Smith 1 Trevor Smith Prof.

Presnell English 1103 23 September 2013 When I Took to the Skies On July 29th, 2013, the first step to achieving my dream came true. I passed my private pilot single-engine land check ride. This means once I passed the check ride: I was able to fly an airplane by myself with no flight instructor, and also be able to carry passengers. It was official, I was FAA certified. I entered into an elite group of individuals

I have loved aviation since the day I was born. Although thats not possible at all, I was exposed to it at a very young age. My mother became a flight attendant for USAir (this was before they became known as US Airways after the merger with 4 other airlines) in 1986, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During her time as a flight attendant, she met my father on a flight while going to New York. It wasnt too long after they met that I was born on September 16th, 1994. She remained a flight attendant for about 2 months following my birth. After that, she became a stay at home mom. At the time, the airlines had some money to spend, so after my mom retired she received a severance package. It included free flights to most destinations for 5 years. This is where I came in. My moms parents, along with her sister and brother, still lived up in the Annapolis, Maryland area, which is where my mom is from. We, which included my sister born in February 1998, would travel from Winston-Salem to Greensboro, and then fly from there to Baltimore, Maryland. That trip was made often during my moms free flight period.

Smith 2 I remember vividly the first time that I stepped into the airport. Hundreds of people were waiting in line to check in their bags; I was playing a game of frogger dodging all the suitcases. I was just absolutely consumed with the operations of the airport. When it came time to check in the bags at the front desk, I would always use the bag scale to weigh myself. Nope! the ticket agent said, Youre too big to go into the belly of the airplane. Every time she would take the bag and put it on the conveyor belt, I would want to ride on it and go behind the curtain into the unknown world of bustling beltways that somehow got your bag to the right airplane. Going through security was intimidating. I was always afraid they were going to arrest me, and when I would walk through the metal scanner, I was afraid all the sirens were going to go off and I was going to be tackled to the ground. My mom says that my biggest habit was that I insisted on showing up to the airport early enough to watch the airplane pull into the gate. When it came time for boarding, I would run down the jetway like it was a race to see who could get to the airplane first. It just so happened that my mom knew most of the pilots that would be on the Greensboro to Baltimore trip, so I had the distinct luxury of getting behind the scenes access and sitting up front with the pilots. Of course this was before the tragic events of 9/11, so this is definitely not an option to anybody today. During the flights, I would just walk up and down the aisles and talk to the passengers like I was their flight attendant.

The last time we made the usual Greensboro Baltimore trip was right before my moms benefits ran out. When we were getting off the airplane, the pilots invited me inside. Even though I had been in the cockpit several times before, I was always in awe of all the buttons and levers like I had never seen them before. I knew at that instant, at 5 years old, that I was going to return to that airplane, not as a passenger, but as a pilot.

Smith 3

Its no surprise that airplane tickets are ridiculously expensive, so after my moms benefits ran out in early 2001, we stopped making trips all together through the air. The long and daunting car trip was the only option. However, I did not let that stop me from pursuing my dream. Every year for Christmas, I would ask Santa Claus for anything that had to do with aviation. Whether it was model airplanes or a book, I was determined to have anything and everything that was associated with flying. I remember for a couple of years, I dressed up as one of the Wright Brothers during Halloween. Every once in a while, I would be able to take trips in an airplane to visit family in Syracuse, New York and Phoenix, Arizona. I was getting a lot older now. Through all the studying that I had done over the years on my own, I knew exactly what the pilots were doing. It made the trips more enjoyable because I knew what the pilots were doing and I would try to guess their next step. As many trips as I made during my life, it never got old. For a lot of people, especially the business people, it would just become routine, but for me, even though it was a route Ive been on lots of times before, I enjoyed it like it was my first flight. Entering into high school, I knew that I wanted to study and get the grades to get me into a school that involves aviation and prepares you for a job in the airlines, my ultimate goal. Little did I know that during Christmas 2009, my dad had even better plans!

