Want to become a pilot? Pilots will tell you that it mainly comes down
to one thing: dedication.
"There's such a wide variety of people from different walks of life that
[become pilots], so it's kind of hard to say that it takes one particular
type of person or one particular quality," says pilot Chris Siderwicz.
"The desire to do it is probably the biggest quality, because it takes
a lot of dedication. And the people who don't dedicate enough of their time
and skills to it usually don't turn out to be the best at it."
Siderwicz is the manager of an airfield in Massachusetts where biplanes
take off from grass field runways. He takes people on sightseeing tours. And
as an aerobatic pilot he can offer extra excitement to those who can handle
it! He also flies tow planes -- the kind you see pulling banners across the
sky.
"We give rides in the open cockpit biplane, which is one of the most sought-after
airplanes to be able to fly," says Siderwicz. "Flying around Cape Cod beaches
is nice, and flying out of a grass airport is the best part."
You could say that flying is in Siderwicz's blood.
"My dad was a professional pilot in the airlines, and I got brought up
around it," says Siderwicz. "We always had small planes, so there was sort
of no way around it."
But you don't have to grow up around planes, or have a pilot in the family,
to become a pilot. To start, you just need to take an introductory flight
to see if it sparks an interest.
"We always get a lot of young kids that want to get into aviation that
come around here," says Siderwicz. "[It's a good idea to] just hang around,
just watch the ins and outs of it. Maybe get some rides and talk to some people
that are involved in it and see if it is something that they want to do."
Melanie Abel first got involved in flying at a young age, at the encouragement
of her father. Her father had earned his private pilot's certificate when
he was younger.
"He got me my first introductory flight when I was probably in middle school
and really inspired me and encouraged me to pursue that area," says Abel.
Abel earned her private pilot's certificate while still in high school.
She later earned a degree in professional aviation flight technology from
Indiana State University (ISU).
"Kind of from the first flight on you get hooked or you don't. And I was
just one of those that got hooked and wanted to pursue that," says Abel.
Abel earned the necessary certificates and ratings to become a commercial
pilot. She then worked for a while in aircraft sales.
"I did demonstration flights and would pick up aircraft and deliver them
to their new owners," says Abel. "I also currently do aerial mapping, where
I fly over cornfields. And I take pictures of the crops and send them back
to the customers."
Abel teaches aviation technology at ISU during the school year, and then
does aerial mapping all summer.
"I just get to travel all over the place in the summertime, and it's really
enjoyable," she says. "Another thing I was able to do this past year is I
actually participated in an all-women's air race.... It's called the Air Race
Classic, and it's... a really unique and fun opportunity."
As you might imagine, pilots must be confident. Abel says it's an essential
personal quality.
"You need to be confident in yourself and your abilities, because you've
got control of this aircraft as well as other people's lives in your hands,"
says Abel. "You've got to be trustworthy. Passengers are trusting you in order
to travel from point A to point B."
Abel says it's also important to work well in a team. Small planes only
require a single pilot, but once you get into larger aircraft you have a co-pilot
and other crew that you need to work with in a coordinated fashion.
"Another thing, since it does take a while to build up to larger aircraft
-- you've got to be passionate about what you're doing," says Abel. "You've
got to absolutely love flying. It's not something like, 'Oh, I think I might
like it, let's try and do it.' You've got to be passionate about it and focused.
And if that's part of what someone is feeling, then aviation would be perfect
for them."
What does Abel especially enjoy about flying? "The freedom of it," she
says. "The ability to take off, go direct to your destination, and I can look
down and I see that I'm passing all of these cars stuck in traffic -- that's
enjoyable as well."
Russell Yuen hopes to one day take to the skies as a commercial airline
pilot.
"I joined Air Cadets when I was in middle school and... I got some flying
experience," says Yuen. "I just fell in love with it, and I've been flying
ever since."
After high school Yuen earned a diploma in Airline and Flight Operations.
He also obtained his commercial pilot's license. He's currently a flight instructor,
earning the flight hours that are taking him closer to his dream of becoming
a commercial airline pilot.
Yuen's love of flying has the same basis as Abel's: "It's just the freedom
of it," he says. "Every single time when the aircraft takes off from the runway,
when the aircraft wheels leave the ground, you feel a sense of freedom.
"It's amazing because -- just think about it -- [over 100] years ago [in
1903] the Wright brothers made their first flight. And now we've got thousands
and thousands of passengers going up into the sky every single day. And that's
an amazing change," Yuen says.
"Flying is very much making the impossible possible. Nobody thought that
something that heavy could be up in the sky, but we did it."