NOVEMBER
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INSIDE “Powering Up Your Grit” Never Give Up Dreams Do Soar! Obstacle(s)
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November 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS “Powering Up Your Grit” Three Tips for Keeping Your Dreams of Flight Aloft...................................................................................6 Life as a “Brookie”.....................................................................................................9 Announcing PreFlight Camp Success................................................................10 Pathway: Nicolas Burrows......................................................................................12 Young Eagle No. 2,000,000 Becomes a Pilot.................................................14 Never Give Up, Even When the Chance Lies in the Other Hemisphere..............................................................................................16 Future Aviation Workers.........................................................................................20 The Lakeland Aero Club Attends Triple Tree Fly-In......................................22 Dreams Do Soar!........................................................................................................24 North Idaho H.S. Aerospace Program – Update............................................29 WHY You Definitely Want to Go to the 2018 DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase!...........................................................30 Obstacle(s)...................................................................................................................34 Opportunities Abound in Volusia County........................................................39 Where Are They Now: FMA Solo Scholarship Winners...............................40 5000 Places to Go.....................................................................................................44 Fall is a Busy Time.....................................................................................................47 NOVEMBER
AT TR ACT, EDUCATE & EMPOWER YOUTH IN AVIATION
INSIDE “Powering Up Your Grit” Never Give Up Dreams Do Soar! Obstacle(s) Brought to you by:
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s. Buckley, Indie Atlantic Film Cover photo by Ashley M and Aviation pg 24 STE te the world to promo Shaesta Waiz flies around
Supporter Index: Please support these fine organizations AB Flight, LLC................................................. 29 AeroLEDs.......................................................... 46 ALSIM................................................................. 27 Aviation Insurance Resources (AIR)....... 46 Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc........ 36 California Baptist University...................... 48 Culver Props..................................................... 46 Daily Hangar.................................................... 44 Endeavor Air, Inc............................................. 11 ExpressJet Airlines........................................ 7 FlyGirl................................................................. 33 Full Torque Propellers.................................. 28 General Aviation News................................. 46 Gold Seal........................................................... 13 JSfirm.................................................................. 15 Lightspeed........................................................ 14 Lockwood Aviation....................................... 12 M-Squared Aircraft, Inc................................ 17 MATCO mfg..................................................... 19 NBAA.................................................................. 5 North Star Aviation....................................... 47 Open Air............................................................ 32 Piedmont Airlines........................................... 2 Republic Airline............................................... 43 San Antonio Light Sport Aircraft............. 23 Schweiss Doors............................................... 46 Sebring Flight Academy............................. 41 Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo............ 45 Sensenich Propeller Mfg. Co., Inc............. 21 STEM Pilot......................................................... 3 Stewart Systems............................................. 31 Team Volusia.................................................... 38 Van’s Aircraft................................................... 37 Zenith Aircraft Company............................ 42
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About AviNation AviNation exists to attract, educate and empower youth in aviation. AviNation magazine strives to give readers insight into the future of aviation by focusing on aviation students, programs, events and innovative approaches to the promotion and continued growth of the aviation industry. Staff & Contributors Publisher: Jacob Peed Copy Editor: Sarah Waychoff Administrative & Circulation Coordinator: Jessica Peed Design & Production: Megan Curtis, Lime Valley Advertising, Inc. Mankato, MN Correspondence Editorial submissions and other correspondence E-mail: jppeed@gmail.com Phone: (515) 408-3763 www.avinationusa.com Advertising Phone: (515) 408-3763 E-mail: jppeed@gmail.com www.avinationusa.com
Contributing Writers Carol Cali Christopher Ward Cindy Hasselbring Dick Knapinski Fred Zhang Jamie Helander Jana Filip Jeff Jorgenson Jill Meyers Kayleigh Bordner Ken Larson Larae Stotts Mark Euwema Taryn Pemberton Tim Kern
From the Publisher: Looking back on our cover stories over this past year, all show, collectively, the diversity that the AviNation platform represents. Why is that important? It’s important because those stories and that diversity really demonstrate to the up and comers and hopefuls, that the industry is accessible to anyone who wants it bad enough. Blue Skies - the story of a 23-year-old in her path to becoming a commercial pilot, Living the Aviation Adventure - a boy and his father and their crazy passion for aviation, and the Young Aviators Fly-In @ Triple Tree Aerodrome - two young adults who organized a successful fly-in attended by many young aviators, all interesting, engaging and core to the AviNation movement. For our last cover story of this year we feature Shaesta Waiz. And although she is young, she may not be the exact age group that we consider “youth.” However, her interest in aviation started at a young age and she has accomplished so much since then. She is exactly what AviNation is all about and her story is such an inspiration that it easily warrants a cover position. Once you read her story, I think you’ll agree. Next, I would like to give a special thank you to Team Volusia for stepping up and supporting our new section showcasing young entrepreneurs and operators through free display advertising, courtesy of the section sponsor. Team Volusia is showing that they understand today’s and tomorrow’s business leaders. Lastly, the first 10 people to email me (jppeed@gmail.com) with the subject line: “Publishers Statement” will receive a free one Year print subscription to AviNation magazine. This concludes my readership study… Fly Safe,
Jacob Peed jppeed@gmail.com
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CAREERS IN BUSINESS AVIATION Let Your Future Take Flight! Do you dream about working in aviation someday? The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has information and resources to introduce you to this exciting and rewarding career path! From scholarships, to mentoring and networking opportunities, to an annual Careers in Business Aviation Day, to an online Career Center with job listings, NBAA has tools and student discounts you can use to get started on a business aviation career path.
LEARN MORE www.nbaa.org/students
“Powering Up Your Grit” Three Tips for Keeping Your Dreams of Flight Aloft By Larae Stotts While pilots are dreamers by nature, the reality of pursuing flight is generally inseparable from the five- to six-figure price tag. Flight students also may bear the burden of periods of intermittent self-doubt, perceived regression and occasionally even failure. What, then, is a winning strategy for aspiring pilots to use against such challenges when they arise? One of the basic principles of flight describes how an object must maintain lift equal to or greater than weight (gravity) and thrust equal to or greater than drag (friction), in order to fly. Maintaining momentum as a pilot-in-training is no different.
words will instead showcase your confidence and drive: “As your new first officer, I will positively contribute my ideas through participation on the innovation committee.” When you are running a bit late, express gratitude rather than guilt. Try, “I am grateful that you chose to wait for me,” rather than, “I’m sorry for being late,” followed by an excuse. Enacting such changes may feel uncomfortable and slightly presumptuous at first. In reality, however, they show that you are sure of yourself, and you will be more equipped to face adversity with gusto.
Different Day, Different Judges
Your words are the sole pathway into your mind, so choose them wisely. Purposefully choose a tone of fearless intention in applications, interviews and everyday conversations.
As an intern with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) this summer, I was honored to participate as a guest panelist with NBAA’s Young Professionals (YoPro) Council to help select the organization’s inaugural “Top 40 Under 40 in Business Aviation.” This was one of the toughest tasks I was assigned to, and in reading about the candidates, I had two powerful revelations. To begin with, I realized that the business aviation industry has some seriously high caliber, competitive individuals.
For example, during a job interview, you might usually say, “If I am selected for the position, I would like to contribute my ideas through participation on the innovation committee.” However, changing just a few
Just imagine, for a moment, being tasked with awarding either Elon Musk or Nikola Tesla as the recipient of a singular award. With both individuals being highly accomplished, how do you make
Simply put, one’s grit must equal or exceed adversity in order to sustain flight. What follows are a number of tricks to power up your grit when adversity inevitably strikes.
Speak as Though you Believe
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such a difficult selection? After participating as a Business Aviation 40 Under 40 panel judge, I am now able to recognize that, truly, the selection simply boils down to the judges that are in the room on a given day. Therefore, when you are not the nominee for one opportunity (or one hundred), just remember that one panel may select Elon Musk, while the next may select Nikola Tesla. Both panelists are worthy, but a single judge’s vote could be the tipping point for the selection. Aviation scholarships, internships, mentorships and other opportunities are abundant, and the more attempts you make, the better the probability that your application will align with a panel of judges who feel compelled to select you. Time spent worrying about a panel that does not select you is really just time that you forgo investing toward the next opportunity. In the end, your submitted applications need only outnumber your rejections. Your grit must only match your adversities in order to eventually meet with success.
