Fourth generation Sarasota pilot pursues his passion in the air

On May 24, Luke King finished his last day of school and headed straight to the Florida Department of Driver Safety and Motor Vehicles to take his driver’s license test.

From there, he headed to the runway to work on a license of a different kind. He would be making his first solo flight as a pilot. It was also his 16th birthday.

King is following a family tradition of taking to the skies. The Riverview High School student is a fourth-generation pilot who has grown up surrounded by planes. His father, Brian King, has been teaching him about planes all his life.

Brian, along with being a flight instructor and airline transport pilot, manages Sarasota Biplane Adventures, where he offers sightseeing tours in a vintage Waco biplane.

Luke fondly remembers flying the simulators when he was 4 years old and getting the chance to sit at the controls during flights with his father. His dream is to eventually become an astronaut and trade in airplanes for spaceships.

He said his favorite part about flying is landing because “it is a lot more involved than just flying in a straight line.” Luke plans to get his license one year from now on his 17th birthday after satisfying the flight-experience and training requirements, which include navigating from one airport to another.

“I am so proud of him,” Brian said. “It's an awesome day for me as a father. I've enjoyed seeing him learn. He took to it really well. He took to it naturally.”

It was Brian’s father, Virgil King, who started a family legacy of flying planes. Imbued by a passion for aviation, Virgil got his pilot license in his early 20s before teaching his own father and his brothers how to fly.

“Like Luke, I grew up around planes,” Brian said. “My uncles, who were also instructors, were instrumental in helping me learn how to fly.” His family has owned about 10 planes, including Cessna and Piper aircraft.

He has been teaching Luke how to pilot a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a single-engine aircraft, for three years, but only had been officially training for his pilot’s license since April.

After about 18 hours of logged flight time, Luke was ready to make his solo flight around the vicinity of the Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport.

When he recalled his own first solo flight, Brian said there’s always  “some trepidation,” but he is confident in his son’s ability.

After making three successful laps around the airport, Luke made a final landing back on the runway much to the delight of his family.