Student and drone pilot – Lucio and his eye in the sky

EF Academy New York student Lucio took his passion and hobby to the next level. Today, he is a professional drone pilot. Read on to learn more about his journey and his thoughts on following your dreams and never giving up.

What do you do with your drone? When do you use it?

I use my drone wherever I go, it is always with me. I use it to make stunning videos and pictures of landscapes and buildings. The point of view it gives me is truly unique and it’s an experience which makes you live places to the fullest, I believe.

How did your passion for creating videos and pictures with your drone start?

It all started when my father would bring me toy RC helicopters from the US when coming back from business trips. I remember I used to crash many of them on the neighbors’ roof! My childhood passion developed when I started becoming interested in photography and RC vehicles and thus I slowly started buying more and more advanced drones. My passion became even more important when I decided to offer my footage and expertise to companies, private companies and my family. It took quite a while but it slowly started morphing from a hobby to a real job. Now, it takes up most of my free time when I’m in my home country but I’m happy because what I am doing is like a realized childhood dream.

What inspired you to become a professional drone user, and do you still use that inspiration today?

Apart from my passion for photography and RC vehicles, I was stunned by the emerging field of drone photography when I was growing up and by the incredible point of view it offered. I remember being in awe when looking at documentaries of mountain animals, which usually featured a lot of drone footage. My curiosity increased when I downloaded Instagram for the first time and was presented with a huge variety of professional drone videos. The first videos I made, in fact, had some inspiration from social media and films but now they mostly come from my own ideas. Furthermore, I am proud to say that I am completely self taught and in fact, I learned completely through trial, error and honestly a couple of lost or damaged drones.

What inspired you to act on your dream?

I was inspired by the incredible capabilities of drones and by how people from various backgrounds, occupations and ages were using them in evermore increasing ways to solve the world’s problems or to show their passions to others. For example, I was very excited when I found out that the Italian forest rangers were using the same drone as I was to look for a survivor of a snow avalanche. Furthermore, I was very excited to show the beauty of the culture, the landscape and the people of my home island of Capri, which is already very known and loved worldwide, by giving society a new point of view of those things I was so used to seeing on the display of my radio controller.

What advice would you give to those who are trying to follow their dreams?

I know it sounds cliché and you probably heard it a million times but you need to believe firmly in your dream, yourself, your abilities, and most importantly, persevere by never giving up, even if it seems as if the world is crushing your hopes and goals. I remember that a client once told me that she could feel how passionate I was about my job, more so than other drone videographers she had hired in the past, and that this was her deciding factor for who was going to get the job. That was the exact moment I realized how important it is for someone to believe so much in their dreams that they pursue them without giving it much thought, as if they were destined to do so, if they want to succeed. This is what I do: my drone is my eye in the sky!

What advice do you have for students who want to make a difference in the world?

Whether your goal is to change the world by making it more aware of an issue, by solving a problem or by showing your talent, you must believe that you are able to make a difference, that no matter if your capabilities are small or big, if your talent is mature or still young, if your environment is friendly or not, there are and always will be a thousand of excuses not to do something, but it is only when you try and you give it your best that you can truly measure and judge if you are able to change this world or not. And, even if this wasn’t the case in a big way, small transformations or progress are still change and can always become bigger and bigger with time, passion and dedication. This is what I have been told, what I have been taught and what I have learned with my own skin, on my own, and that’s why I know it to be true, that is why I believe in and stand by it.