Find Your Mentor
American culture emphasizes the individual, and it can sometimes feel as though we must do everything on our own in order for it to be a true accomplishment. There is undeniable power, however, in sharing ideas and experiences as a path to learning and growing. Those who are living out your career dreams right now are the best guides to illuminate a path for you to follow. A majority of individuals in aviation would be thrilled to mentor a passionate student pilot, but crossing paths with these individuals to make connections with them in the first place can be the most difficult part of the process. In order to get a chance to firmly shake hands with the right person, you really just have to show up.
Larae with her fellow intern Emily Tobler, who is also an aviation undergraduate student and pilot
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As just one example – for myself and other students interested in careers in business aviation, this means trying to attend an industry event – like the annual NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, a YoPro networking event, or a regional business aviation association chapter meeting in your area – and shaking lots of hands. Once you have met an individual who has expressed interest in being a part of your success, think of this as a seed that has been planted and give it the proper care and attention. Nurture your new connection by calling your new mentor and asking about their present goals and challenges, sharing yours in the mix. Hand-write them a letter thanking them for their time and support. Remember, an email will likely be deleted within moments, while a handwritten card or letter is more likely to be saved and shared with others. As your relationship develops, this person will become an essential reference in times of discouragement. They will remind you who you are and share resources to help you turn insurmountable obstacles into small, manageable tasks. While adversities always seem like the worst possible scenario in the moment, such challenges provide important experiences that help you learn and sharpen your skills. By choosing your words with precision, moving past rejection quickly and seeking a mentor, you will face hardships with grit. Ultimately, if you have conviction and refuse to succumb to adversity, you will fly. Larae Stotts completed her private pilot training in 2017 at the Girls in Flight Training Academy GIFT Week. A former intern at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), she is in her final year of the Aviation Management Degree Program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT. Photo credit: John Harrington, courtesy of NBAA
LIFE AS A By Jamie Helander Hello readers! I am very excited to tell you about the amazing Brooke Owens Fellowship (BOF)! Created to honor the legacy of a beloved space industry pioneer and accomplished pilot, Dawn Brooke Owens (1980 – 2016), the Brooke Owens Fellowship is designed to serve both as an inspiration and as a career boost to capable young women who, like Brooke, aspire to explore our sky and stars, to shake up the aerospace industry, and to help their fellow men and women here on planet Earth. This is done by matching thirty-six extraordinary women per year with purpose-driven, paid internships at leading aviation and space companies and organizations and with senior and executive level mentors. I was lucky and humbled to be accepted as a “Brookie” into the Class of 2018. The BOF completely changed my life for the better – it strengthened my passion for aviation and aerospace, introduced me to a huge group of new friends, and gave me a great resume builder with top industry connections! In May, I uprooted and moved nearly 2,800 miles away to begin my summer in sunny San Carlos, California. As a Brooke Owens Fellow, I interned for one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital firms, JetBlue Technology Ventures (JTV), and the famous Hiller Aviation Museum near San Francisco, CA. At JTV, I focused on community service by developing the foundation for a nationally-recognized Girl Scouts of USA Aviation Badge. I wrote age-appropriate curriculum, forged
"BROOKIE" partnerships with the Girl Scouts of Northern California (GSNORCAL) Council and many industry companies/ organizations, solicited Letters of Support from over 100 aviation/aerospace museums, universities with aviation departments, companies, and organizations, and presented the project to GSNORCAL’s CEO and STEM staff. The other half of my internship consisted of developing, designing, producing, and directing a series of promotional and educational YouTube videos for the Hiller Aviation Museum. The series was titled “Heads Up @ Hiller!” and featured some of the coolest exhibits and attractions at Hiller! I had two jam-packed summer jobs filled with new experiences, explorations, sightseeing, fabulous life-long friendships, enhanced job skills, lots of airplanes, and traveling! On top of all of that, for 5 days in July, all the 2018 Brookies, the Fellowship Founders, mentors, supporters, etc. gathered in Washington, DC for the “Summit.” It was an amazing experience filled with guest appearances by astronauts and top aerospace industry leaders, a team-based Grand Challenge competition, private tours of the Lockheed Martin Space Experience Center and National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, one-on-one mentoring sessions, friendship building with the other Brookies, and so much more! Applications for the Class of 2019 are now being accepted! This is not too good to be true! Visit: http://www.brookeowensfellowship.org/ for more information – applications are due November 6, 2018. Check out the Brooke Owens Fellowship Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages, too!
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ANNOUNCING PREFLIGHT CAMP SUCCESS By PreFlight Aviation Camp We are happy to announce that PreFlight campers and staff have wrapped up our second successful camp during the last week of June, 2018! It was a fantastic experience for all involved, including the 14 young girls who each took to the skies! PreFlight Aviation Camp is a 501(c)3 non-profit five-day overnight camp for girls ages 11-14 held during the summer at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. In the same way that a pilot must first perform a ‘preflight’ before they can takeoff in their airplane, our camp is a young girl’s ‘preflight’ into aviation. Founded and run by a staff of professional female pilots with extensive experience, PreFlight uses aviation to transform girls’ beliefs about gender roles, build their self-esteem and inspire them to take off into their future. What sets us apart from other aviation camps is our balanced approach to relate each topic back to broader life lessons, creating healthy dialogues used to uplift and challenge each girl to think critically while empowering them through aviation. You don’t have to already have an interest in aviation to attend PreFlight and gain new and enriching experiences! Our hands-on approach to learning explores aviation through Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Campers apply their knowledge first-hand and make lifelong memories when they pilot simulators and fly an airplane on a private flight with a female instructor! We at PreFlight believe that you can’t be what you can’t see. Just telling a young person they can do something isn’t enough to empower them to do it. You have to show them. And when young women can see someone who they can immediately identify with they begin to develop real belief in possibilities. Unless more girls are exposed to aviation in their formative years, it is possible
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that we will continue to see the abysmally low number of female pilots decline. This paints a bleak future for women in aviation, and the industry as a whole. We need a deliberate effort to show them that becoming a pilot and working in aviation career fields is attainable. Our work doesn’t stop there though; because of our dedication to quality experience PreFlight includes an optional mentor program for campers and also participates in multiple outreach programs throughout the year. PreFlight Aviation Camp volunteers and board members are advocates for youth in aviation and are joining the momentum to close the aviation gender gap. By taking full advantage of being those role models as well as partnering with other grass roots organizations striving for actionable change, we hope to maximize our potential to impact the next generation. We are grateful for the many organizations who worked with us to make this camp a reality including Texas State University Air Force ROTC, LeTourneau University, RedBird Flight Simulations, Bell Helicopter, Central Texas Commemorative Air Force, CFAN composite parts production, San Marcos Regional Airport, Easy Tiger Yoga, and multiple private and business donations allowing half of the campers to receive full scholarships in 2018! We are always growing our team and welcome any support you would like to give. Tax-deductible donations are accepted through our website, as well as applications for counselors, mentors and campers for the summer 2019; dates TBD! Please visit www.preflightcamp.com to learn more and find out how you can help young girls take off into their future!
