Kildeer resident Howard French has been spent a large portion of 40 years up in the skies.
French has been working as an American Airlines pilot for 24 years. Before that, he worked as a flight attendant for the airline for 16 years.
He lived in Lake Zurich for 24 years before moving to nearby Kildeer 10 years ago.
Q. How did you become a pilot?
A. Way back when, you could not wear glasses and get hired as a pilot. I wore glasses. You could wear them after getting hired but not before. So I became a flight attendant, got my pilot certification and flew for regional carrier airlines. They changed the eyesight requirements for all airlines in the late 1980s.
Q. What attracted to you flying?
A. As a boy growing up in Tennessee, I built models of all types of airplanes, read about them and wrote to airplane manufacturers, asking to send me pictures of planes and any information they had.
Q. Where do you currently fly?
A. Right now, it’s domestically in the United States and to Canada and Mexico, which the airlines consider domestic routes. I also have flown to China, India and all over Europe.
Q. What’s the allure of flying?
A. I have always loved to travel. Waking up here and going to sleep in Paris or spending six hours in a plane over India, the North Pole or Afghanistan. It makes the world seem very small. It’s a wonderful profession and I encourage anyone to take it up.
Q. What is something people may not know about you?
A. When I first moved to Lake Zurich in the 1970s, I liked it so much I joined the fire department. There’s a sense of camaraderie in airlines and fire departments. You’re part of a team that’s something much bigger than your individual contributions.
Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.
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