Brad Takes Flight

Video posted April 12, 2018 in News by Becca Mitrione Updated: April 12, 2018 - 4:17 pm

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Brad Leve: A Flight Instructor Who Got Over His Fear of Flying

Brad Leve is a Penn State entrepreneurship professor in the Smeal College of Business, who also owns his own flight school, called Snap Flight. When students graduate they can become flight instructors and/or private pilots. Leve has found a passion for teaching and he enjoys the Penn State atmosphere as well as its students.

Leve is a true entrepreneur. He began his career on Wall Street as a municipal and corporate bond analyst. He then went on to direct a start-up with his father. They eventually sold their multimillion-dollar contract manufacturer, which lead Leve to retire early. Afterwards, Leve experimented with new passions, for example, he became a scuba instructor, then a triathlon swimming coach (Leve swam in college) until finally he settled down in State College, Pa to raise a family with his wife.

Leve did not always have a passion for flying. In fact, Leve was so terrified of planes he refused to step aboard one for eight years. It was not until one of his triathlon swimmers got his private pilot license and convinced Leve that he was just scared of not being in control of the plane. His student was so persistent that Leve finally decided to book his discovery flight where he would fly a plane with a professional for the first time. He ended up enjoying flying so much that he got his own private pilot license, became a flight instructor and has not looked back.

When Leve came to the State College, Pa area, word got around that he was a flight instructor. He had people asking him frequently if he would teach them how to fly. Next thing he knew, he had about 25 students and was teaching them to fly with one plane. He has expanded his business ever since: he has multiple flight instructors, more than one plane that students can fly, and a large network of professor pilots who volunteer to speak at his school.

About the Contributors

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Rebecca Mitrione

Senior / Public Relations

Rebecca Mitrione is a Pennsylvania State University undergraduate scholar, who is studying a broad spectrum of subjects. She is majoring in public relations, while also minoring in entrepreneurship, business liberal arts, and international studies due to her passion for learning and drive for being competitive in her future field. Rebecca is a part of the College of Communication’s Multicultural Community and was awarded ‘The Bunton-Waller Fellows’ (Ethnic Diversity Merit Scholarship) when coming into Penn State.


Rebecca has had many internship and leadership positions throughout her college career. Rebecca’s first public relations internship was with Ruby Media Group during her sophomore year at Penn State. She was also a leader in her THON organization by holding the position of the Alternative Fundraising Chair within her sorority. In the summer of 2016, Rebecca interned at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, which spiked her interesting in the film and entertainment industry. After the festival, Rebecca received a job from the health and wellness company Bulletproof, where she focused on marketing the brand and its many products. In the summer of 2017, Rebecca interned for The Velocity Effect where she gained more PR, graphic design, and social media experience.


Rebecca has a passion for communications and is looking for a full-time job public relations job upon graduating Penn State in the spring of 2018. Along with the communications side of public relations, Rebecca enjoys graphic design, videography, and working on various media-related projects.