When did you know you wanted to learn to fly?
Sophomore year was when I decided I wanted to become a pilot. I was doing career research trying to decide on my future and what I wanted to pursue, and one day while researching, I was sitting in a waiting room and saw a pilot flight planning on his laptop. That’s when it hit. I asked myself “Why can’t I become a pilot? How hard could it be?”
After I made that discovery I kept researching and learning more about what being a pilot entails. I found out that I love everything about it. I love to travel, meet new people, work in a team, and learn new skills. That’s when I fully committed and started my path toward becoming an airline pilot.
When did you get into flight school?
The first steps toward my goal of becoming an airline pilot was to get my first certificate, the private pilot certificate. To get this license a person must complete a knowledge exam and a practical exam.
January of my sophomore year I enrolled in a ground school to learn the basics of aviation and becoming a pilot. I went there three days a week, two hours per visit after school for three months. And after countless hours and all nighters studying, I passed my written exam.
A few months later in July, right before my junior year, I enrolled in a local flight school at Greenwood Airport. This is when I got started on actually learning how to fly an aircraft.
What was it like the first time you were able to fly by yourself?
Flying by myself and completing my first solo flight was the biggest accomplishment of my life. After months of studying and flying, I finally got to the stage where my flight instructor deemed me proficient and ready enough to fly an airplane solo. In all honesty, I didn’t get to feel much or enjoy that flight, I was so focused on flying the airplane and doing my checklists that it was hard to enjoy the moment. But once I landed and got out, I was so overjoyed and proud of all the work that led up to that moment.
How does it feel when you are up in the air?
Flying is very intense and demanding; it’s hard to feel much of anything when behind the controls of an airplane. It’s very systematic and procedure heavy that I’m constantly maintaining flight, planning what I’m going to do next, checking all my gauges, looking for other traffic, and observing weather. But every once in a while I get the chance to step back from all the organized chaos and truly enjoy the privilege of flight, soaring above everything and seeing the world from a different angle. I feel at peace when I get those moments to observe the beauty of the landscape, watch everything from above, and appreciate the opportunity I have to be flying.
What are some places that you have flown to?
Locally, I’ve been able to fly to French Lick, Indiana and fly about the hillsides and enjoy the beautiful landscape. I’ve been able to fly over my house and community, and I’ve flown through downtown Indianapolis a few times.
Airventure is the biggest aviation event in the world and takes place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I got invited to fly up there with a family friend and stay and camp for a week, so I loaded up my bags and camping gear and headed to the airport to meet him on his plane. We packed up and took off. On the way there we flew over all of Indiana and Chicago. We landed at an alternate airport to meet up with a large group of pilots and fly in together. Once we flew into Oshkosh we parked and set up for the week. Over the course of the week I saw hundreds of really cool and interesting planes. I saw about nine air shows that took place daily. I attended meetings and learned a lot about aviation from different organizations. Overall I got to have one of the best experiences a pilot could ever ask for all in one week, and being able to fly there was a dream I never imagined fulfilling.
What is your favorite part about flying?
Freedom of flight is something pilots take for granted. Having the ability to fly up whenever I want and go wherever I want is my favorite part about aviation. Being able to travel and see the world from a different angle from anyone else is really special to me. I’m so lucky and appreciative that I get to do what I love as a career and for the rest of my life. Another favorite of mine is self image. I’m proud to be a pilot and to be able to say I’ve put in all this work and effort to pursue my dreams and make it into a reality. I love the challenges I’ve faced, and I’m looking forward to what I have ahead.
