Flying high: Frazier High School student earns private pilot license
When Ethan Roebuck was a young boy, his grandfather introduced him to aviation.
The Frazier High School senior said they often talked about military planes and the golden age of flight. Before his grandfather passed away, he made a request of Roebuck无毛视频檚 mother: make sure Ethan took a flight to see how he liked it.
That first flight was three years ago 无毛视频� Roebuck was 14 无毛视频� and on his 16th birthday, he flew solo for the first time.
无毛视频淚t was surreal being up there on my own,无毛视频� Roebuck said. 无毛视频淭hat was a moment I无毛视频檒l never forget.无毛视频�
This year, the 17-year-old got his private pilot无毛视频檚 license. The process wasn无毛视频檛 easy, he said, particularly with the rigors of being a full-time high school student.
Roebuck needed 200 flight hours, and had to pass a two-part test to get the license.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a written exam with the basic knowledge of flying, and the second part is a practical check ride; you talk to an examiner for about an hour, and then you have a two-hour flying test where you demonstrate certain maneuvers,无毛视频� Roebuck said.
When he wasn无毛视频檛 practicing at Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport or studying physics or instrument panels, Roebuck was choosing classes at Frazier High School to further his aviation education.
The Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Aerospace Engineering course offered at the high school has helped Roebuck and other students interested in aviation to understand the science behind flight.
The course covers topics such as aerodynamics, aircraft systems and navigation. Roebuck said the valuable knowledge shared in the class coincided with what he either had learned or was learning in flight school.
无毛视频淢any of the questions that were assigned in lessons were almost identical in format to questions that appear on the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) private pilot written exam,无毛视频� Roebuck said.
All the hard work has family, friends, teachers and staff at the high school excited about Roebuck无毛视频檚 future.
无毛视频淓than无毛视频檚 achievement is something we无毛视频檙e incredibly proud of,无毛视频� Jason Pappas, Frazier High School principal, said. 无毛视频淥ur Project Lead the Way courses give students real-world skills and a chance to explore careers that inspire them. Ethan took full advantage of that and turned his dream into reality.无毛视频�
The private pilot无毛视频檚 license was a big accomplishment, said Roebuck, but there is more flying on the horizon. He无毛视频檚 been accepted into Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Fla., with the goal of earning a bachelor无毛视频檚 in aeronautical science and becoming a commercial airline pilot.
That requires at least 1,500 hours of flying time and other, more specialized licenses, he said.
无毛视频淭he private license is the first step and it无毛视频檚 pretty neat to get there at 17,无毛视频� Roebuck said, 无毛视频渂ut there无毛视频檚 a lot still to be done.无毛视频