Notre Dame alum is having the time (and the job) of his life flying corporate jets.
Notre Dame alum Nick Bonello ('12) began his journey to the aircraft cockpit at the College of Aviation at Western Michigan University.
“Training to fly an airplane could take a wide range of avenues for prospective pilots,” said Bonello, who currently flies for a private company at the Oakland County International Airport in Waterford. “You can learn in the military, college or by taking lessons at personal expense. I chose to go the college route and attended the WMU College of Aviation’s flight science undergraduate program.”
He said the first step for him after college was to receive his basic pilot license. Next, he trained for instrument-rating certification and for a commercial pilot license, which is divided into single-engine and multi-engine licenses.
“Basically, a commercial pilot license allows a pilot to be compensated for his flight duties,” he said.
However, after graduating in the spring of 2016 from WMU, Bonello chose to pursue a certified flight instructor (CFI) track that allowed him to teach others about flight where they too would eventually receive their own private pilot and commercial pilot licenses, he said.
From Kalamazoo to the Caribbean
Bonello eventually would teach future pilots out of a school in Michigan, but at the same time, he began to also make connections with a number of high-profile individuals in the area who eventually recommended him to what is now his current employer, Lentini Aviation, Inc.
Before he himself flew commercially, Bonello was teaching future pilots at a school in Michigan.
According to Bonello, turbojet training typically is broken down into about 50 hours of ground school (classroom) time and 30 hours of full-motion, realistic simulator training, which for him was held in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
“After passing a pilot-in-command (PIC) ‘check ride’ for the Cessna Citation Ultra jet, I received my CE-500 type rating,” he said. “These types of ratings are based specifically for each different jet I might fly. I also hope to go to school again at some point in the future to learn even more new equipment and aircraft.”
But for now, his job with Lentini keeps him both very busy in the air and for much of the week.
“I choose to work a lot because I love to travel and explore different cities” he said. “An average work week consists of five to six days and around 15-20 flight hours. My trips range from a few hours in a day to three to five days away from home, which for me now is in Sterling Heights.”
Piloting a wide-range of Cessna Citation aircraft models — they carry from eight to 10 passengers and have a range of about 1,650 nautical miles — along with Hawker jet aircraft, which are a bit bigger, Bonello has indeed visited many cities in the U.S. as well as outside.
“Probably the coolest and farthest destination I have flown to date is St. Maarten Island in the Dutch Antilles, which is located southwest of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean,” he said. “St. Maarten also has one of the most iconic airports in the world because its approach goes very low over a very beautiful beach.”
With such an exciting and unique occupation, it doesn’t sound like Bonelli plans on any big career moves soon, although his workspace may get bigger.
English classes at Notre Dame made the difference
“I love the job I have now and plan to stick with it and grow my experience, but I can’t tell you what could happen in the future in regards to moving to commercial airlines,“ he said. “But I always keep an open mind with opportunities and possibilities.”
Bonello also made it a point to give props to Notre Dame for preparing him for college and for whatever that future holds for him.
“I don’t know if I would have been able to handle the too-many papers and the workload in college without the previous guidance of the great teachers at Notre Dame Prep,” he said. “I especially enjoyed the English classes taught at NDP. Mrs. Bembas, Mr. Butorac and Mr. Davis provided a fantastic education environment to prepare me and my fellow classmates for the college experience.
“Also, I met many individuals who I remain in contact with to this very day. The academic, music and sports programs were top-notch and I would recommend the school to any prospective students.”
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.