ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) - Aberdeen native Matt Guthmiller is still flying high three years after flying solo around the world.
That was when he was 19. He’s spending much of this summer with family in Aberdeen, the Aberdeen News reported .
Though Guthmiller lost the record for being the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engine plane to a 17-year-old from Tasmania, his accomplishment has pushed him toward speaking engagements, entrepreneurship and creating YouTube videos.
When classes resume, Guthmiller will be a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., studying electrical engineering and computer science. He’ll graduate in December.
He launched a YouTube channel in January, creating 20-minute videos of his travels for his 11,000 subscribers.
Guthmiller said he’s working on creating an iPhone app that would assist users in stock trading by creating algorithms that predict outcomes of certain trades on the market.
As if that isn’t enough, Guthmiller said he’s been filling his time speaking about leadership and business at conferences or for different organizations.
He flew out of Aberdeen Thursday, ultimately en route to EAA Air Venture Oshkosh, a popular air show in Wisconsin, where he did some speaking.
Guthmiller said his aviation knowledge closely affects his business goals. He said planning his solo trip in 2014 included logistics, teamwork, risk management and careful planning - all qualities needed to start or run a business.
“One of the biggest things is just deciding to take it on in the first place,” he said of his business and flying ambitions.
Giving presentations is only made possible by leasing an airplane, a six-seat Beechcraft Bonanza, which allows him to fly around the country and then return all in one day. It’s the same plane in which he flew around the world.
“If I was taking a commercial flight, it would be like a three-day trip,” he said. “By myself, it’s like a one-day trip.”
Guthmiller said he’s learned to chase his dreams now rather than pursuing them in future years - a mindset that pushed him to launch his YouTube channel.
Though he still considers aviation a hobby, creating videos of his flying contributes to Guthmiller’s income, he said.
“I had no intention of making any money off of it,” he said. “But.you pursue the things that you’re passionate about.”
From simply flying around the world and posting updates about his trip, he said he had built a nice social media following even before he started to shoot videos.
Guthmiller said he discovered a popular type of video on YouTube called a ’vlog,’ where people film parts of their day and share it on social media. He decided to create similar videos of his flying.
“I’ve always had an interest in filmmaking,” he said. “I can actually just take a few GoPros and a couple cameras and make a little 20-minute video.”
He said his videos cater to an audience interested in general aviation, flying or just traveling.
“The goal is to get people excited about aviation,” Guthmiller said.
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Information from: Aberdeen American News, https://www.aberdeennews.com
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