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Pathway: Nicolas Burrows By Taryn Pemberton Young, motivated, and inspiring are a few words that describe 18 year old, Nicolas Burrows. Born into an aviation-minded family, Nicolas spent much of his upbringing watching his father, Matt Burrows, both fly and work as an aircraft mechanic holding an Inspection Authorization. Nicolas was inspired at a very young age by watching shows such as “How It’s Made” and “Mythbusters”, which he believes was a beginning element toward engineering and building. Nicolas spent a great amount of time at the hangar, under the mentorship and tutelage of his father, learning the ins and outs of mechanics. Matt designed and built a biplane, dubbed Climax, during Nicolas’ formative years. This is part of what sparked his interest in building remote control (RC) airplanes beginning in elementary school. Nicolas was fortunate to be able to take a woodworking class as well as a robotics class in elementary school, which proved useful during his RC building days. He began with models made from foam, then began more difficult models that relied on his ability to make aerodynamically accurate airfoils out of wood following plans. The last RC plane that he built was a 1/3 scale L-4 that was equipped with STOL (Short Take-off and Landing) modifications. He was two months
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away from completion when a windstorm destroyed his father’s hangar where his model was being stored. After that, Nicolas decided that if he was able to build such an intricate model, he could move on to building his own airplane. Luckily, through the oversight of his father, he would have the support he needed to insure everything was done safely. He commenced searching on YouTube for various aircraft kits and stumbled onto the Legal Eagle XL. Deciding that was the project, he asked for the building plans as a gift for his 14th birthday. He spent the next few months researching, and set about building his first wing rib on January 13, 2015. He spent time building the needed individual parts, and after completing those, he embarked on assembling wing ribs. He would wake up early before school started and glue one side of the rib together leaving it to dry in a jig while at school. Upon returning home for the day, he would flip it over, glue the other side, and let it dry overnight. In the course of a month, he had built all of the ribs needed for the Legal Eagle XL project. In August 2017, Nicolas started gluing spars, and by April 4, 2018, he completed the entire wing kit and assembly. Next, it was onto aluminum tail feathers and assembling the steel tube
fuselage. His dad, Matt, helped him weld together the fuselage over Christmas break 2016, and he was able to test fit the tail feathers on the fuselage on April 6, 2018. He decided that if he was going to build an airplane, he should probably learn to fly. He began flying lessons with CFI Addison Pemberton in a Piper Super Cub and transitioned over to a Citabria that his father purchased. He soloed on his 16th birthday in the Citabria in October 2016, and just completed his private pilot checkride on August 12, 2018. As of right now, Nicolas is working through his senior year of high school taking an Aerospace Engineering class where he is learning 3D printing skills, modeling using AutoCAD and Inventor 3D, and introductory wind tunnel skills. The AutoCAD skills proved useful as he was able to model the nose ribs for the wings of his Legal Eagle XL and then utilize a CNC router to cut them out. Upon graduation, he will be seeking a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. The Legal Eagle project is over half way done with the labor intensive pieces completed. He hopes to have it fully finished and flying next summer.
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By Dick Knapinski, EAA Jodie Gawthrop got the opportunity of a lifetime in July 2016 when she was chosen to be EAA’s 2 millionth Young Eagle and take her flight with pilot and actor Harrison Ford at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016. Since then, she’s done one better – earning her own private pilot certificate this past summer. “When I became a private pilot, I felt this new sense of independence, as if more doors had been opened,” said Gawthrop, an Illinois native who took her famous Young Eagles flight at age 17. “It doesn’t feel like the end of a journey, but instead feels like the beginning of a new one with so much more to learn, and I absolutely can’t wait for what the future holds.”
Jodie Gawthrop (left) and pilot/actor Harrison Ford after their flight at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 that made Gawthrop the 2 millionth Young Eagle. Ford was Young Eagles chairman in 2003 -2008 and continues to fly Young Eagles today. (EAA photo/Mike Steineke)
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It’s been a busy summer for Gawthrop, who also fit in a study trip to Australia immediately after passing her checkride and earning her pilot certificate. She also this year had a chance meeting with Eric Whyte, who received his Young Eagles flight in August 1992 and became one of the first Young Eagles to earn a pilot certificate. He now flies professionally and has personally flown more than 600 Young Eagles. Gawthrop has also been involved with Civil Air Patrol for a number of years, giving her a firm foundation and support system for her
aviation dreams. She encourages any young person interested in flight to connect with Young Eagles. “Being a Young Eagle positively impacted my flight training journey by connecting me with the people and resources to make earning my wings possible, and helped me grow up among general aviation at its finest,” Gawthrop said. “I’m grateful for EAA and the Young Eagles program’s faith and support throughout the journey, and ultimately hope to give back to the future of flight.” Anyone age 8-17 is encouraged to find out how to obtain their own Young Eagles flight from a pilot in their hometown area. More than 2.1 million Young Eagles have now been registered, with thousands of them discovering a great future in aviation. EAA also encourages pilots to “pay it forward” by flying Young Eagles. More information for pilots, potential Young Eagles and their parents is available at EAA.org/YoungEagles.
Jodie Gawthrop (left) and Eric Whyte enjoy the cockpit of a B-24 bomber. Gawthrop became Young Eagle No. 2,000,000 in 2016 and earned her pilot certificate in July, while Whyte received his Young Eagles flight in August 1992 and became one of the first Young Eagles to earn a pilot’s certificate. (Photo courtesy Eric Whyte and EAA)
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EVEN WHEN THE CHANCE LIES IN THE OTHER HEMISPHERE By Fred Zhang “Hampton Roads Traffic, Cherokee 6577W, Solo, taking off Runway 28, Hampton Road.” Never have I ever dreamed that the day was going to come as quickly as it did. June 22nd, 2018, marked my first solo. My pursue of my dream in aviation was not as easy as others’. For one thing, I am not a US citizen; I am here on a Student Visa. For another, I did not grow up in an English-speaking country. Regardless, there I was, flying solo in the sky for the first time ever, without a trace of fear, for I knew the sky was truly my home. Unlike many other young aviators, I did not grow up with a love of aviation in mind. In fact, I only discovered the wonder of aviation three years ago, when I was in seventh grade. I was back at home in China at that time, getting a good grade on every test was the only thing I was concerned about before the love of aviation popped up. But, once it did, it took hold of me so strongly that I feel the only thing I want to do is fly. I started to learn aviation more passionately than I have ever done with any other of my hobbies. Flight simulators became my greatest source of happiness. With simulators, I could practice what I learned. I became famous in my school because of my obsession with aviation. I related everything to aviation, so much that it became annoying to some extent. Soon, I realized flying behind a screen and keyboard was not enough for me; I needed to take flying to the actual
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world. This realization led me to the most important and the best decision I have made in my entire life, to conquer the language barrier and go to a place where the sky is welcoming. Coming to the United States was the obvious decision to make. My English skill was limited; I could not even communicate with others in English, let alone talk to ATC over the radio. But, I was determined. I practiced talking to people in English, I listened to audiobooks and ATC recordings in English when I was free, I read books in English when I could. My English improved so much in the course of less than a year that people around me were amazed, all thanks to my love of aviation. About a year had passed since I started pursuing aviation. I found the courage to tell my parents that I thought I was ready to fly. This changed their view of my love of aviation a little. In the past, they took all my efforts as something like a joke; they thought it was one of those things that a child loves for a short period of time, then forgets it completely. The conversation made them think, this is probably something, but is still far from an actual dream. They had doubted my ability to fly, for a good reason (I myself was not a hundred percent convinced that I could). I had never been in a piston engine plane before; plus, who knew how accurate flight simulators were. But,
I was grateful when they gave me the chance. They took me to Guam, the easiest place to go for a discovery flight for someone from China. They got me a Cessna 172 and an instructor to sit in the right seat, and they could sit in the back. When I took off, one feeling prevailed in me, flying is easy, and it is something I want to do for my life. I can not remember much of the details about my first flight; I was too focused on thinking how to control the plane as best as I could. I flew the plane around the island and landed the plane myself without any help from the instructor. Though they never showed it, I knew my parents were shocked, and they completely changed their mind about supporting me. Right after landing, my father bought me all the books necessary to become a pilot and told me to study them. One thing my father tells everyone these days is: “You need to learn to drive with an experienced driver in a car, but my son learned to fly all by himself outside of a plane.” I was constantly asked whether I was afraid or not; the answer is no. Yes, I knew that I had an experienced instructor on my side in case anything happened, but that was not the true answer; the true answer is I was confident enough about flying that I never thought anything bad would happen.
