“It’s By no means Too Late” is a collection that tells the tales of people that resolve to pursue their desires on their very own phrases.
Reside music was no extra. Patrick Milando might draw no different conclusion. However possibly he might pivot.
It was a summer season day in 2020, a peak of the coronavirus pandemic, and Mr. Milando, a French horn participant, had been driving by means of a locked-down, emptied-out Instances Sq.. Then 67, he had spent practically a half-century as an expert musician, from the Metropolitan Opera to over a dozen years with “The Lion King.” Now that musical, together with a lot else, had shuttered. At an age when his friends have been wrapping up their work, Mr. Milando discovered himself pondering a brand new strategy to pay the payments — 5,000 ft above his previous manner.
Typically we leap fortunately to an all-new life. Typically we leap fortunately with a push.
Mr. Milando had begun flying single-engine planes earlier than the pandemic, however purely as a pastime. (He had logged round 300 hours of flight time.) Now, he puzzled, might he really turn out to be an expert pilot? He was too previous to fly for the key airways (the cutoff is 65), however there was no age restrict on educating others to fly.
Mr. Milando discovered a small flight college in New Jersey and got down to earn his industrial pilot certificates. The opposite pilots there tended to be a long time youthful, and never as soon as did he spot a fellow French hornist. (Most appeared to work in computer systems, he noticed.) However he felt at dwelling; flying unlocked one thing in him.
“There’s a freedom, an autonomy. You’re the grasp of your personal future,” he mentioned.
In the present day Mr. Milando, 71, has two careers — it seems the demise of dwell music had been tremendously exaggerated. He splits his time between the orchestra pit and the pleasant skies, the place he teaches budding pilots like he himself as soon as was. (The next interview has been edited and condensed.)
How did you get fascinated by flying?
Being a musician, I did a number of touring. I used to be very intrigued by the flying side. I acquired a flight simulator recreation for enjoyable, when my children have been younger. You’d hear me within the basement yelling, “Pull up, pull up!” After I turned 60, my spouse acquired me flying classes. From there, I acquired my non-public pilot’s license.
What do you want about flying?
It’s very serene. One of the pleasurable occasions is while you’re going by means of the clouds, and also you’re relying in your devices coaching, then impulsively you’re above the clouds and you’ve got this stunning panorama in entrance of you.
It’s a rush. The primary time you do it, it’s life-changing. Life-changing and life-affirming.
It appears a tad riskier than taking part in the horn. Was it ever scary?
The scariest was touchdown for the primary time. I keep in mind I had an opera down in West Palm Seashore, and I’m up there with my teacher at 1,500 ft, wanting down on the tarmac, pondering, Effectively, I simply must land this airplane. Afterward, I felt like I used to be going to cry. It was simply so intense, and wonderful.
What prompted you to consider flying professionally?
When the pandemic got here, all of us musicians have been like, “Oh my God, what are we going to do?” The prevailing feeling was that music was going to cease; Broadway was by no means going to come back again.
I keep in mind driving sooner or later by means of Instances Sq. and seeing all the pieces boarded up. It was actually scary and I assumed, OK, let’s simply attempt profession No. 2. I’m not one to sit down round and do nothing.
So how did you make it occur?
I discovered this small flight college in New Jersey, referred to as Sky Coaching, and acquired my industrial score. Then I flew to Minnesota later that summer season to get my licensed teacher’s score, so I might train different individuals to fly. I additionally picked up a seaplane score, only for the heck of it. Ultimately I flew a seaplane over Lake Como in Italy and was waving right down to — who’s it that lives there? George Clooney?
Anyway now I train individuals to fly all the pieces from a single-engine Cessna to a multi-engine Piper.
Are there similarities between music and flying?
My success as a musician has at all times come after I’m completely targeted within the second. Once you put apart all of the extraneous issues happening round you. That’s kind of what it’s important to do while you’re flying an airplane.
As a trainer, I’ve had a scholar freeze 100 ft from the runway. I needed to push his palms off the controls and take them. He was in a psychological freeze, couldn’t get out of it. You at all times must be within the second.
How typically do you fly now?
That’s the tough half as a result of I’m liable for eight exhibits every week at “The Lion King.” Monday is darkish, so I normally pack the day with college students, and simply maintaining present on flying totally different airplanes. Then I’ll normally rent somebody to play for me one other day that week, and train extra individuals. So I find yourself flying possibly 15 hours every week.
Any recommendation for people who find themselves fascinated by making a change like this, however fear they’re too previous to be taught one thing new?
I say go for it, completely go for it. There’s no purpose to not.
Are you executed making massive modifications?
I’m like a shark, I gotta hold transferring. I’ve run eight marathons; I like studying languages. Now I’m sort of questioning about an Airline Transport Pilot certificates, the A.T.P., so I might begin flying individuals right down to the Caribbean. It’s just about the ultimate step in aviation.
Every time I say I’m executed, my children say, “Yeah, I’ve heard that earlier than.” So I suppose I’m going to get that A.T.P.