IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Winter 2019 | Page 58

Brentwood High
School Junior
Pursuing Love
of Aviation
Brentwood High School junior, Cecilia (Cici)
Levino, is beginning her Part 61 instruction and flight
training. She is working with the Pittsburgh Flight
Training Center as well as taking “ground school”
through the Community College of Allegheny
County (CCAC). She is in the early stages of a very
long process to become a pilot. Cici has a significant
interest in aviation that she has inherited from her
grandfather and father. Upon completion of Cici’s
training she will be the third Levino in the family to
have a career in aviation.
Cici’s grandfather, Rene Levino, started his career
in aviation in the United States Air Force. He served
in Illinois and in Pittsburgh where he was a member
of the 171st Air Refueling wing based out of Greater
Pittsburgh International Airport. Rene moved from
active duty in the Air Force into a civilian job in
aircraft manufacturing. During his time in the aircraft
manufacturing industry Rene was involved in the
production of a number of interesting aircraft including the DC-10
and MD-80 commercial airliners (Douglas Aircraft Company which
became McDonnell Douglas), B-1B bomber, the nose cone of the
Space Shuttle (Rockwell Aerospace), and the B-2 Stealth bomber
(Northrop) and finally the C-17 (McDonell Douglas again) cargo
transport before he retired. In his retirement, he has stayed active
in the industry. He was part of a team in Urbana, OH working on
restoring an old B-17 bomber called the “Champaign Lady.” His
love of aviation was passed to Cici’s father Robert Levino.
Cici’s father, Robert Levino, began his post-secondary education
in engineering and then moved to Airline Management where he
earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Franklin University.
Robert has had a successful and wonderful career in the airline
industry. After 9/11, Robert became involved with a company
that transported medical supplies. He worked with a company
called Airnet which transported radioactive medical supplies to
cancer patients across the country. There are limited facilities that
produce these medications and time is essential in the delivery
for the medications to be effective. This makes air transportation
the most valuable option. This experience helped Robert in
the position he is in currently. He works for a small family run
company, Skyward Aviation based out of Washington, PA.
Pittsburgh is an organ transplant hub; therefore, Skyward Aviation
is a contractor for retrieving and delivering harvested organs from
centers around the country to hospitals in the Pittsburgh area. The
company helps save lives.
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Cici is following in her family’s footsteps. According to a 2018
CNN report, there were about 827,000 pilots in America in 1988.
Over the past three decades, that number has decreased by 30%.
This number is expected to continue to decrease through 2020.
Cici has chosen a path that is not easy, and it is very expensive. She
will have to log mandatory flight time hours as well as pass her
ground training and physical tests. She is up for the challenge. She
has been inspired by her grandfather and father and their passion
for the industry and will have their support as she continues her
journey to become a certified pilot.