LAS CRUCES – The bull flew.
Local attorney Samuel Kane recently acquired his commercial pilot license and plans to use it on missionary trips to Central and South America, where he says his “heart is.”
Kane, a personal injury attorney whose office mascot is a big gold bull, passed his final commercial pilot exam on Sunday, January 24th after completing two years of training. He explained that the process is sequential, starting with acquiring a private pilot license. The exams include a written part, an oral part and a practical exam with a flight examiner.
Kane said he had long been fascinated by aviation when he was afraid of flying as a child. He said that with every small bump he was convinced the plane was going to crash. But his fear has now turned into calm.
“Another aspect was that you can put your fear into perspective,” he said. “And if you can overcome that in one area, it will help other areas too.”
He said he’d trained over and over for the past two years. The pandemic left him more time to focus on aviation while his law firm was closed. All of his training was conducted at Las Cruces International Airport. The four runways and the pleasant weather make Las Cruces an ideal place to train.
The lawyer has his own twin-engine airplane – a 1977 Beechcraft Baron – and tries to fly about once a month. He said he especially enjoyed flying with other people.
Kane said his parents were missionaries in Arizona and that he has done missionary trips to Central and South American countries in the past. He explained that areas in Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and other countries can be difficult to travel to, but the escape makes it easier for nonprofits to provide food, books, and other goods to people in need.
A trip to Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica is planned for Kane in June to complete the route. He added that he would also like to start his own nonprofit organization to help people in these poorer countries.
“I think if you give something back you can really balance it out and your life will be worth it. It feels like you have a purpose, ”Kane said. “When you see how the other half of the other world lives, you appreciate what you have.”
Leah Romero is a Fellow of the New Mexico Local News Fund and can be reached at [email protected] or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
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