Roseville High School senior Joseph Le had the chance to fly a plane after a chance encounter with a stranger in a yogurt shop.

     Le was visiting a local frozen yogurt store when he chanced upon a man named Austin. Le was recommending the mango flavor to the man when it led into small talk about planes. The man said that he was a pilot and that he got to fly his own planes.

     “I told him that flying was on my bucket list and he told me to give him a call,” said Le.

     A few days later, Le called the man and set out to meet him at his hanger in Lincoln. That day, Le was introduced to an old World War II veteran plane and they took to the air. Le said that the man had control of the plane at all times, but still allowed Le the freedom to pilot the aircraft.

     “He handed me a map with different altitudes on it,” said Le. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

     In return for the free flight, Le visited Austin’s church. He had originally invited Le to attend with him when they had started a conversation in the yogurt shop, being that he was a very religious Christian man.

     Le feels his experience was extraordinary. He was provided the opportunity to fly a plane with little to no assistance and found that random encounters such as this can lead to higher places.

     “It doesn’t hurt to be outgoing and to meet new people because they will somehow impact your life,” said Le.