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The flight had two effects. On one hand, I finally felt the real excitement of flying, and I was even more firm on my idea of being a pilot. On the other, my parents changed their “go to study for school” to “go to study for both school and aviation because that’s what you want to do”. With the books in hand, I discovered things that I did wrong, or not good enough. I returned to practice in flight simulators, determined to perform by the book during my next flight, if there ever was one in foreseeable future. With my mind set in coming to the US to become a pilot, my parents started actively looking for
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schools in the United States, even though they were not sure that they would want me to leave for another hemisphere this early. Exactly one year later, when I was about to finally turn 16, the age one can solo, they made up their minds to send me thousands of miles away. While I was preparing to apply for a high school, another opportunity of flight came, this time in Australia. Although it was only a normal vacation to the country, I did my best to add a discovery flight to it. I found a flight school, and off I went. I apply everything I have learned and practiced during the course of a year and applied them to the real world. This actually worked. This time I was much more natural in controlling the plane. The flight, as did the flight before it, stimulated me again. I told myself: “I could not wait another year to fly again. I need to become a pilot, so I can fly all the time.” From that flight on, until 2018, I was busily applying for high schools. I studied and passed multiple standardized tests and had multiple interviews with schools. Finally, I decided on a school in Virginia, which accepted me gladly. When the time came, I left home and flew to Virginia to start a new life with a pilot’s dream in mind. After settling down in the new environment, I started looking for flight schools that suited me. There were not many choices around; I found a small Part 41 flight school, so that I could take the ground school course online. Foreigners who want to learn to fly in the United States need to pass a background check called Alien
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Flight Student Program, run by TSA. Through this program, flight students will be thoroughly screened by FBI for any potential threats. This was an annoying process that took about 2 months. I spent the time well, however, studying through online ground school, so I would get ahead of the game. With the final permission granted (which could be withdrawn anytime they want), I finally started flying. My training took place in a 53-year-old Piper Cherokee. Though I was a little annoyed to fly such an old plane that does not even have shoulder harnesses, I fell in love with it immediately. During my first lesson, my instructor was surprised to find out that I knew how to fly that well and said he rarely finds anyone that flies so well in their first lessons, even when he was in the military. My trend of performing well on was introduced continued. The estimation of time required for my solo went from 20 to 25 hours before training, to 15 hours after a few lessons, to the final 11.2 hours, excluding the time I gained in Guam. The time had come for my first solo. My instructor flew with me, the usual three takeoffs and landings right before the solo flight. The weather was not as good as I would have liked; storm cells were passing one by one, and a moment of sunshine could turn into lightning in the next. As I was preflighting the plane for my solo, a cell had reached us. We had to stop everything at hand, for it was a nasty one according to the radar. My instructor thought I was stressed by the look of my face, but there was more anticipation than stress in my mind. I had waited for this moment for so long. Ever since my first flight in Guam, I envisioned my first solo as being enjoyable and, more importantly, perfectly controllable. True, the weather was not favoring, but I knew I was safe because I was just hanging around in the pattern, and I believe myself to be observant enough to land quickly before the weather hit. The sky cleared out; at last, I hopped into my trusty Cherokee, started the engine, made the taxi call, and made the last wave to my instructor, who was waiting patiently near the plane. I stopped thinking about how monumental the flight was going to be, while I was taxiing down the taxiway. In fact, the same thought during my first flight in Guam came back to me, to control the plane as best as I could, and this time, by the book. I took off into the air with ease; I noticed the plane was much more “flyable” without the extra weight of my instructor. It was peaceful. There was no one nearby, except a transitioning helicopter (there was no danger because both of us had made visual contact with each other). The storm cleared most of the turbulence out, and I was soaring in the sky alone. I
had no thoughts other than what I needed to do. I did my checklists, I kept the turns coordinated, and I landed safely three times. As I pulled the mixture, my instructor approached me with a smile and cheery claps of his hands. That marked my first solo, on the 22nd of June, 2018, when I was sixteen. I am still a student pilot right now, doing my cross-countries. And, I still find flying as enjoyable as I found it that day when I was in 7th grade, that day when my first flight took off in Guam, and that day when I flew solo for the first time. As usual for the past three years, I am again waiting, waiting for the day I turn seventeen. That day is going to be the day I become a private pilot. Like many other young aviators, I am pursuing a career in aviation. Piloting is going to be a part of it, of course. But, much more than that, I am interested in the whole industry, and that is the industry I want to put my life into.
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FUTURE AVIATION WORKERS By Christopher Ward When we do not prepare for the future we are setting ourselves up for failure. We must constantly look for opportunities to help the next generation soar to even greater heights. When TJ, the former Young Eagles coordinator for Chapter 429, was preparing to retire, he started to mentor me. He wanted someone fully qualified to encourage youth to explore aviation. He demonstrated how he organized a Young Eagle event. During the next event, he observed as I took charge at an event and gave me pointers on how to make the event fun for the children. When I was contacted by the Cub Scouts to help support them for their aviation camp week a few years ago, I was prepared. I contacted Jefferson City and Mexico airports to get the doors open, so they could be exposed to all aspects of aviation at both airports. Zenith Aircraft Company opened their doors to give the youth an opportunity to see how sports aircraft kits are built. I was building a 750 Cruzer at the factory, so EAA Chapter 429 members helped build my wings. The wing skin was in a position, so the Cub Scouts could pull rivets on my wings. Over three days, 150 Cub Scouts toured the factory and pulled rivets on my wings. In my position as President of Victory Comics, I am constantly looking for celebrity life stories, which help encourage youth. We cannot afford to leave any child behind. We must teach them to learn from history and not repeat our past failures. Floyd Patterson as a child hated himself having come out of poverty. Floyd believed that he was responsible for everything bad
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that happened to his family. Once he learned that it was okay to enjoy his childhood, he started to love himself. He was able to become the Heavyweight Champion of the world and a Private Pilot. Larry Holmes was raised in a home without a father. His family went from one of the poorest to the wealthiest in Easton, PA. In my position as Youth Specialist for the State of Missouri, I introduce the youth to aviation. We need to create opportunities which will help lead them into aviation careers. My next book, “On a Wing and a Prayer�, will help inspire them. Creating inspirational reading material is only one part of the solution, especially in a society where young people would rather play video games than read. We are losing the battle to games which glorify violence and the use of drugs. EAA Chapter 429 and 32 in Missouri want to offer flight scholarships of $500, which will be matched by the local flight schools. The problem is: where will the money come from to support the programs? Victory Comics will sell all of the original artwork used to create its books with 50% going to scholarships. We will use 10% of all online sales to help students reach their aviation goals. We need aviation companies and schools to help students reach their aviation goals and support our efforts. Please visit www.victorycomicsinc.com, or send a check to an EAA Chapter to use for aviation education. When I am asked, why do you work as a Youth Specialist? I ask them, would you prefer our youth working in aviation or breaking into your homes?
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THE LAKELAND AERO CLUB ATTENDS TRIPLE TREE FLY-IN By Carol Cali The Triple Tree Aerodrome has fast become a welcome destination for the Lakeland Aero Club who returned for the second time this year. Eight (8) members of the high school flying club attended the 12th Annual Triple Tree Fly-In in Woodruff, South Carolina. This past June, six (6) members of the club flew their planes to the Youth Aviation Weekend held at Triple Tree. Layton Bracey was pilot-in-command for this trip flying the club’s 1953 Piper PA-18. At just 18 years old, Bracey is currently working on his commercial rating and is a Freshman studying Business Administration at Polk State College. The Lakeland Aero Club was joined by SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In’s Director of Business Development and Airshow Operations, Greg Gibson, flying SUN ‘n FUN’s 1941 Stearman. Seven (7) members of the club rotated for flight time with Bracey and Gibson. One member, Hunter Hallstrand, a 17 year old Senior at Central Florida Aerospace Academy, recently completed his first powered solo. Similar to other members, Hallstrand first soloed on a glider earlier this year. The group of 6 young men and 2 young women worked together on the trip’s preparations including flight plans. “This was tough for me” says Mike Zidziunas (aka Mike Z.). “This was the first trip that I’ve not been in the air (with my members). I had complete confidence in our pilots and their capabilities but had to do so from the ground this time.” The club’s second plane, a Piper PA-11, suffered unpredictable damage to its Continental C-85 engine that was detected after flying from Lakeland, FL to AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI this past July. Damage to one of the cylinders grounded the airplane at AirVenture, and after a thorough inspection by the Lakeland Aero Club members and mechanics from Don’s Dream Engines, it was determined that the engine was in need of a complete overhaul. A fundraising campaign is underway to complete the overhaul and to return to pick up the plane that had to be left behind in Oshkosh.
