Fasten your seat belts. This Valley Stream Central High School alum is earning his pilot’s wings

Kevin Hock’s world revolved around metal birds soaring tens of thousands of feet over the Earth for as long as he could remember. During his childhood in Valley Stream, he’d peer up searchingly at the flight path of airliners flying to and from  neighboring John F. Kennedy Airport. He also looked on in delight at the rumbling awe of the aerial feats put on display by  the Blue Angels, U.S. Navy jets, at the annual Bethpage Airshow in Long Beach.

That’s no longer as close to the joys of aviation as he can get. The 18-year-old now spends his days regularly piloting light aircrafts with the aspiration to carry passengers through the skies.

It’s a career track he’s been able to pursue during his time at Valley Stream Central High School in partnership with the Nassau BOCES aviation program.

Starting his junior year, while other students worried about their geometry homework or lab reports, Kevin was learning the ins and outs of aircraft systems, navigations, and flight operations with a few dozen other selected students through the Aviation Operations program at Barry Tech in Westbury.

BOCES breaks barriers for would-be pilots

“He was operating planes before he even got his driving permit,” said Kimberly Hock. He said his son has been able to rack up flying hours through the aviation program and behind a high-tech simulator.

“Through the BOCES programs, I’ve gotten over 15 hours of ground training and 18 hours of flight time,” said Kevin.

By federal law, would-be pilots need 40 hours of flying time, half of which must be under the supervision of a certified flight instructor. Kimberly says his son is setting his sights on obtaining his private pilot license by this summer.

If it weren’t for the Nassau BOCES program with the backing of the Valley Stream Central High School District, Kimberly says his son’s career dream would have never gotten off the ground and into the sky.

“We had Kevin do one private lesson last summer, and after fees and whatnot, it was about $300 for the one lesson,” said Kimberly. “Without the BOCES program offering him the opportunity to take flight lessons, pilot training would be financially out of reach.”

The high cost of chasing a career in the skies

The pilot profession carries its fair share of prestige, boasts a high salary potential, and lends a certain cool factor to those able to join its rank. But an often-overlooked aspect is the upfront costs families have to pay to get their aspiring pilots licensed and certified. Commercial pilots can expect to spend anywhere upwards of $60,000 to $100,000 when accounting for all ratings and hours.

According to federal data, there are roughly 106,000 commercial airline pilots — it is a number aviation industry experts say has dwindled to worrying levels as senior pilots flee the industry post-pandemic.

Now a student at the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, Kevin plans to become an airline pilot though remains undecided on his airline of choice.

“I’d like to fly both domestic and international flights around the world,” said Kevin. “Hopefully, I get enough money I could get a house to start a family. That’s my goal.”

Kevin encourages pilot trainees to persevere in their studies and not lose heart.

“You’re going to run into difficult work. You’re going to run into stuff that you think is absolute nonsense,” said Kevin.

“However, just know that all of these little different pathways that don’t seem connected all lead to one point.Although you might find something absurd or difficult, you’ll get past it and reach where you want to be.”

Have an opinion on this article? Send an email to jlasso@liherald.com.