Cosimo Mortola

Cosimo Lazzaro "Coz" Mortola (IPA: /'kɒzimoʊ 'lɑddza:roʊ 'mɔərtoʊla:/; born April 26, 1977) is a former bush pilot who achieved recognition abroad while flying in the South American country of Guyana. He is currently living in New York City.

Biography

Early life

Mortola, the oldest of three, was born in Galveston, Texas but raised in Montreal, Quebec. At the age of nineteen he enlisted in the United States Air Force as an Imagery Intelligence Analyst, and served most of his four-year tour at Langley AFB, Virginia. In 2007 he graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a degree in International Relations. In his senior year at SUNY Geneseo, Mortola was elected member of the Phi Beta Kappa society.

Recent Years

After periods of work-study in Novgorod, Russia and Shijiazhuang, China during his last university years, Mortola worked as a courrier-pilot in North Carolina before transferring to Africa. In 2008 he was based in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, working as pilot for Air Serv International, a humanitarian relief organization.