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For those following the “Bring Miss Bonnie Home” fundraising campaign, it is estimated that the engine will be ready by Mid-October for pickup in Alabama followed immediately by a trip back to Oshkosh, WI to reattach the engine and fly the plane back home to Lakeland, FL. “we’re about half-way there on our fundraising campaign” says Mike Z. “but we need to get the plane back (to Lakeland, FL) for the members’ use as soon as possible”. This was Gibson’s first time flying on a trip along with the Lakeland Aero Club. “The opportunity to fly with the members of the Lakeland Aero Club, especially in our Stearman, and share with them the excitement that I feel when I fly this plane was remarkable” says Gibson. “It was also a reminder why tremendous effort is put into making sure our annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo is successful. The SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In is the biggest fundraising event for our ACE programs and its scholarships. It was also one of the reasons why we were so pleased to be able to attend the Triple Tree Fly-In and show our support of their programs just as they support ours”. The members of the club were personally welcomed to Triple Tree by Pat Hartness and his volunteers. The Fly-In was a success and an experience that the club members won’t forget. Although the summer heat extended into September, they enjoyed the fellowship at the evening BBQs and the fun of camping under the wings of their planes. One story that will be retold was that they were schooled how to properly shuck corn by Mr. Pat himself. SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In and The Lakeland Aero Club co-presented a seminar “The Sky is Just the Beginning” – the Overview of the Aerospace Center for Excellence”
during the Triple Tree Fly-In. Both Gibson and Mike Z. shared how the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) is addressing the critical need for getting young people engaged in aerospace activities that best prepare them for tomorrow’s challenges. They challenged others to make an impact in their own clubs, chapters, and communities. The Lakeland Aero Club members passed out challenge coins to attendees that shared how they would “take the challenge” once they returned home. There is never a shortage of hands that are raised when there’s an opportunity to take to the skies and attend a Fly-In or aviation event. The club has a number of events on the calendar over the coming months so be on the lookout for their yellow cubs! ABOUT AEROSPACE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE, INC.: The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has emerged as a nationally recognized leader in STEM-related and aerospace education through its various learning centers, outreach programs, summer camps and scholarships aimed at preparing students for tomorrow’s aerospace challenges. Located on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus in Lakeland, Florida, the organization is known for its annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo fundraising event as well as the Aerospace Discovery Museum which is Florida’s Official Aviation Museum and Education Center. ACE is the world’s leader in producing licensed teenage private pilots and delivers youth programs that engage over 30,000 students a year. For more information, www.ACEedu.aero. ABOUT THE LAKELAND AERO CLUB: The Lakeland Aero Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit high school flying club that teaches high school and college age students how to fly and restore antique airplanes. Members of the club have the ability to receive hands on experience in any aspect of aviation they so desire. Membership is available to any High School or College student within the ages of fourteen and twenty-four, who express an interest in aviation, are of good moral character, and are academically achieving. Members of the Lakeland Aero Club are primarily responsible for maintaining the club’s aircraft, maintaining the club’s facility, and maintaining the club’s reputation. The Lakeland Aero Club exists to provide an opportunity for local youth to get involved and make a future in aviation. For more information, www.lakelandaeroclub.org.
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By Jill Meyers All young girls and boys dream of what they want to be when they grow up. Some want to be a doctor. Others want to be a firefighter. And some even dream of being a pilot. When Shaesta Waiz was a young girl, she thought her future would be to marry at a young age and have a large family, like the generations of women before her. But once Shaesta discovered her passion for flying at the age of 18, she set her mind on a career in aviation and never gave up. Shaesta went from being born in an Afghan refugee camp to becoming the first certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan, and the youngest woman to fly solo around the world in a single-engine aircraft. Shaesta and the nonprofit organization she founded, Dreams Soar, Inc., are here to show the world that dreams do come true! Shaesta and her family fled to the United States when she was barely a year old to escape the Soviet-Afghan war. She and her five sisters grew up in Richmond, California, where they mostly spoke their native Afghan language at home. They attended school in an underprivileged district and Shaesta recalls the challenges of her childhood. “I struggled in school. I couldn’t read a chapter book in English until 10th grade,” she says. “Substitute teachers, sharing textbooks with classmates, and watching friends drop out of high school was the norm.” Though she is highly intelligent (one of her middle school teachers remembers Shaesta vividly and recently described her as being “brilliant”), Shaesta didn’t apply herself to school due to her situation and assumed path of growing up to be only a wife and mother. She didn’t believe she needed the education, so why work hard to study geography and math, for example, classes she didn’t believe would help her in life? Then, at the age of 18, Shaesta took her first ride in an airplane to visit family in Florida. It was during that cross-country flight that she discovered her passion for flying, and for the first time, she thought about becoming a pilot. Shaesta gathered the confidence and strength to pursue her own dreams, rather than settle for a life without a professional career. “I realized it didn’t have to be that way,” she says. “After a while, I stopped listening to people who told me that Afghan women can’t do certain things. There were others who would tell me ‘you’re not smart enough [to be a pilot]’, but flying was my passion. I couldn’t escape how empowered I felt by being in an aircraft, so I fought for it and persisted.” After doing research on where to get the best aviation education, Shaesta set her targets to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. But first she had to enhance her skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), skills that are critical to becoming a commercial pilot. She attended community college for a brief time to increase her knowledge in STEM subjects and was then accepted to Embry-Riddle. As a student, she founded the Women’s Ambassadors Program to increase female student enrollment at the university, which she and her team did successfully, raising the female enrollment from 13 to 22 percent in three years. The Women’s Ambassador Program still exists today, providing support and mentorship to female students studying aviation and engineering. Shaesta graduated from Embry-Riddle with three diplomas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics; a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in General Aeronautics, Aviation, Aerospace and Technology; and a master’s degree in Aeronautics with a specialization in Management and Operations.
While at Embry-Riddle, Shaesta heard about a man named Barrington Irving, a Jamaican-born pilot who flew around the world in 2007 in a custom-built Columbia 400, setting the world record as the youngest person to fly solo around the world. It started Shaesta thinking about doing something big like that to inspire young children, especially girls, all over the world. If someone like Shaesta could start out life in an Afghan refugee camp, work hard through school and flight training and obtain her commercial pilot license in America, how could she be a role model for other young girls? Shaesta set her mind to figure it out. She recalls one of her strongest inspirations, Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world back in 1964 in a Cessna 180 called “Three Eight Charlie”, the last three digits in her airplane’s registration number, N1538C. Shaesta had the courage to contact Jerrie, who hosted Shaesta for a visit in her home, and then went on to be a mentor to Shaesta until her passing in 2014. “I was very nervous when I first met her,” Shaesta says. “I asked her the first place she went after her trip, and she told me she went to Afghanistan. I was ecstatic. I took it as a sign.” This was the beginning of Dreams Soar, Inc., the nonprofit organization that Shaesta founded in 2014.
a o S Dreams Soar began with the “Dream Team”, a group of Embry-Riddle students that Shaesta pulled together, all with varying STEM-related skills and talents, and all passionate about Dreams Soar’s mission to inspire the next generation. Once the Dream Team was assembled, Shaesta added a Board of Directors and Advisory Council, filled with seasoned professionals with industry experience. Then she contacted several “earthrounders” for mentoring and guidance, pilots who had successfully flown around the world, including Barrington Irving, who remains one of Shaesta’s mentors to this day. After about three years of in-depth route planning, flight training, fundraising, and defining an Outreach Program to meet with young students all across the globe, Shaesta was finally ready. She departed from Daytona Beach on May 13, 2017, in a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 aircraft, to start off the “Global Flight for STEM”. As Shaesta flew the aircraft solo around the world, the Dreams Soar team was on the ground working day and night to manage outreach event planning, fundraising, flight and ground logistics, social media, risk and security management, and aircraft maintenance.
