TULSA, Okla — A dream that began at the age of three years old is finally a reality for one Tulsa native.
Jim Lee is now a pilot for Southwest Airlines, but his path to get there was anything but turbulence free.
He's hoping to be a beacon for those afraid to take the risk and go after their dreams.
Lee took his first flight at three years old, and from that day forward his love of flying would follow him throughout his life.
Raised in Tulsa, Lee always knew he wanted to be a pilot.
He was turned down to be a Navy pilot due to having asthma so he pursued his other passion, ministry.
After years of ministry, his love for flying was still there.
“I got my graduate degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. Got a job out in Newport Beach, California, out in beautiful Orange County, and drove by John Wayne Airport every single day. And one day I literally just walked into a flight school and said hey how much would it cost, how long would it take to earn my private pilot’s certificate”
So he chose to take another risk, which he said turned out to be the best decision for Lee and his family.
Lee took the first step by getting a pilot's certificate, but he wouldn't put on the Southwest uniform until more than two decades later.
“He said, over the years we’ve found that guys like you, that have been gone a long time and try to come back, it’s just too hard. And I told him, that may be true of other people but I won't fail, nobody will work harder than me", Lee said.
Lee said he wouldn't change his path and he's thankful for all the changes thrown at him.
“Believe it or not, I got an interview with Southwest and they hired me or extended an offer and invited me to start training last June. And it was only a year after I started with Republic. And I finished training about a month and here I am and I can’t believe that at 58 I get to do this again”, Lee said.
He said growing up, he didn't see pilots that looked like him.
So now that he's finally in the cockpit, he can show others that anyone can fly if they work hard and study.
“When a little kid pokes their head in the cockpit and sees someone that looks like me or flying with a captain that’s female or a minority and they see themselves, we look at them right away”, Lee said.
Lee also attended his 40th high school reunion where he got to show off his new title.
He's a graduate of Memorial High School and said his love for planes began in Tulsa.
Lee said, “I’m an incredibly blessed person in so many ways. I’m fortunate enough I think to have one passion, and do it for a living and get paid. To do two, I think that’s extremely rare, particularly at my age”
Pilots are forced to retire at sixty-five so Lee has another seven years of flying.
He said once he retires, he plans to not only continue flying private planes but continue his ministry work and recruiting aviation students from all backgrounds.
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