Many students take time in high school trying to figure out what career they want in their future. But for a few students, they already know. Some students spend their whole adolescent lives with a drive to be successful in a certain career path, which is the truth for sophomore Abram Wall.
Wall is working to obtain his certified Private Pilot License.
“I have a flight instructor named Steve Turner. I pay $100 an hour for a flight lesson. We only go for an hour so I only pay $100,” Wall said. “Steve will fly his Cessna 150 plane into the Newton Airport and we will meet up there and we will do a little bit of flying east of the Newton Airport and over and around Newton.”
The license Wall is going for, the PPL, has a few basic requirements. To get this license, you need to be over 16 and have proof of U.S. citizenship. According to Wall, there are some other requirements necessary to receive your license.
“The license that I am going for is called the PPL, which is the Private Pilot License,” Wall said. “You need 10 hours of flying with a flight instructor, you need proof of citizenship, you need to have a physical done, which is actually a special physical [specifically] for a pilot license and you need to pass a flight test.”
Wall has been interested in becoming a pilot since he was about seven years old. The concept of flying on planes always fascinated him while on family trips throughout the years.
“I have always enjoyed flying with my family on trips,” Wall said. “I also know my neighbor, who is a pilot and when I was about seven he took me out onto a Cessna plane and we flew around for a while. I had a lot of fun [that day]. I’ve wanted to be a pilot since then.”
Since the beginning of this process, Wall has done a lot to prepare himself for the hard work it would entail. Wall knows numerous pilots, including multiple family members and his neighbor, who he has spent time talking to.
“I’ve talked with a bunch of pilots as well as a few pilots in my family. I have talked with them a lot and asked them what I should be doing. My neighbor has been giving me a lot of advice and actually got me in touch with Steve,” Wall said. “I have also done some studying on the Federal Aviation Administration website, where they have a study guide.”