As sophomore McKenna Thacker flies through the clouds, immersed in a world of all the instruments and focused on every aspect of her surroundings, she experiences nothing short of pure bliss. Flying is Thacker’s way to escape reality and distract her brain from everything else going on.
“I’ve always loved planes and thought they were cool,” Thacker said. “But I’ve actually been interested in flying for three years.”
In 2022, Thacker was invited to visit and tour around her dad’s workplace, FedEx. Unknown to Thacker at the time, the experience would drastically impact her future.
“His work was hosting a family day,” Thacker said. “I sat in the cockpit of a B767, and I realized that flying is what I really wanted to do.”
Since that day, Thacker has been working to get her private pilot license and make her dream of flying come true.
“I am still currently working toward my license,” Thacker said. “The experience has been really cool. I’ve been building my flight hours, and I will take my written through C9 next year. To get your PPL you need to log a minimum of 40 hours of flight time. Those hours consist of solo hours, cross country hours, night hours, etc. I have about 15 hours.”
Through experience, Thacker has learned there is more to getting a private pilot license than just building flight hours.
“You also need to go through ground school,” Thacker said. “Ground school is classroom-based learning. You take your written [test] at the end and receive a certificate which you will need for when you go to get your license.”
Building the flight hours needed, though, is something strictly dependent on when Thacker is able to make an opening in her schedule.
“I fly as often as the weather and my schedule allows,” Thacker said. “Usually I’m only able to fly two times a month due to the scheduling issues.”
When she is able to set aside the time to step into the pilot’s seat, Thacker flies to lots of locations.
“We fly all over Indiana,” Thacker said. “We go to different airports all the time to practice touch and go, talking to towers and to practice different types of approaches.”
Thacker has always felt positively about flying and thinks there are many neat aspects to it.
“I enjoy flying because not only is it fun, but it is so cool knowing I am able to learn how to fly at a young age, as well as work toward my career,” Thacker said.
Flying, though well known to Thacker, is not always a smooth experience.
“My biggest challenge with flying has mainly been the scheduling aspect of it,” Thacker said. “You rent your plane in advance so you don’t necessarily know what the weather is going to be like. By the time flying day comes, it can be rainy or stormy. The biggest problem is the ceiling being too low.”
The ceiling is the underside of cloud cover for a pilot and can affect the ability of a training pilot to leave the airport. While issues like that can be a challenge for Thacker, she also has many successes.
“My biggest successes with flying have been my connections to the right people,” Thacker said. “My instructor, Mike Wombles, is a friend of ours and a captain for Delta Airlines. He has been the biggest help with my flying. He has taught me everything I know and is leading me in the right direction for my future career.”
Thacker is motivated to work toward becoming a pilot because flying is simply what she loves spending her time doing.
“I am working toward flying because it’s what I love to do,” Thacker said. “I want to be a pilot. In the future my goals are to fly the 777’s at FedEx or 747’s at Atlas Air.”
After many months of flying, Thacker has grown closer to the art of her future career and knows what she likes the best.
“One of my favorite parts about flying is the busyness of it,” Thacker said. “You constantly have to check your instruments to make sure everything is running smoothly along with making sure you’re always looking around for other traffic in the air, all while still flying the plane. It may sound simple, but there’s always a lot going on that you need to pay attention to.”
As Thacker comes closer and closer to the date she can get her private pilot license, she has started planning her next steps.
“I started flying when I was 13,” Thacker said. “I have not flown by myself yet. However, now that I am 16 I will be able to solo soon. If I get my license right when I am able to, it will have taken me around 4 years. I will take my written test next year and continue to build my hours. I’ll get my license when I’m 17. When I do get my license, I plan on going through the process of getting my CFI license to build up the hours I will need for the airlines.”
