On Wednesday afternoon, local pilot Anfernee Emerenciana arrived aboard American Airlines Flight AA874 as the First Officer of the Boeing 737. This was a great honor for him and his parents, especially his mother, who always supported him in pursuing his dream.
Anfernee’s Mother
Anfernee’s mother, Joan Emerenciana, proudly went to the airport to receive her son. She mentioned that the day was proceeding normally until she received a call from her son, which was unusual as they typically contacted each other in the evening. She was pleasantly surprised when he told her that his flight to Barbados was canceled and that he was coming to Aruba instead. Everything then fell into place as she started preparing to go see the plane land and to receive him. It was such an emotional day. She further stated that she had always supported her son’s dream despite all the challenges. From a young age, he had a passion for aviation, and she often had to take him to places where he could watch planes take off and land.
Everything Began with a Dream
Anfernee recounted that he had dreamed of becoming a pilot since he was a child. The world of aviation always fascinated him, especially commercial aviation and all its aspects. He kept this as his goal, aiming to become a pilot one day. He took every step seriously to achieve this goal. However, he never imagined that his dream would become a reality, let alone with such a major company as American Airlines.
Education
In August 2013, at the age of 17, he graduated from Colegio Arubano and felt prepared to continue his studies and pursue his dream. He went to Melbourne, Florida, where he studied at the Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) in the field of Bachelor of Science in Aviation Meteorology with Flight and simultaneously completed his pilot training.
Diplomas
In March 2014, Anfernee obtained his first pilot license, the Private Pilot License, and then continued to get his Commercial Multi-Engine License in 2015. Anfernee did not stop there and decided to pursue the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) preparation, which he obtained in July 2016. As a CFI and at just 20 years old, he was teaching and providing flight training at the university’s airport to students of different nationalities. Simultaneously, Anfernee was busy with flight training, teaching, and studying Meteorology and Atmospheric Science.
Professional Career
After Anfernee obtained his diploma and all necessary licenses at Florida Tech, he continued working as a Flight Instructor at the university, accumulating his flight hours. Anfernee completed his Flight Instructor phase with more than a thousand flight hours. At the end of 2018, Anfernee advanced his professional career with an airline called SkyWest Airlines. After two months of intensive training in Salt Lake City, he began flying CRJ 200/700/900 aircraft as a First Officer. He flew regional routes for Delta, American, and United Airlines.
His base was located at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. He flew not only in U.S. territory but also in Canada and Mexico. After accumulating nearly 3,000 flight hours, of which nearly 2,000 were in jet aircraft, he had the opportunity to advance to Captain at SkyWest Airlines on the same type of aircraft mentioned earlier.
In 2022, Anfernee received the opportunity for an interview with a major U.S. airline. Captains from American Airlines, with over 30 years of experience, interviewed him. On April 12, 2022, Anfernee received a tremendous job offer from the world’s largest airline, American Airlines. He would begin his training to receive his type rating on the Boeing 737 for routes in the U.S., Central America, and South America.
On May 30, 2022, at precisely 1:00 pm, Captain Emerenciana, son of Joan and Verio, born in Aruba, landed flight 3258, his final flight with SkyWest, at O’Hare International Airport.
On Wednesday, June 19th, at 12:20 pm, he landed the American Airlines Boeing 737 at Queen Beatrix International Airport.
A proud moment for Aruba!
Surprise Flight
Later, Anfernee shared that he was originally scheduled to fly to another island, in this case, Barbados. But once they reached Charlotte, North Carolina, they received a schedule change notification, and he was surprised to see Aruba on the schedule instead. It was definitely an unexpected day, one he had always wanted to coordinate in the two years he had been with American, but it was difficult to arrange such flights. He was very proud to have flown his first flight to Aruba with American Airlines. He then contacted his family to inform them of his arrival.
Another dream of his was to make an announcement to the passengers. He found it important to do so not only in English but also in Papiamento, so that their beloved language would resonate in the American Airlines cabin.
