AOPA Member Highlight

We have always been encouraged and inspired by those apart of the aviation community and the amazing individuals who have joined as members of AOPA. One of our goals is to spread the feeling of community that you and others who have entered the aviation community have so naturally done.

To grow this community and feeling of solidarity, we are here to highlight one of AOPA’s members, Lamberto.

Lamberto is a high school Computer Science teacher. He is always sharing aviation stories with his students, and some are so enthralled with his stories that they decide to pursue flying! Outside of teaching, Lamberto flies often; he has two airplanes, a 1992 American General Tiger (AG5B) and a 1976 Cessna 150M. Lamberto has two amazing kids and a phenomenal wife who has even started taking the controls during their flights! Their last trip was to X06 (Arcadia Municipal Airport). There, they made BBQ and roasted marshmallows in the fire pit right at the airport!

We got the chance to chat with Lamberto via email and wanted to share his fantastic story with you all!

AOPA: What encouraged you to start flying in the 90s?

Lamberto: I helped my dad at a body shop and one day this gentleman walked in carrying a horizontal stabilizer to be painted. I saw it and instantly walked over. It was there that I learned that the gentleman "Frank" owned a Piper Cherokee and was a flight instructor. I never thought I could fly because of my physical handicap but Frank said that it would be no problem. Suddenly, my dream started to become possible. I never thought to ask, I just assumed I couldn't fly. When you are young you don’t really know what you are capable of doing. Now, I never take for granted the tremendous privilege I have of not only being able to fly, but to be an aircraft owner, as well.

AOPA: Did someone in your family or around you introduce you to aviation?

Lamberto: No. Since I was a kid I would ALWAYS look up when I heard airplane sounds (I don't call them noises because noises can be annoying and airplane sounds are never that!).  It was all I really thought about as far as a toy. When I was young, I had no money, but I started working as a paperboy and then I purchased the LiL Jumpin Bean control line kit from Carl Goldberg. I built it and took my dad to the parking lot for its maiden flight. The engine was given to me and it did not have enough power to fly it, so my dad went to the store with me and we ended up buying a radio-controlled model. I was in heaven and thus began my love of airplanes. The funny part is the reaction of my father. He never really took time to do things with us kids specifically but that is one thing I can hang onto as far as bonding with my dad.

AOPA: What has been your favorite thing about being a part of the aviation community?

Lamberto: The people I met. The people that help me in different ways regarding aviation has been incredible. Social media gets a lot of bad press and perhaps rightly so in some regards, but I've also met wonderful people that give me an immense amount of knowledge and time. For example, I was thinking about buying a Cardinal some time back because I researched that it was a good family airplane. I went online and found “Chris”, who had partially restored one nearby. I called him to ask about the Cardinal and he said, come on over and we'll take a look at the airplane. He then invited a friend to fly from Tampa to meet us there at F45 without my knowing. He then had me fly in both the Cardinal and his friend’s Mooney and recommended that the airplane for my mission was the Mooney. I was stunned that people would take that much time to educate someone they barely knew. That's wonderful stuff!!! I met “Calvin” when he parked his ’65 Skyhawk next to my ’65. It’s been a friend's help friend since. Now we’re challenging each other to see who has the faster airplane. Really, too many to list. These are wonderful friendships because there is that common thread; Flying.

AOPA: What has been your favorite flying trip thus far?

Lamberto: There have been quite a few. My favorite has been long cross-country trips. I purchased a Cessna 150 and flew it 1300 miles from (K59) Amelia Earhart to (KPMP) Pompano Beach. I had a tailwind the entire time and flew 12.9 hours. As I was flying, I wished I was going a little faster but when I arrived at Pompano, I realized it was over much too quickly (darn tailwind). I flew from Timmerman to Pompano in my favorite aircraft, a ’92 American General Tiger. Then I flew from Pompano to Indiana in a 172. But I should say my favorite was when I took my entire family flying on our first trip. It has now become a regular trip—Pompano to Arcadia. The airport has a fire pit, BBQ grills, benches, and a tent area—even the airplane gets a spot in the shade. We roast marshmallows and use the courtesy car for ice cream in town. Obviously, the kids are just fine with that!

AOPA: What are some of your other hobbies and what do you like to do in your free time?

Lamberto: I have enjoyed playing guitar and singing with friends, car racing, riding motorcycles, boating, really, too many to list. But flying is inside of me like no other passion. I have very little free time. A full-time high school teacher, who is building his own house, has 2 children and rental properties to manage doesn’t have the luxury of free time but when I do, flying family somewhere to enjoy traveling is by far the biggest thrill I can have. I get to enjoy my two biggest passions at the same time (Flying and Family) and there is nothing that can top that. That reminds me of my favorite 5 “F” s: Food, Family, Flying, Friends, and Ferraris. I tell my students this and they say, “Mr. Roscioli, how can you put food before family?” I say that without food, I can’t survive to spend time flying my family around … that might be the Italian part of me.

AOPA: Do your children have any interest in aviation?

Lamberto: The last few times we have flown, interestingly enough, my wife has taken the controls more and more and I think she is starting to warm up to the idea that perhaps she could take flying lessons. When I first met her, she said that this could never be for her and that flying was “my thing.” I purchased a Cessna 150 to keep here close to our house (the Tiger is hangered 50 miles away) so that she has easy access to an airplane.  I try to expose the children too as much as possible and I only hope they are interested in aviation. Matteo is 7 and Marco is 4. Initially, they were a bit hesitant but are now used to flying and always enjoy the destination it takes them. I am planning on building a LiL Jumpin Bean with them and teaching them to fly it. Life’s big circle…