WORK
JOB
on the
Head In
The Clouds BY ELKA PETERSON
C
harismatic. Passionate. Visionary. These are just a few words to describe Jason Schappert. He is a pilot, entrepreneur, and the founder of MzeroA.com, which was named one of Grow Florida’s 2017 Companies to Watch. Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Ocala, Florida, Schappert knew early on that his passions would include airplanes and aviation. That was thanks to some special outings with his beloved grandmother, who cared for him while his parents worked.
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She took Schappert on daily trips to the Ocala Airport to watch the airplanes. When given other options for their regular day trips, like a visit to the local fire department, Schappert always chose the airport instead. He spent countless days sitting out on the field, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while watching the airplanes fly in and out. Even after Schappert’s grandmother passed away, the passion that she nurtured in him soared. He admits to not being a very
good student and even skipping classes in high school to spend time at the airport. “I was an average student—Cs in everything.” And while he may not have been a good student in school, he has proven to be a good student in life. He credits his entrepreneurial skills to his father, who owned a pest control business. “Working in my father’s business taught me everything about customer service, the power of persuasion and sales.” These skills would help Schappert in the future, not in pest control, but in the aviation industry. Knowing of Schappert’s first love, and in an effort to continue to nurture his son’s dreams, his father bartered flight lessons from a local flight instructor when Schappert was just 12 years old. The ambitious teenager had his pilot’s license at 16, flew solo for the first time at 17, and was a flight instructor by 18. On his experience flying Schappert says, “Flying is freedom. I have an intense fear of heights but not so in an airplane. I literally hate going on balconies, but flying is no problem.” He began college but after dropping out three times, decided it wasn’t for him. His head was in the clouds, figuratively of course, as he envisioned himself flying at much faster speeds. Anyone who has dreams of flying knows that practice and persistence are strongly advised. On the wings of ambition, Schappert decided to pursue his ultimate goal in life, to fulfill his need for speed and become a military fighter pilot. Unfortunately, he discovered that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish that goal because of his 6’4” stature. Shot down, but not out, an undeterred Schappert looked for other ways to not only succeed in aviation, but to help others pursue their passion. As an entrepreneur with limited resources, he asked himself how he could find leverage in the aviation industry. During this time, YouTube was launched and inspiration struck. Schappert began filming and uploading flight instruction videos from his home. “It was just me in a dinky apartment with a tripod video camera filming videos about flying,” he says with a laugh. He continued to pursue his vision and soon had a strong following. As the number of