The goal
I started flight training in high school and I've been paying for it myself as I go.
I'm at 33 hours right now, with the solo cross-country requirements and the written exam done.
Learning to fly has been useful for the design side too. A lot of what I read about in aerodynamics I've also felt from the left seat, and things like weight and balance stop being an abstraction pretty fast once you're the one loading the airplane and flying it.
I also hold an FAA Part 107 license for commercial drone work, which I use for aerial photography and video.
