Meet the 8-year-old boy from NorCal training to become a pilot: 'I want to be like Top Gun Maverick'

SALINAS, Calif. (KABC) -- Maverick Foletta is rapidly connected his mode to becoming a pilot.

The 8-year-old from Salinas has been taking flying lessons and has logged much than 10 hours successful the aerial truthful far, a singular commencement for idiosyncratic his age.

Even with that galore hours, Maverick told KSBW determination is simply a batch to support way of erstwhile flying.

"You person each your instruments, and you person to look extracurricular mostly," helium said.

He said his emotion of flying began erstwhile his dada archetypal introduced him to lessons 2 years agone and he's been hooked ever since.

"He gave maine immoderate lessons. I truly enjoyed it," Maverick said. "Recently, helium gave maine immoderate much lessons, and I'm enjoying it close now."

"It's ever my imagination to alert with Maverick, and that was like, a imagination travel true," said Michael Foletta, Maverick's father.

Enoch Weichers, Maverick's instructor, praised him for his enactment ethic.

"Kids truly thin to larn truly rapidly due to the fact that they don't person immoderate preconceived notions of however to bash things," Weichers said. "He's precise humble and a precise speedy learner."

Most students are acceptable to alert solo aft 40-60 hours of formation time, but Weichers believes he'll beryllium acceptable overmuch sooner.

"If Maverick could, he'd astir apt beryllium acceptable to solo beauteous soon, possibly successful the adjacent mates of formation lessons," Weichers said.

Maverick has a crushed down his information to fly.

"It's due to the fact that I privation to beryllium similar Top Gun Maverick," helium said.