WEBSTER, Mass. – Webster First Federal Credit Union President and CEO Mike Lussier tries to spend at least a few days a week with his head in the clouds.
He received his solo license just a short time ago and is restricted for the time being to the airspace over central Massachusetts. Lussier hopes in a month or so to have full privileges to fly anywhere in the country he likes, whether it is the 16-minute flight to Cape Cod that would take nearly two hours driving or a few hours down to Hilton Head, N.C. for a round of golf and back home in time for lunch. He said he could also fly out on his hunting and fishing expeditions.
"I've always wanted to do it but it was always a matter of time and money," Lussier commented. He can be found at the airport zipping around in his rented four-passenger Cessna 172 at 6:30 a.m. most mornings.
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"Getting in the air and doing basic maneuvers is somewhat simple," Lussier explained, adding that he has 50 hours in the air. Refining his communication skills combined with the maneuvering is a bit more complicated, which is what he must master to make it to the next phase. He has another 15 hours of flight time to go.
Flying is not an inexpensive hobby, but that seems to be less of a problem these days as Lussier plans to purchase his own Cessna 182, which has a bit more kick to it than the 172, by the end of the summer. Generally, the planes all look the same but the communications system is what can make a significant difference in price. Aside from the plane purchase itself there are also storage, maintenance, insurance, and other expenses. Fuel is $3.60 a gallon and you burn about 10 gallons an hour, he estimated.
"I think it just gets you away from the hecticness of the credit union world." he said. "There's nothing better than to watch the sun come up over the horizon and you're in the air."
Lussier said he hopes his hobby will become "a nice family thing" at some point, though he has not been permitted to take them up yet. He joked that his kids would trust him, but he is not so sure about his wife. [email protected]
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