There are two places where I feel completely free: in the sky and on the water. Flying and board sports might seem worlds apart, but to me they are deeply connected. Whether I am in the cockpit cruising above the clouds or catching a wave on my surfboard, I feel the same sense of balance, focus, and calm.
I grew up in California, surrounded by beaches and sunshine, where surfing and skateboarding were part of the culture. Later, when I became a pilot, I discovered that the feeling of flying touched the same part of my soul. It is that mix of control and surrender, of power and peace, that keeps me chasing both wings and waves.
The First Taste of Freedom
My first experience with freedom came through surfing. I was just a kid when I paddled out on my first real wave. The ocean was intimidating, but once I stood up, I felt something shift. For a few seconds, everything around me disappeared. It was just me, the board, and the movement of the water. That moment taught me how good it feels to be fully present.
Years later, when I began flight training, I felt that same presence again. Sitting in the cockpit during takeoff gave me the same rush as dropping into a wave. The feeling was different in form but identical in spirit. You are at the edge of control, completely aware of every sound, every movement, every decision. Both require trust, balance, and timing.
Freedom, I realized, is not just about where you are. It is about how you feel when you are fully in tune with what you are doing.
Flow in the Sky and on the Water
Pilots talk about “flow” just as much as surfers do. It is that state where everything feels effortless, where your body and mind are connected. When I am flying, especially on long, smooth stretches, there are moments where time seems to pause. The controls respond perfectly, the aircraft feels weightless, and the horizon stretches endlessly ahead.
The same thing happens when I surf or snowboard. You are not forcing movement. You are flowing with it. The board glides naturally, and your body instinctively adjusts. You stop thinking about what to do next and start feeling it instead.
Flow is one of the purest forms of peace I know. It reminds me that precision and freedom can exist together. You train hard to master the details so that, when the moment comes, you can let go and just move.
Balance Above and Below
Balance is at the heart of both flying and board sports. In flying, you balance lift, drag, thrust, and weight. In surfing or snowboarding, you balance your body on a moving surface that constantly changes beneath you. In both, staying upright means staying aware.
That idea of balance has shaped how I live my life. Between flying, teaching, and being a husband and father, my world moves fast. There are always new challenges and shifts in rhythm. But just like riding a wave or adjusting trim in the cockpit, I find peace in small corrections.
Balance does not mean staying still. It means adjusting constantly, reading the environment, and trusting yourself to adapt. That’s something the sky and the sea have both taught me over and over again.
The Connection Between Control and Surrender
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from flying and surfing is that control and surrender are not opposites. They work together. As a pilot, you control what you can—speed, altitude, direction—but you also accept that nature has a say. Wind, weather, and turbulence remind you that you are part of something bigger.
The ocean teaches the same truth. You can’t control a wave. You can only learn how to read it, how to move with it, and when to let it carry you. Both flying and surfing have humbled me in that way. They have taught me respect for nature, patience with the process, and gratitude for the moments when everything aligns perfectly.
When I am flying through clouds or carving down a mountain, I am reminded that freedom isn’t about having total control. It is about knowing when to let go.
Bringing That Feeling Home
These days, I don’t get to surf as often as I used to, but I still chase that feeling of flow wherever I can find it. In the summer, I surf the Jersey shore when I am home in Philadelphia. In the winter, I snowboard in California. When I am teaching or flying for work, I find it in the rhythm of the sky.
Even at home, I try to bring that same calm energy to my family life. Playing with my daughter gives me the same joy I get from flying or surfing. She reminds me to stay present, to laugh, and to see life with wonder.
The lessons from the sky and sea help me approach everything else with patience and focus. When work gets stressful or plans change, I think about how I handle a tough landing or a choppy wave. I slow down, breathe, and trust myself to find balance again.
The Freedom Within
People often think freedom is about escaping something, but I think real freedom comes from being connected. When I fly, I am connected to the sky. When I surf, I am connected to the ocean. When I am with my family, I am connected to the moment. That connection is what makes me feel alive.
Both wings and waves remind me that life moves fast and unpredictably, but if you can stay centered, you can ride it beautifully. You don’t fight the wind or the current. You learn to move with it, and that’s where the joy lives.
Hobbies are Crucial
Flying and board sports are more than hobbies for me. They are reflections of how I want to live my life, with focus, flow, and gratitude. Whether I’m cruising through blue skies or paddling into a cold wave, the feeling is the same: freedom, peace, and presence.
The sky and the sea have taught me that freedom is not about distance or escape. It’s about awareness, movement, and trust. It’s about finding balance in motion and flow in chaos.
Every flight and every wave reminds me of who I am at my core, a person who feels most alive when moving with purpose and grace through the world.