A twenty dollar helicopter ride was all it took for me to completely change my career goals, but like me you may experience adversity in pilot training.
I began my college degree at Clarion University of Pennsylvania in August of 2019 after I graduated high school. The following semester, I was sent home to finish online because of COVID. During that time, I considered joining the military along with many fellow high school alumni. I already had many credits towards my degree, so I decided to work during the summer and winter breaks to complete my Bachelor’s degree early, which I did in just two and a half years.
Two weeks after I graduated from college, I shipped out to Army basic training in South Carolina. Six months later, in June 2022, I arrived back home very uncertain about what I wanted to do with my career. I loved the training I had done in the military and thought I really wanted to be on active duty. On the other hand, I also had my degree and was pondering a Master’s program. A couple months later, I went back down to South Carolina to watch my cousin graduate basic training. It was there that I took a twenty dollar helicopter ride at Myrtle Beach that would completely alter the course of my life. I took a fixed-wing discovery flight when I got home and began pursuing my career as a pilot.
My flight training started in Jamestown, New York close to where I grew up. After flying only twice each week and having only nine flight hours, I decided I would attend ATP Flight School to fast track my goals. I spent a few months there beginning in January 2023 and loved the organization and pace of the school. I had two to three flights a week along with a three hour virtual ground twice a week at night. As someone who never had to study hard to pass in high school and college, this was certainly a challenge for me.
Months later, I passed my takeoff and landing evaluation, and was finally endorsed to take my first solo flight. As soon as the plane was airborne, I remember thinking, “I am completely by myself, this is amazing!” The following day, on April 10th, I aborted my first takeoff. The plane had not been climbing, and my airspeed was low which was very concerning to me. I quickly decided it was best to put the plane back down on the runway, but I could not brake enough. This put me off the cliff at the end of the runway, nose-diving straight into the ground. Instinctively, I held the nose of the plane up as much as I could, thinking that it might prevent the plane from tipping over and crushing me when it hits the ground. By some miracle, my plan worked and I walked away with a single scratch and whiplash. That day impacted my mental health greatly for the next few months began my adversity in pilot training. I started a lot of unhealthy habits and questioned daily whether or not I was in the right career field. Those thoughts kept me up at night often until I got into an airplane for the first time again.
It was fifteen days before I was back in an airplane, and it was more terrifying than ever. My ATP instructor had his own plane that was stored in Rostraver, only twenty minutes south of Allegheny County. He told me I could fly if I wanted to, or I could sit as a passenger to try to remember why I started flying in the first place. During the hour we were up, he took me over OhioPyle and some of southern Pennsylvania. It was a day that made me feel better about the unfortunate events that had impacted me so much. I knew from that day on that I would do my best to persevere, push through, and become the pilot I have dreamed of being.
Soon after the accident though, I was kicked out of ATP. One month later, I began training at High Flight Academy in Butler, Pennsylvania and picked up with training right where I left off. It took me three months to feel confident enough to fly solo again and overcome my adversity in pilot training. Each day I soloed, the wave of anxiety due to the accident would rest on my heart until that plane lifted, but, once in the air, I would feel great. On October 4th, I passed my checkride and became a Private Pilot! I then realized that the whole experience was worth it and am currently almost done with my instrument rating. I am extremely happy to admit I have gained my confidence back. I love how procedural the instrument flying is compared to the private pilot rating. I plan to continue through my instrument, commercial, CFI, and CFII ratings, and cannot wait to see where aviation takes me.
