Day after day a young boy once sat beneath the stars at Lilydale Airport in Victoria, eyes fixed on the sky waiting for a glimpse of the metal birds soaring above.
The flashing lights and sound of roaring engines relaxing his brain into dreaming mode with the possibility of one day learning how to fly.
A dream turned reality for now grown-up James Field thanks to a Bachelor of Aviation at the University of Southern Queensland.
“I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t surrounded by or looking up at planes,” Mr Field said.
“My Dad has worked in the aviation industry for over 30 years, so it’s been a part of my life for a very long time.
“His passion became my passion and ending up here at the University of Southern Queensland was really a natural progression of that.”
While deciding where to study can be very daunting for most school leavers, this one was made easy for the young pilot waiting in the wings.
“I spoke to the Head of Aviation at last year’s Open Day and instantly after coming out of that conversation, I felt so comfortable and knew that this is where I wanted to be,” he said.
“I’m a big believer in taking opportunities and after hearing about everything available to people like me who have a fascination of flying, I had to jump onboard knowing how exciting the journey would be.”
And if the future’s anything to go by, the only way is up.
“I don’t really mind where I am or who I’m working for - I just want to be in the air,” he said.
“There’s nowhere in the world I’m more comfortable.”
Semester One officially commenced this week and the next generation of pilots are already on track for an exciting future.
Find out more about studying Aviation at the University of Southern Queensland.
