To most, flying seems simple: you pack your bags, book a flight, and land safely. However, most people have no interest in the aviation aspect of travel, they just rely on the pilot to get them to their destination.
To senior Bryce Manwaring, being that pilot and flying six hours cross-country is a dream come true.
“I flew to San Francisco in April to visit family. It was my first time flying in a while and it rekindled my love for it. I went with my brother and we toured the city with our family,” Manwaring said. This trip pushed him to go to Coastal Air Inc., a flight training program in Groton.
“I have always been drawn to aviation. It’s such a fascinating subject,” Manwaring said. “I always dreamed of [being a pilot], but as I got older, I thought it was too far of a reach.”
Senior Chris Stefanelli is also working toward his goal to become a pilot at the same Groton institute.
“It’s really fun, and if anyone wants to try doing it, they should because you can take an intro flight to just see if you like it,” Stefanelli said.
Similar to driving, to receive a pilot’s license, students need to start to fly with instructors. Then, they work up to being able to fly on their own, until they eventually take a test with a federal flight instructor, and hopefully pass. Once they get their license, they may choose to go to aviation school, which is not necessary, but raises the chances of getting hired by a commercial airlines company. To attend the school in fall, the average cost is $25k per year for 4 years.
“There are a lot of lessons and learning that go into flying. You have to learn maneuvers, emergency procedures and communicate with air traffic control,” Manwaring explained.
Stefanelli and Manwaring require a specific amount of flight hours, for a license and to become a commercial pilot, obtained simply by flying and training.
“Flight training is a long process where each flight is an hour or two, and I have 21 hours,” Manwaring said.
Many student pilots begin with very little to no flying experience. The dream of becoming a pilot can only be achieved with hard work and dedication.
“It takes a lot of work to get through it but the reward from it is amazing,” Manwaring said. “Flying gives the feeling of being free and seeing the whole world in one point of view. When I’m in the air, all of my worries go away, and I just get to enjoy flying.”
Stefanelli is hoping to take his pilot’s exam in the springtime and then attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
Manwaring is also hoping to go to a school for aviation next fall, either at Embry Riddle or Purdue University in Indiana.
“I’m happy I finally started my training after years of wanting to. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Manwaring said.
