My Year in Review (2016)

This is going to be my first Year in Review since 2012. I used to make a habit of writing a Year in Review every year but when it came to writing the past few years, life happened and at the end of the year I always had my focus else where. As you can see, and based upon the number of posts recently, I sort of lost my passion for writing on here yet this year I have decided to rekindle my efforts. Writing used to be a very important thing for me and I had decided when I left for school in 2010 that it would be an important part of chronicling my journey to becoming a pilot. I think once I became a pilot, mentally I sort of let go of the importance behind sharing my story. But if there is one thing that I've learned, it's that living is a journey in and of itself and it never stops so I'm going to recommit myself to chronicling my journey with the hopes that it helps others that find themselves on a similar path.

I stand here in my 30s on a new path that I'm proud to walk. I'm proud to say that my 20s were a whirlwind of achievement. In those ten years I served my country in a war, I became a manager at one of the largest defense contractors in America, I decided to leave that behind in search of my life's passion and in doing so I was able to attain my undergraduate degree in Aviation Security with a minor in Aviation Administration, became a licensed pilot, and finally graduated with a Master's of Science in Aviation Transportation Management. Along with these achievements I've also felt the heavy loss of losing those closest to me. I lost one of my greatest role models with the passing of my grandfather, Joseph Earl Burlas Jr., in 2012; then I lost the ability to speak with one of the most important people on my journey to becoming a pilot in 2013 when Cicely Novy had an aneurysm; and then I lost my father and best friend, Joseph Earl Burlas III, in 2015, just twenty days before my 30th birthday.

  

Now with the achievements of my 20s behind me and carrying with me the responsibilities that the blessings of knowing such amazing people hold, I look forward to my 30s with great excitement. Of course I'm currently a year into my thirties, but playing catch-up in this review allows me to say that this decade has brought with it a lot of hope. At the beginning of this year, and still 30 years old, I started Burlas Aviation Inc., a Not-for-profit Corporation that carries with it a series of aviation related projects that I've amassed the greatest team I could have imagined together to accomplish. I've learned a lot during this process and while any start-up faces its' share of struggles, it's wonderful to see how we've pulled through the patches of learning and reassessment with great success. With this, I'm proud to know that the next few years are going to bring with it much hope for a lot of people, and for me personally - atonement for opportunities that I've missed previously in my life.

 

Outside of the work I've been doing, I also have the greatest family in the world and this year we've grown closer than ever. I'm so happy to have such a supportive and hard working family - and the most beautiful and sweetheart-ed son. He's the most amazing gift I've ever been bestowed and seeing him grow is another gift that continues to bring a smile to my face.

 

For the last eleven years now, since my first New Years back from my deployment overseas, I've shared New Year's Eve (in person or virtually) with friends and family and it is now a tradition that we smoke cigars and discuss our goals for the coming year as well as whether or not we were able to accomplish our goals for the previous year. Last year, I was on my way out of a very damaging relationship and six months on from my father's passing. My resolution was to re-find happiness in a way that I knew it before I set off on this adventure, and after having spoken to my brother earlier I'm happy to say that this goal was certainly accomplished.

 

So what's to come for 2017? Well this year my goal is to acquire an aircraft that has my father's name emblazoned on the side of it. Whether or not I'll be successful in this endeavour is a task entirely on me but I'm excited to have a team that has worked hard this past year to help push us to where we are and I only see more of that to come as we move into our second fiscal year beginning in February. Cheer for me - and in my favorite way to end one of these - play me off Dropkick Murphys....

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and left each new year find you, a better man." - Benjamin Franklin