Spreading My Wings

Lybron Sobers... an entrepreneurial young man who wrote looking for support of his ATPL Dictionary program. How could I say no? He's working hard to make his dreams come alive. And I have to thank him for his patience in my posting this. 
 

Lybron Sobers

"First of all, I’d like to thank Karlene for this great opportunity to share my journey and my work with all of you. It has been about two years since I first made contact with her and began to follow her story. I sincerely appreciate her taking time out to assist me, as she has with so many other people around the world. 

How I got here - the short version

I’ve dreamed about being a pilot since I was 4 years old, but I didn’t begin my life as a pilot until 2006 when I took my very first flight lesson, flying around Barbados where I live. I took my next big step when I enrolled in the Aeronautical Science program at Embry-Riddle one year later.

During my time there, I completed my Private Pilot License and Instrument Rating. After completing my degree, I went on to sit the JAA (now EASA) ATPL theory exams. I began, but have not finished my commercial training because it is out of reach financially at the moment. These days, I spend a large chunk of my time working as a freelance iOS developer and learning how to become better at coding it all the while.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world, and later the iPad, it sparked something inside of me I didn’t really know existed - a passion for technology. I always regarded myself as much of a geek but this really sealed the deal. I wanted to get into the world of mobile app development because I could see the impact it could have on people’s lives.

I started teaching myself how to code only last year, but from very early on I knew exactly what I would want to do.

Why I made ATPL Dictionary

I created ATPL Dictionary because I wanted to do something to help other pilots with their training, whether initial or recurrent, and to make studying for exams easier than it was for previous generations.

During my time studying, I found it cumbersome to lug around heavy books and wade through several pages of textbooks or personal notes in order to find the definition of a particular term.

I believed it would be much more convenient to have a reference for all the terms a pilot would need to know on mobile devices, which have essentially become an appendages to the human body in recent years.

So what makes this app unique?

I started out by thinking about what I look for in a any good reference tool - concise, legible and accurate information. In creating the app, I didn’t want to simply regurgitate information directly from a book or web site. That would have been easy, but does not provide any assurance of quality of the information.

I decided to create my own database of definitions, so I consult various sources, summarize the information, and type out every definition in the dictionary. I believe this is the best method because if someone thinks it is all rubbish, then I’d know that I created that rubbish but did my best at it, and If users appreciate my efforts, then I’d know that I made the right decision. Luckily, so far, it has been the latter case!

Final thoughts...

I have thoroughly enjoyed stepping out of comfort zone to do something I have become really passionate about. I love working on the ATPL Dictionary app and I still have high hopes of sitting in the right seat making voyages all around the world.

For now, I enjoy reading every email I get with a correction for one of my mistakes, a suggestion for a new feature, or someone simply sending their thanks because the app helped them in some way.

I have come to learn we can change the world and touch many lives in our own special way. Thanks again to Karlene for being a blessing in my life!

Look who are partners! Nice Surprise. Thank you Lybron.

If you’d like to try ATPL Dictionary

it is available FREE on the App Store."

 

Please join me in congratulating a spectacular young man for his innovation and excellence in pursuit of an amazing life.

Way to go Lybron!

Have you downloaded your app today?

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene