▶Safety Zane Lewis taking off with New York after flying as cadet at Air Force Academy.
Safety taking off with Jets after flying as cadet at U.S. Air Force Academy
Zane Lewis enjoyed the serenity of the sky, soaring through the air in his single-engine plane high above the world below.
As a cadet in the Air Force Academy’s powered flight program, Lewis would strap into the cockpit with a trainer and take off. He’d glide the Cirrus SR20 over the campus and get breathtaking views of Colorado Springs.
“At first, it definitely is scary, but the more you do it, it’s more calming,” the New York Jets safety said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You’re up there and it’s just like you. When you’re driving, there’s cars going past you left and right. But up there, it’s mostly just you.”
The worst part for Lewis, though, was coming back down. Literally.
“Landing was very, very tough for me,” Lewis said with a big laugh. “They aren’t big planes. They’re smaller planes, so there are times
you’re coming in and you’re on a straight path and there’s like a gust of wind and you blow off to the side and you’re offline and you’re like, ‘Dang, I’m off path!’ And it’s tough to kind of get back on track. So the trainer will take it and they’ll land it from there.” Touchdown, Lewis. Conquering challenges is nothing new for the Richmond, Virginia, native. The latest has the 23-yearold Lewis making the switch from cornerback, the position he has played most of his career, to safety in New York’s defense.
Lewis has three interceptions in team drills during camp, flashing the type of playmaking ability that made him a star his last two years at Air Force.
“Obviously, there’s a learning process that he’s got to go through, going from corner to safety,” coach Robert Saleh said. “I thought he’s done a really nice job through OTAS and training camp. He’s stacked up some good days and he’s got to continue to stack things up. But I’m encouraged with the way it has gone for him so far.”
Last Friday, the Jets and Giants hosted their first Salute to Service Bowl at Metlife Stadium — a game that consisted of teams of activeduty service members from all branches of the armed forces. Given other circumstances, Lewis might have been playing in that event. Instead, he was on the field the following night for the Jets in their preseason opener.
“There’s still lots of work to do,“Lewis said. “So my goal is to go in and give my best effort and make the coaches notice me and just make plays out there.”