Have you ever wanted to be as free as a bird? Have you ever dreamed of being able to fly in the sky? Sophia Pastusek, FWCD class of 2028, is learning how to do just that, by becoming a pilot. There are many different types of pilots including private, commercial, and cargo. Pastusek is looking to become a private pilot.
“I am taking this thing called AAe. It is like driver’s ed online. They pair me up with an experienced pilot and that pilot is going to teach me how to fly after I’m done with ground school,” Pastusek said.
Ground school teaches you how to fly a plane before you are up in the air. It teaches you about the checklist which you need to know before you fly.
“You have to go through the checklist before you fly to ensure you don’t forget anything like the fuel. You also check the wing to make sure it doesn’t stop while you are in mid-air,” Pastusek said.
She isn’t doing this to make money (like a commercial pilot); instead she is doing it as a hobby, but there is a lot of work that is going into this hobby of hers.
“One day I woke up in the morning and decided I would like to be a pilot,” Pastusek said.
This is an interesting thing to just one day decide to do, but this could turn into something great for her. Pastusek gets inspiration from her Uncle and Great Uncle, both of whom served in the Air Force.
Pastusek flew with her uncle for 20-30 minutes, but she did not land the plane.
“There are two flying wheels. He’s the real pilot, so he’s flying over here. Then he turns on the copilot, which is me, and he lets me fly. Except one time he didn’t realize he switched it to me, so he stopped piloting the plane, and I didn’t know I was supposed to pilot the plane,” Pastusek said.
Thankfully, the plane they were flying could glide, so they were able to save themselves before something bad happened to them while in the air.
Some people would love to have a friend that could fly them all around the world, but others don’t want to fly with them.
“No, I don’t trust Sophia to fly me around until she gets more experience,” Clara Cimo ‘28, Pastusek’s good friend, said.
There have been plane crashes recently, but Pastusek said she isn’t worried.
“No, it’s like driving, but you don’t have to do as much when you are up in the air,” Pastusek said.
She feels better about flying once she is up in the air. She was even able to take a video of herself flying over La Palmilla, a hotel in Glen Rose.
Pastusek is unsure of how long it will be until she gets her Pilot’s license. But knowing her, it won’t be long until she is up in the air flying by herself all around the world.