The initial plan was for Shaesta to fly around the world in 90 days, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Due to three major weather delays (and one aircraft maintenance issue), the trip ended up taking 145 days. Shaesta’s first official stop on the Global Flight was Columbus, Ohio, the hometown of Jerrie Mock, where Shaesta was greeted by a group of aviation fans including Jerrie’s sister, Susan Reid. She then continued on to Montréal, Canada, location of the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the governing body of civil aviation worldwide. ICAO’s support of the Global Flight was instrumental in coordinating the logistics of the Bonanza arriving in and departing from the international airports. Shaesta departed Canada from St Johns, Newfoundland in early June for the 2-part Atlantic Ocean crossing. The primary flight across the blue water lasted 9 and a half hours, and Shaesta landed at Santa Maria, an island in the Azores, owned by Portugal. Jerrie Mock had landed there as well during her solo flight, so this stop was very
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meaningful to Shaesta. After a day of rest, she flew almost 7 and a half hours to Madrid, Spain, the first European stop with planned Outreach events. After several route changes due to weather, Shaesta’s Global Flight in the Bonanza took her to Cagliari; Italy; Athens, Greece; Cairo, Egypt; Manama, Bahrain; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; Mangalore, India; Columbo, Sri Lanka; Phuket, Thailand; Singapore; Bali, Indonesia; Darwin and Cairns, Australia; Magenta, New Caledonia; Nadi, Fiji; Pago Pago, America Samoa; Kiritimati “Christmas Island”, Kiribati; and to Honolulu, Hawaii. From Hawaii, Shaesta completed the last leg of the Pacific Ocean crossing, flying 14 and a half hours nonstop to Hayward, California, close to the city where she grew up. After a brief rest and some routine maintenance on the aircraft, Shaesta continued across the U.S. to complete her circumnavigation. She finished her solo flight around the world by landing back at Daytona Beach International Airport on October 4, 2017. By the end of the Global Flight, Shaesta had flown just under 25,000 nautical miles (approximately 28,500 statute miles) with 30 stops in 20 countries across five continents.
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Since every cloud has a silver lining, some of these delays resulted in the ability to add more stops and more Outreach events. Shaesta also flew on commercial flights to London, England; Mumbai, India; and Kabul, Afghanistan during her trip, to meet with children in those countries, even though she was unable to reach those cities in the Bonanza. Dreams Soar held 32 Outreach events in 14 different countries, and Shaesta personally inspired over 3,000 young children and college students, introducing them to STEM education and careers, and talking about her journey to becoming the first female certified civilian pilot from her home country of Afghanistan. Each of the 30 stops was unique, and the Outreach events were managed by a local team including Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies, and often leaders of local Women in Aviation International (WAI) chapters. Spending two days in Afghanistan had significant and deep meaning to Shaesta, as she returned to her home country for the first time, meeting with President Ghani and his staff, and also having the opportunity to speak with hundreds of young girls and women. When speaking with students from all different cultures, Shaesta’s message remains the same – “work hard, never give up, and continue to follow your dreams”, just as she has done. Shaesta has received several honors since completing her flight. She is the recipient of the National Aeronautic Association’s 2017 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Trophy, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s 2018 Trophy for Current Achievement, and the Royal Institute of Navigation’s 2018 Certificate of Achievement. “Inspiring 3,000 children worldwide was a great accomplishment for Dreams Soar, however we still have a long way to go with our efforts,” Waiz said when the global flight officially concluded. “The biggest lesson I learned on the flight is that women need more role models in STEM and aviation to prove that we can be successful in these exciting fields.” Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly into space, once said, “Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday. You can’t be what you can’t see.” Dreams Soar, Inc. is proud to be continuing their efforts to inspire the next generation and to provide role models to young girls around the globe, encouraging and empowering them to let their dreams soar. For more information about Dreams Soar, Inc. visit dreamssoar.org.
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NORTH IDAHO H.S. AEROSPACE PROGRAM - UPDATE By Ken Larson One month ago this 1942 Army Trainer was delivered to high school hangar by volunteers. Students agreed to work Saturdays and Sundays to have her flying in a month. They did it! Students completed hail damage and other repairs on their “new” 1942 Army Trainer. This photo of Daniel says it all, I think. Daniel celebrates, while SHS senior Arianna and recent grad Lilly double check brake installation they just completed. This moment started the count down to first flight. Job well done. These middle and high school students know the lost art of fabric repair on old airplanes. The students now own three airplanes – 2006 Zodiac they built, 1945 Taylorcraft restoration in progress and this beautiful 1942 TG-6 which flew yesterday. Congratulations to all of you students whose fingerprints are on these historic birds. We are proud of this incredible achievement.
LEADING THE WAY IN LIGHT SPORT AVIATION
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WHY YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO GO TO THE 2018
DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase!
By Jana Filip There are a lot of good reasons to attend the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase, November 1-3, 2018, which is THE sport aviation event of the year completely Focused on Flying for FUN! Here are just a few of the main reasons. 1. TO EXPLORE Check out the wild and wonderful world of sport aviation with more than a hundred exhibitors showcasing all kinds of recreational aircraft including: ultralights and light sport aircraft, rotorcraft and trikes, powered parachutes and paragliders, and virtually every kind of experimental aircraft. See the latest technologies and the newest trends in recreational aircraft that you can build yourself, or buy ready-to-fly. Some manufacturers may even take you up in demo flights that run all day, every day, for the three-day event. 2. TO LEARN Choose what you want to know more about with a full schedule of forums and workshops. Zenith Aircraft will be conducting fuselage and wing-building workshops where attendees of all ages actually help build a real plane. You might be surprised
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how easy it is to build your own plane from a kit with simple skills and tools. Meet and talk to AOPA’s Florida Ambassador, Jamie Beckett, who will be talking about flying clubs and ways you can get up in the air through AOPA’s You Can Fly program that is all about youth programs in your area. Discover various options for flight training including flight schools and colleges that you may want to attend if you are considering a career in aviation. Speakers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will be presenting educational forums geared to aspiring high school students. In fact, most of the forums and workshops on Saturday will be geared to students. Some organizations will also be offering college scholarships that could turn your dreams into reality. 3. TO ENJOY! Live life to the fullest in three full days of aviation fun and festivities including good food, live music, cool stuff to buy, skydiving exhibitions, and more.
visit, Pat & Toni’s, that also has a lot of unusual candies that you rarely see anywhere else. There are also the outdoor activities in the area like swimming in clear, fresh-water springs that come up from the ground, taking a boat tour to see the local wildlife, or renting a boat to go fishing in the St. Johns River where the bass are as plentiful as the gators! The DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase welcomes aviation enthusiasts of all ages—whether you are just starting to get interested in flying or you’ve been into aviation for as long as you can remember! 4. TO CHECK OUT DeLAND! Besides all of the exhibits and things to do at the Showcase, you’ll also want to plan some time to check out the City of DeLand. First of all, DeLand is a college town, home of Stetson University, so college students are everywhere. Secondly, the city is known for all kinds of interesting things to see and do like unique shops, tours, fantastic places to eat, shops with homemade ice cream, and one of the best handmade candy stores you’ll ever
As the sun sets, things really get going (college town, remember?) with live theater shows, and places with live music and dancing like Café DaVinci where everything happens outdoors. There is even one park nearby called DeLeon Springs where you can swim in the cool spring waters and then walk into an old sugar mill that’s converted to a gift shop and restaurant where you can cook your own pancakes right at your table! You will definitely want to plan an extra day or two for some of the fun things to do in the DeLand area where even the historical downtown has been voted The Best Mainstreet in America in 2017. If you still want more to do, DeLand is less than a half hour drive from Daytona Beach!
GIVE THE GIFT OF FLIGHT “Aviation touches nearly everyone’s lives. OPEN AIR was written as a family-friendly guide to inspire anyone with an interest in aviation. It includes ‘pilot hacks’ to save time and money and compliments programs that give rides to share aviation by answering the ‘20 FAQ’s’ I’ve dubbed the ‘two hour conversation.’ It is the most compehensive tool to promote aviation as an ideal STEM learning platform.” A dynamic, inspirational aviation speaker, Jeff helps organizations navigate the aviation revolution with strategic solutions. A portion of the proceeds of book sales at speaking events go to the organization to help cover his modest speaking fee.
