Born to Fly: The Childhood Adventures of Gideon and Matilda Gunsalus
By Matilda Gunsalus
Everybody at some point in their lives looks up to the sky, whether it be at the stars or at the airplanes flying by. Only few actually take those moments and run with it. They acquire jobs, such as being an astronaut, a pilot, a meteorologist, an astrophysicist, etcetera. The thoughts of being a pilot or an astronaut starts at a very young age. Instead of being steered away from those childhood dreams and programmed to be something else, Gideon and I (Matilda) were encouraged.
Gideon was born on January 9, 2008 in the state of New York. At a young age, he was fighting a battle of a lifetime. With enough money, we went to the Rochester Airshow as a family and with two of our father’s friends. We always heard about the stories of our step great grandfather, Edward “Lindy” Trytek. He flew a WACO biplane and he invented the hovercraft. This was our first time being at an airshow. It was all cool, but the moment that changed Gideon’s life was when the Thunderbirds flew over. They startled him! As we all felt the vibrations of the fleet, excitement filled his little soul. At that moment, he knew he wanted to fly.
Before Gideon started his aviation journey, he attended a STEM program at St. John’s University in New York. After the program, he went to another program that focused on building and programming robots. The next year, he would attend another STEM program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Gideon and I had our first flight with EAA. Gideon’s pilot was Jack Haggerty. After the flight, Mr. Haggerty and our father would talk. Come to find out, he would buy plants from our grandparents’ nursery around the 1980s. Gideon would learn a lot about flying from him and he was able to fly his Piper Cub J5 until we moved to Ohio.
Flight school is very expensive, but it wasn’t long before our parents found a cheaper alternative: Civil Air Patrol. Since Gideon was only eleven, he couldn’t join. He was considered a guest instead. The Syracuse Cadet Squadron took him in and treated him like a cadet. Six months later, he turned twelve and was able to join. Through this non-profit organization, he learned about leadership, respect, integrity, survival, and aviation. He would become a Cadet Chief Master Sergeant (C/CMSgt) and he was Bravo Flight Commander for a good chunk of time. He not only was passionate about his flight, but any moment he could, he would sign up to fly. Gideon would be in the Civil Air Patrol for about three years. After being with the squadron for two years, we moved to Ohio.
We moved to the birthplace of aviation to have more flying opportunities. We attended Granville Exempted Village School District for a semester. Going to in-person school was not working, so we ended up being homeschooled. During that time, he and our father were trying to find a local flight school where he could exchange work for flight training. We stopped going to Civil Air Patrol and paid more attention to school and our dreams. At the end of the school semester, our father found Heavenbound Aviation in Johnstown, Ohio. The owner, Andy Humphrey, was welcoming to the idea of trading work for flight training. Gideon would work in the hangar and he would fly any opportunity he got. He attended airshows with him and fellow employees, such as Oshkosh in Wisconsin and Sun n’ Fun in Florida. He was accepted with the help of Jack Haggerty to the EAA Advanced Air Academy in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 2024. Gideon’s first solo flight was on January 15, 2024. He earned his private pilot’s license on February 5, 2025.
My journey is a little different. I was born on September 21, 2009 in the state of New York (on the autumn equinox). I fought the same battle with Gideon for years. We soon overcame it together. I always looked up at the stars and at the moon, but I would always say that I was interested in the ocean. I wanted to be a marine biologist and learn about sharks. Unlike Gideon, my dreams of what I wanted to be changed all of the time. The Rochester Airshow didn’t really give me that push like Gideon. My first EAA flight was really cool, and we both became members. I started the online portion of the flight training, but after a while, it faded. The thing that really gave me that push was when Gideon turned on a documentary about Elon Musk and his dream to colonize Mars.
Before I started my journey into aviation, I also attended the STEM program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio at the same time as Gideon. I went to this program when I was nine. I was given the same opportunity as Gideon to attend another week-long program that focused on building and programming robots. This one was located in New York. I had to choose between that or the STEM program because they both were happening the same week.
At eleven, I also became a guest at the Syracuse Cadet Squadron. I had to wait four months before I could join. I didn’t fly much because the weather would always be an issue. I would become and stay Cadet Senior Airman (C/SrA). I paid attention more to the information I was learning at the meetings and in the books than promoting. My dream was and still is to help build the rockets for SpaceX.
We moved to Ohio in 2022 and I also attended Granville Exempted Village School District. Just like the school back in New York, I didn’t fit in. I have always been the odd ball in the room. It used to bother me until I learned about Elon Musk and Nikola Tesla. I also became homeschooled after the first semester. While Gideon was going to Heavenbound Aviation, my step mother and I would sit down and do school. I learned about Konstantine Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky and his rocket equation. I studied his equation and each part of the equation, so much that I know it like the alphabet. I watched documentaries on wormholes, UFO sightings, black holes, the atomic bomb, Nikola Tesla, rocketry, gravity, astronomy, and even about the ancient astronaut theory.
On August 7, 2024, I started working at Heavenbound Aviation in exchange for flight training. Thanks to Andy, I have learned so much. I have learned how to assemble planes, clean planes, fly planes, inspect planes, clean parts, change tires, etcetera. The best way to learn about planes is by being in a hangar with them.
I wanted to take this part to thank the owner of Heavenbound Aviation Andy Humphrey for giving Gideon and I the opportunity of a lifetime. Andy is passionate about aviation and future pilots. He assembles and sells Aeroprakts as well as offering flight training. Aeroprakt airplanes are made in Ukraine. They are light sport aircraft that are low maintenance and perfect for life-sized people.
The color of the aircraft is customizable as well as the glass panel. You get to choose from a Dynon system or a Garmin system. Andy provides flight training in his Aeroprakts and in his Taylorcrafts. If you are looking for flight training from a person that is passionate about aviation and its future aviators, then Andy Humphrey and his CFIs (Certified Flight Instructor) are right for you!
Gideon earned his private pilot’s license through Heavenbound Aviation and is now working towards his instrument rating and commercial license. I am working towards my private pilot’s license. We have a hopeful future ahead of us because so many people pitched in and helped us on our journey in aviation. Let’s see what the future holds.
