Whats you name?
Ijaz Hakim
Where do you live?
Alex’s Bar
How long have you been flying planes for?
Since 1999
What event or experience made you want to become a pilot?
I have an older cousin who is a pilot for American Airlines. When I was in elementary school we used to pick him up when he would have an overnight at Orange County Airport. He would talk about flying to exotic places and the duties of being a pilot. It sounded amazing and I was sold. The part he didn’t tell me about is waking up at ungodly hours to fly to a real shitty place where you would be stuck for way too long. There are definitely some downsides to being a pilot.
Do you listen to punk rock while flying?
I do. It isn’t only limited to that, but punk was a huge influence while navigating through adolescence.
How does your music taste shape your outlook on life?
I listen to quite a bit of different music now. I find that music is one of the few things in life that people can enjoy even if it isn’t in a language you understand or a style that you would normally listen to. When traveling around the world, I have had the opportunity to experience music form different cultures. If it was just from being at a bar or club, or going to a show that I was taken to by someone else I met traveling, it would always heighten the experience.
Remember when we got arrested in high school and both our moms came to pick us up?
That was punk until it wasn’t. We had our asshole moments.