One in 61,000

By Lauren Urban, Writer

As chief of joint replacement at Peconic Bay Medical Center, Dr. Peter Sultan works on patients’ hips and knees all day long. But in his spare time, he meticulously tinkers with a much different body of work: model helicopters.

Over the last 12 years or so, he’s built about two dozen fully functioning models, ranging in size from 2 to 10 feet long. “I love to use my hands to build things, and I love to focus on things,” says Peter.

And focus he must, because the model-building process is nothing short of painstaking.

First, he orders parts online from countries around the world. They arrive in kits containing 200-300 pieces, mainly made of carbon fiber and titanium. He then spends 8-12 hours in a single sitting putting the chopper together.

 “It’s sort of like surgery because there’s no room for error,” he explained. “Each step is a precision step—you have to do everything exactly right. If anything is loose or out of balance, your model could crash or it won’t fly right. So you basically have to build them to perfection.”

Once the model is carefully assembled, Peter programs its onboard computer. This will allow it to fly level, and lets him determine how much power it has and how fast is ascends.

When all of this is complete, Peter heads to Gabreski Air Base in Westhampton where he meets his local model club—a group of about 50 members (mainly mechanics and retired police officers) who share the same hobby. They usually fly their miniature helicopters or airplanes in groups of two to four people.

“When you get to fly your finished product, it’s very rewarding,” Peter said. “It’s still very focused because you can only think about your $1,000+ model in the air, how you want to keep it flying well and not crash or anything. But it’s also very exciting. You can do all kinds of tricks, loops and rolls. You can fly it upside down. You can fly it 100mph straight. So you really get rewarded for what you do. The whole process is really neat; it really keeps your attention, and it’s a nice way to spend leisure time.”

The father of two also enjoys spending leisure time with another hobby: playing the piano.

”When I was a kid, I came home from seeing ‘Cabaret’ at the library with my family,” he recalls. “We had a piano, and I just sat down and started playing some of the score. My parents were a little stunned, because I hadn’t had piano lessons or anything. And since then, I’ve just always played.”

Peter performed shows throughout college and medical school, and now he plays at several major events at his hospital and community. He often posts his performances on YouTube, where they’ve garnered nearly 1 million views. 

“I like to perform, and I also enjoy playing at home during evenings and weekends, especially in the winter. I stick mostly with pop, jazz and rock, and I continually try to teach myself new pieces. I’ve never had lessons: I just use a whole lot of YouTube to learn, and I watch a lot of professionals’ videos, like Billy Joel. I find pieces I love, and then I work on them nonstop until I can play them.”

“My wife says everybody is always fascinated by me,” he adds with a chuckle. “Because I’m so unusual and do so many things. She tells me I’m an anomaly. But I don’t know. I just do what I enjoy.”

Interested in joining the 61,000? Learn more about careers at Northwell Health.