As a kid, Charles Chiesa would watch the planes taking off at Newark airport with his father, amazed at the 707’s soaring in the sky. On his recent trip back from Florence, Italy as a passenger in the new Airbus 380, he wondered what his father would’ve thought of the 600-seat jet.
Born in Union City and a graduate of the Emerson High School Class of 1967, Chiesa joined the United States Air Force and became a B-52 pilot serving in both the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. One of his last flights before retirement last month was taking a plane full of supplies and surgeons to Haiti as part of the relief effort.
“I love flying. You get to go places you never thought you would go.” – Charles Chiesa
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But by 1999, he found himself missing his wings. “I wasn’t done flying yet,” said Chiesa. “I had to go back.”
He found his way back into the air by teaching graduate school at Embry Riddle University as a corporate flight instructor and FAA Examiner. His experience flying a Bombardier Global Express aircraft led him to join the Bombardier Flight Operations Demonstration Team in February of 2007, a job which would take him across the globe.
“Our job was to demonstrate the aircraft to potential buyers worldwide,” said Chiesa. “I have been in every continent except Antarctica in the last three years.”
In his new position, he provided support to customers awaiting their own airplane, which included dignitaries from the United States and Europe. Chiesa logged many 12-hour flights during his two week deployments to Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. “I love flying,” said Chiesa. “You get to go places you never thought you would go. I slept in a camp in Botswana taking a guy on safari.”
Providing relief
When the earthquake occurred in Haiti last month, Chiesa’s employer, Bombardier Aerospace, donated money and used one of its planes to fly doctors and medical supplies to the area. Chiesa was selected to be a pilot for the flight because of his former military background and familiarity with doing airlifts in critical places.
Along with another pilot, he flew nine surgeons and nurses along with 1,000 pounds of medical equipment to provide relief for the disaster-stricken area.
“We used our heads,” said Chiesa, who received the New Jersey Military Service Medal in 1996. “Instead of trying to get into Port au Prince, we landed in Las Americas International airport [in the Dominican Republic]; there was still a lot going on but it was different, not as confusing as I thought it would be.”
The team then took a four-hour drive in a truck convoy to Haiti. Chiesa proudly noted that the first thing the Canadian Emergency Medical Assistance Team did upon arriving in Port au Prince was deliver a baby.
Chiesa’s official last day of work as a pilot was Jan. 31, but he has no intentions of rest anytime soon. Now that he is home in Union City, he hopes to resume his teaching career.
“I want to show the kids that all things are possible,” said Chiesa. “My dad was an immigrant from Italy; a lot of our kids [today] are from all different countries. They must learn that we now live in global economy, so I want to teach them of what to expect.”
In his previous tenure as a teacher, Chiesa began an aviation club for the students, something he hopes to revive as he returns to the classroom.
“It’s a way to learn science while having a good time,” said Chiesa. “What I really want to do is give back.”
Regardless of where he winds up next, Chiesa will always carry the experience of the past forty years with him.
“What I will miss the most is the challenge of flying this gorgeous, state-of-the-art airplane,” he said. “In all kinds of weather, from a blizzard in Moscow to heavy tropical rains in Brazil.”
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.