AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 45

The experience was transformative.
SK was totally motivated. He was now
going to apply to universities with an aviation or aeronautics program. He would
use the year ahead of him to earn his private pilot certificate. That would set him
ahead when he entered his aviation program at the university.
I took him to the flight school I
attended and got him introduced, registered, and set up with a flight instructor.
I helped to explain the training process,
the program, the goals, and milestones to
achieve. His parents stopped by the next
day and took their first flight in a general
aviation airplane with SK and his flight
instructor.
The third week of September, SK
started on his formal flight training program. So that he didn't feel any pressure
of attempting the training program not
knowing how he would fare, I absorbed
the cost and told him that every flight

school typically offered a few hours at no
charge. If that could ease the pressure,
why not?
I have used flight simulators for
more than 30 years. Having thousands of
hours on a simulator helped expedite the
path to my certificate. Simulators are an
immensely valuable tool in staying proficient. More important, I firmly believe
that if used correctly, simulators can cut
the time and cost of training. Given this
belief, I built a decently powered personal computer with the ability to carry
a triple-head display. I loaded up one of
my unused licenses of Microsoft's Flight
Simulator and set it up for SK at his home.
My advice was to use it to practice before
a flight lesson and reinforce learning after
a flight lesson on the sim. 
In March 2019, SK was accepted into
two leading U.S. universities for an aviation program. Over the past year, he
flew as much as possible while balancing

schoolwork, running track, and flying
lessons.
SK now has 33 hours on his logbook.
He is working on taking his FAA knowledge test. Next week, he leaves for Daytona
Beach, Florida, to attend the aeronautics
program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University. From a hesitant boy aspiring
for something, unsure of where or how to
go about it, to an enrolled student in an
aviation program, the journey has been
quick. All it took was a little handholding.
Only time will tell where his journey
takes him. For me personally, it is immensely
gratifying to have been part of his journey, to
have contributed infinitesimally to aviation
knowing that my actions could eventually
coalesce into bringing the next generation
back into aviation. Far too often, we feel that
we may be too trivial in the larger context
to make a difference-that's not at all true.
CP JOIS is a private pilot living in Illinois.

R OTOR CR AFT R EADY

| 45

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2020
