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Sky High: UUP retiree pursues lifelong dream of flying

When Albert Pautler retired from SUNY Buffalo, he had no intention of taking a break. Instead, he hoped to pursue his lifelong dream of flying.

But everyone knows learning to fly takes more than just motivation. It also takes other gifts Pautler possesses: patience, skill, heart and commitment.

Pautler’s interest in flying began as a mere curiosity in the 1960s. Soon he experienced his first flight training and began to soar to new heights. Family members not only supported him in his new endeavor, but they nurtured it and allowed him to explore his new hobby without compromising his roles as husband, father, teacher and mentor.

Although Pautler, a UUPer, worked with several flight instructors, he said it was former SUNY Buffalo student Stan Nowak, “who gave me the most encouragement and the greatest opportunities to obtain my pilot’s license. As an adult learner, this required a great deal of study, time and effort.

“With Stan’s help and confidence in me, I was able to make my first solo flight in July 1999,” he said. “It was a moment that I will never forget — one filled with joy and great accomplishment.”

After his first lesson, Pautler piled up many hours of solo time and continued to escalate his journey in aviation. At last, Pautler and Nowak planned for a supervised solo cross-country experience, but this was only the beginning. Nowak “was ready to sign me off on my first solo cross-country flight,” said Pautler. Thirty-three years since his first training, Pautler took off from Buffalo International Airport in June 2001 and flew 180 miles round trip. After landing, ecstatic over his accomplishment, Pautler made one of the proudest calls of his life to his best friend of 42 years, his wife Marilyn. “I never lost sight of my dream,” Pautler said.

Even though we may temporarily lose sight of our dreams, they are only as dormant as we make them.

— Thea Brewster