Obed Han: Flying

Four years ago, Obed Han learned to fly through the Young Eagles program, which gives free flights to teenagers under the Experimental Aircraft Association. Now a licensed pilot under the Federal Aviation Administration himself, Han can often be found practicing his abilities at the San Carlos Airport. While flying, Han appreciates the perspective that being in the air grants him. “My favorite thing (about flying) is being able to leave stress, work and school behind and just relax and look at the scenery,” he said.

Still, flying is not without its hurdles. “The most challenging part is learning the rules and regulations,” Han said. “Physically flying is not much different than (driving) a car, but the hard part is learning the rules and theory, (such as) how the system works and how weather impacts flying.”

Han’s favorite aviation topic to learn about is the weather. “It’s really interesting how the weather around you works,” he said. “It’s cool when I go (flying) on vacation and I can know what’s happening around me.”

For those who are interested in learning how to fly, Han recommends reaching out to others in the aviation community. “You can always get people to help you out,” he said. “That’s how I got a tour of the United maintenance facility for free, and that’s how I got scholarships. Other people help out a lot.”

In the future, Han plans to major in aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “My goal is to work on big aircraft and do autopilot design for Boeing, and I (also) want to keep flying as a hobby that I do on the side,” he said.

—Written by Carly Liao