Flight instructor Ben Obasi helps his students soar at CROSSAIROCEAN Flight School

Ben Obasi has always had his eye on the sky.

Since his youth, Obasi has had a fondness for flying and dreamed of having a career in the aviation industry.

“I initially wanted to be an aeronautical engineer,” he said, “but after I did an internship at an airline while I was in high school, I developed much more passion towards becoming a pilot instead.”

The opportunity to pursue his love for flight came when a job opening at the CROSSAIROCEAN Flight School in Zephyrhills came across his radar. He met with the school’s owner, Capt. Lucien Valier, and in 2020, joined the team as CROSSAIROCEAN’s manager and flight instructor. He and Valier worked together to build the flight school, and the rest is history.

What does a day in the life of a flight instructor look like, you may wonder? Each day varies and brings something new, Obasi said. A bad weather forecast could mean pivoting from a full day of scheduled flights with students to other priorities, like instructing them in ground lessons or simulator sessions.

“If the weather forecast looks good, I’d usually have my first student at 7 a.m.,” Obasi said. “We do a preflight briefing of what we’re trying to accomplish for the day, we calculate our aircraft performance according to the atmospheric conditions and we conduct a preflight walk-around to make sure the aircraft is in good condition for flight. After conducting our preflight inspection, we start up the airplane and go fly. Typically, the flight lasts about one-and-a-half hours.”

After flying, Obasi walks through a performance evaluation with his students, and helps them prepare for their next lesson. Each student session is one-on-one and lasts for about two hours. Once lessons are complete for the day, Obasi records his students’ progress and prepares for the next day of flying and instructing.

What sets CROSSAIROCEAN apart from other organizations is the team’s passion, he said. He and his teammates take pride in what they do.

“We show our clients that there is fun and joy in the process of learning how to fly,” said Obasi. “We help aviators accomplish their goals with whatever type of pilot license they want to acquire at a very affordable cost. This is accomplished by using the simulators to build experience which leads to reducing the cost of training. We also partner with high schools in the area to introduce aviation to kids, take them up for an introductory flight and show them all the fun in flying an airplane.”

You may share the same passion for aviation as Obasi and the team at CROSSAIROCEAN. The flight school offers a myriad of fun ways for those interested in flying to take the next step, including flight training programs for both private pilot and commercial pilot certificates, as well as a 45-minute introductory flight that gives aviation newbies a feel for the skies.

CROSSAIROCEAN is the perfect place to help your aviation dreams take wing. Find out more about what CROSSAIROCEAN can do for you at https://www.crossairoceanusa.com/ or call (352) 737-0800.