There aren’t many people who knew what they wanted to do with their lives at age 18 months, but Peter Lavieri was one of them.
“My mom says that’s when I saw a plane in the sky for the first time, and got all excited,” said the 16-year-old New Canaan High School junior. “And I know that as far back as I can remember I wanted to fly, to break the bonds of earth.”
Mission accomplished, for not only has he flown planes, he recently soloed, and is in the process of getting his pilot’s license. It’s a source of pride, and a little surprise for his parents, longtime New Canaanites Todd and Suzy Lavieri.
“He became passionate about flying at age seven or eight,” recalled Peter’s mom. “That’s when he started driving us crazy about it.”
“When he was 10 he kept asking us if he could take a flying lesson,” explained Todd. “We put him off, but he kept on us. He found a flight school. Finally when he was 12 Suzy said, ‘Let’s let him do it. He’ll either hate it, be scared and never ask again, or he’ll love it and we’ll have a pilot.’ We have a pilot.”
Peter didn’t go from wanting to fly straight to flight school, though. First he started studying and learning the instrumentation he’d seen in cockpits when he flew commercially on trips with his family. Then he practiced on a computer with the Microsoft Flight Simulator CD his parents bought him.
“The great thing about that is you don’t die if you crash,” he said with a grin. “You can buy parts and switches to make it even more realistic. I’ve been in a couple of real simulators, but not the multi-million-dollar ones yet.”
Dad Todd said there was even more that pointed to Peter’s flying evolution.
“My family has had an aerospace manufacturing business in Connecticut since 1941. Peter took a tour of the plant when he was little. Then at Saxe Middle School he gave a presentation on jet engines and flight. He truly loves aviation and flying.”
When he was 13, mom Suzy booked Peter’s first flying lesson, at Performance Flight, in Westchester.
“I got into the aircraft, a Cirrus SR20 single-engine propeller plane,” Peter recalled. “The instructor, Rudi Hiebert, had the same set of controls I did. You don’t learn much on your first lesson, you just do it. He said, ‘It’s your aircraft.’
“I was nervous but excited, finally doing what I wanted to do my whole life. I turned at the Hudson River and flew for 40 minutes. I was hooked.”
For the next few years Peter continued to learn the instruments and take lessons, building his flying skills, as well as a healthy respect for what he was doing.
“It’s tunnel vision, and I’m just concentrating on flying the plane, not thinking about what was on TV last night,” he said. “It’s a serious commitment. If you start getting cocky or relaxed, that’s when things can go wrong.
“Cruising is easy. That’s when you can really enjoy flying, look around a little. The skyline of New York City is pretty awesome.”
Peter recently accomplished a major step—his first solo. His parents (and dog) came to the airport for the occasion.
“First we did two practice takeoffs and landings,” said Peter. “Then the instructor got out and said ‘You can fly by yourself.’ I was a little nervous, but there was no wind, and it was easy. I remember seeing three dots on the tarmac as I was flying; my parents and the family dog.”
Said mom: “I’ll never forget the smile on his face when he landed and opened the door.”
Said dad: “We were just so pleased and impressed with him that day.”
With school back in session, Peter will be quite busy. He rows on the New Canaan crew team, and spent three hours a day, six days a week training this summer. He’s aiming to get his pilot’s license at age 17, which takes serious studying. College is approaching soon as well, but Peter has a pretty good idea what his future holds.
“I definitely want to do something in aviation,” he said. “I’ve thought about the military path. Once you’ve flown, it’s hard to walk away from it.”
His parents know he’s headed for a life in the sky as well.
“I’ve spoken to other pilots and asked them when they knew they wanted to fly,” said Suzy. “Invariably they said it was when they were eight or nine years old. Peter’s going to be a pilot in some capacity. He’s doing what he loves to do, and that’s great.”
Todd has a broader vision for his son. “Peter speaks Chinese and German, and I think he’d like to run a global airline.”
Peter is simply taking things as they come. He noted a unique and impressive accomplishment, saying, “I have a boater’s license, and I’ll have a pilot’s license before getting a driver’s license.”
New Canaan High School junior Peter Lavieri, 16, sits in cockpit of the Cirrus SR20 plane he’s flown for several years. He’s in the process of getting his pilot’s license, and is eyeing a career in aviation.