{"id":15148,"date":"2020-10-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atl.com\/?p=15148"},"modified":"2020-10-14T22:34:25","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T02:34:25","slug":"atl-stories-behind-the-yoke-with-13-year-old-zaron-mack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.atl.com\/atl\/atl-stories-behind-the-yoke-with-13-year-old-zaron-mack\/","title":{"rendered":"ATL Stories: Behind the Yoke With 13-Year-Old Zaron Mack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Young aspiring pilot gets the Airport tour of a lifetime.<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Jennifer Ogunsola<\/strong>
Communications Manager<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What were you doing at 13 years old? Most likely hanging at the mall with friends, playing video games, and other typical things that kids do. But I\u2019m pretty sure that you weren\u2019t spending your weekends in the cockpit behind the yoke, flying a Beechcraft B24 like Zaron Mack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe lived about a mile from Dobbins Airforce Base, and as soon as big planes took off, they would fly straight over our house,\u201d said Atlanta native Zaron Mack. \u201cEvery time they took off or were landing, I could hear them coming and would go straight to the window and get all excited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mack\u2019s grandfather would see how excited his four-year-old grandson was to hear and see the airplanes, so he began taking him to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). They didn\u2019t go to the Airport to catch a flight; instead, his grandfather would park at the top level of the North Hourly parking deck and let Zaron watch the planes take off and land for hours. This bonding experience set the tone for Zaron\u2019s future. He began drawing airplanes, as well as making astonishingly intricate and detailed paper airplanes. By six years old, Zaron Mack knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Picture of Delta Air Lines airplane that Zaron drew when he was 10 years old<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Intricately crafted paper airplanes made by Zaron<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As years went by, Zaron proved that he was anything but a typical young boy. He enrolled in \u201cYouTube University\u201d and began immersing himself in all things aviation. \u201cFor me, the main thing is YouTube and then writing things down and working to remember it,\u201d said the Pine Mountain Middle School eighth-grader. \u201cAnd every once in a while, I\u2019ll do detailed research online from other websites if I need further information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The YouTube platform allows anyone to upload information and videos, so the concern may be if he\u2019s discerning what\u2019s credible from what\u2019s not. \u201cMainly, I never look for people who are sitting at a desk trying to explain things,\u201d he so eloquently shared. \u201c[Sometimes], those videos are helpful, but I generally look for people who are flying while teaching so that I can get a good visual understanding of what they\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zaron talks and walks like an aviation pro already, and his mom\u2019s sister-in-law was so amazed by him that she initiated a call to Fox 5 Atlanta to share his story. Well, Fox 5 was blown away by Zaron and his abilities at such a young age that they immediately did a story. [Check it out here<\/a>.]\n\n\n\n

From that news feature, three major things happened for Zaron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. John Selden, general manager of the world\u2019s busiest and most efficient airport, saw it and wanted to meet him.<\/li>
  2. Delta Air Lines saw the news story and wanted him to have an exclusive pilot\u2019s aviation experience.<\/li>
  3. A flight instructor wanted to give him the experience of a lifetime.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    It was 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 27, and Zaron and his mother, Jessica, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson not knowing what the day would bring, but were equally excited about the day planned for them at ATL. Selden was also excited, as he had been on conference calls with his team and Delta in the days prior, planning to make this day special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Zaron walked into Selden\u2019s office, where they greeted each other and began talking nonstop about planes. Now, it\u2019s important to mention that Selden flew all kinds of aircraft while in the Navy and he was also a commercial pilot for many years, so he\u2019s dedicated his life to flying the friendly skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    John Selden gifting Zaron Mack and his mom Jessica Mack a Navy Pin for him to have just in case he becomes a pilot in the United States Navy<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Selden was blown away by Zaron\u2019s maturity and thorough knowledge of airplanes, how they work, and his knowledge of all the cool language that aviation pros study for years. Zaron knew a lot of it as a young teen with no formal aviation education. He gave Zaron some valuable advice for life and a Navy pilot\u2019s pin for his mother, Jessica, to pin on him if and when he follows in Selden\u2019s footsteps to become a Navy pilot before going to a commercial airline. They then proceeded to see ATL from a view that very few non-employees experience. They went to Stogner Hill, a hill named in honor of a beloved Airport leader that overlooks the airfield and allows visitors to monitor plane activity. As the planes went by, they played a guessing game to see who knew more planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Zaron claimed that victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Zaron and John Selden monitoring plane traffic<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    After a quick ride on the airfield over to Concourse T, Selden handed the baton to the Delta Air Lines team, who had an Airbus A321 waiting in true VIP style. Capt. Bryan Dickerson, director and chief pilot of Flight Operations, and pilot Captain Jared Hodge were standing there ready to teach Zaron some new aviation tricks. Capt. Hodge provided a thorough tour of the Airbus 321, starting from its exterior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Zaron bumping elbows with Captain Bryan Dickerson, Delta Air Lines’ Director & Chief Pilot of Flight Operations<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Captain Jared Hodge showing Zaron different external parts of the Airbus 321<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    After, they walked up the stairs to enter the plane and as they reached the cockpit, you could immediately tell that this was the perfect ending to Zaron\u2019s already perfect day. Captain Hodge spent extensive time talking with Zaron about the intricacies of flying as well as giving him some great advice to remember on his journey to becoming a successful pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n