Friday, December 4, 2009
Allie Rosen
Staff Writer
When sophomore Adam White was two years old, his parents took him to the park to play on a swing that was shaped like an airplane. When he was six, he and his mother moved to Tahiti to have new experiences and learn a new language. Now at sixteen, White has returned to Manhattan Beach as an aspiring pilot and a fluent French-speaker.
White moved to Tahiti from Manhattan Beach in 1999. Although he found making new friends and learning a new language rather challenging at first, White came to enjoy the landscape, light blue ocean and many new people from all over the world who, like him, had decided to settle in Tahiti.
“My mom and I lived in Tahiti because she wanted us to have a new life, new experiences and a new language to learn. It was difficult to get used to the new language, but I am really glad that I learned French and that I can live in France if I want to,” White said.
After 10 years in Tahiti, White and his mother have moved back to Manhattan Beach so he could finish high school and attend college in the United States. Living in the United States also provides him with an increased amount of opportunities to pursue his future in flying.
“We came back for me to finish high school and so that I can get my pilot’s license. Flying is not as expensive here, too,” White said.
White first became seriously interested in flying after his mom surprised him with flight lessons while they were clebrating his eighth birthday in Tahiti.
“After my lesson, flying became my passion just like it has been the passion of my mom,who works for United Airlines, my dad, who is a private pilot, and my grandpa, who was a mechanic and interested in aviation,” White said.
With so many years of experience already under his belt, White plans to follow in the footsteps of his family. After high school, he hopes to attend the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and hopes to pursue a career as a commercial pilot.
“I want to get a degree in aeronautical science so I can become an airline pilot, and another degree in Air Traffic Management, so that I can work for Air Traffic Control,” White said.
Mira Costa students have welcomed White back to Manhattan Beach since he returned from Tahiti. He has impressed his peers not only with his passion and talent for flying, but also with his French-speaking skills.
“Adam is a nice guy and I admire that fact that he really has his goals set. I got to know him during a French project we did together and I am really glad I did,” junior Nick Zobel said.
Now, White spends the majority of his time at the Torrance Airport flying a Cessna 172 airplane and practicing so he can earn his flying license, which he can get when he turns 17. Although he does not currently own his own plane, White hopes to buy one once he enrolls in college so that he can, and take his friends and family for rides.
“I love flying over the ocean and seeing all of the lights at night. When I first started flying, I sometimes got nervous, but I don’t anymore. Flying is pretty basic and it’s something that anyone can do. It seems kind of hard at first, but it just takes practice,” White said.
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