Commercial pilot and cargo charter consultant Patrick Pawelczak has been appointed AeroTime’s fifth Aviation Champion in recognition of his commitment to the people of the aviation industry, both during the pandemic and the current recovery. 

Patrick shot to aviation fame after publishing a LinkedIn post in early 2021 showing how his work uniform had changed from pilot to Amazon delivery man to construction worker. A pilot for Slovakian carrier Go2Sky before the pandemic, he was made redundant in 2020 and sought work in other sectors as he waited for the aviation industry to bounce back. 

At the time of writing, his post has received over 450 thousand reactions and has earned tens of millions of impressions. His viral post was reported on far and wide, highlighting the plight of the thousands of pilots who faced closed borders and grounded fleets during the pandemic. 

Since the post, Patrick has taken back to the skies as a pilot for ETF Airways, co-founded a home beauty device company, become a cargo charter consultant and continued to inspire followers with his determination to make the most of the current situation. 

AeroTime first shared Patrick’s story as part of our My Covid Story campaign. 

Appointing Patrick as our latest Aviation Champion, AeroTime CEO and Editor in Chief, Richard Stephenson said: “Patrick did not realize the power of sharing his story when he first posted about his now famous ‘uniforms’ last year, but he has since become an example of our industry’s flexibility and determination to get through the pandemic with a positive attitude. And his story has had a positive impact on me personally. More widely, we’ve seen the power of sharing the experiences of industry members throughout the pandemic with our My Covid Story campaign. Patrick now continues to work to inspire thousands of aviation industry professionals and deserves every bit of this recognition.” 

On hearing the news of his appointment, Patrick responded: “I am very thankful to Richard and the whole AeroTime Team for this recognition. If my story has helped at least one person to find a way through the difficulties of the pandemic, then it’s mission accomplished for me. My message to all my fellow colleagues that have struggled or are still struggling to get back to their beloved jobs is 'Keep on fighting; you are all champions.’” 

AeroTime announced our new Aviation Champions program last week. It seeks to recognize individuals engaged in ongoing efforts to support, promote, encourage and inspire people across our industry. We are very much looking forward to working with Patrick and our other Aviation Champions. 

Congratulations Patrick!