Our Aviation Stories
sloane alexander
By Sloane Alexander, age 9
My journey into aviation started when I was 6 months old when I flew in a DA-20 on my Dad. My family has a lot of pilots and I grew up on the airport even my 1st birthday was there. So when I was 8, I got my log book and went with a CFI on my first flight lesson and I loved it. When we moved to Aspen in 2019 my dad let me continue flying at the Aspen Flight School where I continue to fly and got my first ground school lesson with my instructor Kate. Now I have over 6 hours logged at 9 years old!
My plan is to be ready to solo on my 16th birthday and then get my pilots license at 17 years old. That would make me a fourth generation pilot in my family. My great grandpa was a WWII fighter pilot.
What I love about aviation is the challenge and learning all about it and when I look out the window you can see so many cool things. I also love using the G1000 and learning about it. In the corona virus lockdown I could not fly so my dad signed me up for an online course by Embry Riddle Aeronautical School.
That is my journey in aviation and my name is Sloane Alexander, age 9!
Sloane as a small child already passionate about flying
Sloane and Kate Short - flight instructor and previous Aspen High School’s Aviation Director
Kate kowar
By Kate Kowar - Graduate of Aspen High School and currently attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO
Most days my junior year of high school, I would walk into my first class of the day already exhausted and still finishing my breakfast. As much as it sounds like I had stayed up late the night before, slept through my alarm, and had to sprint out the door to make it to school on time, I really had spent the morning at the airport taking flight lessons and building hours towards my private pilot's license. It’s difficult to pinpoint the moment aviation first piqued my interest, but for as long as I can remember, I have had a certain fascination with flight. Upon starting high school, my curiosity drew me towards the new aviation program that was just beginning to offer ground school courses for those interested in potentially pursuing aviation.
My sophomore year of high school, I enrolled in the private pilot ground school course and quickly found myself up to my head in regulations, weight and balance calculations, aircraft systems, and basic aerodynamics. The following year, I began taking flight lessons and eventually was able to take a checkride earning my PPL. At this point, aviation was a hobby which I seriously enjoyed that introduced me to a new community and many rewardingchallenges.
During my senior year of high school, I focused my time on finding schools that had aviation programs so I could continue enjoying my new found hobby I dedicated myself to during high school. Ultimately, I started school at the United States Air Force Academy. I quickly learned that they had one of the best collegiate precision flying teams in the nation. Not to mention the other incredibly unique airmanship programs they offer including a parachuting team and the largest glider operation in the country. The Flying Team had a six month long tryout process, so for the better part of my first year, I was taking tests, being interviewed, and completing a tryout flight as the team narrowed down a pool of over sixty applicants to the nine cadets that would be welcomed onto their team. I am humbled to say that I was fortunately one of the nine cadets from my class to have made the team.
This began a new chapter in my aviation experience. The summer before my second year, I went through an upgrade process for the Flying Team to be qualified to fly the Cessnas they flew at competitions. The program was modeled after Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) to give us a shocking introduction to how the Air Force treats aviation differently from the civilian world. Everything from memorizing Boldface and reading aircraft publications to specific pattern operations, flight forms, and emergency procedure standups were included in the three week long upgrade. It was remarkable to me how much more competent I became in the airplane after those three weeks.
Once we entered the academic year, I began to learn more about the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) which is the organization that runs the collegiate flying competitions in which our team and teams from other civilian universities compete. The events we compete in include a navigation event, message drop, power on and power off precision landings, preflight inspection, and instrument procedures among others. We practice six days a week to prepare for competitions. Our team has two main purposes: the first is to be the best collegiate aviation competitors we can be, and the second is to develop military aviators who are prepared for the rigors of Air Force UPT and who will be leaders within the aviation industry.
For many the saying, “once you have been bitten by the aviation bug, it never goes away,” is true. Likewise, I expect that what began as a genuine curiosity that quickly turned into a hobby will remain a lifelong endeavor; an adventure on which I am happy to embark.
Link to NIFA’s website: https://nifa.aero
Link to the USAFA Precision Flying Team website: https://www.usafaflyingteam.com/home
HOW FLYING CHANGED MY LIFE
By Tom Morrison - The BettyFlies Foundation Advisory Board Member
In 6th grade my elementary school teacher told my parents that I would probably finish high school but attending college would be a mistake. She said I’d never finish. My personal expectations were very low. Emotionally, I was dealing with a sister who suffered brain damage after catching the measles from me at an earlier age. The combination of guilt and low expectations did not make for a very motivating childhood.
Flying changed my life. One summer afternoon after my graduation from high school, a neighbor who was an airline pilot took me on my first flight. Everything changed. Within a year I had my private pilot license. A year after that I obtained my commercial and instrument ratings. Shortly after that I became a flight instructor and accumulated 600 hours of instruction. At the same time, I graduated Summa Cum Laude with an engineering degree in aeronautics from Arizona State University.
Ultimately, I didn’t choose a career in aviation. I graduated from law school, became a corporate executive, started a successful national company in healthcare serving all the nations hospitals and two thirds of physician offices, served on Federal advisory committees and consulted with the Obama White House on healthcare information technology policy and architecture.
Aviation has a unique power to motivate people and provide a new perspective on life. In my instructing, I saw this unique power first hand. My experience is not unique. I am filled with gratitude to have been fortunate enough to be introduced to aviation at a pivotal moment in my young life.