By Norah Jewett ’25
On May 9th, a BHS student embarked on his first solo flight, an important milestone on his path to gaining his pilot’s license. This student––who wished to remain anonymous–– was willing to answer a few questions about this feat and illustrate that it is possible for people to fly within the Beverly community.
Q: What inspired you to pursue flying at such a young age?
A: At a young age, I traveled a lot between the U.S. and Europe. In Spain, there was a friend of the family who was a flight instructor at one of the joint military bases. There, I got a taste of flying through a flight simulator. A few years later, Beverly Airport held an event where I got to fly in a small plane for the first time. I instantly fell in love with flying then, and there was no going back.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of your pilot training, and how did you overcome it?
A: I’ve only just begun with my training, so I don’t have much experience to talk from, but the hardest part for me was learning to land. Even now, some landings are smoother than others.
Q: Can you walk us through the process of obtaining your license? How long did it take, and what were some major milestones along the way?
A: I still haven’t gotten my Pilot’s license yet, or what is referred to as a “Private Pilot Certificate”, only a “Solo endorsement”. That means I can fly by myself, but I can’t fly with passengers. I soloed at around 18 hours, and 40 hours (with some extra requirements) is necessary to get your license. However, people often take around 60-75 hours to get their license.
Q: Can you speak about what it was like to balance your school work with the demands of flight training?
A: It was tough, and to be honest I didn’t particularly balance it in the beginning. I don’t feel that my first few hours of flight training were wasted per se, but I started working to apply myself to both high school and flight school this past year.
Q: Have you had any particularly memorable or exciting experiences during your flight training?
A: The feeling of taking off for the first time and being alone felt great. Now that I already knew what to do, there was a lot more room to enjoy the freedom of flying, even if just for an hour.
Q: What are your future aspirations or goals related to flying? Do you see yourself pursuing a career in aviation?
A: I definitely see myself becoming a pilot at an airline, but I want to make the most of what goes on before. For most people, they take up flight instruction. I want to make the most out of it and not just be a good pilot, but a great teacher.
Q: In your opinion, what qualities are essential for a successful pilot, especially at a young age?
A: Being able to be quiet and just listen; be humble.
Q: What advice would you give to other young people who are interested in becoming pilots?
A: Study the material and get your flights reserved close together. Reserve in advance and cancel if the weather’s not looking right. Slots are hard to find as more and more people want to fly.
Q: Finally, what does it feel like to soar through the skies knowing that you’ve achieved something as significant as earning your pilot’s license at a young age?
A: I haven’t gotten my license yet, so I can’t comment on that. There’s nothing truly significant about soloing at my age; but being from Beverly, and as a graduating senior from BHS, I want to show hope for any aspiring pilots in the community.
