“I was in air cadets when I was younger. In my last year, I was sent on an international exchange to the United Kingdom. So, we went and stayed in London for a couple of days and toured around and stayed in a bunch of different army bases and airforce bases. I got to learn about what the aviation industry is like around the world, so that was really exciting. It’s also the furthest I’ve ever been away from home. My biggest takeaway from it was no matter where I go, there are other people I can relate to. It sounds like such a basic statement, but because I’ve spent so much time in Vancouver I’ve kind of been surrounded by the same type of people. [I realized that], I actually have a lot more in common with people on the other side of the world than I thought I did. To me, it showed that there are some things that are universal.
[After COVID-19] I really want to fly without a mask again. When instructing with a mask on, I’m sitting in an airplane and I have to scream into my microphone. I have to be so careful with articulating my words because my student is already freaking out because they don’t know how to fly an airplane. So much of communication is non-verbal. I feel like I need to be so blunt when I’m talking [with a mask on] because I can’t make a joke and have it be obvious that it’s a joke based on my facial expression. I’ve realized I’m getting better at reading facial expressions just based on the top half of a person’s face.”