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MAKE PLANS NOW Plan now to attend the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase at the DeLand Municipal Airport (KDED), November 1-3, 2018. Visit the website at SportAviationShowcase.com and search on #DSAS18 to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. You can also browse some of the other things to do in the DeLand area at VisitWestVolusia.com. If your company is looking at a relocation or possible expansion, be sure to tour the DeLand Sport Aviation Village while on the DeLand Airport campus. The Village is a 40-acre tract at the DeLand Municipal Airport and is heavily supported by Team Volusia Economic Development Council, a public/private economic development organization that stands ready to assist. Team Volusia, a 3rd year Elite Sponsor of the DeLand Showcase, provides location assistance that is free and confidential. Also a team player, Team Volusia recognizes the value of investing in aviation youth entrepreneurs as evidenced in this issue of AviNation. These are just some of the reasons WHY you will want to attend the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase—the event of the year completely Focused on Flying for FUN! But if you still need another reason, all students will be admitted free of charge to the Showcase on Saturday! See you in DeLand!
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OBSTACLE(S)
By Kayleigh Bordner
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Obstacle(s). The dictionary defines an obstacle as “something that obstructs or hinders progress.” Every person in the history of the human race has had to overcome some form of obstacle in his or her life. It doesn’t matter when the obstacle is encountered or how big/small it is perceived to be; what matters is how each individual deals with them. The reason why I am putting so much emphasis on obstacles today is because when pursuing aviation as a career or hobby, there are plenty of them to encounter. When an individual begins showing an interest in aviation and starts asking around about it, they hear all of the encouraging sides of aviation. You hear how amazing aviation is, how much freedom you can gain, how it’s the career to get into right now because of the “pilot shortage,” and so on. But, what a lot of people don’t tell you about is the obstacles that you might encounter during your time in aviation. Now, this article isn’t written with the intent to scare anyone off, tell them that aviation is hard, or they shouldn’t get into it. It’s quite the opposite. I want to use my own personal struggles in aviation as an example to show up and coming aviation enthusiasts that yes, there will be tough spots, and there will even be times where you feel like quitting. However, when you overcome that obstacle it’s so rewarding. If you read my first article in the January 2018 edition of AviNation, then you already know my back story of how I began my aviation journey. If you didn’t read it…go find a copy! So many people tell me that I have a charmed life, or that I am living the dream. I will admit that I have been very blessed throughout my life, but like everyone else I have had my fair share of struggles. There have been times where I have wanted to quit, or times when I have gotten so burnt out on aviation that I didn’t even want to look at an airplane. I can still remember my biggest struggle in aviation was when I was working on my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate. I had started that training when I was a junior at Indiana State University (during the summer of 2015) with so much focus and determination. But, somewhere along the line that focus started to slip away. A lot of people say that your junior year of college is the hardest because it’s your third year in school, and you’re so close to the finish but still so far. On top of my flight training, I was booked solid with
difficult classes that I needed to pass with high marks, so I could maintain my 3.9 GPA. I was working so hard to make sure that my studying wasn’t compromised by focusing solely on my CFI lesson plans. Trying to be 110% perfect at both was hard enough. To throw even more into the mix, I was having some personal relationship issues with two friends, one of which was a really close friend, that I was having to deal with. This person was extremely close to me, so it was hitting me pretty hard. With all of that bearing down on me, I started to fall apart; I was stressed beyond belief and started to hit my max. You could say I was just plain burnt out. I noticed that I was having issues when I started to cancel flight lessons with my instructor. I didn’t want to go out to the airport, and I dreaded the thought of even showing up at the airport. It was so overwhelming. Here I was, someone who had so much passion for aviation (it had been my entire life for the past four years), and I didn’t want anything to do with it. I told myself it was just a phase, and I would be able to push through it. But, when I would go actually fly, I was messing up maneuvers. I couldn’t talk through what I was doing (and if any of you have your CFI, you know that’s pretty important). I was also tripping over my words constantly…to be quite frank, my flying was horrible. By the end of the flights, I just felt worse about myself and my skills than when I had started. My ground lessons weren’t going much better. I was falling behind on those too. Like I said, I was a mess. I considered quitting multiple times, but I knew that I would regret it if I did. I ended up confessing to my instructor what was all going on, especially with my personal issues. He looked at me with a serious face, and he asked me, “Do you go to church?” It kind of caught me off guard a little bit. I am a Christian, but with everything going on in my life I hadn’t made time to go to church. He told me that maybe I should start going to church, and that I should pray about the issues that I was having with my friends. He also told me that I should really analyze my relationship with each one and go from there. He said that sometimes even if you want someone in your life, it’s not the best for either of you. That to me was really hard to grasp. Anyhow, fast forward a few weeks. I had started going to church again when I could, and I prayed a lot for God to give me guidance on the situation. I laid all of my worries on Him. My stress level was going down a bit, but my flying was still super discouraging. My lowest point was when my instructor and I went to a smaller airport close by in the Piper Arrow I was flying for my CFI training. It was surrounded by trees, a shorter airstrip than I was used to, but nothing that I couldn’t handle….or so I thought. There was a decent direct crosswind that day, but still….I should have been able to handle it. I came
in high, fast, and was trying so hard to land the plane, but couldn’t do it. I heard my instructor say go around, but I was so focused on trying to land that I was a couple seconds to slow. And, with the trees at the other end approaching, he took the plane. I was about in tears that day. I was crushed. Why couldn’t I land this airplane at that airport. That was the lowest point I had ever been in my aviation career. My confidence was crushed. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be a pilot; that I shouldn’t even be a pilot. I remember going home and just crying myself to sleep that night. I was ready to throw in the towel and “hang up my wings” for good. I prayed so hard at that point for guidance from God, and I called my dad for advice. He told me something along the lines of “Kiddo, you can’t let this stuff get to you. You know you can do it. You have to pick yourself back up, brush yourself off, and get back on the horse. Get all of the negativity out of your mind, and go at it with a fresh positive attitude.” That was the day I had my “CFI break.” Again, if any of you have been instructors or have gone through CFI training, you know that point where you can’t seem to do anything right. But, the next time you go fly, you nail everything! I took my dad’s advice, and armed with Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, my next flight was 100 times better than how I had been doing. That was a small sliver of hope for me, and things started to make a turn for the better. I was still stressed out about school, but what college student isn’t? I was making significant strides of improvement with my flying and instructing skills, my confidence was coming back, and the issues that I had with my friends were resolved for the meantime. I went on to take my CFI checkride in December 2015, and passed with flying colors. The joy that I experienced while shaking my examiner’s hand after he told me “Congratulations you’re an instructor now” will be one that I remember for years! From that point on, I have always thought about what my instructor and my dad had said. I ran into such a huge obstacle in my aviation career, but through the help of others and God, I was able to get through
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them. Each person runs into their own personal struggles during life. Whether it’s financial issues, health problems, learning at a slower pace, self confidence; the list can go on for pages of the different obstacles that we encounter in aviation and in life. What separates individuals from each other is how you handle what is thrown at you. Giving up and quitting is a choice that you could make, but do you really think you’re going to be happy being a quitter when you look back on that? Or, you can “pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and get back on the horse.” Find your strength where you can; in religion, music, family, whatever helps you; use it to your advantage. Take a deep breath, maybe take some time off to unwind a little and analyze the situation, and figure out what you need to do to get back on the horse. Trust me, if I would have given up when I felt like it, I would have never gotten to where I am today. I probably would have given up on other dreams that I have. Once you allow yourself to give up once, I’m inclined to say that you will probably allow yourself to do it again. So, don’t! Be confident in yourself and your skills. Work hard to achieve your dreams, and above all else, don’t let anything get in your way.
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Where Are They Now:
FMA SOLO SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Copyright ©2018 by Tim Kern, for use of FMA and AviNation. All rights reserved.
