Hakar Torres - A Journey into Business Aviation

How/why did you end up working in aviation?

At 11, I joined the Sanford Middle School magnet program for Aviation. The hands-on experience with avionics, flight simulators, and aircraft parts sparked my fascination with aviation. I was hooked by the thrill of flight and the limitless possibilities it represented. While I initially wanted to be a pilot, the desire for more family time led me to explore other aviation careers that keep me excited and fulfilled.

Describe your career thus far in as few words as possible. We’d love to hear the condensed version of your career path.

I started in passenger services at Orlando International Airport, transitioned into terminal operations, and later moved into a cargo operator’s operations team. From there, I shifted to customer-focused roles in the simulator training sector, building key relationships. Each step in my journey taught me invaluable lessons, leading to the founding of Glades Air, where I now assist executive travelers. My focus has always been on growth and learning, while contributing to the aviation community.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of being awarded 2024 Member of the Year by the Central Florida Business Aviation Association (CFBAA) because it aligns with my personal motto to "leave it better." This recognition reflects the impact I strive to make—not for praise, but to improve experiences for others and contribute meaningfully. It’s a reminder that my commitment to showing up and fostering positive change was appreciated by the community, making it deeply rewarding.

Were there any professional development events, workshops, or conferences that greatly benefited your career?

Attending NBAA-BACE was a game changer for me — it really opened my eyes to parts of the industry I didn’t even know existed. Then, taking Dale Carnegie’s courses on High Impact Presentations and Relationship-Based Selling helped me focus on building trust before making any sale. In aviation, trust is everything, and these experiences taught me how to communicate better and build stronger relationships, which has been key to my success.

How do you prefer to learn new skills or acquire knowledge (e.g., workshops, podcasts, online courses, mentorship)?

I learn best through immersive, interactive experiences. Podcasts are great when I’m active, like at the gym, but having a coach or mentor who can offer real-time feedback makes a huge difference. While online courses are useful, I find that working with someone more experienced accelerates my learning. Being in a collaborative environment with others who share the same goals, while also having a mentor to guide me, really helps me grow faster.?

Could you offer advice on identifying ambitious yet attainable goals that foster career development?

The pursuit of goals is meant to drive you to add more abundance to your life, and not so that you focus on everything that you think is missing. The advice I wish I heard sooner around goals is to start with being grateful for where you are and then build up from there. When you start from a point of identifying all that you don't have that you think you should, and start from a mindset of lack, you will focus on all those deficits. Start with where you are and recognize that you can only progress from there.