back again.
I bear in mind riding in the future thru Times Square and seeing the whole thing boarded up. It was once truly frightening and I assumed, OK, let’s simply take a look at profession No. 2. I’m now not one to take a seat round and do not anything.
So how did you are making it occur?
I discovered this small flight college in New Jersey, known as Sky Training, and were given my industrial score. Then I flew to Minnesota later that summer season to get my qualified teacher’s score, so I may train people to fly. I additionally picked up a seaplane score, only for the heck of it. Eventually I flew a seaplane over Lake Como in Italy and was once waving right down to — who’s it that lives there? George Clooney?
Anyway now I train folks to fly the whole thing from a single-engine Cessna to a multi-engine Piper.
Are there similarities between track and flying?
My good fortune as a musician has all the time come once I’m completely centered within the second. When you set aside the entire extraneous issues happening round you. That’s form of what you need to do whilst you’re flying an aircraft.
As a trainer, I’ve had a scholar freeze 100 toes from the runway. I needed to push his arms off the controls and take them. He was once in a psychological freeze, couldn’t get out of it. You all the time need to be within the second.
How incessantly do you fly now?
That’s the tough section as a result of I’m chargeable for 8 displays every week at “The Lion King.” Monday is darkish, so I generally pack the day with scholars, and simply protecting present on flying other airplanes. Then I’ll generally rent any person to play for me every other day that week, and train extra folks. So I finally end up flying possibly 15 hours every week.
Any recommendation for people who find themselves taken with making a metamorphosis like this, however fear they’re too previous to be informed one thing new?
I say opt for it, completely opt for it. There’s no explanation why to not.
Are you completed making large adjustments?
I’m like a shark, I gotta stay transferring. I’ve run 8 marathons; I really like finding out languages. Now I’m more or less questioning about an Airline Transport Pilot certificates, the A.T.P., so I may get started flying folks right down to the Caribbean. It’s just about the overall step in aviation.
Each time I say I’m completed, my youngsters say, “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” So I suppose I’m going to get that A.T.P.