It was a single envelope addressed to me in my stocking that would change my life. In great anticipation, I ripped open the envelope and pulled out a certificate. Initially, I made out the word flight, so I assumed that I was going on another flight somewhere, which is what I always wanted to do. Then I made out the word training next to flight, only to open up the certificate and read Piedmont Flight Training: Discovery Flight. My dad tells me that my jaw dropped to the

Smith 4 floor and it looked like I was having a mini heart attack. Not only was I going on a flight somewhere, I was going to be the pilot. December 25, 2009 was the beginning of an unforgettable journey. What most people dont know is that there is no initial training or classroom time prior to the first flight. You just hop in an airplane, with a flight instructor of course, and go, which is always unsettling to some! The very first flight that I took, I was scared out of my mind because I realized that this isnt like Microsoft Flight Simulator, where if you crash, you start over. When youre up in the sky and you smell smoke, followed by the frightening noise of the backfiring engine, you cant just pull over and address the issue. Like my flight instructor always says, Youre coming down eventually, whether its controlled or not is the question! Overall, the first flight was a thrill, and as soon as we landed, I wanted to go back up. I continued my flight training, which led to my first solo flight on June 18, 2011. What a momentous occasion! The feeling you get when you look over and your flight instructor is not there is like no other feeling in the world. My next two major milestones were my short crosscountry trip and my long cross-country trip. No, I know what youre thinking! I didnt fly to California. A short cross-country is landing at an airport that is at least 50 nm away from your home airport. A long cross-country is a trip that involves landing at two other airports besides your home airport, which has to be at least 150 nm round trip. All along, all these accomplishments were leading to the biggest test of all, my private pilot check ride. Where if I passed, I would be a fully licensed pilot. After years of training with lots of blood, sweat, and tears, my dream that I had since I was 5 years old finally came true.

Now in college, Im doing all that I can to help me move closer to my goal. Im going to hold off on my training and just focus on my grades right now. People are always asking me,

Smith 5 Why are you not doing aeronautical engineering? What I tell them is that the biggest thing that can kick me out of the cockpit as an airline pilot is my vision. Right now, even with glasses, my vision is correctable to 20/20 which is acceptable by the airlines standards, but if something happens, and it gets worse, I will be prohibited from flying in the airlines. So I feel that if I got an engineering degree, sat on it for 15 years, had something happen and got kicked out of the airlines, what engineering firm is going to hire someone who has not used his degree in 15 years? That is why I am majoring in business management, which is very applicable to any business, especially the airlines. I dont think people realize how much it takes to run a multi-billion dollar industry. There are so many necessary skills needed to make sure that the day goes off without a hitch.

Whenever I get a chance to sit down and think about the path that Im on to success and fulfilling that dream and promise to myself, I always think about my biggest supporter and why Im here. My mom has always been my biggest supporter, so whenever I need advice or help, I call her. I remember one day I was so stressed out with schoolwork I couldnt think straight. I called my mom for some advice. She told me, Go to some place relaxing; go to a place where you can clear you head and be happy! To most people, that would be their room, maybe the pool, the library, or even the spa, but for me, I didnt hesitate to think airport. Its the presence of airplanes, the smell of the jet fuel, the boom of the fully loaded Boeing when it powers to full throttle that for some reason, makes me grin from ear to ear.

There have been few roadblocks, that I can recall, that have closed the door of opportunity in my face. As my mom says, Well son, I dont think you couldve picked a more

Smith 6 expensive hobby! Saving up the money to go fly has always been difficult. I was never patient enough to save up the money for another flight. I had to work during the summer as much as I could at my dads dentist office to save for my flight training. Price was not the only roadblock. My junior year in high school proved difficult for me. I got so involved in my flight training; I was studying harder for aviation tests, than my regular math tests at school. My grades started to drop, and I made the decision myself to realign my priorities. I took a year off from flight training to focus on my grades. It certainly wasnt the easiest decision of my life, but Im glad that I made it. My grades improved, and I graduated with straight As.

As you can tell, aviation is in my blood. I firmly believe I was put on this earth by God to be a pilot. My mom is my biggest sponsor through all of this. After all, its her fault I love aviation so much. Through all the roadblocks that include funding the flight lessons and taking breaks to focus on school, I have never faltered in pursuing my dream. This leads me to leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Leonardo Da Vinci. He said, Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. Since the first time I experienced flight, I have always done everything I can to return to the skies; to soar with the birds through the clouds, and experience the world through different eyes.