5 minute read
The Flight Brothers: Anton & Stefan Salameh '96
Anyone who has spent time on Santa Catalina’s campus knows that the sound of airplanes flying overhead is as much a part of the school soundtrack as birdsong. For most people, it’s a minor annoyance. For Anton Salameh, it was a call to rush to the window of his history classroom to catch a glimpse of the plane passing by. He recalls fondly that his teacher, Margaret Lotz, “knew I had an aviation addiction and was totally cool about me doing that.” Anton is now a pilot, as is his younger brother, Stefan, both 1996 graduates of the Lower and Middle School. The brothers are captains who fly commercially for the same major airline.
Their shared interest in aviation started early. Their father, who had wanted to be a pilot but was steered into the family hospitality business, would take the boys to the Monterey airport to watch the planes take off and land. Anton began taking flying lessons in seventh grade; Stefan, who is 13 months younger, followed in high school. (Both attended Palma School.) The pair washed airplanes in exchange for lessons and took their first solo flights at 16 years old. “We both flew airplanes alone before we drove a car alone,” Stefan says.
Anton was laser focused on being a professional pilot. He enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, earning a degree in professional aeronautics with a minor in aviation business management. Stefan initially had dreams of becoming a doctor but drifted toward aerospace engineering at UC San Diego. “I thought I wanted to design planes and fly them,” explains Stefan, who completed all of his flight training on the side.
In the end, though, the Salameh brothers didn’t stray far from one another. Both served as flight instructors during college, and both continue to train other pilots. They worked their way up through odd jobs and smaller airlines. Early in their careers, Anton flew planes for skydivers and Stefan gave flying tours of the Grand Canyon. Eventually, they began working for the same major airline. Anton has been with the company for 18 years, and Stefan for 17. But it wasn’t until about eight years ago that they flew together for the first time. Anton was making his last international flight as a first officer and there was an opening on the plane for one more pilot. Stefan came on board. They flew from San Francisco to Chengdu, China, where they took advantage of a long layover to hike up Mount Qingcheng and, to Stefan’s delight, indulge in some authentic Sichuan cuisine.
International travel is a great perk for pilots. These days, Anton’s route takes him to Asia, Europe, and Hawaii. Stefan covers North America and points south, as far as Colombia and Ecuador. Among their favorite destinations have been Portugal, the Netherlands, Australia, and Japan. Thinking back on where their love for aviation began, they recall trips overseas to visit family in Ireland and Jerusalem, their parents’ homelands.
It’s not just about flying, though. Training new pilots is a deeply rewarding aspect of the brothers’ careers. Stefan says that instructing others keeps him sharp and ensures that he stays well versed in the stringent regulations and procedures set by the FAA. More important, he feels as if he is giving back to the pilot community. Anton likewise feels that he’s paying it forward, recalling the significant impact that his own mentors had on him throughout his training. Of course, Anton and Stefan together model a natural teacher-student pairing. Anton has helped Stefan earn qualifications and licenses since they both were teenagers. “He’s always been my mentor … somebody to go to for questions and advice,” Stefan says. For his part, Anton turns to his younger brother when he has questions that require a deeper dive into the technical side of things.
Given their love of sharing knowledge with others, it’s perhaps no surprise that as the brothers reflect on their time at Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School—having attended since pre-kindergarten—their memories immediately turn toward teachers. Anton recalls Mrs. Lotz spending time with him during her lunch break to help him get a handle on important names and dates in history. Stefan credits Mike Raggett with sparking his love of science. Both brothers have an appreciation for John Aimé, who would “straighten us out,” as Stefan says, whenever they got into mischief. Anton summarizes, “The teachers wanted you to learn, and if you stepped out of line, they got you back on course without making you feel terrible about yourself.”
Stefan’s experience inspired him to send his own son to Catalina; Christian will start second grade in the fall. “I feel like Catalina prepared me well for high school, and I wanted my son to have the same spirit, the same close, caring environment that the faculty and my classmates gave to us,” Stefan reflects. Whether Christian will become a pilot like his dad and uncle is an open question. However, Stefan and Anton could make a good sales pitch for their profession. Anton says, “I’ve probably seen the Northern Lights 50 times, seen volcanoes erupt below me. I’ve seen lunar eclipses and solar eclipses. The sunrises and sunsets never get old. I’ve seen corners of the globe that I would have otherwise not seen if it wasn’t for this job and profession.” As Stefan sums it up, “It’s the best office view you can have.”
