Freeland resident, musician and composer Aaron Simpson recently received his private pilot’s license certification. Simpson attended Direct 2 Aviation in Mt. Vernon.

After his first flying lesson at age 6, Simpson said, “I was hooked on flying. From then on, it was just a matter of being able to determine when I could get licensed. I want to fly around the world before I die.”

In an impromptu ceremony at Useless Bay Coffee Company, where Simpson is a barista, Fred Lundahl, owner of Music For The Eyes in Langley, upon hearing the news of Simpson’s accomplishment, cut Simpson’s tie in what he said was “the old British tradition.”