Youtuber Felix Huettenbach Tries To Earn Pilot License in 30 Days
Felix Huettenbach loves a challenge, so it’s no surprise that when he pondered the question “Can I become a pilot in 30 days?” he set about to do just that. People who have followed Huettenbach’s adventures on his YouTube channel won’t be surprised that the 30-year-old dove head first into finding the quickest way to a pilot’s license. He thrives on the excitement of challenging himself in hopes of encouraging others to do the same.
Always Up For a Challenge
Huettenbach has lived his entire life pushing himself to do things that most others wouldn’t consider possible. As a ten-year-old child, he convinced his parents to allow him to study martial arts for a year in a Shaolin monastery like his childhood hero Bruce Lee.
In his twenties, broke and on an intern visa in San Francisco, he overcame every obstacle to achieve his ambitions of becoming an entrepreneur who started multiple companies. His career path has been dramatic, shifting from one high point to another. For example, a robotic fitness startup resulted in him becoming an MIT visiting researcher.
Huettenbach’s latest success, Sameday Health, was conceived during the height of the pandemic. After selling the company that employs 2,000 workers, the successful entrepreneur turned his attention from Silicon Valley to philanthropic work and YouTube.
Inspiration Through Challenges
Unlike other YouTubers, Huettenbach isn’t trying to make a living from his content. Described as a “philanthropic storyteller,” Huettenbach uses challenges to inspire and educate. Highlights on his YouTube channel include such videos as “24 Hours Stranded at Sea in Australia.” Recording throughout his time on the water, Huettenbach shared his thoughts, including his fear of sharks, the mental drain of stark isolation, and his awe of the beauty and strength of nature.
Genuine excitement and a love of adventure emanate from his videos, making for engaging content. Inspiring others is important to Huettenbach, who hopes to encourage people to “step outside of their comfort zone and embark on bold challenges that are ideally useful for society.”
Smart and charismatic, Huettenbach’s videos reveal a man unashamedly ready to put everything on the line to achieve his goals. That includes diving out of planes to obtain his skydiving license in 10 days. Though he may have the drive of a daredevil, he is deeply philosophical, infusing his videos with much more than just adrenaline. He tends to reflect on his struggles with stark honesty and doesn’t just share the ups of his adventures but also the lows.
"I've learned invaluable lessons and also heavily underestimated what it would take. Honestly, I don't think I would have done it if I had known how much work it is," he says, regarding attempting to acquire his pilot’s license.
Huettenbach also took the opportunity to demystify common misconceptions about flight during his training. "Most people think that planes fly in a similar fashion to how we swim, by displacing the air below, by pushing on the air with the wing," he explained. "But that isn't actually how it works." He also emphasized the critical importance of safety, especially when piloting small or older planes. "You never know when something is malfunctioning, especially on a lightweight or older plane," he said, further stressing the need for constant vigilance when operating an aerodynamic vehicle. His insightful breakdown of the principles of aerodynamics, combined with his emphasis on safety, added an educational layer to his challenge, reflecting his desire to inspire while informing.
Did Huettenbach reach his goal of becoming a pilot in 30 days? In actuality, it took 40 days of training and intense studying in the Czech Republic, along with the cost of $25,000, to obtain his goal. But it is all worth it in the end when the video highlights his final test flight and his victorious return to earth.
