We’re excited to introduce you to the two Managers of European Operations at Air Lovers LLC Alex (Alexandra Schloesser) and Monika (Monika Gietl). We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with both below.
Hi Alex and hi Monika, thank you for being such positive, uplifting persons. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
Air Lovers LLC: Time flies – From Vision to Reality, Fort Lauderdale, January 28th, 2024
In less than a year since its inception, Air Lovers LLC has already achieved remarkable recognition. The membership base is steadily growing, and the company has gained impressive collaboration partners along with aviation enthusiasts’ support. This encouragement contributes to getting one step closer every day to the grand corporate vision of flying “Around the World with 80 Pilots!”.
The driving force behind this success? “Unwavering optimism, trust, and the clear vision that form the heart of our mission,” says Monika, one of the two Managers of European Operations at Air Lovers LLC.
„The question, “Where does your optimism come from?” is easy for us to answer”, explains Alex, also a Manager of European Operations at Air Lovers LLC, “From the beginning, we knew what we truly wanted to be THE aviation community 2.0.”. Air Lovers LLC provides a platform for passionate VFR (Visual Flight Rules) pilots seeking adventures and extraordinary experiences worldwide. Here, aviators can cross airfield boundaries, make new connections, exchange experiences, discuss with experts, and prepare specifically for joint or individual flight tours. The community not only offers opportunities for further development but also the chance to transcend personal and (inter-) national boundaries.
The difference from other providers? Air Lover provides a moderated, interactive space where the community’s wealth of knowledge, such as briefing packages, tour suggestions, meetups, masterminds, and mental flight training, is made accessible to all members.
This clear focus and the subsequent positive feedback have not only contributed to stay optimistic but also to increase motivation daily, overcome challenges, and continue to grow.
“A crucial source of our confidence is the regular positive feedback”, explains Monika, “Our idea is perceived not only as innovative but also as highly future-oriented.”. The constructive feedback from customers and partners confirms that not only the vision but also a professional and high-quality company has been established.
Despite the challenges of the first business year, Air Lovers LLC is firmly convinced that their commitment to the company and the underlying Air Lovers community will continue to propel them forward. The company is ready to face upcoming tasks and opportunities and looks forward to growing in the coming years, realizing the vision.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Monika studied and is proficient in IT process and project management. Furthermore, she is a certified Agile Coach and an expert for modern meeting culture.
Alex has worked in product development and marketing in the beverage segment.
Both started flying independently of each other a few years ago.
Monika (Monika Gietl) is a private pilot (PPL(A)) since 2018. She got into aviation when she was asked to imagine the perfect day, as an exercise of the book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. While spinning her thoughts, the idea of traveling the world by plane suddenly came up.
Monika loves bringing people together and organizing meetups (online and offline). Together with a friend she started an aviator meetup in her local flight school “Air Munich Aviation” in Jesenwang (Bavaria, Germany) in order to provide a platform where pilots share their passions and flight experiences with each other and come together for flying. Because up to this point in time these topics were simply neglected.
One of the highlights was a Top Gun theme party in 2019 which Monika organized together with Alex and two further friends. This group quickly grew to well over 100 pilots. During 2019 and 2020, Monika lived in Minneapolis, MN, USA, gained further flight experience and made connections with local flight schools (like Inflight Pilot Training in Eden Prairie, MN), and with flight schools in California, Nevada and Hawaii. At that time, she was planning a U.S. flight tour around Vegas, NV with friends from Germany and the idea came up to connect her home base with the pilots from the U.S. flight schools for a students or flight instructors exchange.
On the other hand, Monika is also the calming and dreamy part of our team. She loves to work with her voice for giving meditations and for creative visualizations. And one day she had the idea to combine that with programming the mind with standard flight procedures to gain more and more security in her own flight practice every day. Soon after, she developed the first so-called “Mental Flight Training” and since then there has been a lot of positive feedback.
Alex earned her PPL(A) in 2020 and has shown real persistence.
In 2008, Alex regularly went jogging past an airfield in Paderborn. Each time she stopped at the fence and watched the aircraft. One summer’s day, one of the pilots approached her and asked her if she wanted to accompany him on a flight and she accepted.
Never before had she thought of becoming a pilot, let alone that it might become her life’s passion. Nevertheless, after this first wonderful experience – a free discovery flight – she spontaneously signed up for the pilot training.
But after her first solo flight several events in her life forced her to quit. But whenever she heard an aircraft‘s engine she looked into the sky.
Nevertheless, she never let go of aviation and so at the AERO in Friedrichshafen in April 2017 she met the guys from the flight school in Jesenwang (Bavaria, Germany). A discovery flight in the Alps, over the Kochelsee and Walchensee, took her flying heart by storm right away (again), so that she signed the training contract yet on the same day.
So in 2017 she restarted her flight training and after more obstacles she finally got her PPL(A) – to the day after 12 years in July 2020. Thanks go to the pilot community who offered her great support on the last mile.
Since then, she no longer only dreams of flying, but actively pursues it and continues to improve her skills and develop.
In addition to being a pilot, Alex is an expert in event management, marketing and product development in the beverage segment. She provides little surprises and extraordinary specials and experiences on our tours and events. Last but not least, Alex always ensures an extra dose of humor when dealing with others and within our team.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The diverse experiences from previous industries significantly shape the endeavor of Monika and Alex. Each of them brings unique skills to the table, now infused with immense passion, creativity, and motivation. A heightened awareness of individual talents has emerged, particularly in the areas of community and team building, marketing and event management, and process management.
By deliberately combining these specific skills, Monika and Alex have successfully set their idea in motion, and the project is gaining momentum. The impressive ability to connect people allows for the creation of a strong community with a comprehensive knowledge base, attracting supporters. Expertise in marketing and event management gives their Air Lovers community idea a unique presence and visibility. Simultaneously, process management ensures efficient and structured progress.
Monika’s and Alex’s key advice for those at the beginning of their endeavor is to eliminate naysayers in their minds. It is crucial to review concerns and maybe even doubts from the outside, but then clearly decide on whether they are valid or not at one’s own perspective in order to prevent delays in implementation.
The third recommendation is to take time to capture the idea on a vision board and ask why this is one’s calling. Clear answers serve as a driving force, diminishing uncertainties and building self-confidence.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We are a passionate community of private pilots and we invite you to become part of our flying community. Our goal is to explore the world from a bird’s-eye view and share unforgettable experiences.
We are always looking for like-minded individuals and comrades, whether in the form of partnerships or supporters, who can enhance our online sessions with their unique flying experiences in various countries.
In our endeavor to personally fly through every country, we encounter diverse regulations, airspaces, peculiarities, licensing requirements, and much more. Therefore, we are seeking dedicated partners who can support us in realizing our project with their expertise. Together, we aim to gain clarity on all aviation-related aspects and extraordinary destinations before taking off to the skies.
Of course, we are always excited to welcome new aviation enthusiasts worldwide. You can reach us through the contact information provided below, and we would be delighted to welcome you to our Air Lovers community.
Enrich our flying experiences and let’s soar beyond boundaries together! True to our grand vision, “Around the World with 80 Pilots!”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://air-lovers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airlovers.official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airlovers/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/92948598/admin/feed/posts/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@airlovers.official
Image Credits
These are exclusively pictures taken by Air Lovers LLC itself.