Everybody seems to be lamenting the lack of new pilots, and a few institutions are doing something about it, but the Flying Musicians Association decided to look at factors that make a good pilot and tailor a program that would maximize success. Among the things that make a good pilot – crew management and working as a team; timing; motor and cognitive skills – airlines and the Air Force have long recognized these traits as common to successful pilot candidates. Like the airlines and the Air Force, so have Music Directors looked for these traits. Split-second timing, holding a group together when the edges are unraveling, using each person on the team to coordinate a successful performance, and stepping into leadership, without being asked but when needed for the success of the mission – band directors rely on these students. Band directors, because they see their students truly get tested every day and usually over several years, are also the closest to their students; they hear the dreams and disappointments, see the successes and failures (and the response to them). They are in unique relationships with high schoolers. Music teachers, not because they know what makes good pilots, but what makes good musicians – are good spotters of innate flying talent. And they know what their students’ dreams are. Maybe the student musician also wants to fly. So the FMA receives nominations for the students from music teachers. Then there’s the question of finance. Many organizations award scholarships to aspiring flight students, but, sadly, we know that most student starts don’t make it to solo, and even more never
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matriculate to that golden PPL. And one of the biggest obstacles isn’t a lack of motivation; it’s a lack of funding. In 2015, the FMA began a new program, designed to look at those young musicians most likely to complete their flight training and get a license, taking into all these aspects. And the FMA Board came up with a program to do this. Since the FMA literally is “Pilot Musicians sharing their passion while encouraging and educating youth (& adults) in the science and art of aeronautics and music,” a goal of encouraging music students in their parallel quest to reach for the sky seemed like a good idea. FMA realizes that throwing money at a recipient is not the key. Scholarships are precious, and scholarships run like a lottery expect results no better than the lottery. The FMA decided to get the most from sponsors’ money; the expected result is success. The true hidden gem in the FMA program is that each student is also mentored by the FMA network of pilot/ musicians. This vast (over 600 members) network consist of those who are reaching for success and those who have succeeded. Members are encouraged to reach out to assist not only the recipients but all the nominees who are now part of FMA as student members. Follow along and lend your support at www. FMAsolo.org. But there’s still that thing about finances. FMA knew that supplying resources to get students into the air was critical, but if that student could not continue flying (for valid financial reasons), the dream, the short-lived opportunity would be just that – a dream, and perhaps even a bitter one.
So FMA structured the scholarship so that the payment would go to the student, to reimburse his or her flight training, through solo -- get a student used to paying for time, and all that. Not only did that weed out unserious students, it meant that the serious ones would be able to continue flying. Has it worked? In a word, yes. Of the eight students so far awarded scholarships, six have soloed and two have earned their tickets, with more in the pipeline.
Drew Medina at University of Florida - AFROTC
2015 awardee Drew Medina is now a Junior at the University of Florida. Drew recently was recently a Distinguished Graduate (top 10%) of the AFROTC Field Training. He has soloed, and is working on his written exam, towards his Private. Sarah Coffelt, 2016 scholarship recipient, Sarah Coffelt has soloed and has logged hours in a 172, ultralights, and an experimental as she builds hours and experience toward her PPL. She’s a sophomore, studying Civil Engineering at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, looking to play with a student-led ensemble this fall. Sarah works at the Tullahoma Regional Airport in the summer. In 2017, Aaron Smokovitz of Michigan received the FMA scholarship, and has firewalled his flying since then, having earned his Private Pilot certificate. He continues his music as a freshman with a music scholarship at Oakland University of Michigan in the OU symphonic band, freshman band, brass band, and jazz band, with a Mechanical Engineering major and Music minor. Putting flying and engineering together, he is also building a Legal Eagle ultralight with a 1/2 VW powerplant.
Aaron Smokovitz
Tennessee’s own Isaac Hill also received a Isaac Hill FMA Solo Scholarship in 2017 (thank you, Sponsors -- four scholarships in 2017!) and is building time, having already earned his PPL. He’s a freshman at the University of Tennessee with a major in Aerospace Engineering. He’s keeping up his music, too, as a member of the Pride of the Southland Band at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Immanuel Santos of Florida was a finalist in 2017. He has completed his PPL while now continuing his instrument training at Embry
Immanuel Santos after a successful Checkride
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Riddle in Daytona, and plays clarinet in ERAU’s Pep Band. Another dedicated student, already a Private pilot! William Knauth of Pennsylvania) is FMA’s fourth 2017 Solo Scholarship recipient, and he has already soloed. William is a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University. FMA’s 2018 scholarship recipients, John Laughman of Ohio and Nathan Nothelle of Michigan, are both working toward their solo flights. John is also finishing his A&P Certification, and continues his musicianship as a freshman at Sinclair Community College, majoring in Aviation. Nathan is a freshman at Western Michigan University, and is continuing studies in Aviation Technical Operations while marching with the Bronco band.
William Knauth
Thank you, Sponsors. An idea is only as good as its results, and so far, the FMA Student Scholarship winners have shown that the program is encouraging and helpful. Not only have the awardees flourished in both music and aviation, but many of the finalists, too, have soloed, with a couple also having earned their PPLs. FMA has been told that the encouragement and focus of the application process have spurred them on to “getting on with it.” And we have more pilots.
John Laughman
To FMA’s program sponsors, the organization is eternally grateful. Special thanks go to Bose Aviation, BOSE, Sporty’s Pilot Shop, MYGOFLIGHT, Gleim Aviation, Hartzell Propellers, Daher, ForeFlight. Honda Power Equipment. FMA also acknowledges Aviators Hot Line, Trade-A-Plane, AviNation, and 121five.com for their extensive help in raising awareness for these and other FMA programs. More: http://flyingmusicians.org/members/page.php?49
Nathan Nothelle at WMU Broncos band camp
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5000 PLACES The allure of aviation is the freedom it affords those who take to the sky. With over 5000 airports dotting the American countryside, I have learned that adventure is just a short flight away. But adventure has morphed over the years as my age, and by default my grey hair, has granted me wisdom lest seat of your pants adventure. My wisdom has led me to understand that to truly enjoy the adventure that flying is, I must protect my aircraft. An aircraft allows one to see parts of the country that are remote and unseen by the majority of the population. Early morning flights over the great lakes with only inky black below and the hazy break of dawn dimming the stars, or low flights over the crevices that scar the southwestern countryside, these are images that General Aviation pilots are privy to. But without the knowledge that your aircraft was maintained and protected at each destination an adventure could be cut short or simply not happen. In December of 1978 I headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Ironwood, for a ski vacation with my family. I was fortunate to have a father who flew and taught me to fly. He and a friend had dropped the family Bonanza (1956 G) in Madison so that I could join them after classes Friday and take my then girlfriend with me for the weekend. The plan was to be reversed after the weekend as I was to take the plane back to Madison on Sunday. This is the plane I had grown
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up with and earned my instrument ticket with; I thought I knew this airplane. Friday afternoon we took off and stopped in Stevens Point to pick up my sister, then on to Ironwood. In my early years as a pilot I didn’t have the wherewithal to park a borrowed plane in a hangar to avoid the winter wind and blowing snow. The Bonanza was always hangared at the home base in Waukesha. Instead, on this trip, I left it tied down on the ramp for two days while I enjoyed skiing. Late Sunday afternoon we returned to the airport for the flight back again. The weather had deteriorated and snow was flying. The plane was iced over from the wet weather of the previous few days. To our best efforts, we could not get the plane to start and had we been able to, de-icing was a major concern to get our Bonanza in the sky. The local FBO had a Piper Warrior that I was able to rent, but even that plane was not under cover and only slightly more protected from the weather. In, now lightly, snowing conditions
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Fall is a Busy Time By AOPA, Cindy Hasselbring Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and here in Maryland, leaves are already starting to change color and fall to the ground. It is also a busy time of year. School is back in full swing, fall sports are in the middle of their seasons, and the holidays aren’t too far away either. Fall is a great time to get more involved in the aviation community near you, whether you are learning how to fly at a local airport, or taking an aviation course at your school. Many local flight schools offer introductory flights at cheaper rates, and AOPA has a website that can assist you in finding a flight school near you to schedule one, https://www.aopa.org/learntofly/school/. Another way to get more involved is to find an aviation community at the airport. Aviation Career Exploring is a hands-on approach to digging deeper into aviation careers in an out-of-school setting. Students learn from aviation professionals, hands-on activities, leadership and volunteer experience, and more. This national program is for young men and women from 6th grade to 20 years
old and offers the opportunity to get more involved through local posts. For more information, visit the Aviation Exploring website, https://www.exploring.org/aviation/. Lastly, if you are interested in learning more about learning to fly, but do not know where to turn, use AOPA’s free youth membership program, AV8RS, for ages 13 to 18 years old, to help get your dream to fly off to a great start. Through this membership, you get the benefit of receiving AOPA’s online Flight Training magazine for free. Additionally, you will be notified when flight training scholarships are available this winter. Don’t delay and miss this opportunity. Sign up for your free AOPA youth membership today, https://www.aopa.org/login/AV8RS/.
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